Updated 8/18/03
Grant vs. Lee. The big showdown. Butcher vs. Master. Time out! I don't subscribe to that last theory at all, and neither does Gordon Rhea. His books on the Wilderness and the rest of the Virginia Overland Campaign of 1864 have shown that Grant was not some bloodthirsty monster ready to kill as many men as possible. They likewise show that Lee did make mistakes in the campaign, and was not the flawless master "The Lost Cause" mythologists would have you believe. The Wilderness was one bloody vicious fight that occurred in some of the most tangled undergrowth the soldiers of either side ever experienced. Lee's plan to catch Grant's men in the tangled second-growth forest to offset the Union's numerical superiority worked well. The problem was that unlike the numerous men before him, Grant did not retreat after the battle. He just kept pushing ahead. One other thing to note here: Grant was NOT the commander of the AotP at this time, and in fact never was. George G. Meade, the hero of Gettysburg, stayed at the post throughout the rest of the war. One of my pet peeves is hearing someone say Grant commanded the AotP. Give Meade his due already!
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Title
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Author
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Comments
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Noah Andre Trudeau
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I didn't really
like this book very much. The maps tell you next to nothing and there
are very few of them. Also, Trudeau only scrapes the surface of each
battle, and I didn't really learn much from this book. Steer clear and
buy Rhea's books. 392 pp., 4 maps (one?! for each battle covered)
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Gordon C. Rhea
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The definitive
book on the Wilderness. Gordon Rhea has completely changed my mind about
the 1864 Overland Campaign. I always avoided reading about it and found
it generally uninteresting. But then Rhea's book came out, and I bought
it just to find out more about the Wilderness. I was greatly and pleasantly
surprised by his work. I read the book quickly and immediately began
to see that Rhea had dome some serious research, uncovering new facts
and debunking old ones. George Skoch does the maps, and these look very
good. I only wish a few more went down to the regimental level, but
then again I always find myself wishing that. Simple review: Buy it!
512 pp., 20 maps
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Various Authors
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This is another
issue of Savas Publishing's fine "Civil War Regiments" series.
The initial essay is by the battle's foremost scholar, Gordon Rhea himself.
This volume makes a fine companion to Rhea's definitive book. The maps
are as usual excellently done, with varying degrees of detail as appropriate.
The subjects covered include Stevenson's Union IX Corps Division's role
in the battle, an essay on the 33rd North Carolina, and the battles
of Confederate General John M. Jones, among others. 188 pp., 7 maps
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Gary W. Gallagher Various Authors |
This is another
of Gary Gallagher's essay series, and it is one of the best entries
to date, IMHO. Many knowledgeable historians were recruited for this
one. John Hennessy appears outside of his usual Bull Run role to tackle
the Army of the Potomac's preparations for the spring campaign. Gary
Gallagher, the editor, writes a similar essay on the Army of Northern
Virginia that spring. Gordon Rhea appears in this book as well, giving
us a nice article on James Wilson's Union Cavalry and their crucial
mistakes in the opening days of the campaign. The father and son team
of Bob K. and Bob E.L. Krick tackle the "Lee to the rear" episode and
Longstreet's flank attack on June 6, respectively. The other essays
were also all well-written. I enjoyed this book as much as any in Gallagher's
whole series, and I own almost every one he has had published. Buy this.
You won't be sorry you did. 283 pp., 12 maps
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John Cannan
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John Cannan's
book on the Wilderness is another of Combined Publishing's "Great
Campaigns" series, so I would again recommend it for the young
or beginning Civil War buff. The book contains 11 maps, and not one
shows the forests present. This was the battle of the Wilderness, right?
Trees played a large role in this battle, so you'd think they would
come up with maps that showed where trees were and weren't! Get this
for your kids, otherwise steer clear and just get Rhea's book. 238 pp.,
11 maps
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John Michael
Priest
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Updated 8/18/03 I finally got my hands on the first of these two volumes. A review will follow after I have read the book. 316 pp., 45 maps |
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John Michael
Priest
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Ah, another book
by John Priest, a man who really should write more books! He has his
usual style which is EXTREMELY detailed, and maps abound in this book
as well. As you might have noticed or already known, this book is actually
the second of two volumes covering the Wilderness. I bought this a long
time ago and have always looked for the first volume every time I go
to the local book stores. I finally found it at www.abebooks.com.
This book is excellent for scenario designers to pick up. It's OOB gives
a lot, but not all, of the regimental strengths for the units engaged
in the fight. Due to lost records, it is impossible to tell exactly
how many troops some Confederate regiments carried into the fighting.
331 pp., 31 maps
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