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Roll Call to Destiny: The Soldier's Eye View of Civil War Battles
Roll Call to Destiny puts readers on the frontlines of the Civil War by providing the point of view of small bands of men who braved unique combat situations. Acclaimed military historian Brent Nosworthy answers such questions as what it was like for artillery to beat back an aggressive infantry assault or to take part in a fast-paced cavalry charge, and how Civil War infa...more
Hardcover, 352 pages
Published
March 4th 2008
by Basic Books
(first published March 3rd 2008)
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I expect a lot from books with grandiose titles. The subtitle to this book is what made me want to read it. Actually the book is not so much about soldiers and stories of their battle experiences as it is a group of essays dealing with different representative battlefield situations such as chapters on infantry versus infantry in open terrain (First Bull Run), infantry versus infantry in wooded underbrush (Fair Oaks), cavaly versus cavalry at Gettysburg, infantry assaulting fortifications (Fort...more
Brent Nosworthy has written a series of three extremely detailed books on various aspects of the military periods from the late 17th century through the American Civil War. He approaches history as a mechanic. How does a unit or battle run? What are it's elements, how do they work? What information would be needed to successfully simulate the situation.
Nosworthy's "Roll Call to Destiny" is the compilation of elements of his Civil War research that did not fit in other of his books. In it he depi...more
Nosworthy's "Roll Call to Destiny" is the compilation of elements of his Civil War research that did not fit in other of his books. In it he depi...more
This is a book on military history focused on the American Civil War. The author gives the reader a look at what the battle was like from the soldier's viewpoint: the sights, sounds, smells, and confusion. He pieces together a soldier-eye view of events from the letters and memoirs of soldiers on both sides of the conflict and includes direct quotes from some of those accounts.
The author starts the book off by explaining the military technology available in the United States and abroad at the ti...more
The author starts the book off by explaining the military technology available in the United States and abroad at the ti...more
Very hard to follow. It's an admirable effort, but keeping track of the battles is very difficult given the dense text and level of detail. A few interesting tidbits, but not enough to really hold my attention. Could very much have used some custom situational maps to supplement the contemporary ones.
Apr 02, 2011
Monte McGuire
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Online from Barnes & Noble.com on October 17, 2010
Recommended to Monte by:
Online from Barnes & Noble.com
Shelves:
history
Not happy with the book, just didn't deliver on what was advertised. There wasn't much material about personal accounts. This was a typical Civil War book. I don't care much for tactics, like the 57th Minnesota Battalion was against the 4th Alabama infantry, etc. Sometimes he would mention a General, Colonel or even a Captain, where I didn't know whether he was a Union or Confederate soldier.
Ernie Pyle was a better writer in relation to personal accounts.
This book is for an advanced civil war b...more
Ernie Pyle was a better writer in relation to personal accounts.
This book is for an advanced civil war b...more
Apr 11, 2013
Eric Smith
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Jun 22, 2011
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