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Lethal Glory: Dramatic Defeats of the Civil War
What makes a battle a disaster for "both sides? 15 examples, culled from Civil War annals, provide a wrenching answer to that question. These engagements saw some of the largest losses of life during the conflict. . .all to very little effect. Case histories include both the war's first action at Fort Sumter, the fierce fight at Fort Stedman, and Lee's last stand. Eyewitness accounts and detailed analysis make these tragic tales unforgettable. 240 pages, 37 b/w illus., 6 x 9.
224 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1995
About the author
Philip R.N. Katcher
74 books3 followersPhililp Katcher has written over 20 titles in the Men-at-Arms Series including the highly successful five-volume set on Armies of the American Civil War.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 18, 2009
This book focuses on "dramatic defeats of the Civil War," the subtitle of the work. Indeed, it does examine some pretty good examples of bad losses.
Among the genuine dramatic defeats include Ball's Bluff (A Union blunder, where inexperienced leaders simply erred badly), Fort Henry (the defeat was more on the crummy placement of the fort than any military errors by the fort's commander and troops), Fort Donelson (some of the poorest general officers in the Confederacy dithered and blew a breakout), Fredericksburg (Ambrose Burnside's strange fixation on a clearly doomed assault), the Battle of the Crater in front of Petersburg (ghastly, Burnside at his worst), and so on.
Other examples are more ambiguous. Pickett's Charge, for instance. One could argue that, if better coordinated, this charge might have succeeded, so perhaps it is a bit harsh to label this as a real failure. Just so, Fort Sumter. The Union forces were pretty much doomed from the outset.
On the one hand, the discussion of these defeats reminds us of how things can go wrong in battle. However, the examples chosen are somewhat idiosyncratic (Why not Elkhorn Tavern, for example, a battle that desperately hurt the Confederacy west of the Mississippi?). Some don't strike me as such dramatic defeats. Also, sometimes I wished for more detail. Anyhow, this is a nice book, but not one that makes a major contribution to our understanding of the Civil War.
Among the genuine dramatic defeats include Ball's Bluff (A Union blunder, where inexperienced leaders simply erred badly), Fort Henry (the defeat was more on the crummy placement of the fort than any military errors by the fort's commander and troops), Fort Donelson (some of the poorest general officers in the Confederacy dithered and blew a breakout), Fredericksburg (Ambrose Burnside's strange fixation on a clearly doomed assault), the Battle of the Crater in front of Petersburg (ghastly, Burnside at his worst), and so on.
Other examples are more ambiguous. Pickett's Charge, for instance. One could argue that, if better coordinated, this charge might have succeeded, so perhaps it is a bit harsh to label this as a real failure. Just so, Fort Sumter. The Union forces were pretty much doomed from the outset.
On the one hand, the discussion of these defeats reminds us of how things can go wrong in battle. However, the examples chosen are somewhat idiosyncratic (Why not Elkhorn Tavern, for example, a battle that desperately hurt the Confederacy west of the Mississippi?). Some don't strike me as such dramatic defeats. Also, sometimes I wished for more detail. Anyhow, this is a nice book, but not one that makes a major contribution to our understanding of the Civil War.
February 20, 2016
An interesting collection of Civil War battles where one side (or both) suffered a devastating loss. While Katcher writes about such well-known battles as Fredericksburg and Gettysburg, he also covers several lesser-known actions, such as Balls' Bluff, the New Mexico campaign and Fort Pillow. Note that the book is written more as a series of articles rather than a continuous narrative, but this is not a huge distraction. Worthwhile read for those interested in learning about the Civil War's more obscure battles.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews