Gettysburg's Peach Orchard: Longstreet, Sickles, and the Bloody Fight for the "Commanding Ground" Along the Emmitsburg Road
James A. Hessler and Britt Isenberg
Savas Beatie, 2019, 416 pp., $34.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-455-0
​Image courtesy of amazon.com

For many people, the Gettysburg Campaign is a subject of fascination.  And with all of the books written about the battle and the steps leading up to it, and even those in the aftermath, some tidbits and details still bear writing about.  The overall narrative of the battle has changed throughout the years which is one of the major reasons that people continue writing.  But I have always felt that the Peach Orchard is one section of the battle that I’ve always wanted to know more about.  In this new work by James A. Hessler and Britt C. Isenberg, the Peach Orchard comes alive.

    James A. Hessler is the author of Sickles at Gettysburg and Pickett’s Charge at Gettysburg.  He was one of the primary content designers for the Gettysburg app for the American Battlefield Trust.  Hessler has also written several articles for publication for the American Battlefield Trust.  Britt C. Isenberg has worked for the Gettysburg National Military Park since 2014 and has published many Civil War periodicals.  He is the author of The Boys Fought Like Demons which chronicled the 105th Pennsylvania Infantry.  Both Hessler and Isenberg are Licensed Battlefield Guides at Gettysburg.  

    As I said in the introduction, I feel like the Peach Orchard often gets ignored when talking about the action of the second day at Gettysburg.  But here, we have an in-depth look at the actions which were taken by all the major players.  The book focuses on two major figures, Generals Longstreet and Sickles, and the coverage on Sickles talks to his advance that has sparked a great deal of controversy throughout the years.  I very much enjoyed the analysis of the advance made by Sickles and the pressure it had placed on Longstreet.  The text makes an interesting point that while Ewell and Hill’s corps were celebrating the success of the first day of combat, Longstreet’s men were mainly on the march and for that, there is an interesting look into the overall mind of not only the commanders but the soldiers as well.  When the narrative reaches combat, it is handled quite well mainly in the understanding of the minutia of what happened there and the research is quite well done.  Hessler’s previous work on both Sickles and Pickett’s Charge only heightens the intricacies of what is presented here.  In some way, there is a grand narrative being written about the battle when reading all three of Hessler's works as a whole.  

    I highly recommend this book, especially to Gettysburg enthusiasts.  I think that it is a welcome addition to the scholarship for a battle deeply covered.  The blend of military tactics with human interest stories is what makes books like these stand out.  The maps are wonderfully drawn and understandable, and the narrative is structure is quite good in the manner of history.  Overall, Hessler and Isenberg should be applauded for the work they have done here.  This should be in every Gettysburg library for both scholars and enthusiasts. 

Targeted Tracks: The Cumberland Valley Railroad in the Civil War, 1861-1865
Scott L. Mingus, Sr. and Cooper H. Wingert
Savas Beatie, 2019, 272 pp., $32.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-461-1
Image courtesy of amazon.com         
 
For those of you who’ve read my reviews before, there is always one thing which I praise, and that is simply tell me something new.  Thankfully, there have been many works throughout the past few years which have always taught me something I never knew about the American Civil War and Targeted Tracksadds to that.  The railroads in the war is something that has always fascinated me, and with this work by both Scott Mingus Sr., and Cooper H. Winger, I have learned more about this lesser spoken about aspect.  And with the book being centered around the Cumberland Valley Railroad during the war, there was quite a bit to be excited about.

            Scott L. Mingus Sr. is a well known Civil War author who has penned many books and essays.  Overall, he has written nineteen books on the subject, all of which add greatly to the Civil War scholarship.  Confederate General William “Extra Billy” Smith was the recipient of the Dr. James I. Robertson Jr. Literary Award for Confederate History.  Cooper Wingert is also a well known author on the subject, writing both on slavery and the American Civil War.  His book, The Confederate Approach on Harrisburg, won the 2012 Dr. James R. Robertson Jr. Literary Award for Confederate History.

            Targeted Tracksdetails the history of the Cumberland Valley Railroad throughout the Civil War, and in some ways reads like a biography.  The events which unravel along this important railway not only shape some of the most iconic battles in the eastern theater, but had some interesting encounters itself. As the first major war to use the railroad system, there was much to use and exploit concerning this new mode of transportation for both armies and supplies.  The book even details the burning of the railroad bridge at Scotland, Pennsylvania which had crucial ramifications to the proceeding months.  The railroad was under such contention that it often saw more action waged against it than one would expect from a major supply line.  Both Mingus and Wingert detail each attack, each operation, that used the line with excellent research and a wonderful narrative.  You could feel the havoc that the Confederates were creating when they took over the line.  You could feel the tension of the northern officials when they were attempting to protect it.  Overall, the narrative is fueled by primary sources which only stand to enrich the story which is being presented here.  In many ways, we now have the book about the Cumberland Valley Railroad that we always wanted.  The importance of this railroad was always there in the back of my mind, but never before had it been written out so well.
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            I highly recommend this book.  Not only will fans of the campaigns that this railway surrounded enjoy it, but I think a Civil War reader overall will enjoy this.  It tells the story of a persona in the war that we often put in the back of our minds, but what Mingus and Wingert have truly done is given us a biography of this railroad.  It is a much needed study and it will be greatly appreciated for the coming years. Once again, the attention and detail which these two authors put into this work is outstanding and deserves all the praise it is given.  

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!

The Real Horse Soldiers: Benjamin Grierson’s Epic 1863 Civil War Raid Through Mississippi
Timothy B. Smith
Savas Beatie, 2018, 336 pp., $32.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-428-4
Image courtesy of amazon.com
 
I have been enjoying much of the coverage the Western Theater of the American Civil War has been gaining as of late.  With the plethora of works coming out that are paying attention to this conflict, there has been little of that attention paid to Benjamin Grierson’s Raid.  Most of those mentions come within the body of larger works and it is not fully described as much as I wanted it to be.  The Real Horse Soldiers, by Timothy B. Smith is such a work that I have been waiting for.  This book details everything about this raid  and even more so, it gives the reader a deeper understanding of the Western Theater as a whole during the year of 1863. 

                Timothy B. Smith is a professor at the University of Tennessee and has authored many articles and essays.  He also has a number of previous works under his belt including Champion Hill: Decisive Battle for Vicksburg, Rethinking Shiloh, and Corinth 1862.  He received the Fletcher Pratt Award for and the McLemore Prize for Shiloh: Conquer or Perish.  He also won the Tennessee History Book Award for Grant Invades Tennessee: The 1862 Battles for Fort Henry and Donelson.  Timothy B. Smith has also served for the National Park Service.

                To fully understand Grierson’s Raid, there must be a study wholly devoted to it, something Civil War Academia hasn’t had for some time.  This book not only gives us an insight into how the plan was formulated, and how it all began, it is laid out for the reader in an interesting way.  While reading this book, it almost felt like a thriller in many ways.  There were even points where I felt that it read like a heist novel.  It is that type of engaging writing that makes me glad that a book like this exists.  It is informative without being too dry.  But the book is not just about the exciting narrative, though it does help.  This book gives us what we needed: a study on the raid itself.  It was interesting to see the mindset of the man as he reached difficulties throughout the plan.  But I would be remiss if I did not mention the attention to detail that Smith gave to the Confederate side as well.  There were frustrations on Grierson’s part of not completely finding out where the enemy’s position was in certain portions of the book, and it is shown when describing the opposition here.  Pemberton seemed like a force to be reckoned with, but in the end, Grierson overcame them all. 
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                When I finished reading this book, one thought immediately came into my mind.  Why are there not more works about this raid?  It seems like an event in the Civil War that should be talked about more often, but it is glossed over.  In other books about the Western Theater during the year of 1863, there are only mere mentions of how it aided in the cause, but a serious work was always lacking.  That is one of the reasons that I recommend this book one hundred percent.  I don’t only recommend it for the readers of the Western Theater, I recommend it all Civil War enthusiasts.  This is a part of the war that should not be forgotten and I thank Timothy B. Smith for writing this work.  I am glad to say that there is a well researched work on Grierson’s Raid that we can go to and I can see this becoming a classic.   

