Download or read book William Baldy Smith written by Stephen Nicholas Siciliano and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2022-06-30 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lauded for gallantry at Antietam and demoted for insubordination after Fredericksburg, Major General William "Baldy" Smith remains a controversial figure of the Civil War. His criticism of the Union high command made him unpopular with both peers and superiors. Yet his insight as an officer and an engineer enabled him to offer effective solutions to challenges faced by fellow generals. In this first comprehensive biography, Smith emerges as a field commander with deep concern for his men and a fearless critic of the failures of the Union generalship, who was recognized for a strategic perspective that helped save Federal armies.

Download or read book Medical Histories of Union Generals written by Jack D. Welsh and published by Kent State University Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the Civil War, the majority of the 583 Union generals studied here were afflicted by disease, injured by accidents, or suffered wounds. This book includes a glossary of medical terms as well as a sequence of medical events during the Civil War listing wounds, accidents, and deaths.

Download or read book McClellan and the Union High Command 1861 1863 written by Jeffrey W. Green and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2017-03-13 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With Washington's proximity to the Confederate capital of Richmond, Union military operations in the first two years of the Civil War focused mainly on the Eastern Theater, where General McClellan commanded the Army of the Potomac. McClellan's "On to Richmond" battle cry dominated strategic thinking in the high command. When he failed and was sacked by President Lincoln, a coterie of senior officers sought his return. This re-examination of the high command and McClellan's war in the East provides a broader understanding of the Union's inability to achieve victory in the first two years, and takes the debate about the Union's leadership into new areas.

Download or read book The 26Th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry written by Jeffrey A. Hill and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2020-02-10 with total page 1088 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here is the third edition of the history of a group of men who valiantly fought to preserve the Union during the American Civil War. The first edition was published in 2010 to wide acclaim. An updated second edition was printed in 2013. Now, seven years later, this third edition expands on the previous ones with a new chapter and many more stories, burial locations, maps and photos. The men of the 26th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry were among the first to answer their country’s call to duty, and among the last ones to finally be mustered home. The “Old 26th” fought in numerous western theater campaigns and battles; including: Shiloh, Corinth, Stones River, Chickamauga, Missionary Ridge, Kennesaw, Peachtree Creek, Atlanta, Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville. After the war’s end, the veterans yearned to publish their regiment’s proud history as so many other units had done. Regrettably, the high cost of publishing proved too steep for the aged veterans, and their dream died with them. The descendant of three veterans of the 26th Ohio, Jeffrey A. Hill resurrected their dream and brought it to fruition. Meticulously researched, their history is based on over five hundred primary source documents including letters, diaries, military and pension records, regimental and company records, and other first person accounts. Their narrative conveys their omnipresent sense of duty and loyalty. This book chronicles the involvement of the 26th Ohio from the initial fervor following Fort Sumter and throughout the war, as well as the postbellum activities. The appendices include a roster, list of burial sites, photo gallery, and index. This history is a lasting tribute to the men who so bravely fought to protect what they held most dear—their beloved country. At long last, here is their story...

Download or read book The Fredericksburg Campaign written by Gary W. Gallagher and published by Univ of North Carolina Press. This book was released on 2000-11-09 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is well this is so terrible! We should grow too fond of it," said General Robert E. Lee as he watched his troops repulse the Union attack at Fredericksburg on 13 December 1863. This collection of seven original essays by leading Civil War historians reinterprets the bloody Fredericksburg campaign and places it within a broader social and political context. By analyzing the battle's antecedents as well as its aftermath, the contributors challenge some long-held assumptions about the engagement and clarify our picture of the war as a whole. The book begins with revisionist assessments of the leadership of Ambrose Burnside and Robert E. Lee and a portrait of the conduct and attitudes of one group of northern troops who participated in the failed assaults at Marye's Heights. Subsequent essays examine how both armies reacted to the battle and how the northern and southern homefronts responded to news of the carnage at Frederickburg. A final chapter explores the impact of the battle on the residents of the Fredericksburg area and assesses changing Union attitudes about the treatment of Confederate civilians. The contributors are William Marvel, Alan T. Nolan, Carol Reardon, Gary W. Gallagher, A. Wilson Greene, George C. Rable, and William A. Blair.

