The Battle of the Wilderness May 5-6, 1864

Book Description

Fought in a tangled forest fringing the south bank of the Rapidan River, the Battle of the Wilderness marked the initial engagement in the climactic months of the Civil War in Virginia, and the first encounter between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. In an exciting narrative, Gordon c. Rhea provides the consummate recounting of that conflict of May 5 and 6, 1864, which ended with high casualties on both sides but no clear victor. With its balanced analysis of events and people, command structures and strategies, The Battle of the Wilderness is operational history as it should be written.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent military history.......2007-01-25

I have to be honest, I hadn't read a military history book in a while because many are bland or don't have enough maps or are just confusing. No such problems with this book. Rhea has written a page-turning work about this confusing battle. This ranks amongst the best military history books I've ever read. Rhea's book has many good qualities about it. It has ample amounts of maps. It describes events in detail, but not so minute as to bore the reader. He explains tactics so that a master or novice can understand. The mini-biographies of all the differing players are helpful too. Rhea also does an excellent job of using memoirs, letters, diaries, and other books on the battle to bring everything together into a very readable, easily understood work. I was also glad to see that Rhea explained why he came to certain conclusions (and often times, even explained the other side too so you could make your own mind up) and he was also willing to lay blame where it deserved, even if flung at a popular general, or stick up for others, even if unpopular. All in all, a great work and one of the best military history books I've read. I can't wait to get started on the rest of the series......

The Overland Series.......2006-07-22

The Battle of the Wilderness May 5-6, 1864
Product Details
* Hardcover: 520 pages
* Publisher: Louisiana State University Press (July 1994)
* Language: English
* ISBN: 0807118737

The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern May 7-12, 1864
Product Details
* Hardcover: 483 pages
* Publisher: Louisiana State University Press (May 1997)
* Language: English
* ISBN: 0807121363

To the North Anna River: Grant and Lee, May 13-25, 1864
Product Details
* Hardcover: 505 pages
* Publisher: Louisiana State University Press (May 2000)
* Language: English
* ISBN: 0807125350

Cold Harbor: Grant and Lee, May 26-June 3, 1864
Product Details
* Hardcover: 552 pages
* Publisher: Louisiana State University Press (September 2002)
* Language: English
* ISBN: 0807128031

I am reviewing the four books a single series although each book is a full stand-alone history. This is a highly detailed military history of Grant's Overland Campaign of 1864. Two of the best generals commanding two of the best armies, in American history, decide the Civil war in the East. Gordon Rhea gives this month the detailed attention it requires and had never received. The 2,000 pages allows for the full story of the campaign, the personalities, failures and success.

The first book covers the major battle of The Wilderness an area Grant wished to clear and Lee hoped to trap him in as he had Hooker in 1863. Through a series of Union miscalculations and command problems, Lee manages to get in Grant's way. What follows is a confused bloody two-day battle that has been termed "Bush whacking on a grand scale". An excellent series of maps, help the reader stay abreast of the battle and understand the confusion of both sides. Lee loses Longstreet and starts to make the hard decisions about personnel that he has avoided since 1862. Grant while testing his relationship with Meade and Burnside, is trying to learn the AOP's generals too. This process dominates the four books as repeatedly Grant is forced to deal with the problems this creates and Lee takes steps that were unthinkable in 1863.

The second book moves the battle from The Wilderness south to Spotsylvania and Yellow Tavern. Grant refuses to "play the game" and retreat behind the Rappahannock but pushes past Lee and continues south. What follows is a race from defensive point to defensive point, which the AOP concedes to the AoNV. Union commanders hesitate at critical moments while the AoNV reinforces the objective. This allows Lee to stay up or ahead producing one of the bloodiest battles in our history at Spotsylvania. In addition, this book covers the critical cavalry operations, Grant's reasoning, and the price paid in taking Sheridan away from Meade. J.E.B. Stuart's death, is well covered. Both in terms of what it means to the AoNV, to Lee and to the Confederacy.

