Book Description
Hailed as a prophet of modern war and condemned as a harbinger of modern barbarism, Sherman is the most controversial general of the Civil War. "War is cruelty, you cannot refine it," he wrote in fury to the Confederate mayor of Atlanta, and his memoir is filled with dozens of such wartime exchanges and a fascinating, eerie account of the famous march through the Carolinas.
Customer Reviews:
Read it !.......2007-10-06
Sherman is (perhaps arguably) the most articulate and intelligent autobiographer (and biographer) of the Civil War period. Yes, he was controversial, but that, in great part, came from the times, and the period politics, and later from the political agendas of modern politically correct historians/writers. The overriding elements in Sherman's autobiography are the matter-of-factness and the fairness with which he describes events and people in his life. With much the same exquisite Dignity as U. S. Grant in his memoiors, Sherman speaks to the reader with a clarity and honesty no decent person can help but admire. He is painstaking in relating military associations - sometimes wearily so. But his thorough and candid descriptions of events, people and places still present themselves in an entertaining manner time and time again. For the reader mature enough to accept those times without tainted sanctimonious judgement, Sherman's memoirs will be a fascinating and enlightening glimpse of the people and the soul of our country during one of our most trying eras.
"MEMOIRS" BY W.T. SHERMAN.......2007-06-28
INTERESTING TO READ "SHERMANS" SIDE OF THE STORY !! GOOD READ IN CONJUCTION WITH "CITIZEN SHERMAN" BY MICHAEL FELLMAN !!!
Sherman in his own words..........2007-06-27
General William T. Sherman's memoirs, first published in 1875, are primarily an account of his service in uniform during the Civil War. Sherman rallied to the Union colors early in the conflict, but had indifferent success until the searing crucible of the Battle of Shiloh, where he fought under the command of the stalwart U.S. Grant. Shiloh was a turning point. With increasing confidence as a leader, Sherman played key roles in the siege of Vicksburg and in the relief of beseiged Union forces at Chattanooga. When Grant was called east to head up all Union forces, he hand-picked Sherman as his successor in the West. Sherman would go on to take Atlanta, march to the sea at Savannah, and pillage his way through the Carolinas to hasten the end of the war.
Sherman the man, and his memoirs, stand in vivid contrast to his contemporary and close friend U.S. Grant. Where Grant was modest and reserved, Sherman comes across as all nervous energy, talking up a storm and hardly able to sit still doing it. His memoirs are reflective of his personality, passionate and argumentative in between inserted copies of key correspondence. While less polished than Grant's, they are in many ways more entertaining and certainly more revealing of Sherman's feelings and personality.
Sherman expresses an opinion on practically everything. His battles with newspaper reporters, whom he despised, date from an alleged nervious breakdown in the first year of the war. His exchange of correspondence with Confederate General John Hood over the forced evacuation of Atlanta, are a malstrom in miniature of the passions behind the war itself. Sherman is more than frank about the politics within the Union Army, and its sometimes troubled relations with civilian authority. Above all, Sherman recognized the cruelty of the war, and was unwilling to sugarcoat that reality for anyone. Sherman and Grant each understood the grim arithmetic that the Confederate Armies must be bled to death in order for the Confederacy to be defeated and were prepared to carry out that strategy.
This book is highly recommended to students of the Civil War, who will find Sherman to be an instructive and even at times entertaining guide through those portions that he personally experienced.
timeless lessons.......2006-11-10
Clearly historians and civil war buffs will acknowledge the brilliance of this memoir for its obvious window into the mind of this most important figure of his time.
I didn't come to this as either one of the former,but as a reader interested in understanding how this man accomplished the most decisive strokes in the war with such skill.
The greatness of book lies not so much in its explanation of military strategy(which it is) but the powerful definition of the principles of freedom as expressed through a common foot soldier.
Sherman understood that no elitist and patrician society could stand however strong there reputation ,against a soldier who fought for this principle.
I found it inciteful that Shermans experience in the prewar south,and his views of its imbalanced society, became more valuable in breaking it than his geographical knowledge.
That Lincoln approved Shermans plan to march through the heart of the confedreacy at the disapproval of all his advisors shows his wisdom to Shermans argument that the south was a shell,and hollow inside.
Grants reluctance to this plan,which he approved only out of his loyalty to Sherman, is poignant to read.Grant thought he'd never see his best friend again.
The genius of Sherman was his utter conviction in the goodness of men to destroy that which was evil,knowing that when his men saw not the soldiery of the south,but its hideous society,he needn't do more to motivate them.
The miserable condition of slavery was known,but the site of 90 percent of a white population virtually no better off provided Sherman with a civilian population unable and unwilling to resist.Noone but Sherman thought this important,and that his diary records this as a current fact and not analysis years later is powerful reading.
Defeating the confedracy on this march with no major battles and losing but 100 men of his 62,000, told the south, as well as the north the myth of southern military advantage.
Sherman became so feared ,Southern commanders as well as thier soldiers fled before him,offering almost no opposition.
Shermans Army of the West,recruited and trained by him,became the most feared army in the world,for it fought under the true belief of a free people against real evil.
His own words to that effect are awe inspiring.
Illuminating Generals Memoir.......2006-08-21
I just finished reading this book (from the library, a 19th century edition) and came to search for other books. There are modern histories, but reading the original memoirs is very satisfying. The book by Julius Ceasar of the Gallic wars comes to mind. Sherman is a clear and satisfying writer. He does remind me of Ceasar in his matter of fact recollections.
I enjoyed the section on the taking of California during the Mexican war. Talking about hundreds of ships abandoned in Yerba Buena (to become San Francisco) due to the desertion of all the crews was interesting.
The period between California and Louisiana and secession is less interesting, but he was preparing a memoir of his life.
The war is what everyone will be looking for, and specifically the March to the Sea. The advance down from Tennessee to Atlanta is more militarily interesting. After the fall of Atlanta the battle was all logistics. Could such a large army separate from it's supply lines? According to W.T. Sherman this was all his idea and he documents it exhaustively. Presumeably this was due to disparagements of his leadership in the decades after the war and the presidency of Johnson.
The extensive documentation of lines of battle and effective strength and copies of tremendous amounts of coorespondence can be tedious, but are easily scanned for what is of interest or skipped altogether.
Great read, interesting book. Tecumseh Sherman is one of my heroes.
Customer Reviews:
A look at 'Uncle Billy's boys.......2004-01-27
This book contains an examination of the army that General William Tecumseh Sherman led through Georgia and the Carolinas, in late 1864 and early 1865. Instead of being just another narrative of the March to the Sea and Carolina campaigns, however, Glatthaar's book is a look at the individuals that composed the army. In it, he examines the social and ideological backgrounds of the men in Sherman's army, and evaluates how they felt about various factors of the war--slavery, the union, and, most significantly, the campaign in which they were participating. The result is a fascinating look at Sherman's campaigns through the eyes of the everyday soldier. Glatthaar makes the army come alive, and shows the men not as heartless animals who delighted in wanton destruction, not as mechanized marching machines who could perform the most difficult marches without even flinching, but instead as real human beings, complete with sore feet, empty stomachs, and minds engaged in contemplation over the ethical ramifications of what they were doing to the people of the South.
This book, and others like it (such as James McPherson's For Cause and Comrades), is a refreshing change from the norm in Civil War history. The value of this book lies in its helping the reader understand that the war was fought by individuals, not masses of blue and gray, and that these individuals felt and thought a great deal about the cause they were engaged in. I have read much on the subject of Sherman's march, but never before this book did I truly feel like I understood the mentality of the 60,000 man army he led. This book will not give you a detailed and thorough account of Sherman's campaigns, but it will give anyone who already is somewhat familiar with the marches an incredible amount of insight that, I believe, cannot be gained elsewhere.
