Book Description
Jubal A. Early’s disastrous battles in the Shenandoah Valley ultimately resulted in his ignominious dismissal. But Early’s lesser-known summer campaign of 1864, between his raid on Washington and Phil Sheridan’s renowned fall campaign, had a significant impact on the political and military landscape of the time. By focusing on military tactics and battle history, Scott C. Patchan uncovers the facts and actions of these little-understood battles and offers a new perspective on Early’s contributions to the Confederate war effort—and to Union battle plans and politicking.
Patchan details previously unexplored battles at Rutherford’s Farm and Kernstown (a pinnacle of Confederate operations in the Shenandoah Valley). He examines the campaign’s influence on President Lincoln’s reelection efforts and provides insights into the personalities, careers, and roles in Shenandoah of Confederate General John C. Breckinridge, Union General George Crook, and Union Colonel James A. Mulligan, with his “fighting Irish” brigade from Chicago. Finally, Patchan reconsiders the ever-colorful and controversial Early himself, whose importance in the Confederate military pantheon this book at last makes clear.
Customer Reviews:
Valuable history of little known campaign.......2007-05-15
A quick look at this title will bring to mind either Early's 1864 invasion of Maryland or Sheridan's burning of The Valley, later that year, producing a surprise when I realized the book covers the time between these two events. We start with the pursuit of Early as he retreats from Washington to the safety of the Shenandoah and end with Sheridan arriving to finally solve The Valley problem. This is not a campaign that occupies more than a chapter and is often only a paragraph or two in histories of the war in 1864. Scott Patchan details the action in July and August 1864, with an engaging and intelligent style. Jubal Early, John C. Breckinridge and the remnants of Jackson's II Corps are the stars of the story. These veterans enjoy a qualitative superiority over the more numerous Union forces. Coupled with generally better leadership they succeed in disrupting and almost destroying their opponents.
The Union's major problems are division of responsibility and the refusal to treat The Shenandoah Valley as a major theater. During the retreat from Washington, questions of responsibility, misunderstandings and poor Union leadership allow Early's small army to reach safety. Early exploits the lack of communication, district boundaries and lost opportunities in making his escape, even as he is bested in battle. When the chance to counter attack comes, misunderstandings and mistakes cause a major Union defeat. Cool Springs, Rutherford's Farm, Second Kernstown and Moorefield are not recognizable battles for most of us. The burning of Chambersburg is the event that most readers will recognize but many will be surprise at when this occurred.
The story is well organized. While simultaneous events are read separately, we have no problem understanding their relationship. Additionally, the author never lets us forget the larger war. Grant at Petersburg, Sherman in Georgia, the November Presidential Election and Washington worrying about everything; create problems for the local Union commanders. The author guides us through the how and why of each, giving us an understanding of some decisions and sympathy for the man who made them. While Lee supports Early, David Hunter and George Crook are constantly under pressure to meet some outside objective. This pressure results in actions that create opportunities for Early and he is able to take full advantage of each opportunity and Union mistake. This is Early at his best, intelligently aggressive, reasonably cautious and taking every opportunity to strike back.
The burning of Chambersburg is not an isolated event. The author details the reasons and actions that create the climate causing Early to give this order. The results of the burning and the pursuit of the Confederate forces is about 40 pages of very interesting reading. Each battle is well covered, with both a full narration of the action and the impact on the campaign. The Second Battle of Kernstown is the most important battle with about 100 pages devoted to the action, the aftermath and a full analysis of who was responsible. This Union defeat, allows the raid that burns Chambersburg and leads to the destruction of The Confederate Army of the Valley District. Grant, under pressure from Washington and the press, had to solve this problem. Typically, Grant did not hesitate and assigned the resources and leaders to do the job.