After one of the hardest weeks in their history, the two exhausted bloodied armies eye each other over their entrenchments. Lee understands that he is being trapped and that defensive war can only end in defeat. Grant is trying not to be stuck in a siege and determined to continue south. What follows is a series of forced marches and small battles as Grant and Lee test each other. Each general wins and loses daily as the armies march, counter march and fight. However, at the end of each day, Grant is always closer to Richmond. Lee produces a brilliant trap, Grant takes the bait but circumstances keep lee from springing it. Almost to late, Grant sees the trap pulls back, changes direction and continues south. Book 3, To the North Anna River covers this brilliant and exciting time in detail. Rhea produces some excellent analysis of both commanders and the developing personnel problems they are facing. Neither man is having an easy time of it and both understand they have never faced an enemy like this.

The last book takes us to Cold Harbor, one of the most controversial battles of the war. The detail history and excellent analysis leads us through this battle and produces some startling conclusions. As always, the author provides full support and justification for them. This might be the most important book of the series and the definitive book on the battle of Cold Harbor.

Each book has a full set of maps and illustrations. The writing is uniform and very readable. While detailed, the actions are understandable and you are seldom lost in a sea of names and/or unit numbers. Each book is a stand-alone history and is readable as such. The books were published from 1994 to 2002 and had to be written that way. This is the best account of the Overland Campaign available. It is both an invaluable reference and a great reading experience.

The Wilderness Campaign.......2005-09-12

Rhea has done an excellent job of sorting out fact from friction in this major civil war campaign. I have read several accounts including Grant's own biographical account of the wilderness battle. This is by far the most complete coverage of the two critical days of the conflict. I especially enjoyed reading the account of the medical treatment associated with the fatal wounding of Union General James S. Wadsworth. Wadsworth was a major land holder and statesmen in the Genesse Valley near Rochester NY were I grow up. I had never heard of the unsusal story of the rebel farmer who went to his aid and eventually claimed the General's remains. This kind of detail makes the author's account of the people in the terrible collision of forces so remarkable. This is a classic narrative of the final wilderness tragedy where so many on both sides lost thier life in early 1864 to end the conflict. The beginning of the end of the rebellion by attrition.

Excellent Narrative of a Bloody and Confusing Battle.......2005-08-04

In my humble opinion, Rhea has written what I believe to be the definitive account of one of the war's most bloody and savage battles. Rhea's writing style is clear and crisp - easy enough for the layperson yet technical enough to challenge the thinking of historians and military professionals.

The author is fair and balanced in his praises and criticisms of Northern and Southern leaders and the many missed opportunities by both sides to deliver a decisive blow. His battle descriptions are clear and interesting, lacking the dry narratives and extremely gory descriptions of other Civil War titles. While Rhea is able to convey the battle's ferocity, he does not get bogged down in numerous decapitations, limbs blown off, etc.

While the maps are of high quality, there could have been at least 5-10 more. I have stated this problem in reviews of other Civil War titles. While deeply interested in the Civil War, I am not a professional historian and believe that having additional maps would have better clarified some of the troop movements and battles. Additionally, most of the maps went down to only the division or brigade-level. Having regimental-level maps would have made it easier to follow the many regimental battle descriptions contained in the title.

Complaint about the maps aside, I heartily recommend Rhea's book as the definitive account of the first encounter between Grant (okay Meade fans, I'll mention him too!)and Lee. The book will be a valuable guide for better understanding the action in the Wilderness on my next battlefield visit. I have a goal to read his other titles and eagerly look forward to reading his book on Spotsylvania.

Read and enjoy!

Maybe The Best Book on the Complicated battle of The Wilderness.......2005-06-25

This is quite possibly the best book on the battle of the Wilderness particularly since this is one of the most difficult battlefields to visualize with an on site visit since the wilderness, barring suburban encroachment, is still hard to see since much of the growth has or was still there. Rhea does a wonderful job providing the reader the plans that each commander had in mind for the campaign particularly Grant's original plan to move south than west to attack Lee, which was obviously upset by Lee's aggressive move forward. Rhea also does Freeman like bios on the key officer corps of both armies including a well detailed discussion of the complex nature of Grant being present and active with the Army of the Potomac and Meade but not yet taking a firm hand in operations while Burnside's 9th Corps is an independent unit commanded by Grant. Rhea provides outstanding maps with several showing the overall plan of the campaign (Xerox the overall geographic layout map and use it as a book mark for later reference) while also providing several timely spaced close up maps of the various battle developments. Rhea also provides excellent detail on the failure of the Union cavalry to detect Ewell's and Hill's forward movements particularly Wilson's inability to provide reconnaissance as he becomes isolated and virtually cut off on the Catherprin Road entangled with ANV Rosser while the ANV infantry move up the Orange Turnpike colliding with the unsuspecting 5th corps entangling Warren and upsetting Meade's move. Rhea provides tremendous detail on the complicated movements and the interplay of commands while providing a wonderful balance of quotes from participants. Some of the highlights are Ewell's strong defensive performance on the turnpike, Warren's forced dilemma in attacking an entrenched foe without proper support, Hancock's suspended movement to support the union right wing, Longstreet's bulldozer attack and flank move, Burnside's difficulties in positioning for a center attack, and Longstreet's long march and his ordered change of march. Rhea also highlights discussion ion on Hill's failure to secure his lines after the first day of battle where his two divisions held back virtually four union divisions, Longstreet's great march of 32 miles in one day yet with one extensive break, Gordon's late flank attack delayed by Ewell and Early, Burnsides almost piercing of the vulnerable center, Lee's desperate attempts to rally Hill's crushed division, the mysterious lack of cavalry participation by Stuart and Sheridan, Grant's gradual assertion of command and Lee's desperate attempt to break through Hancock's line after Longstreet's wounding and great flank attack. The only mild criticism is that some of the officers are somewhat stereo typed and they do not always have their actions judged by face value in the campaign. For example, Ewell is praised throughout the book because of his staunch command of the initial aspects of the battle and his handling of troops yet at the end he seems criticized a little too much for having a delayed initiative that seemed more hamstrung by Early's reluctance (Gettysburg the first Day again?). The author's descriptions of the difficulty of either army to maneuver in the deep scrub growth woods is so well documented that the reader can appreciate how brigades not less divisions became separated and lost sense of direction and often fought separate battles within a battle. And Rhea describes best why a center attack well conceived but fails by Burnside in the entangled woods between Hill and Ewell as the ANV plugs another gap. How good is Rhea's book? I started the next book of his series on Spotsylvania and I will stay the course for the duration of Rhea's overland campaign.

To the North Anna River: Grant And Lee, May 13-25, 1864 (Jules and Frances Landry Award Series)

Average customer rating:

The Overland Campaign series
More Civil War
Another gem from Rhea
Grant and Lee's Strategic Dance after Spotsylvania and the Great V
Another Excellent Title of the 1864 Overland Campaign

To the North Anna River: Grant And Lee, May 13-25, 1864 (Jules and Frances Landry Award Series)
Gordon C. Rhea
Manufacturer: Louisiana State University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Cold Harbor: Grant and Lee, May 26-June 3, 1864
The Battles For Spotsylvania Court House And The Road To Yellow Tavern, May 7-12, 1864
The Battle Of The Wilderness, May 5-6, 1864
To The Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign
The Fredericksburg Campaign: Winter War on the Rappahannock

ASIN: 0807131113

Book Description

With To the North Anna River, the third book in his outstanding five-book series, Gordon C. Rhea continues his spectacular narrative of the initial campaign between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee in the spring of 1864. May 13 through 25, a phase oddly ignored by historians, was critical in the clash between the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia. During those thirteen days—an interlude bracketed by horrific battles that riveted the public's attention—a game of guile and endurance between Grant and Lee escalated to a suspenseful draw on Virginia's North Anna River.

