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Hunt Continues his Work

5/21/2021

Meade and Lee at Bristoe Station: The Problems of Command and Strategy After Gettysburg, from Brandy Station to the Buckland Races, August 1 to October 31, 1863
Jeffrey Wm Hunt
Savas Beatie, 2019, 480 pages, $34.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-396-6
Image courtesy of amazon.com


I’ve said this many times when it comes to the Battle of Gettysburg.  The fight did not end with the failure of Longstreet’s Assault on the third day of battle, or Pickett’s Charge as it’s more well known.  There were still many fights to be had in the campaign, including the retreat back into Virginia.  Thanks to Jeffrey Wm Hunt, he’s been taking care of that. In his previous work, Meade and Lee after Gettysburg, he began to chronicle the retreat and the fights that ensued on the road.  Here in Meade and Lee at Bristoe Station, he continues that work.

            Jeffrey Wm Hunt is the author of Meade and Lee After Gettysburg, and gained his Bachelors Degree in Government and his Masters Degree in History from the University of Texas.  He is the Director of the Texas Military Forces Museum and an adjunct professor of History at Austin Community College.  He’s been teaching there since 1988.  He also served as the Director of the Living History Program at the Admiral Nimitz National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg.

            As stated before, this book continues the narrative from Meade and Lee After Gettysburg.  From there, we take a look at the continuing operations, and it doesn’t disappoint.  While I know this is a history book, the action is fast paced, and often times feels like we’re moving from exciting battle to exciting battle.  Robert E. Lee continues to struggle with his corps commanders, mainly in the form of A.P. Hill, and the tug of war pushed through Pennsylvania until the Confederate forces could retreat across the Rappahannock River.  However, this book also shows the struggle Meade had with trying to run the battles in his own way, eventually leading to interference from Washington.  Meade’s actions during the campaign have always fascinated me, and the political nature of command is shown here in droves.  It is possibly one of the things I enjoy most about this book.  While Hunt could continually talk about the battles, and I wouldn’t mind if he did, it was the politicking that intrigued me.  Success and failure are one thing, but blame is another, and that is prevalent in one of the concluding chapters concerning the retreat and pressure from Washington that Meade felt.  Hunt’s narrative is wonderfully written, and overall, I think that this book perhaps takes care of one major flaw in how we see the battle today.  We often see Lee and his army slowly trudging back to Virginia after Gettysburg, but this book proves different.  It shows that the fight was still there, and I appreciate that.

            I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Gettysburg Campaign.  Not only is it well researched and well documented, it is told in a sweeping narrative that reads oftentimes like a novel.  The amout of fighting during this period is well chronicled, and I can see his work being read for years by scholars and students alike.  This proves, yet again, that we still have a lot to learn about the Gettysburg Campaign.  Highly Recommended.

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Wittenberg Delivers Again!

5/21/2021

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Holding the Line on the River of Death: Union Mounted Forces at Chickamauga, September 18, 1863
Eric J. Wittenberg
Savas Beatie, 2018, 288 Pgs., $29.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-430-7
Image Courtesy of amazon.com

When you’re looking for material on the cavalry for the American Civil War, look no further than Eric J. Wittenberg.  His books covering the cavalry actions during the campaign of Gettysburg have become masterworks and some of them are already being called necessary studies.  His book, Holding the Line on the River of Death chronicles cavalry operations on the first day of Chickamauga, and in usual Wittenberg style, he brings the depth to this research that unmatched when it comes to cavalry studies.

            Eric J. Wittenberg is a prolific author on the American Civil War and, as was stated in the introduction, covers a great deal of material on cavalry operations during that conflict.  His books include The Devil’s to Pay: John Buford at Gettysburg.  A History and Walking Tour, of which he was awarded the Gettysburg Civil War Roundtable’s 2015 Book Award.  Gettysburg’s Forgotten Cavalry Actions, The Battle of Brandy Station: North America’s Largest Cavalry Battle, and Protecting the Flank: the Battles for Brinkerhoff’s Ridge and East Cavalry Field.  While he has written other works on the war, there are too many to name here.  He also runs tours at numerous Civil War Battlefields and has worked in saving land at Trevilian Station and Brandy Station, Virginia.