This is an attractive well-written book, with illustrations. The author has a good narrative style that communicates both the excitement of battle and the fatigue of pursuit. His analysis and word portraits of the principles are intelligent, interesting and fit with the story. The book lacks four to six maps! The Second Battle of Kernstown needs two or three more maps. With them, this would be one of the best small battle histories I have read. The retreat from Washing in July needs one or two maps to make things fully understandable. This problem is not unique to this book. Publishers need to understand that histories need maps and obscure events require even more maps.
Having complained, I still recommend this book as a valuable addition to you Civil War library.
Book Description
Generally regarded as the most important of the Civil War campaigns conducted in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, that of 1864 lasted more than four months and claimed more than 25,000 casualties. The armies of Philip H. Sheridan and Jubal A. Early contended for immense stakes. Beyond the agricultural bounty and the boost in morale to be gained with a victory, events in the Valley would affect Abraham Lincoln's chances for reelection in the November 1864 presidential canvass.
The eleven essays in this volume reexamine common assumptions about the campaign, its major figures, and its significance. Taking advantage of the most recent scholarship and a wide range of primary sources, contributors examine strategy and tactics, the performances of key commanders on each side, the campaign's political repercussions, and the experiences of civilians caught in the path of the armies. The authors do not always agree with one another, but, taken together, their essays highlight important connections between the home front and the battlefield, as well as ways in which military affairs, civilian experiences, and politics played off one another during the campaign.
Contributors:
William W. Bergen, Charlottesville, Virginia
Keith S. Bohannon, State University of West Georgia
Andre M. Fleche, University of Virginia
Gary W. Gallagher, University of Virginia
Joseph T. Glatthaar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Robert E. L. Krick, Richmond, Virginia
Robert K. Krick, Fredericksburg, Virginia
William J. Miller, Churchville, Virginia
Aaron Sheehan-Dean, University of North Florida
William G. Thomas, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Joan Waugh, University of California, Los Angeles
Customer Reviews:
Nice collection of essays on the 1864 Shenandoah Valley battles.......2007-04-22
This is an interesting collection of essays on the Shenandoah Campaign of 1864. Gary Gallagher has pulled together a set of essays that, even if they sometimes contend with one another, helps the reader get a better understanding of the 1864 conflict.
The dramatic personae in this action include Lee's "bad old boy," Jubal Early, the combative but capable Confederate commander, versus Phil Sheridan, the hyperactive cavalry commander given charge of the Union forces in the Valley. Key players on the Union side: John Crook, leader of the "Army of West Virginia," William Emory of Sheridan's army, the cavalry (Torbert as head, with Merritt and Custer, and Devin as key subordinates). On the Confederate side: infantry commanders such as Gordon, Rodes and Ramseur and cavalry leaders Lomax, Munford, and Rosser. There was a lot of talent on each side, but Early's army was heavily outnumbered (maybe 40,000 troops under Sheridan and 14,000 or so under Early). Such numbers presaged an almost inevitable defeat of Early, with as combative a Union general as Sheridan on the other side (it can safely be said that prior Valley commanders such as Patterson, Hunter, Sigel, and so on may well have wasted such an advantage; Sheridan, despite his flaws as a combat commander, was unlikely to lose under such conditions).
What is nice about this volume is that the authors of the individuals chapters try to assess what actually happened and how good (or bad) commanders actually were, rather than repeating commonly understood judgments. What about the "Woodstock Races" after the Confederate cavalry's disastrous defeat at Tom's Brook? Confederate ineptitude? Or Union overwhelming force? What about Early versus Sheridan as commander of an army? Gallagher's chapter addresses this in a sensitive manner.
At Cedar Creek, what happened? Did Early's so-called "fatal halt" lose the day? Or were the Confederates so outnumbered and outgunned that--aside from total incompetence in Union leadership--they simply could not triumph? Another essay explores the generalship of the 6th Corps commander, Horatio Wright. The conclusions is that he did a good job as commander after the surprise attack while Sheridan was absent and may not have received the credit due him. Still, his performance in other venues in the Civil War was uneven. Here, however, he probably deserves good grades.