From the bloodstained fields of the Mule Shoe to the North Anna River, with Meadow Bridge, Myers Hill, Harris Farm, Jericho Mills, Ox Ford, and Doswell Farm in between, grueling night marches, desperate attacks, and thundering cavalry charges became the norm for both Grant's and Lee's men. But the real story of May 13-25 lay in the two generals' efforts to outfox each other, and Rhea charts their every step and misstep. Realizing that his bludgeoning tactics at the Bloody Angle were ineffective, Grant resorted to a fast-paced assault on Lee's vulnerable points. Lee, outnumbered two to one, abandoned the offensive and concentrated on anticipating Grant's maneuvers and shifting quickly enough to repel them. It was an amazingly equal match of wits that produced a gripping, high-stakes bout of warfare—a test, ultimately, of improvisation for Lee and of perseverance for Grant.

Customer Reviews:

The Overland Campaign series.......2006-07-22

More Civil War.......2006-03-09

I just wrote about the prior volume in this series- Spotsylvaia.
My comments also apply here

Another gem from Rhea.......2006-02-17

Rhea has written the most complete history of Grant's Overland campaign. While many Civil War buffs have read about the most well known Overland campaign battles (the Wilderness, Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor), the time between Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor has often been forgotten. This period, of almost two weeks, is very important to understand if you want to better understand Grant. His insatiable desire to out flank Lee drives him further, and further South. Grant has realized that Richmond is not his target but that the Army of Northern Virginia is. However, Grant has learned, painfully, that frontal assualts on fortified positions spills blood unnecessarily. He must meet Lee on a battlefield of his choice...

Grant and Lee's Strategic Dance after Spotsylvania and the Great V.......2005-09-26

Part three of Rhea's series on the overland campaign, Rhea provides an excellent description from the end of the primary Spotsylvania battle to the real overland maneuvering between Grant and Lee. Supported by a series of maps, Rhea fully describes to the reader the maneuvering that Grant does to try to find a weak spot and out maneuver Lee after the major battles of Spotsylvania are exhausted. As Rhea notes, Lee, without Stuart, tries to guess Grant's next move and guesses well as Grant shifts soldiers back to the Spotsylvania front to attack Lee's left assuming that it has now been weakened as both sides had shifted forces east. But it is held securely by Ewell with well positioned artillery. Rhea describes a horrible maiming of the union attack with bodies from previous fighting still on the field, Ewell's position is virtually a fortress. Rhea also spotlights Lee's audacious maneuver of Ewell way around the Union right to demonstrates against the enemy but Ewell gets snared into a full fledge battle that punishes the 2nd corp. The best part of the book is the highlighting of battles and maneuvers generally lost to the large-scale battles that many authors leave out. An example is the outlining of Grant's move east sending Hancock way out ahead of his army in a vulnerable position, tempting Lee. Lee; however, pulls back down telegraph road south as the Union forces start to follow in two tracks. Rhea also gives great detail on Grant's personal movements along with Meade's, they often seem too far from the front to give appropriate and timely direction. Rhea also addresses the fact that the Army of the Potomac starts to come together, corps commanders seem to improve and Burnside and the 9th finally come under Meade as they should have as opposed to the semi freelance role under Grant. Rhea notes that lacking intelligence, Lee cannot readily comprehend Grant's movements initially along the North Anna and Grant as well does not realize that Lee has not abandoned the North Anna line. All adds to a unique situation with Warren getting across the river west of Lee and Hancock across East of Lee. Lee and his ranking engineer devise the famous inverted V wedge position stopping a central Union crossing leaving both Union wings isolated while the ANV has a extremely strong defensive works. This is the most fascinating aspect of the campaign as Lee has a unique opportunity to strike te isolated union corps but he is stricken with illness and with a weakened command structure, he cannot act timely resulting in Grant making an abrupt withdrawal. I would have liked to see more detail on Lee's health then and its effect on his future command abilities if any. His alternate command options seem limited, Hill often sick, Ewell not performing as he wished at Spotsylvania, Longstreet wounded and Beauregaurd and Bragg all had baggage, perhaps there were no real options. A trying time for the confederates as casualties mount and command is tenuous, it does start the emergence of dynamic future corps leaders. Rhea also provides excellent insight into Grant's role that gradually expands with the Army of the Potomac and he explains the command relationship between Grant and Meade. Rhea also gives a detailed account of the little known battle of Fort Pocahontas where Fitz Lee's attack on African American soldiers on the James goes for naught as these union forces are well fortified and fight very well. After this book, on to Cold Harbor.