A view of the war from ground level.......2000-08-10
I have to confess a bias; Professor Glatthaar taught me US history in my first semester of college and was a very engaging, entertaining and clear teacher.
This book is history of the very best kind. It is extensively documented from primary sources, it is well written and draws the reader in and the text of the book is free from cumbersome and often distracting academic citation apparatus. It also has selected a topic of almost epic proportions.
The March to the Sea, coming on the heels of the devastating fall of Atlanta was the straw that broke the South's back. After years of war and the related hardships, the devastation that this march produced in the South dealt a death blow to the South's war effort.
In one of the great strategic decisions of the war, Sherman breaks his lines of communication and supply and, like a modern day nuclear sub, disappears only to resurface at Savannah. The freedom of movement that this decision allowed made this march even more effective.
Further, the productivity of the South, even after years of warfare is evidenced. The author presents data showing an increase in the weight of soldiers due to the richness of the diet they were able to secure from those unfortunate enough to be in the path of Sherman's army.
To quibble with a prior reviewer, this is not a novel. This is academic history of the best sort but written in a easy and accesible manner. A great book.
Learn more about Sherman's Soldiers- in their own words.......2000-02-27
Joseph Glatthaar wrote this book in order to examine Sherman's march across the South "from the level of the common soldier, both enlisted and officer". In the introduction he states that by writing the book from this perspective, he hoped "to restore the reality of the campaigns, to understand the underlying motivation of Sherman's men for adopting a policy of devestation and to shed light on the total-war concept in military history".
Mr. Glatthaar's efforts have resulted in this very informative and engaging book. I did not know a lot about Sherman's Army before reading this book, and feel that I now have a much better understanding of the men who filled the ranks and led the regiments in their famous march to the sea. In his text, Mr. Glatthaar presents many quotes directly from letters and diaries written by Sherman's men, which really enhances the story and his conclusions.
I recommend this book for anyone wanting to learn about Sherman's Army- why it was successful, why it adopted a policy of total war, destroying much of the South, and why it remains controversial to this day.
A great justice in the portrayal of MG Sherman's force........1997-03-28
Individuals who belong to a Civil War reenacting association, history buffs, and serious scholars of the Civil War will all find quiet enjoyment in Joseph Glatthaar's historical novel on Major General Sherman's march to Savannah and through the Carolinas. Glatthaar's perspective of bringing the war down to the level of the individual soldier is not always found in historical novels. He writes about the soldier's innermost feelings, not about the glorious generals, the great armies, or the magnificent campaigns. I believe that individual battles do not win wars, but that it is the men composing the fighting force that can turn a potential devastating defeat into a glorious victory. Mr. Glatthaar has done a great justice in his portrayal of the men who conducted the march to the sea and beyond. I would highly recommend the book to anyone who wishes better to understand the soldiers that fought for Sherman
Book Description
Sherman's March is the vivid narrative of General William T. Sherman's devastating sweep through Georgia and the Carolinas in the closing days of the Civil War. Weaving together hundreds of eyewitness stories, Burke Davis graphically brings to life the dramatic experiences of the 65,000 Federal troops who plundered their way through the South and those of the anguished -- and often defiant -- Confederate women and men who sought to protect themselves and their family treasures, usually in vain. Dominating these events is the general himself -- "Uncle Billy" to his troops, the devil incarnate to the Southerners he encountered.
"What gives this narrative its unusual richness is the author's collation of hundreds of eyewitness accounts...The actions are described in the words, often picturesque and often eloquent, of those who were there, either as participants -- Union soldiers, Confederate soldiers -- in the fighting and destruction or as victims of Sherman's frank vow to 'make Georgia howl.' Mr. Davis intercuts these scenes with closeups of the chief actors in this nightmarish drama, and he also manages to give us a coherent historical account of the whole episode. A powerful illustration of the proposition put forth in Sherman's most famous remark." -- The New Yorker
Customer Reviews:
One Of The Best Books I've Read.......2007-10-12
This book is easy to read! The author does not write above or below the reader. It's a great straight forward book filled with a large amount of information. The information presented will be appreciated by Civil War buffs of any level. He covers both the military and civilian angles.
And Now for the Details..........2007-09-30
I have been a Civil War buff all my life and thought I knew a fair amount of detail on all of the major engagements of the war. However, until I read "Sherman's March", I really didn't know anything about his post-Atlanta campaign except that he marched to Savannah. Presumably his soldiers fought battles along the way and presumably they did something after capturing Savannah but I guess my curiosity never led me to find out more. It was in the Atlanta campaign that my great great grandfather was captured so I thought I should find out what happened after that.
What the author, Burke Davis, chronicles is what exactly DID happen after the fall of Atlanta. He has put together a fascinating account of the March to the Sea (and beyond) by compiling first-hand accounts of the events of the campaign. Sherman's men found little oppostition after Atlanta but their march had a devestating effect on the South. The brutal, unforgiving thievery that his foragers and "bummers" committed led to a great loss of resources and morale for the Southern folks. What few battles there were did not register on the richter scale of war but the destruction wrought by his troops was of tsunami proportion. There is much about the various communities put to the torch (beginning with Atlanta) and focussing on Columbia, SC. There is also much to suggest that Sherman was guilty of oversight by not maintaining tight control over his troops. His attitude was that the South needed to learn the consequences of their wrongly conceived rebellion. The sooner their morale was broken, the sooner the war would end and the fewer number of soldiers would become casualties (on both sides). While the reader may find truth in Sherman's attitude, it is hard not to become enraged at the extent of the mayhem.
Davis also presents a fair amount of information of the slaves that were freed along the way and the attitude of the different Union Generals towards their emacipation. In the 21st Century it is pretty commonly felt that the Civil War was about slavery. However, a significant percentage of the Union's fighting men felt the issue of the South's secession from the Union was the cause they were fighting for, Sherman included. Nonetheless, they used the freed slaves whenever it was to their advantage and abandoned them when it wasn't.
Sherman's concept of a large army invading deep into enemy territory with no lifeline of support was a challenging concept at the time and its' success influenced military strategy thereafter. Although Davis documents that the soldiers were able to take far more than they needed, it was still an impressive campaign. There were plenty of things the men did without for roughly six months; clothing, pay, letters from home, and many other things that the Army of the Potomac took for granted.
After Savannah, their march through the Carolinas spelled the defeat of the South and Davis does a good job of detailing Sherman's significant involvement in the war's end. There was controversy surrounding that and Sherman found himself at odds with the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton. Davis concludes by giving us a brief synopsis of the rest of Sherman's life after the war.
During the first chapter I was apprehensive about Davis's style of writing but the rest of the book made me appreciate his approach to the subject. His frequent use of primary sources was helpful yet not overdone. His writing gave way to some editorial comments but, overall, I thought the book was pretty well balanced. I gave it 5 stars because, after the first chapter, I couldn't put it down and because I learned so much about an aspect of the Civil War that no one else seems to make much mention of.
Unrelenting aggressive slash and burn good read.......2007-06-29
Based upon civilian, military, and reporters eyewitness accounts. Davis' wonderfully written account of this mercurial Union general's march through the South moves along at a fast pace. There are those who would have us believe Sherman was just a troubled man and his military actions were inhuman; he may, in part, had these attributes, but we shouldn't disregard his compassion. His brilliance as a military leader is unquestionable; ruthless against the enemy but sensitive to the woman and children. I found myself shaking my head with sorrow through one paragraph only to switch to a chuckle on the very next. The bibliography is extensive.