And so on. The essays in this volume provoke some thinking about the Valley Campaign of 1864. This is a good work to look at. The chapters are somewhat uneven (as to be expected from an edited volume), but--all in all--this is a useful examination of the subject.
Great Essays on the 1864 Confederate Collapse in the Valley: Early v. Sheridan .......2006-11-06
Another one of Gallagher's collection of great essays of a campaign while touting the greatest historians on the subject. The authors in this case cover the 1864 Valley situation from Early's arrival to save Lynchburg to his run at Washington to Sheridan's final mobilizing drive that is momentarily derailed by Early's great shock attack at Cedar Creek that crushes the unprepared Federals. But of course, the Union's regrouping at Cedar and counter attack virtually destroys Early's army. The essays cover the key battles and strategies including the make up of Early, Sheridan and a respectful view of the not so flamboyant and thus unappreciated General Horatio Wright who held things together at Cedar Creek when Sheridan arrived on the field. The latter part of the book also includes the social effect the war had on its population particularly as the means to feed the Confederate war machine was destroyed as part of the grand union strategy. Early and the Confederate Army no doubt fought heroically enough to challenge the record of Stonewall; however, they were literally overwhelmed by numbers and better horses and equipment. Of course, once confident, Sheridan keeps the pressure on with his young lions, Custer, Merritt and Torbet. A grand example of that is Robert E. L. Krick's essay on the battle of Tom Brook between the Confederate and Union cavalry that is extremely one sided, resulting in a total crushing of the Confederate horse. It's amazing that the Confederates were able to reorganize and launch what was at first a highly successful attack at Cedar Creek 10 days later. This recovery and attack is a tribute to Early, who unfortunately used his infamous tongue lashing too harshly afterwards demonstrating one of his worst character flaws. The other great aspect of these talented authors is their research, which is so impeccable that they sort out the historical misrepresentations and get to the truth of the matter, albeit at the expense of some such as John Gordon, the great fighter and embellisher. The only negative, I wish there was a summary of the battles in date line fashion along with a map that showed where all the key battles were fought. I also wish the summary of the situation prior to Early's arrival included a discussion of General "Grumble" Jones battle of Piedmont where he lost his life trying to stop General Hunter's attack of the valley. As an additional note, these fine historians get together almost every summer and provide excellent tours of the valley, a treat worth considering.
Another volume in a good series.......2006-06-12
This book of essays covers aspects of the Shenandoah Valley campaign of 1864. As is the case with all the volumes in this series, a number of military, social, and political issues are discussed. The essays are generally well-written and provide insights into some topics not evaluated in general histories of the campaign. Particularly good is the essay comparing the general performances of Sheridan and Early. One is left realizing that, given the resources available to each, Early actually did better than could have been expected and Sheridan made more errors than he should have. Worth the price of the entire volume, is the excellent biographical monograph about General Horatio Wright. This is the first attempt ever to provide a biographical sketch of this important but overlooked officer. The essay is balanced, well-researched, and very worthwhile to the serious student of this period.
This book is not for someone unfamiliar with this campaign but, as is the case with the rest of the series, is of value to the experienced Civil War reader.
Average customer rating:
- Cut him some slack...
- Valley residents' perspective of Sheridan's devastation
- A People's History Extraordinaire
- Survey of destruction...
- Folk History
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The Burning : Sheridan's Devastation of the Shenandoah Valley
John L. Heatwole
Manufacturer: Howell Press Inc.
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ASIN: 1883522188 |
Book Description
Gen. U.S. Grant's order to cripple the ability of the Shenandoah Valley to supply the CSA with food and fodder affected the civilian population as did no other act of war, including Sherman's march through Georgia. Packed with the firsthand accounts of victims and perpetrators alike, this book brings history alive.
Customer Reviews:
Cut him some slack..........2007-07-27
The author and I come from the same Mennonite decendant, buried just outside Harrisonburg, Va. I don't know if he is still a practicing Mennonite or not; I am not. But one should take into account the pacifist back ground of the Annabaptists may explain the underlying tone of the narrative.