            While my main study throughout the years has been the Battle of Gettysburg, I have been reading quite a bit more on the western theater as of late.  This book has helped me in that regard.  Hold the Line on the River of Death is one of those books that I needed.  In his usual narrative style, Wittenberg writes out the chain of events in a way that allows the reader to have a full comprehension about the material.  This follows the first day at Chickamauga and the actions of the Union cavalry under Colonel Minty.  It also follows Colonel Wilder’s “Lightning Brigade” which were mounted infantry.  And here, we see that they were able to hold off the enemy with delaying actions.  The narrative of the fight details the grand defense made by the Union, and the frustration of the enemy, including Bragg who was delayed heavily by this action.  Wittenberg brings sufficient introduction to all of this, with the stepping stones of battle plotted out properly for the reader.  The book is also accompanied by a few appendices and a driving tour.  The appendices detail orders of battle and a section on tactics that are useful to any Civil War student.

            I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the western theater of the war.  Wittenberg always brings a significant amount of research to his material, and this book is no exception.  As I am not well versed on the western theater, I’m not certain how this subject has been covered in the past, but I can say now that this book will satisfy any reader who wants to look deeper into Chickamauga or the west.  And as far as more books on the cavalry are concerned, you can’t go wrong with this one.  Highly recommended!

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George Washington Gayle and the Lincoln Assassination

3/17/2021

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The Million-Dollar Man Who Helped Kill a President: George Washington Gayle and the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Christopher Lyle McIlwain, Sr.
Savas Beatie, 2018, 265 pgs., $32.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-394-2
Image courtesy of amazon.com

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln has been studied for years, producing some fine content in the way of scholarship.  The story of the conspirators who plotted to not only kill Lincoln, but Johnson and Seward as well, hoping to topple the government has been well documented, and often reads like a spy thriller.  But what about the man named George Washington Gayle and his involvement?  The Million-Dollar Man Who Helped Kill a President brings a name to the study of the assassination that hasn’t quite been covered in the past.  Christopher Lyle McIlwain Sr.’s addition to the study of Lincoln’s assassination helps us understand more of what this man had to do with this.
            Christopher Lyle McIlwain, Sr. is the winner of the McMillan Prize for his book Civil War Alabama and has also authored 1865 Alabama: From Civil War to Uncivil Peace.  He’s been practicing law for more than thirty years in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.  His passion outside of that is nineteenth century history.  Outside of his books, he has also written a number of articles in history journals.
            As I stated in the introduction, most of the Lincoln Assassination plot, reads much like a spy thriller especially when you tie in the stories of the other conspirators.  But who is George Washington Gayle, and why is he so important to the story?  Gayle was one of the leading lawyers in Alabama, a connection our main character shares with the author, and was a Unionist for quite some time.  But that all changed with California joining the Union as a free state.  It was that moment when he changed his tune.  When talking about the assassination here in this book, McIlwain goes in depth throughout Lincoln’s career, talking even about other plots throughout the Lincoln’s tenure.  McIlwain mentions the Baltimore plot involving the Knights of the Golden Circle.  If you don’t know who they are, they’re an interesting secret society during the Civil War, look them up.  In 1864, Gayle created an ad stating that if he was given one million dollars, with fifty thousand in advance, he would set forth in motion the plan to eliminate Lincoln, Johnson, and Seward.  This all spirals towards the time when Lincoln would be assassinated and the trials that ensued.  Gayle would eventually be arrested and taken to Washington D.C. to be tried.  Gayle’s story in this book takes us to a different level of the Lincoln assassination, one that brings sufficient research to the subject and presents new material.
            I highly recomment this book to anyone interested in Abraham Lincoln, or the assassination plot.  This book is presented quite well, with well researched efforts to bring a name to the scholarship that might not be readily known by the people.  This is made me interested in reading other works by McIlwain and I do hope that he continues to present more information through the years.  This book proves that there’s always more to learn when it comes to the American Civil War and Abraham Lincoln.  Highly Recommend!

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The Battle of Franklin

2/19/2021

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Let Us Die Like Men: The Battle of Franklin, November 20, 1864
William Lee White
Savas Beatie, The Emerging Civil War Series, 2019, 192 pages, $14.95
ISBN:978-1-61121-296-9
Image courtesy of amazon.com

The Battle of Franklin is one of those encounters that stands as a testament to the carnage of the Civil War.  The Army of Tennessee, led by General Hood, used the opportunity he saw to crush the Federal supply lines and began a fight against a fortified Union position.  In Let Us Die Like Men, William Lee White brings this narrative of the battle to The Emerging Civil War Series which has always delivered on excellent aids to the battlefield, and a greater understanding of the conflict it surrounds.  And when it comes to the Battle of Franklin, I was personally intrigued to learn more.

