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Into the Wilderness With the Army of the Potomac
On May 5, 1864, the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virgina collided in a region of entangled thickets known appropriately as the Wilderness. The two-day battle that followed was one of the bloodiest, most confusing engagements of the Civil War. It also marked the first time during the war that Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee met on the field of battle. This account of that epic struggle takes a soldier's-eye view of the fighting on both sides and follows the shifting tide of battle with admirable clarity. In a new chapter for this revised edition, the author provides a concise analysis which demonstrates that the Battle of the Wilderness was more than a bloody, shapeless struggle in the Virginia woods, but one of the five major turning points of the Civil War.
260 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
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November 30, 2021
The Overland Campaign of 1864 under the new Commanding General, U.S. Grant, has a special place in ACW history, since as the author points out, it is a turning point in that bloody conflict when Grant and the Army of the Potomac do not turn back, but push ahead after the Army of Northern Virginia.
The battle of the Wilderness, May 5-6, 1864, the first of the great battles in the campaign, is the focus of this fine book. There are good maps and the narrative of the conflict is explained fully but in easy-to-understand language.
The Army of the Potomac had had a difficult history in its existence. Leadership had been unreliable in many battles, however, Grant was no Burnside. He took on the the underbrush and dreadful conditions of the Wilderness with a massive attack by 2nd Corps under Winfield Scott Hancock, pushing Hill's Third Corps back, much to Lee's dismay. It was only with the arrival of Longstreet's 1st Corps that the tables were turned. Fortunately, for the Union, Hancock and the army were pushed back, but did not break. As a result, the fighting would go on, in horrendous battles like Spotsylvania Court House and Cold Harbor.
I definitely enjoyed this book, and would recommend it.
The battle of the Wilderness, May 5-6, 1864, the first of the great battles in the campaign, is the focus of this fine book. There are good maps and the narrative of the conflict is explained fully but in easy-to-understand language.
The Army of the Potomac had had a difficult history in its existence. Leadership had been unreliable in many battles, however, Grant was no Burnside. He took on the the underbrush and dreadful conditions of the Wilderness with a massive attack by 2nd Corps under Winfield Scott Hancock, pushing Hill's Third Corps back, much to Lee's dismay. It was only with the arrival of Longstreet's 1st Corps that the tables were turned. Fortunately, for the Union, Hancock and the army were pushed back, but did not break. As a result, the fighting would go on, in horrendous battles like Spotsylvania Court House and Cold Harbor.
I definitely enjoyed this book, and would recommend it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review