Russel H. Beatie

Comments:

New: 1/11/03

This book represents only the very beginning of a monumental set of books Mr. Beatie plans to write, covering the Army of the Potomac just as D.S. Freeman covered Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in Lee's Lieutenant's. The focus of this book and the series in general will be on the leadership of the North's main Eastern Army. Beatie provides a nice 'Dramatis Personae' section immediately after the Acknowledgements section in which he details the key players in the book to come, figures such as Winfield Scott, George McClellan, Irvin McDowell, and McClellan's eventual Corps Commanders. I'm currently (Jan. 2003) reading this and it has been a pleasure to read so far. I've learned some new things about future prominent Generals' roles in keeping Washington, D.C. safe when the Southern states started to secede. I recommend this book to everyone with an interest in the AotP, and will recommend the future volumes in this series as well. 630 pp., 18 maps