Hatch, Thom 1946-

views updated

HATCH, Thom 1946-

PERSONAL:

Born 1946; married; children: one daughter.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Ellicott, CO. Agent—c/o New England Publishing Associates, P.O. Box 5, Chester, CT 06412. E-mail—[email protected].

WRITINGS:

Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn: An Encyclopedia of the People, Places, Events, Indian Culture and Customs, Information Sources, Art, and Films, McFarland (Jefferson, NC), 1997.

Encyclopedia of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution, McFarland (Jefferson, NC), 1999.

Clashes of Cavalry: The Civil War Careers of George Armstrong Custer and Jeb Stuart, Stackpole Books (Mechanicsburg, PA), 2001.

The Custer Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Life of George Armstrong Custer and the Plains Indian Wars, Stackpole Books (Mechanicsburg, PA), 2002.

The Blue, the Gray, and the Red: Indian Campaigns of the Civil War, Stackpole Books (Mechanicsburg, PA), 2003.

Black Kettle: The Southern Cheyenne Chief Who Sought Peace but Found War, Wiley (Hoboken, NJ), 2004.

SIDELIGHTS:

Thom Hatch is the author of a number of Civil War-era histories, including his first, Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn: An Encyclopedia of the People, Places, Events, Indian Culture and Customs, Information Sources, Art, and Films. Instead of the usual chronology, Hatch uses an alphabetical arrangement, including entries from "A Company Seventh Cavalry" to "Yellowstone Expedition of 1873." In addition to the customary entries about military personnel, Hatch includes popular songs of the period, notes on the political, cultural, and social events of the time, and a list of more than forty films and videos. There is an entry on "Mary Adams," about Custer's black cook, and another titled "Presidential Aspirations of Custer." He provides information on the culture and customs of the Plains Indians, portraits of both Native and military figures, photographs and illustrations, and his own hand-drawn maps. Included is an appendix titled "Custer Civil War Chronology and Battle Summary," as well as a comprehensive index. Hatch states that his purpose in writing the volume is "to assist the interested reader in gathering relevant information—fact, theory, speculation—into a manageable perspective." Linda D. Tietjen commented in American Reference Books Annual that Hatch's purpose "has been met."

Hatch's Encyclopedia of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution was called a "first-rate reference book" by Boyd Childress in American Reference Books Annual.Hatch covers the period from the settlement of Texas through the forming of the Republic and documents the fall of the Alamo garrison to Mexican troops led by Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna on March 6, 1836, after a thirteen-day siege. The volume provides both a chronology and encyclopedic entries on events and people on both sides of the Texas Revolution. Hatch lists alphabetically the 188 Alamo defenders, the most prominent of which are covered in lengthier sketches. They include Jim Bowie and Davy Crockett. Hatch also provides longer entries on the prominent figures in Texas independence, such as Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston. Other entries include those on the battle of San Antonio and the battle of San Jacinto. Choice reviewer S. C. Awe commented that this volume "may become the classic reference source for undergraduate and public library collections."

Clashes of Cavalry: The Civil War Careers of George Armstrong Custer and Jeb Stuart is a study of two of the most able and colorful cavalry officers of the Civil War. The fun-loving Union commander, Custer, graduated at the bottom of his West Point class with 726 demerits, while his classmate, Confederate officer Stuart, walked away from careers in business and law in favor of the military. They were dashing men who loved combat, and Hatch covers their lives from their births until Stuart's death in 1864 and Custer's triumph at Appomattox. Jeffry Wert wrote for Civil War News that "Hatch's narrative is spirited like a cavalry charge at Brandy Station or Gettysburg." The final chapter summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of both leaders. Library Journal's Carver John Edwards wrote that "the scholarship is sound, and maps of the subjects' raids and engagement are helpful."

Custer is also the subject of The Custer Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Life of George Armstrong Custer and the Plains Indian Wars. Custer's life is covered in nine chapters, and accompanying sidebars, biographies, articles, eighty black-and-white photographs, twenty-two maps, and military organizational tables. Hatch concentrates on Custer's post-Civil War career on the Plains. Topics include military forts and Native tribes and their leaders.

Doris R. Meredith noted in the Amarillo Globe-News that "of course, the most riveting chapters deal with the Battle of the Little Big Horn" and remarked that Hatch addresses a number of questions regarding the historical event that have been asked before, but added "perhaps not … in such a straightforward manner. Hatch's answers are succinct and logical, whether or not you agree with his position on the various issues. The Custer Companion is compelling reading and might even change your mind about certain key questions."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Reference Books Annual, 1998, Linda D. Tietjen, review of Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn: An Encyclopedia of the People, Places, Events, Indian Culture and Customs, Information Sources, Art, and Films, p. 195; 2000, Boyd Childress, review of Encyclopedia of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution, p. 196.

Booklist, December 1, 1999, review of Encyclopedia of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution, p. 721; July, 2001, Jay Freeman, review of Clashes of Calvary: The Civil War Careers of George Armstrong Custer and Jeb Stuart, p. 1974.

Choice, February, 2000, S. C. Awe, review of Encyclopedia of the Alamo and the Texas Revolution, p. 1085.

Civil War Times Illustrated, May, 2002, Eric Ethier, review of Clashes of Cavalry.

Journal of Southern History, February, 2003, Stephen D. Engle, review of Clashes of Cavalry, p. 188.

Library Journal, February 15, 1997, Stephen H. Peters, review of Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn, p. 127; September 15, 2001, Carver John Edwards, review of Clashes of Cavalry, p. 87; September 15, 2002, Stephen H. Peters, review of The Custer Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Life of George Armstrong Custer and the Plains Indian Wars, p. 54.

Wild West, August, 1997, review of Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn, p. 97.