Another Excellent Title of the 1864 Overland Campaign.......2005-09-11

In my humble opinion, Gordon Rhea is one of the finest Civil War historians today. His writing style is fair and balanced on the North and South, he compliments and criticizes both sides as he deems appropriate, and battle descriptions are vivid and keep the reader's interest.

To The North Anna River continues Rhea's fine series on the long and bloody 1864 Overland Campaign between Lee and Grant. Admittingly, I knew little of this campaign before reading the book and the title is a great source of information for the often overlooked actions between Wilderness/Spotslyvania and Cold Harbor. I have also not spent much time tramping Civil War battlefields between Fredericksburg and Richmond. Therefore, the book will be invaluable guide should I be able to tour the area sometime in the near future.

The only major complaint I have sounds like a broken record of other Civil War Campaign Studies I have reviewed on amazon.com - the maps. While the maps were of satisfactory quality, there could have been at least 10 more and with more detail.

Still, I heartily recommend the book to anyone interested in the events of mid-late May 1864 between Spotsylvania and Cold Harbor. Read and enjoy! I look forward to readin his title on Cold Harbor and beyond.

No Turning Back: The End of the Civil War : March-June 1864

Average customer rating:

thorough, detailed, well-organized

No Turning Back: The End of the Civil War : March-June 1864
Don Lowry
Manufacturer: Hippocrene Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Fate of the Country: The Civil War from June to September 1864
Dark and Cruel War: The Decisive Months of the Civil War September-December 1864
Towards an Indefinite Shore: The Final Months of the Civil War December 1864-May 1865 (Towards an Indefinite Shore)

ASIN: 0870520105

Customer Reviews:

thorough, detailed, well-organized.......2006-09-07

This review applies to the complete 4-volume set by Lowry. It by far provides the best coverage of the final year of the War. It is organized chonologically, enabling the reader to connect all of the action taking place at any time, from the great campaigns of Grant and Sherman to lesser-known raids, battles, political events, and plots ( especially the plot to kidnap President Lincoln by Booth and associates ). This form of organization also demonstrates Grant's gift for grand strategy in coordinating the movements of all U.S. forces.

The background and personalities of the commanders, both famous and more obscure, are given good coverage. This is also true of the many corps, divisions, brigades, and regiments. I was also pleased with the abundance of quotes and correspondence from various commanders, such as Sherman's heated and articulate exchange with Hood at Atlanta. A number of quotes are unavailable in any of the 300+ books in my Civil War library.

Individual battles are presented in considerable detail, although the books suffer from a dearth of maps. The reader who focuses on details needs to keep an atlas on the side, although no atlas to my knowledge includes the lesser actions described by Lowry.

Beyond the few petty objections, such as the large number of typos, these 4 volumes should occupy a prominent place in any Civil War collection.

Wilderness War on the Ohio: The Untold Story of the Savage Battle for British and Indian Control of the Ohio Country During the American Revolution: 2nd Edition

Average customer rating:

a excelent piece of work

Wilderness War on the Ohio: The Untold Story of the Savage Battle for British and Indian Control of the Ohio Country During the American Revolution: 2nd Edition
Alan Fitzpatrick
Manufacturer: Heritage Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ID8QZK

Customer Reviews:

a excelent piece of work.......2007-07-17

this is a great book...the best about the brutal war in the american revolution...from the wilds of new york to the forests of the ohio this script relates with great veracity this black period of north american history...theres no book like this, this is the best.

The Killing Ground: Wilderness to Cold Harbor (Civil War)

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The Killing Ground: Wilderness to Cold Harbor (Civil War)
Gregoryy Jaynes
Manufacturer: Time-Life Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books
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The Struggle for Tennessee: Tupelo to Stones River (Civil War)
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The Fight for Chattanooga: Chickamauga to Missionary Ridge (Civil War)

ASIN: 0809447681

Bloody Roads South: The Wilderness to Cold Harbor, May-June 1864 (Bloody Roads South)

Average customer rating:

Good overview of the bloody Overland Campaign May-Jun 1864
well-balanced, but too few maps
Concise Version of Overland Campaign
Mediocre
Excellent account of the Wilderness & Cold Harbor

Bloody Roads South: The Wilderness to Cold Harbor, May-June 1864 (Bloody Roads South)
Noah Andre Trudeau
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co (T)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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The Last Citadel: Petersburg, Virginia, June 1864-April 1865
Out of the Storm: The End of the Civil War, April-June 1865
The Battle Of The Wilderness, May 5-6, 1864
To The Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign
Not War But Murder: Cold Harbor 1864

ASIN: 0316853267

Customer Reviews:

Good overview of the bloody Overland Campaign May-Jun 1864.......2007-08-18

Good, concise overview of the very bloody (84,000 casualties in approximately 40 days of continuous battle)Virginia Overland Campaign between Robert E. Lee and U. S. Grant in May and June of 1864. Actual battle narrative is relatively brief and to the point. The strength of Mr Trudeau's book comes through his excellent use of personal anecdotes and observations. To hear the actual participants describe the scenes, smells, sounds, and pathos of the battles gives one a better understanding of the horrors of those grisly conflicts. The time of chivalry was over; TOTAL WAR was afoot. As Mr. Trudeau points out, Grant knew how to win, but could his men withstand the gruesome sacrifice during almost 40 days of constant battle? Lee also knew that this was the ultimate crucible and he must use every trick he could to defeat this foe. But, in the end after Cold Harbor and a combined 84,000 casualties, of which only 30,000 were Confederate, who was the victor? Lee knew that he could never replace his valiant fighters, but, Grant knew that he had an almost inexhaustible supply of soldiers and with each battle they were getting better and better. So in the end Grant, "The Butcher" as he was called behind his back, literally ground Lee and his army to dust.
One inexcusable flaw in this otherwise good Civil War history was the lack of battle maps. To discuss a battle without a good map makes if very difficult to follow the action even for a good civil war buff. I have no clue as to why Mr. Trudeau did not include any good maps in his book. Therefore, I highly recommend that you get several good maps to follow along with his otherwise excellent description of the battles.

well-balanced, but too few maps.......2004-12-26

One of the biggest difficulties authors of war-history are confronted with is keeping the imparitality. Even if you read books about the Roman wars you can read between the lines the admiration for the technical perfection of the invaders or the sympathy for the brave Gauls fighting against all odds. As a rule Civil War historians succumb to the same problem.
This book is a wonderful exception. That may be because of the structure of the presentation: It is a day-by-day-account, the standpoint, the decisions and the events of either side separated in own phrases. If you are interrested only in the Confederate point of view, you can read the respective phrases and then you only know, what they saw, thought and did. Even between the lines there are no polemics. And the told stories are not only the generals' view but also testimonies of officers, non-commissioned officers and common soldiers.
The only thing I missed badly were appropriate maps. With the included ones you will get a rough overview, but a lot of the mentioned places you won't find in that book. That's a pity, because otherwise it would have been a perfect one.

Concise Version of Overland Campaign.......2004-05-28

This is a 330 page account of the entire Overland campaign that reads much like a diary from April to mid June as the Army of the Potomoc goes from north of the Rapidan to Petersburg. The account shifts back and forth from the workings of the two armies to Richmond/Washington and elsewhere.

Most of the book focuses on primary sources to tell the story, with nice anecdotes on just about every page. However, without the use of footnotes and with only 4 maps total (which are incredibly hard to comprehend), the flow of battle is exceedingly hard to follow.

This book certainly doesn't compare to the Rhea trilogy that covers the same campaign in any way whatsoever. This is more of a primer for the beginner before reading Rhea's books.

Mediocre.......2001-09-19

An entertaining read to be sure, but also a cut-and-paste account that offers no real analysis and relies too much on post-war sources.

Excellent account of the Wilderness & Cold Harbor.......1998-03-21

This first book of Noah Andre Trudeau's trilogy covering the final stages of the Civil War offers an excellent account of the fighting in the Wilderness and at Cold Harbor between May - June 1864. The personal accounts of the soldiers experiences during the fighting are well presented. The action scenes are well written and the book flows along quite well. An enjoyable book to read for anyone interested in this period of time.