Challenges of Command in the Civil War: Generalship, Leadership, and Strategy at Gettysburg, Petersburg, and Beyond, Volume I: Generals and Generalship
Richard J. Sommers
Savas Beatie, 2018, 288 pp., $29.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-432-1
Image courtesy of amazon.com
 
If you look around the Civil War world of study, you will always find people asking questions on the abilities of leadership, the possibilities of other generals in the position of those who failed, and the overall demeanor of them.  These are questions which often time fuel the overall study of the war itself and force critical thinking when it comes to overall strategy, tactics, and generalship.  Challenges of Command in the Civil War is a book that takes some of those thoughts into question by evaluating generals, mainly Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, and analyzes their performances, and the ways in which they gained their reputation.  And while this book might not deal with the “what ifs” of other commanders in the position, it does point out some of the criticism which these commanders faced at the time of their leadership.  

                Dr. Richard J. Sommers has written a number of Civil War works throughout his illustrious career.  He has authored more than one hundred books, articles, etc. on the subject, one of his most famous works being Richmond Redeemed: The Siege of Petersburg.  He has garnered the Harrisburg Civil War Round Table General John F. Hartranft Award “for meritorious service,” and the Army War College has recognized him as a “Distinguished Fellow.”  He served as the Senior Historian of the Army Heritage and Education Center until 2014.  He teaches at the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and he gained his Bachelors at Carleton College and his Ph.D. at Rice University.

                As someone who reads a decent amount of Civil War books, there was one thing that stuck out to me in Sommers’ book, Richmond Redeemed.  For one, he seemed to understand the nature of command and leadership unlike others who have tackled the Petersburg Campaign.  But more than that.  He took some of those commanders who have been deified in our culture and made them human.  He continues that tradition in this first volume of Challenges of Command in the Civil War.  The first portion of the book handles the careers of both Grant and Lee throughout the war, and their rise to that power.  In his chapter on Robert E. Lee and the war in the east, Sommers makes a point that Lee overall failed not because of the fighting force which he had, but because of the foe in Grant, the man who would push him to the brink.  He also credits the fact that the country could not handle the other failures around him as a reason for the inevitable end of the war.  Grant is also analyzed in ways that were different than usual.  Most usually handle Grant as the man who grew to great prosperity in the west and came to the east as a savior, but that was not wholly the case.  Sommers mentions that Grant had his critics both before and after his relocation to the east.  Of course, this first section of the book shines when Sommers begins his study on the Petersburg campaign and the generalship of the two there.  I appreciate the detail he always places in that campaign; he even mentions that there was a great deal of importance there as the zenith of the Virginia campaign.

                Now I don’t want to give the wrong impression here.  This book is not just about Grant and Lee.  The second section of the book handles the other generals in this American drama.  Sommers takes a look at the rise, and sometimes fall, of some of these generals both in blue and gray, but more so focused on the blue since there was more fluctuation within the ranks.  Portions focus themselves not only on the generals overall, but their roles in Antietam and Gettysburg.  I find that his chapter on Gettysburg commanders within the Army of the Potomac pinpoints some of their finer nuances of structure, along with the controversial as well.  I enjoyed the portion of the chapter that handles characters such as Sickles, Howard, and Doubleday as having difficulties while praising the leadership of Hancock.  There is even a chapter chronicling the generals at Petersburg under Grant.  By the time I reached the end of this book, I thought I had gained enough knowledge about these Generals and how they handled their command, but there was one last bit left in store for me.  I found his chapter on Revolutionary War Relatives of Civil War soldiers to be fascinating.  This is a constant study which I find all over the Civil War realm and to have a detailed section on this analysis just added a little bit more to the fine points of this book. 
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                In the end, there is little more that I can say about this book that I already mentioned.  There are some books out there that handle the subject of generalship but this one, overall, is a fascinating study.  I find it to be highly accessible and a great read, especially for those who are starting serious Civil War study, and Sommers writes with such narrative that you often feel you are there on those battlefield with him as your guide.  I highly recommend this book to any interested in the Civil War.

