Actually, the full name of this book is "Confederate Nitre Bureau Operations In The Trans-Mississippi" and it was written by Marion O. Smith. It is Copyright 2014, is in an 8.5 X 11 format and is 32 pages long. Cost, directly from the author, sitting in a campsite last weekend, was $4.00. I am assuming the NSS Bookstore will be stocking this item.
"Trans-Mississippi" refers to the area WEST of the Mississippi River. The two Confederate States west of the Mississippi were Arkansas and Texas. Both states have caves and saltpeter was mined in both states. As usual, Marion provides LOTS of details. His research ability is just amazing. There are wonderful old photos of people involved at the time, copies of old, hand-written documents, and some modern photographs of the caves that were mined. There are also some cave maps. And, in typical Marion O. Smith fashion, there is a very lengthy list of sources at the end.
Very interesting and a valuable addition to our knowledge of saltpeter mining during the Civil War.
Larry E. Matthews
NSS #6792-F