Beginning with the fall of Atlanta, we follow the unrelenting aggressive slash and burn total warfare of General Sherman's Union troops, and then the final march into Raleigh. The strategy was to beat the Rebels into submission----a quicker end to the war. Although not stated in the book, I think the "march" introduced the creation of mobile warfare. Sherman to wife Ellen: "there are some very elegant people here who I knew in better days and who do not seem ashamed to call on the 'Vandal Chief'. They regard us just as the Romans did the Goths and the parallel is not unjust. Many of my men with red beards and stalwart frames look like giants". In battle was not the only way a soldier lost his life: many union troops died after a forced march back home; despicable and troubling. The finale march was a victory parade through Pennsylvania Avenue.
There are stories of rescue and caring among the carnage, such as the feeding of confederate families. Davis does a good job of showing the human side of the lives of the confederate people. Atrocities occurred on both sides; alcohol and the lax in discipline were no doubt the culprit in the burning of property. Sherman made the mistake of overextending negotiations for surrender; he was relieved, but Grant kept him on; only small changes were made in negotiations. Sherman to a friend: "General Grant is a great general. I know him well. He stood by me when I was crazy, and I stood by him when he ws drunk; and not, sir, we stand by each other always". Just a note: the free press aided the enemy then as it does so today.
"It was to be almost a century before military scholars proclaimed the general as the most original and influential of Civil War field commanders, whose concepts forecast developments in the twentieth century."
Wish you well
Scott
A Genuine Thriller.......2006-12-14
Some of us who neither grew up in, nor have familial roots in the deep south sometimes find it difficult to fathom why many of our born and bred Redneck brethern are still upset about the Civil War. This book gave me understanding. It also ignited in me an abiding passion for American history that my high school and college courses completely failed to stimulate.
Comparing "Sherman's March" to Michael Schaara's "Killer Angels" [which I also enjoyed hugely]... I'd say Schaara's book is a very fine historical novel... but in "Sherman's March" Burke Davis has accomplished the IMO much more difficult task of rendering rigorously-documented history so that it reads as if it were a novel.
An excellent narrative of Sherman's march.......2006-07-03
I really enjoyed this book. it was well worth the purchase price and turned out to be better than I actually expected. The only thing that would have made it better would have been the inclusion of detailed maps. This book is an excellent historical narrative, filled with many eyewitness accounts. The idividual stories gave the book an emtional impact I didn't expect.
Amazon.com
William T. Sherman was Ulysses S. Grant's staunchest ally in the Union Army; in 1862 he even dissuaded his friend from resigning. This opinionated work on the leader of the merciless March to the Sea takes issue with many previous biographies. According to Stanley Hirshon, Sherman was not a racist (at least, not by 19th-century standards), not a philanderer (though he liked to flirt), and not a bad general (though he lost a lot of battles). The author makes a persuasive case for these contentions in his strongly argued text.
Book Description
"Extraordinarily readable." —Paul D. Casdorph, author of Jackson and Lee
Best remembered as the man who burned Atlanta and marched his army to the sea, cutting a swath of destruction through Georgia, William Tecumseh Sherman remains one of the most vital figures in Civil War annals. In The White Tecumseh, Stanley Hirshson has crafted a beautiful and rigorous work of scholarship, the only life of Sherman to draw on regimental histories and testimonies by the general's own men. What emerges is a landmark portrait of a brilliant but tormented soul, haunted by a family legacy of mental illness and relentlessly driven to realize a powerful military ambition.
"Sympathetic yet excellent . . . insight into how Sherman's own troops felt about him and his relationships with fellow generals, especially Grant. . . . Highly recommended." —Library Journal
Customer Reviews:
Sherman.......2005-09-18
I found the book entertaining as well as informative about General Sherman and some of the other personalities and events of the Civil War. The author has done an excellant job of researching his topic. It will be best received by readers who are true history buffs.
As the author's student in Queens College..........2002-12-17
As Prof. Hirshson's student, I can say that this book reflects the author quite well. It is an accurate account of General Sherman's life. The book is well written and while reading it, I was able to imagine Prof. Hirshson giving a lecture to me as opposed to just reading through it. The language is very user friendly.
A man we love to hate.......2002-09-12
This is a biography of William Tecumseh Sherman by Stanley P. Hirshson, Professor at Queens College, City University of New York. On the surface, it seems to be an un-biased story of the life of a very complicated man.
Like so many Civil War generals on the Union side, Sherman was almost a failure in civilian life. He tried his hand at many professions, but never really made enough money to support his growing family. In the army, however, he had moments of brilliance. And brutality, evidenced most clearly in his march to the sea. He could send his men into a town with orders to destroy it, then wander through the same town afterward looking for friends who lived there when he knew them. He admitted that many of the soldiers he commanded during that time were not much more than thieves and ruffians.
The book starts slowly and ends the same. Most of Sherman's story is the Civil War, four years of privation, desperation, and triumph. Maligned by his enemies, again as were most successful generals, his fights after the war were political, although he never sought political office. Rather his ambitions were for himself as the highest ranking officer in the U.S. Army, and for the Army itself.
Although this is a scholarly work, it is an easy read, especially for a Civil War buff. There are moments when the reader will feel she is attaining some insight into his personality. But those moments slip away quite often. Because of this, the reader might wonder if something is being held back. For instance, I would like to have seen more details of the post-Civil War Army policies toward the Native Americans, something Sherman had much to do with.
This is a must read for the Civil War scholar, American military history fan, and those interested in 19th century America. Sherman lived in much of the U.S. and details of these places in his time add to our understanding of life when our great-grandparents were young.
A NICE ADDITION TO YOUR COLLECTION - SORT OF.......2002-09-03
A readable book. The author's "hobby horse." i.e. mental illness in the Sherman Family, ergo, Sherman himself, is pretty thin. This is certainly not a "end all" work on the life of this particular general, but it is well worth reading. I was not overly thrilled with the author's transitional techniques at times, nor his speculations as to motivation as he, the author, did not give us enough actual proof. Would recommend the book for your collection, but would not recommend you try passing yourself off as a "Sherman Expert" after you have read it.
Very good book about an extraordinary individual.......2002-05-12
Prior to the Civil War there had been a major change in how wars could and would be fought. The Civil War was the first major war to be fought under this new paradigm. (The next big shift would come in WWII).
I think William Sherman understood how to fight the Civil War better than any other soldier on either side. He was brilliant both in seeing how to win the war and applying that knowledge. And his campaigns were among the most brilliant of the war.
This book is a well written book that gives a strong picture of William Sherman, concentrating mostly on his time during the Civil War itself. And it is a fascinating story told very well.
Decent maps provided although they could have been a lot better.
Amazon.com
On first glance, The Soul of Battle appears to be three different books: biographies of two well-known generals--Sherman and Patton--and one who is virtually unknown today, the ancient Greek leader Epaminondas. Yet Victor Davis Hanson, a classics professor and author of The Western Way of War, makes a compelling connection between these three men. They were "eccentrics, considered unbalanced or worse by their own superiors" who led democratic armies on missions of freedom. Epaminondas crushed Sparta's military dominance of Greece in a single winter, Sherman delivered a deathblow to the slaveholding South in the U.S. Civil War, and Patton was the general most feared by his Nazi enemies in the Second World War. Hanson disputes the conventional notion that soldiers fight only for their buddies, rather than abstract ideals. He writes: "Theban hoplites, Union troops, and American GIs were ideological armies foremost, composed of citizen-soldiers who burst into their enemies' heartland because they believed it was a just and very necessary thing to do. The commanders who led them encouraged that ethical zeal, made them believe there was a real moral difference" between what they and their opponents stood for. Epaminondas, Sherman, and Patton each became extremely controversial for his success, but Hanson argues persuasively that their efforts demonstrate "that on rare occasions throughout the ages there can be a soul, not merely a spirit, in the way men battle." With this idiosyncratic approach, Hanson makes a unique contribution to our understanding of not only these three men and their troops, but also the role of the military in a democratic society. --John J. Miller
Book Description
A SELECTION OF THE BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB AND THE HISTORY BOOK CLUB
Why do men fight? What motivates an ordinary citizen to burn and kill? What, in the end, motivates an army to win?