Download or read book Controversies Commanders written by Stephen W. Sears and published by HMH. This book was released on 2014-11-04 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An in-depth look at the Union force that went up against Robert E. Lee, from “a master storyteller and leading Civil War historian” (Kirkus Reviews). From an award-winning military historian and the bestselling author of Gettysburg, this is a wide-ranging collection of essays about the Army of the Potomac, delving into such topics as Professor Lowe’s reconnaissance balloons; the court-martial of Fitz John Porter; the Lost Order at Antietam; press coverage of the war; the looting of Fredericksburg; the Mud March; the roles of volunteers, conscripts, bounty jumpers, and foreign soldiers; the notorious Gen. Dan Sickles, who shot his wife’s lover outside the White House; and two generals who were much maligned: McClellan (justifiably) and Hooker (not so justifiably). This lively book follows the Army of the Potomac throughout the war, from 1861 to 1865, painting a remarkable portrait of the key incidents and personalities that influenced the course of our nation’s greatest cataclysm.

Download or read book The Battle of the Crater written by John F. Schmutz and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2009-06-08 with total page 429 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Battle of the Crater is one of the lesser known yet most interesting battles of the Civil War. This book, detailing the onset of brutal trench warfare at Petersburg, Virginia, digs deeply into the military and political background of the battle. Beginning by tracing the rival armies through the bitter conflicts of the Overland Campaign and culminating with the siege of Petersburg and the battle intended to lift that siege, this book offers a candid look at the perception of the campaign by both sides.

Download or read book On to Petersburg written by Gordon C. Rhea and published by LSU Press. This book was released on 2017-09-06 with total page 607 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: With On to Petersburg, Gordon C. Rhea completes his much-lauded history of the Overland Campaign, a series of Civil War battles fought between Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee in southeastern Virginia in the spring of 1864. Having previously covered the campaign in his magisterial volumes on The Battle of the Wilderness, The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern, To the North Anna River, and Cold Harbor, Rhea ends this series with a comprehensive account of the last twelve days of the campaign, which concluded with the beginning of the siege of Petersburg. On to Petersburg follows the Union army’s movement to the James River, the military response from the Confederates, and the initial assault on Petersburg, which Rhea suggests marked the true end of the Overland Campaign. Beginning his account in the immediate aftermath of Grant’s three-day attack on Confederate troops at Cold Harbor, Rhea argues that the Union general’s primary goal was not—as often supposed—to take Richmond, but rather to destroy Lee’s army by closing off its retreat routes and disrupting its supply chains. While Grant struggled at times to communicate strategic objectives to his subordinates and to adapt his army to a faster-paced, more flexible style of warfare, Rhea suggests that the general successfully shifted the military landscape in the Union’s favor. On the rebel side, Lee and his staff predicted rightly that Grant would attempt to cross the James River and lay siege to the Army of Northern Virginia while simultaneously targeting Confederate supply lines. Rhea examines how Lee, facing a better-provisioned army whose troops outnumbered Lee’s two to one, consistently fought the Union army to an impasse, employing risky, innovative field tactics to counter Grant’s forces. Like the four volumes that preceded it, On to Petersburg represents decades of research and scholarship and will stand as the most authoritative history of the final battles in the campaign.

Download or read book The Mexican American War Experiences of Twelve Civil War Generals written by Timothy D. Johnson and published by LSU Press. This book was released on 2024-10-23 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Long overshadowed by the American Civil War, the Mexican-American War (1846–1848) has received significantly less attention from historians partly because of its questionable origin and controversial outcome. Rather than treat the conflict with a form of historical amnesia, the contributors to this volume argue that the Mexican-American War was a formative experience for the more than three hundred future Civil War generals who served in it as lower-grade officers. The Mexican War was the first combat experience for many of them, a laboratory that equipped a generation of young officers with practical lessons in strategy, tactics, logistics, and interpersonal relationships that they would use later to command forces during the Civil War.