The Wilderness Campaign: May 1864 (Great Campaigns Series)

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The Wilderness Campaign: May 1864 (Great Campaigns Series)
John Cannan
Manufacturer: Combined Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Strategy | Military | History | Subjects | Books
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The Spotsylvania Campaign (Great Campaigns)
The Antietam Campaign: August-September 1862 (Great Campaigns)
The Petersburg Campaign: June 1864-April 1865 (Great Campaigns)
The Fredericksburg Campaign : October 1862-January 1863 (Great Campaigns Series) (Great Campaigns)
The Peninsula Campaign March-July 1862 (Great Campaigns Series)

ASIN: 0938289160

Book Description

In May 1864, the Wilderness, a forbidding woodland south of the Rapidan River in Virginia, became the site of one of the concluding struggles of the Civil War, a contest of strategy, tactics and will between the finest generals of either side: Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee.

The Wilderness (Voices of the Civil War)

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Wilderness and Spotsylvania battles made real

The Wilderness (Voices of the Civil War)

Manufacturer: Time-Life Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Americas | History | Subjects | Books

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Fredericksburg (Voices of the Civil War)
Chancellorsville (Voices of the Civil War)
Shiloh (Voices of the Civil War)
Chattanooga (Voices of the Civil War)
Chickamauga (Voices of the Civil War)

ASIN: 0783547188

Customer Reviews:

Wilderness and Spotsylvania battles made real.......2000-12-28

I live near the Wilderness and Spotsylvania battlefields--this book has helped me understand this nearby history greatly with its intriguing combination of firsthand sources, context-setting storytelling and tactical analyses. This series is a must.

Shenandoah (The Civl War Battle Series, Book 8)

Average customer rating:

A Much Misunderstood Series
The Bannon family manages to survive into the year 1864

Shenandoah (The Civl War Battle Series, Book 8)
James Reasoner
Manufacturer: Cumberland House Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1581822944

Book Description

In this eighth volume of the ten-volume Civil War Battle Series, the action returns to northern Virginia and Culpeper County. The long absent Titus Brannon returns home on Christmas Day, 1863, just over a year since his disappearance during the battle of Fredericksburg. As much as his family is startled to learn that he is alive, he is surprised to find that his wife, Polly, is now married to his brother Henry. And she is pregnant. Unwilling to accept Polly and Henry's marriage, Titus insists that Polly is still his wife, and a judge agrees. He refuses to divorce her, and later Polly's body is found at her father's plantation. The evidence points to Titus, and he is arrested and jailed. As spring approaches, Will Brannon recuperates from his Gettysburg wound and returns to his regiment. In the meantime, a new commander leads the Union army into northern Virginia—U. S. Grant. To block Grant's march on Richmond, Robert E. Lee attacks. Grant, however, does not retreat after this surprise engagement but marches on. The two armies clash again and again, maneuvering ever closer to the Rebel capital. Will throws himself into the battles with abandon. At last his pain ends at the portentously named crossroads, Cold Harbor. After Titus's innocence is proven, he joins the partisan rangers of John S. Mosby. This guerrilla-style warfare suits his nature, and the rangers so effectively harass the Federals in the rich farmland of the Shenandoah that Grant dispatches a special force to squash Mosby. This unit adopts a policy of total war in the valley so as to undercut Mosby's support. Titus vows vengeance on the Yankees for this wanton destruction, but even he knows that there is little chance that the tide will be stemmed. Both the Confederacy and the Brannons have suffered much in the year 1864. Now even the hotheaded Titus begins to wonder if the nation and his family will survive into 1865.

Customer Reviews:

A Much Misunderstood Series.......2003-05-05

I have read all eight volumes (released so far.... there will be ten volumes in the series) in James Reasoner's The Civil War Battle Series, and all of the customer reviews on Amazon. Many of the reviewers are missing the point of the books. They are not meant to be historical texts, with great details about every battle of the Civil War. There are already plenty of those, many of them too dull to read, in print. The books in James Reasoner's Civil War Battle Series are NOVELS about the BRANNON family, as the author himself has made clear. The cover of each book clearly states, in good-sized print, A NOVEL.