            William Lee White is a National Park Ranger at Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park and has edited a number of essays, articles, and books on the Western Theater.  He has authored Great Things are Expected of Us: The letters of Colonel C. Irvine Walker, 10th South Carolina Infantry CSA.  There’s a bit of interesting history in White’s biography that he was born on the battlefield and spent most of his life there as well.

            For those of you who’ve read this book review blog for some time now know, the Western Theater is not where my strong suit is placed.  Therefore, when books about the Western Theater come to me, it’s always fascinating for me to learn something new.  And that is the point of this Emerging Civil War Series.  Throughout the series’ history, it has presented great narratives for those unfamiliar with the field, both through the story of battle, and the actual battlefield itself.  Let Us Die Like Men is no different.  But it’s not just the Battle of Franklin that graces these pages.  White talks about the lead-up to the fight, and the subsequent battles because of it.  The Battle of Allatoona Pass is described and can be considered to be the opening movements that led to Franklin.  I found the descriptions of the Battle of Franklin through the narrative and accounts to be fascinating and definitely something that can be easily accessed for anyone interested in this engagement.  The waves of Confederate forces crashing against the Union line brought images of Fredericksburg to mind.  The book is also accompanied by a number of appendices which bring about deeper study to those who want more.  But what stands out to me here is the way White crafts the narrative.

            I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Western Theater of the Civil War.  This is another stand-out addition to this Emerging Civil War Series and I hope also to see more from William Lee White.  The intricate maps, photographs, and battlefield tour is what makes this essential for those being introduced to this battle.

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Johnsonville

2/10/2021

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Johnsonville: Union Supply Operations on the Tennessee River and the Battle of Johnsonville, November 4-5, 1864
Jerry T. Wooten
Savas Beatie, 2019, 224 pages, $29.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-477-2
Image courtesy of amazon.com

The obscure in the American Civil War has found its place in the past few years and we have gained a great deal of unknown.  For me, I see this is an opportunity to delve deeper into a scholarship that has already reached a great height.  For the most part, the American Civil War’s codex is massive, and it continues to grow.  So when a book like Johnsonville comes to us, it can be seen as not only a boon to the study, but a chance to expound upon our current knowledge.  So let’s take a look at what this book offers, and why is can be seen as important to the current state of American Civil War academia.

            Jerry T. Wooten is a former park ranger at the Johnsonville State Historical Park.  He is the Park Manager for the Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park in Nashville and served as a Director of State Historic Sites for the Tennesse Historical Commission.  He was also a Park Historian at the Pamplin Historical Park and National Museum of the Civil War Soldier in Petersburg.  He has written and researched the American Civil War for most of his life, and speaks frequently at Civil War roundtables and museums.

            As I had said in the introduction to this review, most people see the name Johnsonville and don’t think much of it.  Wooten has brought us something quite unique in this study about not only the creation and use of the supply depot for the Western Theater of the war, but the battle that occurred in 1864.  But this depot was much more than initially thought.  It served as a strategic location for logistics that made much of the victory in the west possible.  I found one of the more interesting portions of this book was about the Emancipation’s Proclamation not only in Johnsonville but in Tennessee as well.  Wooten mentions the recruitment of African Americans, mainly the six regiments that Major Sterns created.  The trail leading to the battle of this important depot is also fascinating since we have very few books dedicated to this conflict.  Most of what has been covered in the past deals with the Confederate side of the battle, but Wooten delves all of his knowledge into bringing an even-tempered study to the ranks of this field.  You see the great importance to how this fight affected the Union during this point in the war, and how it hampered some of their own operations moving forward.

            I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Western Theater of the Civil War.  I think that Wooten has delivered an in depth account not only of the battle that occurred there, but the operations that Johnsonville aided during its time as a depot.  I think that this study will be held up as an example of how one should look at the world of depots and their importance to the war.  Too often we focus on battles, but rarely do we look at supply.  Here, that is taken in at full strength and I appreciate the attention brought to this place.

