DECISIVE BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR

by Lt. Col. Joseph Mitchell ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 27, 1955

The student of military history may find this a practical text to use in setting up pinpoint maps of successive campaigns- east and west- of the Civil War. But for anyone not interested in the ebb and flow of the tides of war, it makes pretty dull reading. (This from a reader ordinarily fascinated by books on the Civil War). From Sumter to First Manassas, with brief exposition of the comparative strength in man power, leadership, and position; then events leading up to Shiloh; The Seven Days; Second Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Murfreesboro, Chancellorsville, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Atlanta, Petersburg -- the whole tactical pattern emerges, and the men and their leaders move like puppets across the field. This is where the author fails to breathe life into his data; the immense importance of the human equation, the interplay of politics, the forces of emotional tension that contributed to the overall picture as the South won many of the battles and lost the war, never emerge.

Pub Date: June 27, 1955

ISBN: 0345483294

Page Count: -

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1955

Categories: NONFICTION