In The Soul of Battle, Victor Davis Hanson, bestselling author of The Western Way of War, answers these questions in a new and startling way. Hanson offers three incredible stories -- the sagas of history's greatest marches -- that coalesce into a single powerful theory of men and war. Each story involves a democratic army pulled together on short notice, which marched deep into enemy territory to overthrow a government whose morality was fundamentally repugnant to its own. Each army stunned the world by covering many miles and capturing huge numbers of its demoralized foes. In all three cases, Hanson argues, conviction (more than firepower) made the difference against long odds. Hanson's conclusion has far-reaching consequences in our convictionless times: right makes might.
Hanson's three armies were led by controversial figures: George S. Patton, William Tecumseh Sherman, and Epaminondas, a brilliant general from ancient Greece. Hanson describes all three in stunning detail. With only runners to communicate and his men's feet to carry them, Epaminondas's Thebans marched against the Spartan empire in columns up to twenty-five miles long. At the cost of a few hundred casualties, Epaminondas freed thousands of Messenians from Spartan domination. Sherman's famed march to the sea, Hanson says, was equally successful and has been misinterpreted as a destructive, almost criminal campaign. In fact, Sherman's men killed very few Southerners, instead wreaking enormous psychological damage while liberating thousands of slaves. Last, in Patton's breakneck race to the Rhine, American GIs willingly followed their flamboyant leader to hell itself to purge the world of the evil of the Nazis.
What made these marches so successful? In these men and their stories, there are timeless absolutes -- a cause and true leaders. The leaders shared certain characteristics: grim asceticism, an audacity born of moral certainty, and the courage to lead from the front. They have been decried by their enemies as warmongers, yet are better seen as misunderstood geniuses -- humanists whose unorthodox approaches to warfare actually saved thousands of lives. The perfect combination of men and cause is uncommon in history and possible only in democracies. When it happens, the force unleashed cannot be stopped. "No country," warned Patton, "can stand against such an army."
The Soul of Battle identifies a universal truth about war. Hanson shows that under the right conditions, democratic soldiers "can make war brutally and lethally beyond the wildest nightmares of the brutal military culture they seek to destroy." The reverse is equally true. Halfhearted wars are rarely won. Men kill best for a good cause -- and they are right to do so.
Customer Reviews:
WHERE DOES FREEDOM COME FROM?.......2007-06-14
In The Soul of Battle, Victor Davis Hanson traces the historical development of Western methods of battle and also of the free Western societies from which great democratic armies have arisen, starting with the Greeks. If you are interested in the sources freedom and prosperity in a society, and the way wars have been fought, and won, by free democratic armies since the Greeks, this book is illuminating and essential.
In The Soul of Battle, VDH describes the military campaigns of three commanders who led the army of a Western democracy: Epaminondas in ancient Greece, William Tecumseh Sherman in the American Civil War, and George S. Patton in World War II. VDH describes the military tactics and strategies in fascinating detail. He describes how each commander led an army of free, independent individuals, well-trained to act with consummate levels of discipline and camaraderie, to destroy their opponent's ability to wage war, thus to end each war sooner, and thus actually to save lives. He describes that they fought with ingenuity and discipline because they wanted to preserve the freedom they had at home, and to make it safe for their freedom-based way of life to continue.
But perhaps more importantly, VDH describes the social conditions that allow the creation of this kind of democratic army: freedom, self-reliance, property ownership, individualism, civilian control of the military, ability to innovate, freedom of self-expression and inquiry, and equal protection of private property, to name just a few. VDH describes how these conditions created societies of strong, individualistic, freedom-loving citizens, who, when stirred by great urgency, became soldiers, who came together only for the purpose of winning a war as quickly and completely as possible, then disbursed immediately thereafter to their homes to go on with their lives.
This book reveals the line of civic freedom that started with the Greeks and runs through Rome, to Europe, to America and all the western-style democracies we have in the current day all over the world. This book shows how war and battle have fit into the picture through the centuries. Perhaps most importantly, this book helps the reader to see which parts of our laws and customs help to ensure freedom for the future, and thus must be cherished and protected.
All Victor Davis Hanson's books about battle and society are excellent. His thesis that freedom in a society and the ability to win wars are inextricably linked to traditions of liberty, independence and free inquiry, is illustrated by different battles and different adversaries in each book. VDH argues convincingly that these keys to freedom and liberty also account for the prosperity, commitment and know-how that create the ability to win wars in societies that inherited or adopted the traditions of Western culture. In his books, he traces the development of the traditions of freedom, self-expression and individual innovation from ancient Greece through the development of battle techniques and civic traditions in Europe and then to the United States and the rest of the world.
The Soul of Battle is an awesome book, wonderfully interesting, about fascinating events, told so that the reader can see what is important to preserve freedom in our current times. I highly, highly recommend it. Read it. It is simply outstanding. Then read Carnage and Culture, another VDH book. I think you will love it.
Outstanding.......2007-03-10
I openly profess a lack of any military history, but in recent years, since 9/11, I've been drawn to questions regarding leadership in battle. George S. Patton consistently ranks at the top of my list of individuals I wish to study. Coming across "Soul of Battle" has now added William Tecomseh Sherman and Epiminondas to that list.
Hanson does an excellent job painting a comprehensive historical picture of these 3 military leaders for those of my ilk who do not possess the depth of knowledge of history's finer nuances. For those of us who did not study Ancient Greece and dedicated our lives to other trades, Hanson's work is a welcome friend.
What is most impressive about how Hanson portrays these leaders is that he not only spends time talking about the battle itself and the campaign but the more global reasons of how and why the battles were brought about. What forces a group of free men to bear arms and attack with such force a tyrannical government or an enslaving society??? This is the tapestry that is the back drop to why we go to battle and why we fight today. We must know and learn why our preceding generations would pick up a weapon and willingly die. I highly recommend this book.
A timely history lesson in the use of force.......2007-02-04
Hanson's treatise is superb. He offers three examples, spanning 2500 years, of how democratic war craft snatches freedom from tyranny.
The premise is that when a free society is threatened at it's core, when it's been attacked, when it's citizenry understand that the enemy is at odds with a society of freedom, the democracy can be unstoppable when forced to fight. When a genius at war leads that unstoppable force and if the leader is given the latitude to do what has to be done ... the necessary force will gather and fight, and bring home to the tyrant society a disaster that will terminate the threat. The tyrant states Hanson discusses ceased to exist forever after free men took the initiative to the tyrant.
Epaminondas, long forgotten, eradicated the insufferable warmongering slave society of Sparta. Within a season ... the 300 years of absolute Spartan domination of free men would never rise again. No accolades for Epaminondas, only a new society of freed helots. Epaminondas and his army of farmers disappears into the obscurity of citizenry and history.
No union general was more hated in the south than Sherman. Sherman's march of total destruction insured that never would the South be able to rise again or be able to rationalize the 300 year old institution of slavery. The march to the sea was all of 5 weeks but remains in memory like it was interminable. Sherman and his Army of the West disappeared into the citizenry within days of the marches end. With no friend in politics, Sherman fades into society.
We know the Patton story ... fired for misbehavior numerous times, generally hated by contemporaries, his death only days after again being fired with orders to go home was perhaps the ironic outcome for the legacy of the man. The legacy of Patton's 3rd Army lives on. Patton and his 3rd moved further, faster and with the deadliest efficiency of any Army in history. The 3rd Army was in a position to save more lives, but not given the permission. Historians seem to be increasingly suggesting that victory in Europe was a Russian thing, beginning at Stalingrad, that allied airpower destroyed the Reich's ability to keep it's army in the field, that German collapse was days away. The German record of industrial output, army moral and citizen support on the post-Bulge western front is far more revealing as Patton neared the Fatherland. Records and writings indicate production and the highest German moral of the war was shunted to the west in the protection of the fatherland in hopes of a negotiated peace to save occuption. Some in diplomacy appear to have viewed negotiations as an acceptable alternative. Patton alone forced the Nazi eye from the ball and tore through the material and sprit of a defective society. His domination of the European battlefield and destruction of German psyche was absolute. The need for diplomacy was overcome by events and the planning for a winter of 1946 campaign shelved. Patton's elimination of 2 army groups and 1,000,000 prisoners would insure that Germany would never rise again to military dominance. Patton's politics could have precluded the coming Cold War. The 30,000,000 victims of Stalin's and Mao's communistic lunacy were largely still alive when Patton slammed into the diplomatic solution.
Hanson has done good work. These 3 men standout out as the executors of apocalyptic horrors that terminate an enemy forever. This book gives pause to consider the legacy of politics, diplomacy and war craft. Peace proponents today will do anything for peace except perhaps read a book like Hanson's with history's documented lessons
An Excellent Book.......2006-09-24
Victor David Hanson identifies two qualities that in combat are especially lethal when combined: speed and a higher moral purpose. Written before 9-11, this book raises for me facinating and highly relevant questions about our current efforts in the Middle East (e.g., the establishment of democracy and the correlation between our lack of military movement within Iraq and the explosion of terrorism in the country).
This is not reason, it is ideology.......2006-06-07
The underlying premise of this book (democracy = good, tyranny and slavery = bad) is obviously sympathetic. You can't go wrong with that these days, on a fundamental level.
What Hanson has done with this, though, is utterly inexcusable. He's taken every fact and twisted and tortured it until it fits so that each of the people surveyed can be painted in pure black and white, as unambiguous heroes and titans among men. It doesn't matter that Patton took over an army already on the verge of breaking a badly-battered German army, or that the reason Sherman was able to burn his away across the South was because Grant was going toe-to-toe with the only dangerous Confederate army in Virginia. No, in each case, Hanson's favorite guy was entirely responsible for victory, and he manages to twist the contributions of others into proof of their incompetance. It's like, you know, Grant was completely stalled out by Lee! He couldn't get anything done at all! Meanwhile Sherman was doing all the real damage! That Grant guy was a total loser. Or ... before Patton showed up, all the British and Americans were doing was uselessly battering themselves against the Germans! It took Patton's genius to achieve the breakout where those losers were just getting people killed and wasting time!
This stuff is beyond the pale, really. It's intellectually dishonest. It's not history. It's history twisted and tortured to support an ideological bias.
The shame of it is that this is a really interesting topic. Sherman and Patton anyway were real people, ambiguous and conflicted. Patton in fact was probably a nut (and even many of his fans would probably not disagree on this point), but he was a nut who could motivate troops. And I personally always do feel conflicted about what we've done and what has happened in fighting some nasty wars: the fireboming of Dresden, the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Sherman's march to the sea, the genocide of the Native Americans, My Lai, and Abu Grahib. What I want is someone to really look into these things and tell my why free and democratic nations which claim to have strong principles do these things. I don't need someone telling me "it's OK, our society is great, it was all in rightous anger, it had to be done, and anyway, they were all bad guys."
Book Description
A vividly written, thorough work by Britain's celebrated military writer, first published in 1929.
Customer Reviews:
The psychology of leadership.......2007-07-12
This biography of Sherman is a study of the man Liddell Hart believes to be the great strategic thinker of the American Civil War. It is more a study of his psychology, much of it derived from original sources such as telegraphic messages, than an account of battles. Sherman was a complex man with a background in banking and commerce that served him well in planning his campaigns in the Confederacy. At the outbreak of hostilities, he was headmaster of a military academy in Louisiana and the local people tried to induce him to stay in spite of his open Union sympathies. He was offered a positon as Assistant Secretary of War but declined to seek a military command. His contempt for politicians was later expressed in his famous refusal to accept a nomination for the Presidency. He was the most intellectual general of the war and Liddell Hart is very interested in his thinking. This is a valuable book for those interested in leadership.
Classic Study of Sherman by Military Expert Hart .......2005-01-30
This is a classic written by Liddell Hart in highly readable compact detail. Hart, an English veteran of WWI, was a 20th century military expert who had a great appreciation for Sherman's strategic ability and understanding of an enemy morale. In contrast to what Hart calls a game of "shuttle cock" in the east, Sherman's strategic maneuvers and splitting of command out frequently force Johnson to give up ground while shedding very little blood. Hart notes that he does not spend too much analytical detail on where every "man stood" in reference to regimental history but Hart provides the reader the necessary detail to appreciate the battles and over all campaign. Hart's appreciation of Sherman's ability to take the war to the Deep South, live off the land and take a great risk of literally disappearing from his line of communications is well detailed here as Sherman's penetration through three states eventually undermines Lee's great efforts in Virginia. Hart, the veteran of the stalemate battle of trenches that featured great loss appreciates Sherman's successful plan of warfare. Of course, there are many historians who believe that General Joe Johnston's propensity to retreat may have made him a weak opponent but Johnston did keep a strong army in the field until Hood decimated the Army of Tennessee. This is a great book written by a man who not only lived through "The Great War" but was highly capable of writing about a war that was very similar in the eastern theater by late 1864.
An Excellent Work.......2003-07-21
When I first began to read this book I was concerned that it might be outdated. However, I found much of the subject matter to be quite timely. Of particular interest was the impact that Sherman's successful (albeit violent) trek through Georgia had on the 1864 elections. I never realized how close the Copperhead (Peace) Democrats came to winning that election and perhaps bringing the Civil War to a far differnet conclusion . Hart bring Sherman to life. He also vividly illustrates the behind the scene politics that almost prevented Sherman (not to mention Grant) from their historic roles in the Civil War. Don't be put off by the subject matter or the age of the book. It's worth the read.
The Greatest Strategist of the Civil War.......2002-09-19
Sherman was both the most original genius of the Civil War, and "the typical American". His career provides lessons to the modern world and to modern warfare. It was his conscious exploitation of the economic and psychological factors of war in his "March through Georgia" which helped to end the Civil War. The long and expensive battles in Northern Virginia were replayed on the battlefields of France in the Great War.
The Union attempted to take Richmond by the shortest and most direct route; but this way was blocked with natural obstacles. If the Confederates fell back they would be closer to their reserves, supplies, and reinforcements. These facts favored the entrenched defenders.
The western campaign ended in the capture of Vicksburg and control of the Mississippi from St. Louis to New Orleans. Liddell Hart contrasts the maneuvers here to the stalemate back east. But the conditions, or politics, did not allow a wide flanking invasion through West Virginia or North Carolina. The threat to Richmond kept Confederate troops there. Longstreet proposed an invasion of Kentucky, a far flanking attack, but was turned down by Lee.
It explains how Sherman out-maneuvered Johnston from Chattanooga to Atlanta. By threatening to outflank Johnston, the Confederates fell back. His replacement by Hood did not prevent the capture of Atlanta. This revived the hope of victory for the North, and helped to re-elect Lincoln.
