Defeating Lee: A History of the Second Corps, Army of the Potomac

by Lawrence A. Kreiser Jr.

Fair Oaks, the Seven Days, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, Petersburg--the list of significant battles fought by the Second Corps, Army of the Potomac, is a long and distinguished one. This absorbing history of the Second Corps follows the unit's creation and rise to prominence, the battles that earned it a reputation for hard fighting, and the legacy its veterans sought to maintain in the years after the Civil War. More than an account of battles, Defeating Lee gets to the heart of what motivated these men, why they fought so hard, and how they sustained a spirited defense of cause and country long after the guns had fallen silent.

Genres: Civil War, American Civil War

416 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am of two minds about this book. It does a good job at times presenting an overview of the 2nd Corps, but it is quite superficially done in many details. I learned very little that I did not already know about Sumner and Couch as a result. Fortunately, Kreiser did better with the material on Hancock, who led 2nd Corps for the longest period and through some of its worst battles.

He pointed out the difficulties the 2nd Corps experienced after their tremendous losses in the Overland Campaign. Many men just wanted to go home after the bloodlettings of 1864, plus there was friction among officers, who seemed determined to advance the reputations of their own men.

The final chapter dealt with the post-war years, and how the men of the 2nd Corps remembered their war service. Most seemed proud of their hard-fighting Corps, preferring to remember the good, rather than lament the bad times. Kreiser also touches lightly on the use of colored troops in battle, and the initial preference by most of troops to be fighting for the Union rather than to end slavery.

As I mentioned, this is a superficial look at the 2nd Corps, considering that the material is only a bit more than half the book while the rest consists of orginizational details. Somehow, I just feel that this superb fighting unit deserved more.

[William Satterwhite · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid enough history that covers all of the essential details well enough, I feel that the book feels a bit under written and could stand a bit more detail when it comes to leaders and battles, especially in the latter stages of the book.

[Tim Armstrong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book for me. It focused more on the organizational history of the Second Corps rather then getting into the details of every battle or engagement which I appreciated as I can find that info in other books. My only complaint with the book would be that it seemed to be rushed at the end detailing the Second Corps' involvement in the Appomattox Campaign, whereas a lot (and I mean a lot) of time is spent in the final chapter on post-war soldier memory of the corps which grew repetitive and boring.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Second Corps of the Army of the Potomac vs Robert E. Lee.

[Stephen Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-written, mostly focused on the history of the organization than of the battles. That's as it shoUld be. It does a better job on the early history of the corps; a little more time could have been spent on the changes that took place in 1864-5. The transition from war to peace could have borne more detail as well; thw war simply ends and we're off to memory. That's a personal bias regarding coverage. The proper comparison would be Prokopowicz's All for the Regiment on the Army of the Ohio.