Thomas F. (hardtack) -
This is really an interesting book as it covers the final months of the Civil War. Most Civil War books cover the war and then pretty much condense everything after the surrender of the armies into about 10-20 pages. Instead, this book uses 423 pages of text to do that.
As a result, you'll learn more from this book, about the final days of the war, then you would reading a few dozen other books.
Two points I'd especially like to mention. First, the author devotes a short chapter on General Sheridan's removal of General Warren from corps command in the final days around Richmond, and the investigation 16-years later to reestablish Warren's reputation. It is an interesting footnote to Civil War history showing how egos clash and commanders are unwilling to admit they made a mistake and how they get their clique to back them up. So, nothing's changed in 160 years.
Second, early in the book, the author recounts the story of Major General Chamberlain's claim he was given the responsibility to accept the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, and how Chamberlain called the Army of the Potomac to "Present Arms" to honor the Confederate soldiers as they filed by. This never happened.
Chamberlain wrote his book "The Passing of the Armies" in the late 1890s and included this bit of fantasy. When it was published, hundreds of Civil War Union veterans who were still alive, and were at Appomattox when the Confederates surrendered, wrote to newspapers and magazines stating they were there and what Chamberlain claimed never happened. And he wasn't placed in charge of the surrender. Finally, the author identifies Chamberlain as a brigadier general, when he had actually been promoted to major general a few months before the surrender.
In any case, if this was the only major problem I found with the book, then the author did a pretty good job.
As a result, you'll learn more from this book, about the final days of the war, then you would reading a few dozen other books.
Two points I'd especially like to mention. First, the author devotes a short chapter on General Sheridan's removal of General Warren from corps command in the final days around Richmond, and the investigation 16-years later to reestablish Warren's reputation. It is an interesting footnote to Civil War history showing how egos clash and commanders are unwilling to admit they made a mistake and how they get their clique to back them up. So, nothing's changed in 160 years.
Second, early in the book, the author recounts the story of Major General Chamberlain's claim he was given the responsibility to accept the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia, and how Chamberlain called the Army of the Potomac to "Present Arms" to honor the Confederate soldiers as they filed by. This never happened.
Chamberlain wrote his book "The Passing of the Armies" in the late 1890s and included this bit of fantasy. When it was published, hundreds of Civil War Union veterans who were still alive, and were at Appomattox when the Confederates surrendered, wrote to newspapers and magazines stating they were there and what Chamberlain claimed never happened. And he wasn't placed in charge of the surrender. Finally, the author identifies Chamberlain as a brigadier general, when he had actually been promoted to major general a few months before the surrender.
In any case, if this was the only major problem I found with the book, then the author did a pretty good job.