All of the books in this series are fast-paced, hold the reader's interest, and are well-researched, providing enough historical facts and details to make the reader feel as though the fictional Brannons really were participants in the various battles in which they appear.

My only complaint with the series is, due to a production problem, the release of the ninth book in the series, SAVANNAH, has been delayed somewhat. Hopefully, it will be available soon.

The Bannon family manages to survive into the year 1864.......2003-03-06

I had high hopes for The Civil War Battle Series when I picked up James Reasoner's first volume about "Manassas," but from the vantage point of Book 8 "Shenandoah" it is clear that from the beginning the idea of each volume in this series being about a particular battle was just a hook. The title battle always takes place in the last couple of chapters of the book. It has been equally clear that The Civil War Soap Opera Series would have been a better title.

Actually I am getting tired of making that crack, because the idea was to tell the story of the Civil War from the perspective of one family, the Brannons of Culpeper County in northern Virginia. The family consists of a widowed mother, five sons and a daughter, all named after characters in Shakespeare plays or the bard himself. But it is hard not to think "soap opera" when it is 200 pages before the Civil War intrudes on the lives of these characters. "Shenandoah" begins around Christmas of 1863 when Titus Brannon, believed to have been killed at Fredericksburg but until recently held in a Union prisoner of war camp, arrives home. This would be good news except for the fact that Titus discovers his wife Polly is now pregnant and married to his younger brother Henry. What matters the plight of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia or the Confederate States of America when you have this sort of Greek tragedy being enacted out on the Brannon farm.

The second half of the book does get back to the war, covering the Battle of the Wilderness and Cold Harbor as Ulysses S. Grant takes control of the Union armies and begins the push on Richmond. Phil Sheridan's campaign to make sure the Shenandoah Valley would no longer serve as the main source of food for the Confederacy provides the climax of the book. Reasoner provides general background on the battles, but keeps the focus on how the battles appear to the older Bannon boys, Will and Mac, in the Stonewall Brigade and with Jeb Stuart's cavalry, respectively.

I am inclined to think that there is a high level of attrition for readers of this series, especially when I notice that this book has been out for almost half a year and has received no reviews. But Reasoner's books are quick reads and I am stilling hanging in here because there are two things I am having been waiting to see happen for several volumes. The first is for one of the Bannon boys to get killed. I mean, four sons, we are up to 1864 and the fourth year of the year, and all four Bannon boys are still alive. What are the odds? The other thing is for somebody to realize that Polly, the wife of apparently both Titus and Henry, has been in an incestuous relationship with her planter father, Duncan Ebersole. We know how the Civil War is going to turn out for the Confederacy, but it is when and how Ebersole pays for his sins that is taking about as long to be resolved.

Customer Reviews:

Basic Primer........2003-10-26

This is an easy, short read but it leaves the reader feeling like something is missing - like what happens. The first battle in the final campaign of the Civil War, one has to wonder why the author covers a single battle in two volumes and just where that second volume is. What there is of the battle is covered fairly well but the engagement is covered so much better by so many other authors that you would be well served to skip this rendition.

Banned Book.......2001-11-18

This book has the destinction of being BANNED by the National Park Service from being sold by Eastern National book stores in their visitor centers because it is unreliable. Let the buyer beware.

Immensly detailed.......2001-08-20

My opinion is that you will not like this book if you are not VERY interested in the Civil War. I liked it. But, I warn you that it is FULL of LITTLE details about the battle. If that's what you are looking for, get it. What is hard to grasp in this book is the "big picture." This is partially due to the poor maps provided. If you can, you make use of other maps, so that you don't just get a whole bunch of tiny details. You need a big map of the whole general area with the place and road names. And, it would be nice to have maps that showed troop movement. If it were not for this lack of maps and the "big picture" part of the battle, I would have given it 5 stars. Another thing. This book does not have too much about the generals and what kind of people they were. It concentrates more on the rank and file dirty-work soldiers.

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