I grew up with a lot of anecdotes too. Like my great great grand mother protesting over the taking of her hogs by Union troopers to a grizzled veteran of Sheridan's army who replied, "You should be glad we aren't taking you too..." The implication being obvious. The Edinburg Mill my father's home town, still bears scorch marks from the attempt to burn it. I agree that there was a lot more death and violence in the event, than one would be led to believe, but back then secrets were kept and certain things were kept buried.
Valley residents' perspective of Sheridan's devastation.......2007-05-26
Note: Unfortunately, the author passed away the day before Thanksgiving, 2006 at the age of 58.
This is an unusual perspective and subject for a civil war study. Author John Heatwole extensively recounts the folk stories and family accounts (including his own) of Sheridan's burning of the Shenandoah resources. The author largely leaves it to the reader to determine what to accept and reject in the resulting mix of historical fact and tales. Overall, I think he did a reasonable job avoiding bias or partisanship and endeavored to put the burning in context. However, there are a number of places where his word choice gives an incorrect connotation.
For instance, removing consumables and goods of military value is several times referred to as looting. This is odd because the goods taken are listed afterwards and clearly are not loot. While taking silverware, women's/children's clothes, etc. would definitely constitute looting and did happen--particularly to the more ostentatious plantations/farms which suffered direct wrath--looting like this was not the norm as Heatwole's recounting shows. It is also interesting that Heatwole mentions extortion, but inappropriately in several instances. In fact, in reading the accounts presented, few show soldiers demanding payment to spare property. Instead, the most common thread is of property owners offering bribes. (Curiously, some rather sizeable bribes were refused.) Still, a reader should not let minor bias be of much concern, because the narrative is primarily from the residents' point of view, and a fascinating picture emerges.
In "The Burning" there are examples of deceit and treachery by both sides. There are also numerous examples of compassion and sympathy to be found. Many amusing tales emerge of people's ingenuity at preserving their property. One of the things I did not appreciate before is how systematic and organized the Burning was, and that orders were intended to regulate it rather than the unabashed plunder it is too often characterized as. This was not a matter of petty vengeance (for the most part) or inhumanity, but instead an organized effort to strip the Valley of military significance and the ability to support armies or guerrillas in the future. It was successful in that aim.
How was this accomplished? Homes were to be spared, as was the property of widows. These rules were not always obeyed or strictly observed. The biggest exception was the ordered retaliatory burning of homes in the vicinity where the popular Meigs was killed--yet even this turned out to be quite limited. Interestingly, for the whole campaign the county's own tallies, the number of homes burned was only about 1/15th that of the number of barns, and while some were intentional acts of arson, a number were the result of fire unintentionally spreading from nearby structures (as noted in the stories themselves.) Public and private property of value to the CSA war effort was systematically targeted and destroyed in total. This included food, cattle, grain, and forage of all kinds, plus the barns and warehouses in which they were stored. Industry was targeted wholesale, from flour mills, saw mills, cloth makers, coopers, blacksmiths, iron furnaces, to flat boat makers, and carriage makers. This of course created awful hardships and suffering for the Valley residents, but in theory it spared their homes and lives while accomplishing the strategic objective. The CSA lost this important source of sustenance and material.
The author also notes the activities as well as depredations of various Confederate guerrillas and Partisans as well. Al Lincoln, McNeil, Woodson, etc. are mentioned.
The author recounts many stories from those who rarely receive much attention: the many Unionists and conscientious objectors such as Dunkards and Mennonites who sought to avoid CSA service. In fact, Sheridan gave them transport out of the Valley as well as other refugees who could not subsist after the Burning. In some cases there property was spared, but for strategic considerations many Unionist and pacifist barns and mills also fell under the torch.