Sherman then abandoned his supply and communication lines (vulnerable to attack) and marched on to Savannah and the ocean. His army lived off the land. This enabled his army to be resupplied by the Navy. He then marched north, seeming to attack other cities, but passed between and continued to destroy railroads and bridges.
The end came soon after this, as other armies invaded the South. Sherman designed an armistice and amnesty where the Confederates would be disbanded, and their arms turned over to the states. The latter would allow repression of bandits and guerillas. He was criticized for this.
Sherman was a man of modest habits. When admirers raised [money]to buy him a house, he refused to accept unless he received bonds that would pay the taxes! He lived within his means. The resisting power of a state depends more on the strength of popular will than on the strength of its armies, and this depends on economic and social security (p.429).
Liddell Hart gave preference to contemporaneous correspondence rather than Official Reports (which are written for history to justify a policy). Some of the ideas in this 72-year old book may not coincide with more recent history.
not up to Liddel Hart's usual level.......2001-05-02
I will start by saying Liddel Hart is my favorite military historian/author and I own half a dozen books by him, and regard them as gospel. However I felt that Liddel Hart was not as well versed in this area as he is in European History. He lets his ingrained contrariness run away with him. He wants to create a "great captain" where there is none. He also, I believe, wants to convince the reader of the genius of the "inderect approach" which he expounds in his excellent book "Strategy". However I think considering Sherman's campaign as indirect is like calling D-Day indirect because the allies invaded Normandy as opposed to Calais. ( I must admit that I am biased because I am a Lee fan) Like every other book by Liddel hart though, it is a very quick and pleasant read. I would recommend his book on Scipio as a great intro to his work.
Book Description
When Confederate troops surrendered Vicksburg on July 4, 1863--the day after the Union victory at Gettysburg--a crucial port and rail depot for the South was lost. The Union gained control of the Mississippi River, and the Confederate territory was split in two. In a thorough yet concise study of the longest single military campaign of the Civil War, Michael B. Ballard brings new depth to our understanding of the Vicksburg campaign by considering its human as well as its military aspects.
Ballard examines soldier attitudes, guerrilla warfare, and the effects of the campaign and siege on civilians in and around Vicksburg. He also analyzes the leadership and interaction of such key figures as U.S. Grant, William T. Sherman, John Pemberton, and Joseph E. Johnston, among others. Blending strategy and tactics with the human element, Ballard reminds us that while Gettysburg has become the focal point of the history and memory of the Civil War, the outcome at Vicksburg was met with as much celebration and relief in the North as was the Gettysburg victory, and he argues that it should be viewed as equally important today.
Customer Reviews:
A popular history.......2007-01-11
Mr.Ballard's book is another popular history,it contains little if any new information excepting a defense/excuse of the CS commander Gen. Pemberton.
US Gen.Grant is given considerable credit and deservedly so. The various Union naval commanders; Farragut, Porter etc get much attention also. Mr. Ballard does do a fair job of placing credit on both side's better commanders and lambasts CS Gen. Joe Johnston constantly. He lists the manuevering and prior failures of Union forces throughout the Mississippi region but successfully does so without losing the reader.
However, detail is lacking and the writing style itself is tepid and uninspiring. Contrary to some of the other reviewers, I found the maps poorly drawn and overly cluttered. Done in one color, roads and streams litter the maps; competing with arrows listing advances and retreats and unit markers do not differ between CS/US, infantry or cavalry...an attempt to clarify this on this small maps lists various brigade/division unit commanders but without listing what side is what. Numerous misspellings imply either poor editors or poor research. He consistently describes units as "crack" outfits to the point of the reader wondering, were there any "normal" units present? Any force smaller than a battalion or regiment is listed as a patrol or roadblock. His handling of first person history, the best aspect of recent military writings, is slipshod and often generalised. Few regiments are listed and in general, brigades get the most mention in combat descriptions.
A bright spot was the emphasis on the various naval movements in and about the Vicksburg area. Union naval ability and the Confederate lack of, gets serious and well deserved attention.
Mr. Ballard's theme of the Western Theater being the war winner is well supported by many other current works. Overall, this book is no masterpiece nor is Ballard a Pfanz as a writer. Well read students of this theater will not be well served by purchase of the book but it is a fair one for general or new readers to the subject.
A good start to an important history.......2006-12-14
The newer research on the Civil War suggests that it was won in the west and that the action in the east is not what caused the end of the war. Vicksburg was the crucial campaign in the west and while this book can get bogged down in details it does a very good job of providing information. The challenge of taking this city on a hill and the importance of the navy are all well explained here. A look at what happened to the south as the war progressed is not readily apparent but if read in between the lines it is easy to see what happened. The analysis about the importance of opening up the Mississippi to union forces is very good and brings new light on a subject that needs a lot more exploring and debate.
Honest and sincere account of an inmensely important campaign.......2005-07-14
I like this book for several reasons.Number one, Mr Ballard is very sincere and called everything by its name.When it comes to describing generals and soldiers on either side of the conflict,he tells it like it is.Number two, the way Mr Ballard describes the military campaign in all its details it's terrific which helped me understand the imporatnce of every battle and the strategies involved.The only flaw in the book is really a minor one which is that sometimes the author gives too many details in things that i dont think are not that important.BUt ,in general, it's a very good book!
Excellent book on the key Civil War Battle of Vicksburg.......2005-06-24
Dr, Michael Ballard has written an excellent book on the Vicksburg Campaign. Ballard has had good mentors in his study of the Mississippi River City which fell to US Grant in July, 1863
He is has been guided by Terry Wenschel the National Park Chief Historian; read the massive three volume work by Mr. Civil
War Ed Bearss on the campaign and is a lifelong native of Mississipi who has visited Vicksburg since his youth.
Vicksburg was a complex campaign pitting the inept Northern Born Confederate General John Pemberton against the aggressive and brilliant US Grant. Grant's Union Army worked well as a team.
Even though Grant did not like McClernand he used him well in launching the blue horde against the city on the bluffs. Grant
worked well with Sherman and McPherson, Logan and others as they tried many ideas to conquer Vicksburg. Grant and David Dixon Porter worked well on coordinating army-navy operations.
Grant succeeded when his forces crossed the Mississippi to
Bruinsburg, Ms. Union victories at Port Gibson, Jackson and
most importantly Champion Hill (May 16, 1863) led to a 47 day
siege of Vicksburg which fell to Federal forces on July 4, 1863
Vicksburge the key to victory in the Western Theatre was then
put into Mr. Lincoln's pocket. The fate of the Western Confederacy was sealed.
I am surprised how little many Civil War buffs seem to know little about the Western Theatre of the War. Those whose approach has been "Virginia-centric" will find much to explore as they gaze at the Western Theatre.
Grant emerges as a tough, imaginative, never say never commander while the Confederates Pemberton and Joe Johnston wee weak and indecisive leaders. Grant's star rose in the West as Lincoln discovered the man who could beat Lee and win the war!
Ballard's book is well illustrated; the maps are clear and
easy to follow. Ballard has done his homework as the many pages of bibliography attest to his acumen. While dealing with the battles he also quotes the thoughts of civilians of Vicksburg and Misssippi who saw their society rent asunder by the blue
hordes from the north.
Ed Bearss is still the dean of Vicksburg scholars but Michael Ballard has also contributed greatly to our understanding of this vital, complex, too often overlooked campaign. This book
can be read by the buff or the neophyte with equal pleasure. Thank you Dr. Ballard for your work!