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The Emerging Civil War Tackles the Maryland Campaign

1/27/2021

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To Hazard All: A Guide to the Maryland Campaign, 1862
Robert Orrison and Kevin R. Pawlak
Savas Beatie, 2018, 192 pages, $14.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-409-3
Image courtesy of amazon.com

If there’s one thing that can be said about the Emerging Civil War Series, it would be consistency.  Every book added to this series, and I believe there are over thirty at this point, have been excellent narratives on the battle or campaign on which it surrounds itself.  The same can be said for today’s book, To Hazard All, which chronicles the Maryland Campaign in 1862.  I have always said that these books are the perfect accompaniment to any battlefield trip, and it rings true with this one as well.  Both Robert Orrison and Kevin R. Pawlak have delivered another stunning addition to this series.

            Robert Orrison currently serves on the boards of Civil War Trails, the Mosby Heritage Area Association and the Virginia Association of Museums along with being the Historic Site Operations Supervisor for Prince William County.  He has authored A Want of Vigilance: The Bristoe Station Campaign, and The Last Road North: A Guide to the Gettysburg Campaign 1863.  Kevin Pawlak is a Licensed Battlefield Guide at Antietam National Battlefield along with the Director of Education for the Mosby Heritage Area Association.  He is on the Board of Directors of the Shepherdstown Battlefield Preservation Association along with the Save Historic Antietam Foundation.  He has authored Shepherdstown in the Civil War: One Vast Confederate Hospital.

            This book opens with a guide to the battlefields, not only Antietam, but those fields which had some action during the Maryland Campaign in 1862.  Not only is this an excellent use of the authors for the education of those new to Civil War studies, but it helps those others who know little about the area surrounding Antietam.  And for the first time in the Emerging Civil War Series, I would say that it’s rather essential that you read this section since the narrative following focuses on what was just explained for the tour.  This was something presented in other books of this series, but I found it most interesting and useful here.  Each battle is presented with each chapter outlining the whole of the experience from the Battle of Harper’s Ferry, all the way to Antietam, even covering the retreat.  I’ve also been fascinated with McClellan during this campaign since this is where much of his reputation seems to be solidified in history, not only with leading the battle, but his response to the actions of Lee.  The chapter detailing that is one of the highlights in this book.  Needless to say, both Orrison and Pawlak have given the reader a great narrative here that outlines everything you would need to know when visiting these places.

            I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Maryland Campaign in 1862, or anyone wishing to grow their collection of the Emerging Civil War Series.  It continues to showcase the talents of these authors and the passion of the publisher, Savas Beatie, in bringing the Civil War to the forefront.  Accompanied by both maps and photographs, along with touring guides sprinkled throughout the text, it is an excellent addition to the Maryland Campaign study.

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Lincoln Takes the Reins

1/20/2021

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Lincoln Takes Command: The Campaign to Sieze Norfolk and the Destruction of the CSS Virginia
Steve Norder
Savas Beatie, 2019, 336 pages, $32.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-457-4
Image courtesy of amazon.com

When anyone thinks about President Lincoln, certain images are conjured in their minds.  The usual tends to be statesman, lawyer, and obviously, president.  But one aspect that might not come to mind is commander of military forces in battle.  Lincoln Takes Command is a book that details one such instance with Lincoln when he sailed to Fort Monroe in Hampton Roads, Virginia.  Written by Steve Norder, he accounts when a president takes command of land and sea forces to launch a campaign.  These operations would mold how the following months would occur during the Peninsula Campaign being led at the time by George McClellan.

            Steve Norder has held many careers, including genealogist, author, teacher, book editor, newspaper reporter, you name it.  He has always had a major fascination with the American Civil War and has written a number of pieces for Civil War Times.  He is currently a member of the Atlanta Civil War Round Table.

            When learning American History in school, I was told many times that Presidents did not go to the battlefield and lead tactics.  The only time they could recount that was a pseudo leadership during the Siege of Washington D.C. with James Madison, but he wasn’t leading much.  So when Lincoln Takes Command appeared, I was intrigued.  I had heard of times when Lincoln went to battlefields, but rarely during the fighting, but this was something else.  I don’t have a great depth of knowledge on the Peninsula Campaign, but if you’re looking for a book to fill in that gap, this might be it.  Within the span of a week, Lincoln spoke with other commanders, studying the maps of the area, and issued orders about the proper ways to progress in the fight.  Norder’s narrative is presented through chapters as an orderly timeline, and for one of the first times I have ever read in a book about Lincoln, I never felt as though he was the President.  I felt more that he became a commander on the field that was necessary for this fight to be won.  The book is well researched and contains much of the primary sources necessary to tell this fascinating story.  From what I could tell, Norder treated this subject as a labor of love, and it shows.  Some authors have criticized Lincoln for not being a General’s President, but I think the work presented here shows that the knowledge he gained from this week’s campaign gave him what he needed to properly lead from Washington.