​The Maps of Fredericksburg: An Atlas of the Fredericksburg Campaign, Including all Cavalry Operations, September 18, 1862 – January 22, 1863
Bradley M. Gottfried
Savas Beatie, 2018, 332 pgs, $37.50
ISBN: 978-1-61121-371-3
Image courtesy of amazon.com
 
For avid readers of Civil War academia, the name Bradley M. Gottfried is synonymous with his atlases of battle.  I remember the first time I picked up The Maps of Gettysburg and was amazed at the detail and narrative which went along with these fine maps.  As my life continued as a Civil War reader, I saw the number of other campaigns Gottfried covered, and part of me even hoped that he would cover all of the major campaigns within the conflict.  Today, we will be looking at The Maps of Fredericksburg, yet another entry into his fine collection of atlases that continues to aid readers into an understanding of this war.

                Dr. Bradley M. Gottfried obtained his Ph.D. in Zoology from Miami University and worked in higher education for the better part of forty years.  He is also a board member of the Central Virginia Battlefield Trust.  He has authored Stopping Pickett: The History of the Philadelphia Brigade, Brigades of Gettysburg, Kearny’s Own: The History of the First New Jersey Brigade, and many others.  Most notably is his atlas series which is comprised of The Maps of Gettysburg, Bristoe Station and Mine Run, and The Wilderness, along with others. 

                Much like his other works in the atlas series, The Maps of Fredericksburg sets aside some time for the pre-battle situations that shows the reader movements towards the fateful place which is immortalized.  The Maps of Fredericksburg have a number of these map sets which show the movement that brought armies towards the town.  We have sets concerning the movement of McClellan before Lincoln makes a change in command, we have maps of army movements when Burnside takes command, along with the setting before the fight begins.  Now these were in all Gottfried’s previous works, but this one seemed a bit more extensive, mainly due to the interesting political situations the Union was placed in.  His descriptions of the Confederate movement even details Stuart’s ride around McClellan’s force.  Overall, the five sets of maps which bring the reader to the opening shots of the battle, are well made, but it was the narrative that kept everything flowing.  This included the building of the bridges which crossed the Rappahannock, and the scouting which Barksdale had accomplished while the Union was constructing it.  This also included portions where commanders of the Confederate force were informed to warn the people about the upcoming fight.  All of this is told through the excellent narrative we have come to expect from Gottfried. 

                When the maps of the battle come into play, the details that surround them are quite interesting.  We have the opening shots that explains the movement through the town of Fredericksburg, and we have the many waves of attacks that were delivered upon Marye’s Heights,.  We even get a taste of attacking the right of the line, where much of the action of General Jackson took place.  I have to admit that Map Set 8 through 12 are one of my more favorite parts of this book, mainly due to the attention that Jackson gets in his fight against the Union.  Overall, I have to say that this book not only stands out to me as a great atlas of the battle, but as a great narrative as well.  That is one of the reasons this series stands out to me.  It’s not just about the maps, it’s about the research and narrative which accompanies them. 
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                I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Civil War.  Even though it only focuses on the one campaign, I feel like this addition to Gottfried’s atlas collection would benefit any reader who wishes to know more about the conflict of the Civil War as a whole.   I feel that way because of the staggering losses which the Union army obtained in this campaign.  Fredericksburg continues to be a point where many Civil War authors draw from, and while they may not write about the campaign, it is often mentioned.  As for the addition to the atlas collection, this volume is a must have in any Civil War library.  The amount of details, research, and overall care that went into this work shines and Gottfried should be applauded for this continuance of his work.  I look forward to the next volume of maps he produces.  Highly recommended.      