Excellent and simple maps illustrate the Valley counties and towns, as well as the progress of the destruction and movement of the forces responsible for it. A number of sketches and photographs of citizens, soldiers, and landscape are included. The forces involved in carrying out the order are detailed in an appendix at the end.
I recommend this work as a way to appreciate the importance of the Shenandoah, and to understand the horror that the residents felt at this destruction, as well as understanding the reasons for it. A quote at the end of the work by Confederate cavalryman and Valley resident Capt. John Opie summarizes the situation best with a question, "Which is the worst in war, to burn a barn, or kill a fellow-man?"
A People's History Extraordinaire.......2005-07-31
About 15 years ago I traveled to Shenandoah County to learn about my ancestors and what had happened to them during the Civil War. No lover of history or ancestor hunter could have had better fortune than I: I found friendly and helpful relatives and I found structures - including a pre-Civil War mill formerly owned by my ancestors - that helped me gain an understanding about who I am.
Ten years after my first sojourn, author John Heatwole published The Burning and I purchased a signed copy at an antique shop in Mt. Jackson. This book is a chronicle of the two weeks in the Fall of 1864 that thousands of Union soldiers carried out their orders to devastate the Shenandoah Valley, to rid it of its freshly harvested bounty, burning crops and killing or driving away livestock. It was a sad task that left people without food and often without shelter from the coming winter, but it was a strategy to win the war by finally breaking the spirit of the Confederacy. Thousands of barns were burned and, occasionally, fine homes. Some enterprising folks managed to hide their most prized livestock in the hills.
Heatwole conducted dozens of interviews to gather the oral history of Valley families to supplement the stories he found in published and unpublished sources and private collections. He has produced a well-organized chronicle that captures the drama and atmosphere of this period. This is a "people's history" extraordinaire that tells the story of the Union army's orders, the leaders involved, and the farming and milling families and townspeople who were terrified and devastated by the fires that filled the Valley with thick black smoke for days.
By the way, the mill my ancestors owned was saved in October 1864 when the owner, learning that the Union burners were on their way, climbed to the top of the mill and hung the United States flag from the roof.
Survey of destruction..........2003-03-21
Healtwole presents a county-by-county account of Sheridan's movements in the Valley. The "witness" to the destruction is the use of "facts", legends, interviews, family letters, etc. A flaw is the generalized sameness of each chapter - "these" troops, led by "this" guy did "that" to "those" peoples barn, house, etc. While there is certainly many interesting anecdotes and sidebars without, the format becomes repetitive. Indeed, if you read three or four chapters, you get the full gist. The abundance of maps helps.
Folk History.......2003-02-10
Heatwole is described as compiler of Shenandoah Valley folk tales and he uses them to try to describe the destruction of the supplies in the Valley by Sheridan's troops in September and October 1864. He is not interested in primary sources other than what he has learned in the Valley and what has been printed during the past 140 years. He makes no attempt to tell the full history of the Vallry's destruction, but rather to see it through remembered folk tales. He does not evaluate these tales, but includes them as he heard them. Among my favorites is the killing of a Union trooper by a woman who smashes a crock of apple butter on his head (surely a likely happening in the Shenandoah Valley apple-rich region) and then who manages to hide the sticky body in tall grass without the rest of the Union troops noticing, and, best of all, the farmer who shoots a Union lieutenant and dumps his body in the burning barn that the officer just lit. It seems the farmer had to get off his porch, go upstairs, grab his rifle, open the window and shoot the lieutenant, while the officer stood by the flaming barn allowing this to happen. Again, no Union troops were nearby to intervene and presumably the fire was so hot that the lieutenant's body was completely reduced to ashes and nobody in his regiment missed him enough to go looking for him.
The two week Burning was actually a lot more violent and deadly to both sides than even Heatwole makes out. Both sides murdered prisoners, but the Burning generally was confined to barns, mills and cribs, not houses. That the people of the Shenandoah Valley suffered is undeniable. So is Lee's surrender six months later. The grandsons of the victims also seem not to have many qualms about dropping fire on Germans and Japanese.
