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America's Civil War: The Operational Battlefield, 1861-1863 | 
| Author: Brian Holden Reid
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Category: Book
List Price: $34.95
Buy New: $21.92
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Avg. Customer Rating:  2 reviews
Sales Rank: 303404
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 504
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.8
Dimensions (in): 8.6 x 5.5 x 1.5
ISBN: 1591026059
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.7
EAN: 9781591026051
ASIN: 1591026059
Publication Date: August 4, 2008
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Shipping: International shipping available
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Product 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.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Not for everyone! September 16, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
When I bought this book, the sales clerk observed that this looked like a very technical book. She is correct; this is a book for students of the Civil War and military thought. It is not a general history of the war concentrating on what happened when. It is a book that concentrates on how things happened and why commanders let them happen. This is a book about operational planning or the lack of planning. Battles are incidental as the author talks about how the battle was planned and why this type of plan was selected. This gives an experienced student of the war much to consider. Not all of the author's ideas will be comfortable ones and a number of them will be unpopular with the reader. However, the author's basic premise and his development of ideas is intelligent and well thought out. I found that he makes reasonable arguments that are well supported.
The author is professor of American history and military institutions and head of the Department of War Studies at King's College, London. He brings a different view to "our war". This is not a difference in what happened or when it happened. Facts are facts and they are not in dispute. However, he has little or no investment in what Gary Gallagher calls America's traditional views of the war. This frees him to view both sides impartially recognizing their weakness and faults. He is unsparing in pointing these out. With this done, he shows how these faults and accepted doctrine contributed to the failure to follow up victory on the battlefield. This is much more than tired men, lack of supplies and the old running for your life or your lunch explanations. A second major area is seeing the American Civil War compared to the Napoleonic Wars. Yes, there are major differences but Reid shows the reader how similar problems found different answers and why. I found this to be one of the more enjoyable things about the book. It showed me while this is an international hobby others place emphasis on different areas. We can talk about the same theory but have a very different perspective.
Reid brings a breath of fresh air to these questions. This is a well-written and very readable book. It will challenge you with a fresh perspective and make you think about how the war was planned.
 A Brit's view of the American Operational Battlefield in the war of Rebellion September 7, 2008
3 out of 7 found this review helpful
I purchased this book expecting a concise analysis of battlefield operations during the U.S. Civil War, as viewed from GB. Holden Reid does bring out many valid strategic considerations; but he seems to miss the mark on quite a few of the details as he dicusses the individual battles. He would have benefitted by submitting each scenario to its' respective authority for review and critique, before formulating his analysis. I know this is the case for Perryville, and must assume a very suspicious posture for the other historic sites as well.
Chuck Lott
Interpretive Specialist
Perryville Battlefield State Historic Site
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