The War Outside My Window: The Civil War Diary of LeRoy Wiley Gresham, 1860-1865
Edited by Janet Elizabeth Croon
Savas Beatie, 2018, 480 pp., $34.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-388-1
Image courtesy of amazon.com
 
There is something essential to primary sources as we study the American Civil War.  And yet, when we look at those sources, especially with those who served in the military, there are some who say that we should take what they claim with a grain of salt.  However, the same cannot be said for some of the primary sources which come from the civilian end of the American Civil War.  There is something sincere about them, something which screams truth at the reader.  The War Outside My Window is one such work that, to me, had a great deal of truth to it.  Edited by Janet Elizabeth Croon, this work is one which every Civil War Scholar should take a look at.
                Janet E. Croon graduated from the University of Illinois with a Bachelors in Political Science, Modern European History, and Russian Language and Area Studies.  She also holds a Masters Degree from the University of Dayton in International Studies.  For twenty years, she has been teaching International Baccalaureate History and as she lives in northern Virginia, she has gained a great interest in the Civil War.  As of this review, this is her first book.
                The War Outside My Window chronicles the diary of LeRoy Wiley Gresham during the American Civil War.  We learn much about his lifestyle and family as the dates go by throughout the book, learning that he had come from a slaveholding family in Georgia.  Mainly living as an invalid, he had leg and back injuries, but was educated and quite witty at times.  He began this journal as secession started to take place and his own observations proved quite interesting as he saw what this conflict was going to do, not only to America, but to the world as he saw it.  For a young boy of twelve years old, his scholarly pursuits and educated readings truly came out in his writing as the war went on.  Not only were there poignant statements about what was happening to the world that he knew, mainly the slaveholding south, but his health which was constantly in decline.  Much of that enters his writing which shows that he had maturity to pen such horrid thoughts about his life and how his declining health was getting the better of him at times.  But what I took the most from this source was the interesting dynamic of the loss of his way of life, the concerns which the family had over the outcome of the war.  His words truly brought life in the Civil War south to life for me, especially coming from such an affluent family such as his.  It’s books like these that leave a stamp on you, and The War Outside My Window will always remain in my mind.
                I’m not sure what else I can say about this book.  It’s truly a great insight into the mind of a child as the world he knew was crashing down.  I highly recommend this work to anyone interested in the Civil War, especially if you are interested in the civilian life.  The work which Janet Elizabeth Croon accomplished here should be praised and remembered for ages to come.  Not only does she give us that proper look into the life of the civilian in the South, she adds on top of that the outlook of a young teenager.  This is not to be missed.  Highly Recommended!

​That Field of Blood: The Battle of Antietam, September 17, 1862
Daniel J. Vermilya
Savas Beatie, 2018, 192 pp., $14.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-375-1
Image courtesy of amazon.com
 