            I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Lincoln.  I think that it not only portrays the President as someone who can lead when the situation arises, but it gives readers a different aspect of him during the Civil War that isn’t fully talked about anymore.  Thanks to the efforts of Norder, he has brought this interesting campaign to full light and we should thank him for his work.  Anyone who has an extensive library of Lincoln would find this book to be rather welcomed.  And for that, it shows that Norder truly understood what was needed in this era of Civil War academia.

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Confederate Soldiers

1/13/2021

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Confederate Soldiers in the American Civil War

Mark Hughes

Savas Beatie, 2019, $15.95, 168 pages

ISBN: 978-1-61121-341-6

Image courtesy of amazon.com

With the massive libraries of Civil War academia only growing through the years, there has been one aspect of the war I felt has been observed, but rarely written on in depth.  A few weeks ago, I reviewed Union Soldiers, a book about the lives of “Billy Yank,” throughout the war.  This week, I’m taking a look at the opposite release of that book, Confederate Soldiers, which not only looks at the battlefield lives of these men, but the sailors as well.  I’m quite interested to see what this book offers because there are not many books on this subject, dedicating a whole book to the lifestyle of the soldiers during the war.

            Mark Hughes is a retired electronics technician and was a department head and instructor for Electronic Engineering Technology.  He graduated from Gaston College and Southeastern Oklahoma State University.  The latter awarded him as a Distinguished Alumni.  He has written the major works on both Union and Confederate Cemeteries, Bivouac of the Dead, The Unpublished Road of Honor, and Confederate Cemeteries, which is published in two volumes.  Hughes is considered to be the authority on these cemeteries and is the only author who has written works on them.  He is also the author of The New Civil War Handbook, along with a number of articles on differing subjects.

            One of the first things I enjoyed about this book was the ease of reading in which Hughes writes.  Not only is this book approachable for anyone interested in the subject, but I think it’ll be a great book for beginners in the subject.  The whole life of the soldier is laid bare for everyone to see, from enlistment, all the way to the end of the war.  I found that his discussion on the prisoners of war was useful, and gave me information that I never had before, and mirrored the opposite book Union Soldiers.  I appreciated knowing more about those experiences, and as stated before, was accessible to many.  Hughes also gives us a look at a Civil War timeline which is wonderfully presented.   But the most poignant portion of the book is the end, where it not only talks about what happens when the war is over, but how to heal from one of the bloodiest conflicts in American history.  It shows pictures of reunions, monuments, and the veterans of the war sitting side by side.  I know it was only a short section, but that kind of information sticks with me.  The book concludes with a gallery of Confederate soldiers and a short blurb about who they are and what they accomplished during the war.  This section only added to the detail of the book that surrounds it, heightening the information presented in the previous chapters.

            I highly recommend this book to any interested in the Civil War, not only those who’ve been studying the conflict for years, but beginners as well.  Combined with Union Soldiers, these two books should be in every Civil War library as a study on the lives of soldiers during the conflict.  The narrative was beautiful, the information was well researched, and I can’t thank Mark Hughes enough for this entry into Civil War books.

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A Surgeon's Recollections

1/7/2021

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Death, Disease, and Life at War – The Civil War Letters of Surgeon James D. Benton, 111th and 98th New York Infantry Regiments, 1862-1865
Christopher E. Loperfido
Savas Beatie, 2018, 140 pgs, $16.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-359-1
Image courtesy of amazon.com

Medical history of the American Civil War has always fascinated me, not only because it tends to be overlooked in larger works, but because many regulations were put in place after the war because of it.  Death, Disease, and Life at Warare the letters of Surgeon James D. Benton and gives many in the Civil War community a chance to see the lives of both the 111th and 98th New York Regiments through the ideas of their medic.  I’m not sure the last time I’ve seen regimental histories, or letters from certain regiments, through the eyes of a surgeon, and this addition to Civil War academia is welcomed.