Good Book for the Libary of a Civil War Buff.......2005-02-18
This is a good book for anyone interested in studying on the Civil War. As the author mentions, this campaign to capture Vicksburg is a rather unknown period of the war and this is a good book on this campaign. It has its plusses and its minuses. On the positive side, it covers the campaign in detail with a number of human interest stories. The experiences of the citizens and soldiers who lived in Vicksburg, e.g. living in caves, the casualties, the experiences of soldiers in the hospitals (for example, he goes through the procedure that a doctor used to remove a leg - interesting although somewhat gruesome but it highlights the suffering). He is an apparent fan of Pemberton (although he recognizes his mistakes well) and not a fan of Joe Johnston (but I haven't found a Civil War writer who is...). He covers them well and also the top Union generals: Grant, Sherman and McClernand, including Grant's supposed bouts with alcohol and the feud between McClernand and Grant. This is a balanced coverage. On the minuses side, I found myself getting confused at times about what was really happening. For example, the coverage of the battles including the maps which are very confusing, which ramble about this unit and that unit going this way and that. The early book with this Confederate general and that Confederate general doing this and that is also confusing and may cause you to get you to get frustrated with the book, but stick with it. At one point, he has Pemberton in Vicksburg and needing to go to Vicksburg in the same paragraph. So, I read it again, and... huh. But then the story picks up when Grant tries one approach versus another to reach Vicksburg and decides on approaching it from the South. This is very interesting showing the chess moves between Grant, Pemberton and Johnston which Grant ultimately won. This is a good book, on a period that should be covered more. It may be confusing because unlike Gettysburg, where each writer can read the other books and build on them, there are few sources. So, I recommend it.
Book Description
The Atlanta Campaign of 1864 was one of the most interesting and important campaigns of the Civil War. Though the Confederate army was strong and capable, Major General William Tecumseh Sherman, the Union commander, successfully took Atlanta with few casualties, using his superior numbers to maneuver the Confederate soldiers from successive strong positions.
Sherman Invades Georgia takes advantage of modern planning techniques to fully examine what went into the Georgia campaign. Unlike other studies, though, this one puts the reader squarely into the mind of General Sherman on the eve of his most famous military undertaking—limiting the information to that possessed by Sherman at the time, as documented in his correspondence during the campaign and not in his after-the-fact reports and autobiography.
Laid out in chapters that follow the format of an "estimate of the situation," this book doesn't simply recount the facts or attempt to provide a definitive history—other books do that—rather it offers a narrative of the campaign that illustrates a logical decision-making process as formulated in modern times. Published in cooperation with the Associations of the United States Army, the book serves two audiences: military professionals can use it for training purposes and Civil War buffs and interested laymen can gain a sense of the uncertainty that real commanders face by not having all the records of both sides at hand.
Customer Reviews:
practitioners think about logistics.......2006-11-19
I will be buying this book based on seeing the author on CSPAN on November 18. I am writing this review to give a little balance to the other reviews. I read a lot of civil war books (at least one or two a month) and am currently a member of two Civil War round tables and have attended meetings at seven round tables throughout the country over the last 12 years. For someone like myself, a book that approaches concerns that would be of interest to professional soldiers adds another dimension to my knowledge. Scales said that he calculated the various amounts that could have be delivered by means available to Sherman. This information is not available everywhere. He admits that some of his book will be difficult for people who are not familiar with logistics. He also said that civil war generals were geniuses for the vast amount of information they needed to understand and synthesize. I look forward to reading this book. Even if in the end it does not deserve 5 stars, it will certainly increase my knowledge of the civil war.
Rebuttal.......2006-11-03
I find this review hard to believe. "Civil War Buffs Beware?" Are you kidding me? You gave this book, which you admitted you haven't read, the lowest possible score because it didn't cover what YOU wanted it to cover. This particular quote says it all:
"Unfortunatey this is not that book. But in fairness to the author, it is not the book he set out to write. This is essentially a training manual for military professionals. As such it may be a fine book. Of that I am not qualified to judge. (Therefore, I found it impossible to give it a meaningful numerical rating.)"
If you are not qualified to judge, have not read the book and find it impossible to give it a numerical rating, then DON'T. Your commentary is essentially worthless, which i'm glad you finally get to toward the end of the review. Oh, also, learn how to spell skirmish. Thanks.
Civil War Buffs Beware.......2006-09-17
In a field which has produced multiple in depth studies of virtually every campaign, battle and skirmish during the entire course of the Civil War there remains one campaign that has been almost totally neglected: Sherman's 1864 invasion of north west Georgia from Chattanooga, Tennessee to the Chattahoochee River on the outskirts of Atlanta. Most historians pick up the story with the seige of Atlanta followed by Sherman's "March to the Sea." Largley ignored - or given only cursory treatment - are the hard fought battles that preceeded that seige and brought Sherman's army from southeast Tennessee to the gates of Atlanta: Dalton, Resaca, Alatoona Pass, and Kennesaw Mountain to mention only the most significant encounters. These battles cry out for updated historical treatment in a full length book by a modern Civil War historian.
Unfortunatey this is not that book. But in fairness to the author, it is not the book he set out to write. This is essentially a training manual for military professionals. As such it may be a fine book. Of that I am not qualified to judge. (Therefore, I found it impossible to give it a meaningful numerical rating.)
But as a student of history and of the Civil War I can only say that I was disappointed in this treatment of the war in north west Georgia. I am still waiting for the definitive historical study of that campaign.
Average customer rating:
- Solid work
- Be Aware
- War So Terrible
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War So Terrible: Sherman and Atlanta
James Lee McDonough , and
James Pickett Jones
Manufacturer: W W Norton & Co Inc
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Customer Reviews:
Solid work.......2006-05-16
I'd probably give this book 3.5 stars, the plagiarism comment and all. Part of the reason this book is worth reading is simply because there are not many books on the Atlanta Campaign, despite how important it was. While Albert Castel's Decision in the West probably ranks as the best, this book is a good companion. This work gives the reader a good view from mostly the generals headquarters, but also from in the field as well. The authors are not afraid to criticize or second guess generals, but they are also not afraid to heap praise either.
The book does have some negatives, though. The text does not read especially well nor is it all that interesting. I would describe it as very workmanlike. The book features no endnotes or footnotes so what the authors cited can be a mystery. Finally, the book is mostly a military history of the campaign and doesn't delve too deep into the social aspects or what it was like for the common soldier in great detail.
Overall, while this is not the greatest book on the campaign, it is worth reading just because there are not many books written on the campaign. Also, the epilogue about Margaret Mitchell and her writing of Gone With the Wind as compared to David O. Selznick's screen version is very interesting.
Be Aware.......2006-03-10
While this book may appear to be well-written at first glance, one would do well to read the May 1989 (vol.55, #2) review of it in The Journal of Southern History. The reviewer points out evidence of plagiarism, and the journal notes that the publisher withdrew the book from publication. Though it doesn't say the book was pulled for plagiarism, it is reasonable to assume so. The lesson here is to always check scholarly journals for reviews of scholarly books before trusting their content. Trust the pros.
War So Terrible.......2003-03-12
This is an excellent book reviewing the battles that took place from Chattanooga to Atlanta in the summer of 1864 in the Western armies. The authors, working independently, have chronicled much of the strategy and and battlefield drama that characterized such engagements as Dallas, New Hope Church, Pickett's Mill, Kennesaw Mountain, Ezra Church, Resaca etc.
As a layman, I was not bogged down with too much military lingo, and was able to get a good grasp of the strategy used on both sides. Maps and pictures add to the clarity. The authors seemed to start out being favorably disposed to Joseph E. Johnston's command, then, as they analyze all the historical and geographical factors from hindsight, they bring the reader to wonder at his failure to maneuver into a decisive victory over Sherman's advancing army. With the ensuing command of Gen. Hood one senses the nearly frantic contrast to throw men into battle as Atlanta becomes ever-more threatened, at great sacrifice of Confederate lives.