The Emerging Civil War Series is one of those collections that continues to show the wonderful scholarship of Civil War academia.  It also provides what many consider to be an introductory look at certain conflicts within the war.  That Field of Blood, is a new volume within the collection that brings the Battle of Antietam to this wonderful series.  Much in the same vein as the other books, not only does this book provide a fine narrative to the battle, but also has some appendices that give other outlooks onto this bloody conflict.  Daniel J. Vermilya has done great work to extend this series.
                Daniel J. Vermilya is a Civil War historian who has worked at many of the battlefields as a park ranger throughout his career.  He served at Antietam National Battlefield, Monocacy National Battlefield, and is currently working as a park ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park.  He has also authored The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, and James Garfield and the Civil War: For Ohio and the Union.  In 2012, he was awarded the Joseph L. Harsh Memorial Scholar Award by the Save Historic Antietam Foundation.  He is also a licensed battlefield guide at Antietam National Battlefield.
                The Battle of Antietam will always go down in history as the bloodiest day in American History.  And while many have brought this battle to life, there was just something about the narrative throughout Vermilya’s work which brought it to life.  Not only does he handle the battle well, but some of the more complex aspects of the pre-battle campaign are addressed here as well.  One of the more interesting characters throughout this campaign is George McClellan, and I felt as though Vermilya handled his actions quite well.  Also, at the end of each chapter, as there has been with other works from this series, there are directions and points of interest of each section throughout the battlefield.  Yet while there are many books on the subject, the narrative here just jumped out of the page for me.  The book is well put together, sectioning each part of the battlefield off for each chapter.  But what is even more interesting if that he details some of the points of the battle in the aftermath of the conflict, mainly in the epilogue.  The maps were well drawn out yet again, and the photographs which accompany the book were well received for the ease of the reader.
                I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in the Battle of Antietam, especially if you are new to the subject.  The thing that I love about this series is that these authors can bring the subject matter to life for someone just getting into the study.  Even the suggested reading at the end was excellent, showing some of the fine works on this campaign.  Daniel J. Vermilya is a fine author who has done a great service to this series, and I hope to read more of his work in the future.  Highly recommended!  

General Lee’s Immortals: The Battles and Campaigns of the Branch-Lane Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia, 1861-1865
Michael C. Hardy
Savas Beatie, 2018, 408 pp., $34.95
ISBN: 978-1-61121-362-1
Image courtesy of amazon.com
 
For those who have read a number of my reviews over the past few years, there is nothing I love more than a book that chronicles a regiment or brigade’s actions throughout the Civil War.  The intimate history which can be laid down through the stories of the sacrifice and valor of these troops is something that is quite inspiring.  General Lee’s Immortals is one such book that details the history of the Branch-Lane Brigade from 1861 to 1865 while in the Army of Northern Virginia.  Not only that, but this well written and well researched book about this brigade is surely going to be used as one of the great source materials for these soldiers.

                Michael C. Hardy is a graduate of the University of Alabama and has written a number of works and articles in prominent Civil War publications.  He was named the North Carolina Historian of the Year in 2010 and blogs regularly at Looking for North Carolina’s Civil War.  He, and his family, are often seen as interpreters at many historic sites throughout western North Carolina and East Tennessee.  He is recognized by many to be one of the experts on the Civil War and has authored other works on North Carolina forces during the conflict.

                While I always appreciate a brigade history, there is one thing which stands out to me in this work.  I am surprised that there have not been any works, primary or secondary, which chronicle this brigade.  I, for one, had only heard of the Branch-Lane Brigade, but never read anything specific about them.  This works corrects that gap in our Civil War Scholarship.  In fact, jumping ahead just a bit, this brigade history is one of the more well designed and organized I have seen in the past year.  Never once was I confused about any of the events happening throughout the book as Hardy goes into great detail about the events in front of us.  Even if you were just getting into the Civil War and saw this book on the shelf, there would be enough in the narrative to move the reader throughout the events of this brigade.  On top of that, I was impressed with the amount of campaigns that the Branch-Lane Brigade were a part of.  When I first received this book and saw the battle flag on the cover, I saw the immense amount of names on the cover and knew that there was something special about this brigade.  As I was reading, I began to have a great appreciation not only for the men of the unit, but for the research that went into this work.
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                I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the American Civil War.  This brigade’s story can bring any reader throughout the conflict in the eastern theater of the war.  Michael Hardy has done an amazing job of research and the narrative he gives proves his mastery of the craft.  I hope that for years to come, this is the reference material when looking into the details for the Branch-Lane Brigade.  Highly Recommended!