The Burning needs a better book than this, one that includes more sources that those from Virginia. Heatwole could have done much better, but, frankly, he has produced a book of only limited usefulness.
Amazon.com
Virginia's Shenandoah Valley was a crucial avenue for Confederate armies intending to invade Northern states during the Civil War. Running southwest to northeast, it "pointed, like a giant's lance, at the Union's heart, Washington, D.C.," writes Jeffry Wert. It was also "the granary of the Confederacy," supplying the food for much of Virginia. Both sides long understood its strategic importance, but not until the fall of 1864 did Union troops led by Napoleon-sized cavalry General Phil Sheridan (5'3", 120 lbs.) finally seize it for good. He defeated Confederate General Jubal Early at four key battles that autumn.
In addition to a narrative of the campaign (featuring dozens of characters, including General George Custer and future president Rutherford B. Hayes), this book is a study of command. Both Sheridan and Early were capable military leaders, though each had flaws. Sheridan tended to make mistakes before battles, Early during them. Wert considers Early the better general, but admits that few could match the real-time decision-making and leadership skills of Sheridan once the bullets started flying: "When Little Phil rode onto the battlefield, he entered his element." Early was a bold fighter, but lacked the skills necessary to make up for his disadvantage in manpower. At Cedar Creek, the climactic battle of the 1864 Shenandoah campaign, Early "executed a masterful offensive against a numerically superior opponent, only to watch it result in ruin." With more Confederate troops on the scene, history might have been different. Wert relates the facts of what actually happened with his customary clarity and insightful analysis. --John J. Miller
Customer Reviews:
Good Study of the 1864 Shennandoah Valley Campaign.......2005-12-26
Wert has written what is probably the best account to date of the confrontation between Sheridan and Early in the 1864 Shennandoah Campaign. While the book was originally published in 1987, I am not aware of any new studies of the campaign. The only other title on the campaign I have read is the one by Edward Stackpole that was published sometime in the 1950s - 1960s and I believe Wert's title is better written and more up to date.
Wert's writing style can be described as entertaining without being simplistic. He lacks the detail of other authors (for example, read Harry Pfanz' titles on Gettysburg if you want detail), but is able to keep the reader's attention. I enjoyed reading his descriptive accounts of the major characters (Sheridan, Early, Custer, Rodes, Ramseur, Russell, etc.) and the battles of Winchester, Toms Brook, Fisher's Hill, and Cedar Creek.
My major complaint with the book concerns the maps. The maps in this title and Civil War titles by other authors are too few and lack necessary detail. In my humble opinion, there could have been at least 7-10 more. Having more maps and more detail in the maps makes it much easier for a student (not a professional) of the Civil War like me to follow the actions and flow of the book.
Complaint aside, I do recommend the book as the definitive account of the 1864 Shennandoah Valley Campaign (unless there is a newer one that I am not aware of). Read and enjoy.
Overrated Study.......2001-11-18
Wert's books are generally overrated by Civil War readers. He is not a great researcher, but rather plays to the popular reader. If you want to read underresearchered, popular history Wert is your boy; if you want in-depth perceptive analysis then look elsewhere. If you hold him up to the stardard of Richard Summers, John Hennessey or Harry Pfantz then reading Wert is like eating candy: fun but easily forgotten. A list of the sources he did not consult when writing this book might be as long as his text.
Very good study with a few omissions.......2001-03-06
This is a very good, useful close study of the Valley campaign in the fall and winter of 1864. Wert primarily focuses on studies of the major battles, giving enough first-person quotes to keep the narrative interesting. Occasionally his descriptions of the battlefield action are confusing, but that's probably a characteristic of the available sources. His discussion of the controversy over plundering at Cedar Creek is good, although I'm not entirely convinced. I find it a little surprising that, in discussing Early's failure to use his cavalry effectively, he does not mention the general's refusal of Mosby's offer of help, something which he brings up in his bio of Mosby. Also, in analyzing Early as a general, it might have been appropriate to mention the absolutely scathing and, in my view, entirely inappropriate speech which Early made to his troops after Cedar Creek blaming them for the defeat. Overall, this book has to be considered the canonical work on the campaign.