If you had ancestors that fought in the Atlanta Campaign, this is a very good book, with details drawn from numerous sources. The writers have added soldiers' and officers' comments from diaries and letters that detail the morale, the terrain, the weather, and attitude towards the events of the day. These add more interest to the sometimes dry, official commentaries so often quoted in other works.
Good history for layman or scholar; Union or Confederate.
Book Description
Even after Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox, the Civil War continued to be fought, and surrenders negotiated, on different fronts. The most notable of these occurred at Bennett Place, near Durham, North Carolina, when Confederate General Joseph E. Johnston surrendered the Army of Tennessee to Union General William T. Sherman. In this first full-length examination of the end of the war in North Carolina, Mark Bradley traces the campaign leading up to Bennett Place.
Alternating between Union and Confederate points of view and drawing on his readings of primary sources, including numerous eyewitness accounts and the final muster rolls of the Army of Tennessee, Bradley depicts the action as it was experienced by the troops and the civilians in their path. He offers new information about the morale of the Army of Tennessee during its final confrontation with Sherman's much larger Union army. And he advances a fresh interpretation of Sherman's and Johnston's roles in the final negotiations for the surrender.
Customer Reviews:
A LOCAL PERSPECTIVE FROM BOTH SIDES - EXCELLENT DETAIL.......2006-11-08
Without doubt Bradley's book does justice to each side all the way from the Generals to local people in
Chapel Hill to Raleigh. It fails to note Bennett Place was in Orange County at the time. Durham county did not exsist
until 1868 when it was carved out of Orange Co. I had a 3 Great-grandfather, CSA Col, who was killed at Bentonville, NC
James Henry Neal.
His daughter lived until 1935 when she died in Atlanta Ga. She as a child of 6 living in Atlanta Ga.during the
"March To The Sea" Gen. Sherman set-up his HQ in her mother's kitchen, my gg-aunt Louise Neal, served Sherman biskets.
I have many hand-written letters by John White and his daughters Laura and Delia who discussed Chapel Hill
immediately after the war in 1865.John White eventually became U.S. Postmater in Chapel Hill for three years and later left that job to be Orange County Sheriff twice.
Bradley's book is a wealth of knowledge of events ocurring on the local scene.
Sherman conducted several military trials in Raleigh of civilians and soldiers alike. I have original documents and judgements of the
officer's tribunal. Each were charged with various offenses from plundering to murder.AT least 2 soldiers and 1 civilian were
sentenced to death,only to have Grant void the verdicts with Pres.Andrew Johnson's permission.
A Fascinating Read on the Last Days of the Civil War in North Carolina!.......2006-07-25
Mark Bradley has written a most excellent account of the last days of the Civil War in North Carolina between Joseph Johnston and William Sherman. Being a North Carolina native and having visited and traveled through many of the places in the book, I was particularly interested.
The book is not so much a detailed account of the last battles in North Carolina (Bentonville, Averasboro, Wyse Fork, Fort Fisher, etc.) as it is the military and political maneuvering between the two generals - Johnston in attempting to gain favorable surrender terms for his army and Sherman attempting to be lenient with the South at the end of the war. Indeed, aside from the aforementioned battles, most encounters between North and South during the last days in North Carolina were no more than brief skirmishes.
I particulary enjoyed reading the accounts of the Union occupation of Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, and Goldsboro. Having lived in Goldsboro and Raleigh earlier in my life, I enjoyed reading the accounts. Also interesting were the accounts of the Rebel occupation of Greensboro and Charlotte.
Throughout the book, Bradley manages to incorporate several interesting anecdotes: the unfortunate luck of Rebel Lietenant Walsh from Texas, the marriage of Northern General Atkins' courtship and marriage to a Chapel Hill lady, etc.
Bradley's writing style is interesting and maintains a fine balance between being a free-flowing read, just like his excellent Battle of Bentonville title.
Read and enjoy! Highly recommended.
Great Companion to "Last Stand in the Carolinas!".......2004-05-04
Mark Bradley has written an excellent companion book to his "Last Stand in the Carolinas," which has currently gone out of print. In this volume, Mr. Bradley picks up where he left off, following Johnston and Sherman from Bentonville to the surrender of the Army of Tennessee at Durham, North Carolina. Bradley's writing is, as in his other book, great!
But missing from "This Astounding Close," are the excellent maps created the very skilled cartographer Mark Moore. The maps provided are not bad--they are actually quite good--but they could have been better. The small numbers of maps left me wanting more, especially ones detailing the smaller skirmishes taking place during the maneuvering in North Carolina. If the maps had been better and mpre plentiful, I would have given the book five starts instead of four.
Being from the South, I have always considered Sherman and his subordinates nothing short of the devil-incarnate. But from this book, I gained a new respect for these men and saw the softer side of them. Bradley depicts how John "Black Jack" Logan saved Raleigh from destruction at the hands of raged Federal troops intent on avenging Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Mr. Bradley also told of how lenient Sherman was toward the surrendering Confederate troops and toward the civilians of North Carolina, especially after the surrender. Sherman even offered Johnston and his troops much kinder terms than those given to Robert E. Lee at Appomattox! But Northern politicians saw these terms as too soft and evetually gave Johnston the same terms given to Lee.
This is a very good book; no doubt a great addition to my rapidly growing Civil War library. Before reading this volume, I knew next to nothing about Johnston's surrender at Durham, North Carolina, in the Bennet Farmhouse. If you are a Civil War buff get this book; if you are a military history buff, get this book! I got it, and am happy I did.
Johnston's Last Hurrah!.......2004-03-15
The Civil War didn't officially end with General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox. General Joe Johnston's Army of the South and General Kirby Smith's forces in the Trans-Mississippi still remained in the field.
This is the story of the situation in North Carolina facing Johnston and Union General William Sherman after the Battle of Bentonville. The author presents both sides of the story along with the political pressures from Richmond and Washington.
There is not an abundance of information about Johnston's eventual surrender of the Army of the South and other forces under his command. The author is a leading authority about the 1865 North Carolina Campaign and presents an entertaining, interesting and scholarly review of the events after Bentonville.
Gripping portrait of the final days of the Army of Tennessee.......2000-10-06
Mark Bradley's second book is a worthy companion to his excellent book on Bentonville. This book takes a different approach, presenting the movements and subsequent surrender negotiations instead of the chaos of a pitched battle, but it works nontheless, infusing a different sort of drama and emotion. I found the descriptions of Sherman's army extremely interesting, and the fate of the Army of Tennessee was both moving and compelling. The book places the surrender of Johnston's army in its historical context, explaining the strong position that Johnston was negotiating from, and the possibility of uniting with Lee's army for another offensive, an event which worried Sherman greatly. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has read Bradley's Bentonville work, as this provides the rest of the story. The only negative comment is that I miss the incredible maps by Mark Moore, which are not present in this work. Otherwise, Mark Bradley continues his tradition of a very readable first hand account.
Books:
- Mr. Lincoln's Way
- MY FATHER'S SECRET WAR: A MEMOIR
- Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
- Nations At Dawn (Formerly Titled: Nations In Darkness)
- Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power
- Personal History
- Rabbit Ears Treasury of Tall Tales: Volume One: Davy Crockett, Rip Van Winkle, Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan (Rabbit Ears)
- Retreat from Gettysburg: Lee, Logistics, and the Pennsylvania Campaign (Civil War America)
- Return To Promise (Heart of Texas, No 8)
- Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America
Books Index
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