The Guns of Cedar Creek

"Guns of Cedar Creek" by Thomas Lewis is one of the most remarkable books on a Civil War battle in the last twenty five years. The story of the battle is dramatic enough and Lewis tells it well. He also knows the geography and the layout of the region better than most historians. But where Lewis truly shines is with his biographical sketches of the leading commanders. Lewis offers unforgettable portraits of Phil Sheridan, Jubal Early, John Gordon, George A. Custer, George Crook and others and how they shaped the battle. Lewis is a rare combination of excellent writer and insightful historian and "Guns of Cedar Creek" is one of the masterpieces of Civil War narratives.

I considered this book to be one of the more readable and well researched books surrounding the Shenandoah Valley campaign of 1864. The book centered around the Battle of Cedar Creek where Phil Sheridan lost and won a battle all in one day. That left poor Jubal Early as the man who won and lost the same battle in the single day. The book was well written and very easy to consumed. It was generally geared for the public consumption since nearly half of the book was geared toward giving background information prior to the battle itself. Of 350 pages of printed narrative, only 150 dealt with the battle itself. It has a nice order of the battle but I wished there were some strength numbers to go with it. But overall, its intersting book with many things to say. The author is clearly very familiar with the subject matter and that ease make this book quite a fast reader despite of the details he provides.