
America's Civil War
The Operational Battlefield, 1861-1863
Brian Holden Reid(Author)
Prometheus Books (Publisher)
Published on 1. July 2008
Book
Hardback
504 pages
978-1-59102-605-1 (ISBN)
Description
In 1861, when the Confederate States of America seceded from the Union and Civil War broke out between the North and the South, few people had much idea of the scale, intensity, and duration of the conflict they were about to enter. Politicians, generals, and common folk on both sides blithely assumed that the conflict would be over quickly and were naively convinced of the superiority of the leadership and the forces at their disposal. Three years later, after many horrendous battles and huge loss of life, the tragic realities of this war had begun to sink in. Stalemate had led to great frustration and suggested a protracted conflict with no end in sight.
In this successor volume to his acclaimed Origins of the American Civil War (1996), Civil War historian Brian Holden Reid examines in depth the operational military history during the first three years of America's Civil War. In particular, he focuses on generalship, command decisions, strategy, and tactics, as well as the experiences of ordinary soldiers.
Besides lack of experience among generals, Holden Reid reveals that for the first few years of the war there was considerable indecisiveness in the North, a hesitancy to punish the South, and a fruitless hope that the Confederacy would agree to some form of reconciliation. He highlights certain important political and social developments during the course of the war that had an effect on Union soldiers and shows how their views became a catalyst in hardening the attitudes in the North toward the South.
This important analysis makes a major contribution to Civil War military history within the larger context of a turbulent political and social climate. It will be followed by another work covering the final eighteen months of the conflict.
In this successor volume to his acclaimed Origins of the American Civil War (1996), Civil War historian Brian Holden Reid examines in depth the operational military history during the first three years of America's Civil War. In particular, he focuses on generalship, command decisions, strategy, and tactics, as well as the experiences of ordinary soldiers.
Besides lack of experience among generals, Holden Reid reveals that for the first few years of the war there was considerable indecisiveness in the North, a hesitancy to punish the South, and a fruitless hope that the Confederacy would agree to some form of reconciliation. He highlights certain important political and social developments during the course of the war that had an effect on Union soldiers and shows how their views became a catalyst in hardening the attitudes in the North toward the South.
This important analysis makes a major contribution to Civil War military history within the larger context of a turbulent political and social climate. It will be followed by another work covering the final eighteen months of the conflict.
Reviews / Votes
"Within the vast range of Civil War literature, relatively few major works seriously address the operational art, such as it was. The middle volume of an unfinished trilogy, historian Brian Holden Reid's America's Civil War: The Operational Battlefield, 1861-1863 does just that... articulate, direct, confident, and thought provoking. Recommended." -- Civil War Books and Authors blog, September 25, 2008. "Any library serious about analysis will find this a winner." -- California Bookwatch, The Midwest Book Review, March 2009 " He is equally skilled at tracing the political climate of the time and analyzing its effect. And therein lies the book's greatest attraction for the general reader: the opportunity for a deeper understanding of the many facets that were part of those chaotic times." -- Home News Tribune (East Brunswick, NJ) and Sunday Courier News (Bridgewater, NJ), March 15, 2009 "[It] should be on every student of the Civil War's reading list. Between its covers, most readers will find something that counters their preconceptions and challenged their level of understanding." -- America's Civil War magazine July 2009More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Amherst
United States
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Paper over boards
With dust jacket
Dimensions
Height: 237 mm
Width: 164 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
803 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-59102-605-1 (9781591026051)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
12/2009
Simon + Schuster LLC
€22.74
Available for download
Person
By Brian Holden Reid