            Christopher E. Loperfido is a graduate from Oswego State University with a bachelors degree in history and political science.  He also worked for the National Park Service at Gettysburg National Military Park as both an intern and National Park Service Ranger.  Death, Disease, and Life at War, is his first book, and I hope it’s not his last.

            Civil War letters are some of the most interesting portraits of history to me, mainly because it is the outlook of those who fought for their country and their cause.  And while some might say that you have to take them with a grain of salt, I take them for their face value, presenting what a certain person wants to say about a moment in time.  However, the letters of Surgeon Benton have offered a medical insight.  Loperfido, in offering these letters to us, gives an insight into that field that I’ve always wanted more from.  While not every letter presented has something to do with medicine, or surgical means, those that do have given me a greater understanding to this practice in the war.  Not only that, but the author’s narratives and editorials throughout only add to the depth of the information presented before us.  The number of appendices that finalize the book are also more insights into the medical world I did not know before.  The subjects range from Dr. Letterman, to amputations.  There’s also an appendix on lint.  These are all things that add to our study of Civil War medicine.

            I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Civil War medicine.  I also recommend this to those just getting into the study of the war.  I own one of the medical manuals from the war, and it’s highly unreadable to me since I know little about surgery or the jargon used in the lines.  But this book presents the material in an understanding way, and it is fairly approachable.  From the narratives and editorials, I hope that Loperfido gives us more in his career.

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Taking a Look at Grant

12/30/2020

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General Grant and the Rewriting of History: How the Destruction of General William S. Rosecrans Influenced Our Understanding of the Civil War
Frank P. Varney
Savas Beatie, 2018, 312 pgs, $19.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-419-2
Image courtesy of amazon.com

Ever since I got interested in the American Civil War, I’ve been fascinated with the memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant.  I am aware that most of it is personal memories that are manipulated to better the image of himself, but I still think that it is an important book.  That doesn’t mean historians cannot scrutinize the work that Grant performed in the writing of this book.  General Grant and the Rewriting of History is the book that tackles the subject of how Grant wrote these words and how he used his own standing do defame General Rosecrans.  Frank P. Varney takes us through this journey and understanding of how such a book became a cornerstone in Civil War era writing.

            Frank P. Vareny teaches United States and Classical History at Dickinson State University of North Dakota and is also the Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Honors Leadership Program.  He gained his Ph.D. at Cornell University and regularly brings student groups to battlefields.  He is working on an on-site course for both Gettysburg and Chickamauga and has made several appearances before Civil War Roundtables and historical societies around the country.

            One of the first things I learned about the memoirs of U.S. Grant is that they were heavily influenced by Mark Twain.  I have learned since that it’s not quite true, and that has morphed my understanding of this book.  So I’m always excited when a book is released about the creation of this book that so many have in their Civil War collections.  Frank Varney goes deeper than just a simple idea that memoirs are memoirs and should be taken with a grain of salt.  No one wants to write a memoir where they come off looking poorly.  And the same can be said for Grant’s memoirs.  But the main point of this Varney’s book comes in the analysis of what happened to Rosecrans and how Grant treated him in his writing.  While Varney talks about the unreliability of Grant throughout the introduction and the first few chapters, it is his account of the Battle of Iuka where the rivalry between Rosecrans truly begins.  The issues with Rosecrans find its way towards Edwin Stanton, which doesn’t surprise me one bit, and from that, the feud only grows.

            Varney speaks quite well about the subject matter, and I was pleased to learn that the subject of this book stems from a dissertation he had written.  There is a great passion to the narrative that I have not seen in a book about this subject for some time.  When I started reading this book, I thought it was going to be solely about the memoirs themselves, but instead, it takes the reader through the feud between both Grant and Rosecrans and broadens the horizon when it comes to understanding the memoirs.  The old adage is that “history is written by the victors,” but I never thought I would read an account about how the victors would blame and defame the victors twenty years after the war was over.  I knew about Confederate memoirs often passing blame from one to the other, but for the Union side to play that card as well?  It was surprising to say the least.  It is because of this that I always love reading about Grant’s memoirs and the process through which they were created.

            I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in either the Western Theater of the American Civil War or Ulysses S. Grant.  I think the service Varney has done for the Civil War community here is top notch, and shouldn’t be ignored.  I look forward to what he will offer the scholarship in the future.  Highly Recommended!

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