Download or read book One Continuous Fight written by Eric J Wittenberg and published by Savas Beatie. This book was released on 2008-05-15 with total page 529 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A detailed history of the Confederate retreat after the Battle of Gettysburg and the Union effort to destroy the enemy during the American Civil War. The three-day Battle of Gettysburg left 50,000 casualties in its wake, a battered Southern army far from its base of supplies, and a rich historiographic legacy. Thousands of books and articles cover nearly every aspect of the battle, but One Continuous Fight is the first detailed military history of Lee’s retreat and the Union effort to destroy the wounded Army of Northern Virginia. Against steep odds and encumbered with thousands of casualties, Confederate commander Robert E. Lee’s post-battle task was to successfully withdraw his army across the Potomac River. Union commander George G. Meade’s equally difficult assignment was to intercept the effort and destroy his enemy. The responsibility for defending the exposed Southern columns belonged to cavalry chieftain James Ewell Brown (Jeb) Stuart. If Stuart fumbled his famous ride north to Gettysburg, his generalship during the retreat more than redeemed his flagging reputation. The long retreat triggered nearly two dozen skirmishes and major engagements, including fighting at Granite Hill, Monterey Pass, Hagerstown, Williamsport, Funkstown, Boonsboro, and Falling Waters. President Abraham Lincoln was thankful for the early July battlefield victory, but disappointed that General Meade was unable to surround and crush the Confederates before they found safety on the far side of the Potomac. Exactly what Meade did to try to intercept the fleeing Confederates, and how the Southerners managed to defend their army and ponderous 17-mile long wagon train of wounded until crossing into western Virginia on the early morning of July 14, is the subject of this study. One Continuous Fight draws upon a massive array of documents, letters, diaries, newspaper accounts, and published primary and secondary sources. These long ignored foundational sources allow the authors, each widely known for their expertise in Civil War cavalry operations, to carefully describe each engagement. The result is a rich and comprehensive study loaded with incisive tactical commentary, new perspectives on the strategic role of the Southern and Northern cavalry, and fresh insights on every engagement, large and small, fought during the retreat. The retreat from Gettysburg was so punctuated with fighting that a soldier felt compelled to describe it as “One Continuous Fight.” Until now, few students fully realized the accuracy of that description. Complete with 18 original maps, dozens of photos, and a complete driving tour with GPS coordinates of the army’s retreat and the route of the wagon train of wounded, One Continuous Fight is an essential book for every student of the American Civil War in general, and for the student of Gettysburg in particular.

Download or read book The 96th Pennsylvania Volunteers in the Civil War written by David A. Ward and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2018-06-07 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 96th Pennsylvania Volunteers infantry regiment was formed in 1861--its ranks filled by nearly 1,200 Irish and German immigrants from Schuylkill County responding to Lincoln's call for troops. The men saw action for three years with the Army of the Potomac's VI Corps, participating in engagements at Gaines' Mill, Crampton's Gap, Salem Church and Spotsylvania. Drawing on letters, diaries, memoirs and other accounts, this comprehensive history documents their combat service from the point of view of the rank-and-file soldier, along with their views on the war, slavery, emancipation and politics.

Download or read book Gettysburg written by Allen C. Guelzo and published by Knopf. This book was released on 2013 with total page 673 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the acclaimed Civil War historian, and coinciding with 150th anniversary of the legendary battle: an intimate and richly readable account that draws the reader into the muck and grime of Gettysburg.

Download or read book Mountains Touched with Fire written by Wiley Sword and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 1997-04-15 with total page 842 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “[A] dramatic and vividly detailed narrative chronicles one of the pivotal episodes of the Civil War . . . Majestic military history.” —Booklist It was one of the most startling events of the Civil War, the “hour of destiny” for the Union. Faced with the prospect of catastrophic defeat, the North’s greatest generals—Ulysses Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, George Thomas, and Phil Sheridan—were commanding a battle for the besieged city of Chattanooga, Tennessee. Suddenly, as an aghast Grant and Thomas watched, the beleaguered federal troops began a headlong, climactic, seemingly suicidal charge up the face of a six-hundred-foot-high mountain ridge overlooking the city, under ferocious fire from the Confederate infantry that held the ridge. The siege of Chattanooga and its stuffing turnabout form the core of Wiley Sword’s lively narrative. Dozens of previously unpublished photographs, maps, and excepts from private journals, and letters enhance this vivid account. Written with novelistic flair and a historian’s authority, Mountains Touched with Fire captures every side of this crucial Civil War battle whose aftermath sealed the fate of the South. “Masterfully describing one of the truly decisive events of the Civil War . . . Mountains Touched with Fire combines the furious battle action with behind-the-scenes political maneuvering and astute historical analysis.” —Nashville Banner “A significant contribution to Civil War battle history.” —Publishers Weekly “A well-told tale of the fascinating events.” —John Wilson, Chattanooga New Free Press “Interesting, entertaining, and informative . . . An excellent storyteller with a good story to tell.” —Steve Woodworth, Blue & Gra