Best book on 1864 Valley Campaign.......2000-05-24
This is the best book on the Valley Campaign of 1864 and features lots of research on the 4 battles that occured during the campaign. The book is well-written, but I found that it could be dry at times. However, this is still a very good book. One of the best points about this book is Wert's analysis of Sheridan's and Early's generalship. Wert gives well-reasoned and sound conclusions on the analysis of the two generals. The book also features a terrific chapter on John Mosby and his Rangers role in the campaign and features a pretty good look at the role the campaign played in Lincoln's 1864 reelection campaign. All in all a very good book, but due to the amount of detail and research perhaps only Civil War and history buffs will enjoy this book.
Good analysis of the Shenandoah Campaign.......2000-02-14
An excellent narrative of the campaign. It's as if the thoughts of Philip H. Sheridan and Jubal A. Early were downloaded into print.
The details of battle are refreshing and go far into showing how these commanders handled themselves and their men in battle. Not only has the military aspect of the campaign been supported and thoughly researched, but the civilian population as well. Also, the statistics on both sides have been balanced to give proper respect to the men without playing favorites to one cause or another.
Old Abe owed much to Sheridan for his victories over Early. The President road into the Whitehouse on the coat-tails of these victories, and this book describes them in excellent detail.
This book comes highly recommended and a must for your Civil War collection!
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.
There are two volumes left to go in the series: "Savannah" will be out later this year and then the final volume should be "Appomattox." These books are quick reads and with chapters perfect in length for the commuter lifestyle.
Customer Reviews:
A "window" into the doomed life of a young Union officer.......2006-09-12
Ably edited by Mary A. Giunta (an historian with the National Historical Publications and Records Commission), A Civil War Soldier Of Christ And Country: The Selected Correspondence Of John Rodgers Meigs, 1859-64 is a collection of personal and official letters and original documents that provide the reader with a "window" into the doomed life of a young Union officer. Laid out in complete candor is the story of John Rodgers Meigs and his relationship to family and friends, as well as his experiences as a cadet at West Point (including a meeting with Abraham Lincoln), and his life as a combatant in the Civil War. The son of a Union Quartermaster General, John Meigs official correspondence reveals what his duties were like as a military engineer and aide-de-camp to Union generals. The young soldier was to ultimately meet his death in the war (a vivid account was provided in a post-war exchange of eye-witness statements) but his memory is preserved with an impeccable scholarship within the pages of A Civil War Soldier Of Christ And Country. A model work of historical import, enhanced with the inclusion of a glossary of names, places, and phrases, as well as a selected bibliography and an index, A Civil War Soldier Of Christ And Country is a welcome and invaluable contribution to the growing library of Civil War memoirs, biographies, and histories.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent.......2002-12-06
A fine account of a most interesting and crucial series of Civil War battles. Stackpole treats everyone very fairly. Broad in its scope, audacious in its execution this book analyzes the Confederacy's third and final invasion of the North. A very excellent work that is well worth the time.
Average customer rating:
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Valley of the Shadow
Ray A. Neff
Manufacturer: Rana Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Southeast
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
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ASIN: 094466900X |
Books:
- Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston, FDR's Legendary Lost Cruiser, and the Epic Saga of Her Survivors
- Sixty Days and Counting
- Sophie Scholl and the White Rose
- The Captured: A True Story of Abduction by Indians on the Texas Frontier
- The Color Purple
- The Cure for All Cancers: Including over 100 Case Histories of Persons Cured
- The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine
- The Gospel According to Judas by Benjamin Iscariot
- The Historian's Toolbox: A Student's Guide to the Theory and Craft of History
- The History of Sexuality: An Introduction
Books Index
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