The Great Battle Never Fought: The Mine Run Campaign, November 26 – December 2, 1863
Chris Mackowski
Savas Beatie, 2018, 192 pages, $14.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-407-9
Image courtesy of amazon.com
 
If there is one thing that is certain, the Emerging Civil War Series, has brought some interesting subjects to our attention.  While there are the usual campaigns and battles which the series tackles, the series continues with intriguing studies as well.  Here in The Great Battle Never Fought, Chris Mackowski handles the subject of George Meade and the Mine Run Campaign, along with the mistakes made in the commander’s mind after the Battle of Gettysburg.  Not only that, the book handles some of the political issues, something that the series has knocked out of the park in the past.  The story of pressure from the administration, along with the looming threat of the campaign as a whole, makes for a great read.

                Chris Mackowski is a name many in the Civil War realm know as a major voice in the Emerging Civil War Series.  He also posts on the blog for Emerging Civil War.  He is the editor in chief for that blog and is a writing professor at Saint Bonaventure University.  He is also the historian in residence at Stevenson’s Ridge on the Spotsylvania battlefield.  He has authored a number of works throughout this series, along with Chancellorsville’s Forgotten Front: The Battles of Second Fredericksburg and Salem Church, and Seizing Destiny. 

                When it comes to a study of the Mine Run Campaign, most people tend to forget what happened throughout.  However, Mackowski works hard to detail everything we would need to know about this campaign and the battles fought throughout.  But the other thing which Mackowski does well is the political sphere which Meade suffered through after the major victory in Pennsylvania.  But even though the political sphere is important, Mackowski focuses more on the action which occurred in this campaign.  I enjoyed the great detail which the author placed into the Battle of Payne’s Farm, along with the road which brought the armies there, and even the aftermath of the campaign.  I mention that because it was a pivotal time for General Meade as he juggled the possibilities that he could be removed, while trying to end a campaign at the same time.  His surety of being relieved of command was a great insight into the mind of this commander, and gave me a better outlook onto this man whom many have criticized through the years for not following Lee fast enough after Gettysburg. 
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                I highly recommend The Great Battle Never Fought to people interested in the Gettysburg Campaign, especially the aftermath of what occurred with Meade.  Mackowski once again brings a great study, along with a tour through the battlefield, to the Emerging Civil War Series.  I always look forward to reading one of these works with they are announced and I am never disappointed.  Accompanied by fine maps and photographs, this is yet another fine addition to this series.  Highly Recommended.  

​I Am Perhaps Dying: The Medical Backstory of Spinal Tuberculosis Hidden in the Civil War Diary of LeRoy Wiley Gresham
Dennis Rasbach, MD. FACS.
Savas Beatie, 2018,  120 pp., $14.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-450-5
Image courtesy of amazon.com
 
In 2018, one of the most monumental works on the American Civil War was released.  The War Outside My Window not only took the Civil War world by storm, but was ranked as one of the best new releases on the subject.  I, myself, found the narrative of this young boy’s journal to be fascinating, to say the least.  But the subject matter did not end there.  Here, we have I Am Perhaps Dying, which is the story of the medical issues which LeRoy Wiley Gresham underwent through the former mentioned work.  Now, the medical issues were addressed in the young boy’s writing, but this work delves deeper into spinal tuberculosis which he suffered from. 
                Dennis Rasbach, MD., FACS, is a graduate from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.  He is a practicing surgeon and has authored a previous work on the American Civil War.  Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the Petersburg Campaign: His Supposed Charge from Fort Hell, his Near-Mortal Wound, and a Civil War Myth Reconsidered, was released in 2016.  He is also a member of the Civil War Round Table of Southwest Michigan. 
                I have always been fascinated by Civil War medicine and every time I read about it, there’s just something missing.  As with Rasbach’s work on Chamberlain, he doesn’t disappoint in this work.  He addressed spinal tuberculosis in such a way that I felt the topic was well drawn out for once.  Once of the book’s portions which I found to be fascinating was the medical history of the condition and how it was diagnosed in previous ages.  While this book mainly focuses on young LeRoy Wiley Gresham, a decent amount of this book talks about medicine in this age while using his story as a backdrop.  For that, Rasbach should be commended.  This is not an easy subject to write about, especially to those who are not in the know of medical jargon, but he makes it understandable for the reader.  As I was reading through the book, I gained a greater knowledge on this era and the medicine which came from it.  As a companion book to The War Outside My Window, this work is perfect.  He even addresses when LeRoy Gresham wanted nothing more than for the doctors to saw off his leg.  While the section is not completely in depth, there are parts within that portion that gives the reader pause to the type of world, medically, that they were living through back then.  It makes one glad to see progression in this field.
                I highly recommend this work to any interested in Civil War Medicine and all who read The War Outside My Window.  Not only is this a perfect companion piece to the aforementioned work, but it is a great resource when it comes to Civil War Medicine.  Rasbach does a phenomenal job in portraying what medicine was like and what Gresham went through in his life with Spinal Tuberculosis.  Those who are not savvy on medical lingo should not be concerned since his writing style allows for an understanding for all who read it.  Highly recommended!