Download or read book The Peninsula and Seven Days written by Brian K. Burton and published by U of Nebraska Press. This book was released on 2007-05-01 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Often cited as one of the most decisive campaigns in military history, the Seven Days Battles were the first campaign in which Robert E. Lee led the Army of Northern Virginia?as well as the first in which Lee and Thomas ?Stonewall? Jackson worked together. In this guidebook, the acknowledged expert on the Seven Days Battles conducts readers, tourists, and armchair travelers through the history and terrain of this pivotal series of Civil War battles. ø Maps and descriptive overviews of the battles guide readers to key locales and evoke a sense of what participants on either side saw in 1862. From the beginning of George B. McClellan?s Peninsula Campaign, which culminated in the Seven Days, to the bloody battles that saved the Confederate capital from capture, this guide unfolds the strategies, routes, and key engagements of this critical campaign, offering today?s visitors and Civil War enthusiasts the clearest picture yet of what happened during the Seven Days.

Download or read book The Shipwreck of Their Hopes written by Peter Cozzens and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 1996-11 with total page 550 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Civil War enthusiasts will welcome a new book by Peter Cozzens, author of two highly praised works on Civil War campaigns--No Better Place to Die: The Battle of Stones River and This Terrible Sound: The Battle of Chickamauga. In The Shipwreck of Their Hopes, Cozzens fully chronicles one of the South's most humiliating defeats. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.

Download or read book American Civil War 2 volumes written by Spencer C. Tucker and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2015-03-24 with total page 1044 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This two-volume encyclopedia offers a unique insight into the Civil War from a state and local perspective, showing how the American experience of the conflict varied significantly based on location. Intended for general-interest readers and high school and college students, American Civil War: A State-by-State Encyclopedia serves as a unique ready reference that documents the important contributions of each individual state to the American Civil War and underscores the similarities and differences between the states, both in the North and the South. Each state chapter leads off with an overview essay about that state's involvement in the war and then presents entries on prominent population centers, manufacturing facilities, and military posts within each state; important battles or other notable events that occurred within that state during the war; and key individuals from each state, both civilian and military. The A–Z entries within each state chapter enable readers to understand how the specific contributions and political climate of states resulted in the very different situations each state found itself in throughout the war. The set also provides a detailed chronology that will help students place important events in proper order.

Download or read book Burnside written by William Marvel and published by Univ of North Carolina Press. This book was released on 2000-11-09 with total page 751 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ambrose Burnside, the Union general, was a major player on the Civil War stage from the first clash at Bull Run until the final summer of the war. He led a corps or army during most of this time and played important roles in various theaters of the war. But until now, he has been remembered mostly for his distinctive side-whiskers that gave us the term "sideburns" and as an incompetent leader who threw away thousands of lives in the bloody battle of Fredericksburg. In a biography focusing on the Civil War years, William Marvel reveals a more capable Burnside who managed to acquit himself creditably as a man and a soldier. Along the Carolina coast in 1862, Burnside won victories that catapulted him to fame. In that same year, he commanded a corps at Antietam and the Army of the Potomac at Fredericksburg. In East Tennessee in the summer and fall of 1863, he captured Knoxville, thereby fulfilling one of Lincoln's fondest dreams. Back in Virginia during the spring and summer of 1864, he once again led a corps at the battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg. But after the fiasco of the Crater he was denied another assignment, and he resigned from the army the day that Lincoln was assassinated. Marvel challenges the traditional evaluation of Burnside as a nice man who failed badly as a general. Marvel's extensive research indicates that Burnside was often the scapegoat of his superiors and his junior officers and that William B. Franklin deserves a large share of the blame for the Federal defeat at Fredericksburg. He suggests that Burnside's Tennessee campaign of 1863 contained much praiseworthy effort and shows during the Overland campaign from the Wilderness to Petersburg, and at the battle of the Crater, Burnside consistently suffered slights from junior officers who were confident that they could get away with almost any slur against "Old Burn." Although Burnside's performance included an occasional lapse, Marvel argues that he deserved far better treatment than he has received from his peers and subsequently from historians.