Battles and Leaders of the Civil War V2 - The Struggle Intensifies

In the 1880's, with the Civil War long over but many of the participants still alive and well, The Century Magazine solicited a collection of personal accounts, which were subsequently compiled and published as "Battles and Leaders of the Civil War." The four volume set has been periodically reprinted, but includes the original maps, drawings, portraits and illustrations. "The Struggle Intensifies" is the third volume in the set, and documents the fighting during 1862, as the hopes of each side for a quick and easy victory in the war dissolved into a relentless and increasingly bloody conflict. This volume opens with the seizures of Fort Pulaski and New Orleans, covers McClellan's reorganization of the Army of the Potomac for the Peninsula campaign, diverts briefly to address Jackson's famous Valley Campaign, then returns to the struggles of the Seven Days. Lee's counterstrokes at Second Bull Run and his invasion of Maryland are next, leading to the Battle of Antietam. This volume closes out with the battles of Iuka and Corinth in the West. The contributing writers were almost all former officers in the Union and Confederate Armies or Navies. Their respective points of view on each battle and campaign vary hughly. Former generals discuss campaign strategy, while field and company grade officers focus on, in some cases, very specific actions within a particular battle. The result is a sometimes intimate if uneven oral history of the Civil War. The accounts in "The Struggle Intensifies" should be taken with a grain of salt. They may reflect imperfect memory rather than finished historical analysis. Not a few of these accounts may be guilty of a little post-war score settling. With that caution, this volume and the series are very highly recommended as a valuable resource to fans and students of the American Civil War.

I am pleased with the prompt delivery of this book which is - in the UK - a relatively unknown edition. The quality more than lives up to the description and I was also pleased with the total cost which, naturally, includes postage from the USA.

Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: The Struggle Intensifies is the second installment of a four volume set about the Civil War written by eyewitnesses to the battles described. This series opened with "The Opening Battles," this volume is "The Struggle Intensifies," next is "The Tide Shifts," and the final volume is "Retreat with Honor." As with the first volume, the second has well written accounts of the battles fought as it opens with the capture of Fort Pulaski, Georgia and next with New Orleans. We begin to see the strategy emerge as point and counterpoint in these battles play out. There is a summary of why there were operations in the far Southwest along with accounts of the Virginia battles of Yorktown and Williamsburg, but there is more as the Peninsular Campaign intensifies. The second battle of Bull Run is well represented here and there are excellent maps, charts, and engravings by the most prominent artists of that era. This said, you'll find that reading these very interesting accounts will bring emotions to the forefront, just as these men were experiencing them first hand. Acoounts of both view points are presented... South and North are fairly represented.I found that Brigadier-General John D. Imboden, C.S.A. as he relates Stonewall Jackson's accounts in the Shenandoah to be priceless giving this volume balance. And of course there is Lee's campaign opposing Pope which is enlightening to say the least.If you read about the Civil War, this series of books is a must for your library and is ideal for reference when reading other works about this tumultuous time in our history. These volumes are recognized as an outstanding account of the history of this war that writer use for reference... now you can read what that person wrote about his account first hand.

This volume (#2) is one of a four volume set - and each is invaluable to understanding what really happened during the various campaigns. The books are a compilation of articles and letters first published in "Century" magazine in the 1870's and 1880's by the editors of that same magazine. In addition, there are numerous DETAILED maps - even down to the placement of individual artillery batteries, photographs, and sketches from the time. Further, the editors have numerous footnotes, which are extremely helpful in presenting evidence and/or additional information concerning events. The articles were all written by men, generals and privates alike, who were there, who took part. This is source material, the unvarnished truth as they saw it. It is sometimes serious, sometimes poetic, sometimes even humorous, yet always extremely interesting. One caution: Ned Bradford's book of the same name is a CONDENSED version of these 4 volumes and is a very poor substitute for this 4-volume set. As a Civil War "buff" of 25 years, I consider this some of the best reading I have ever come across. (If you ever visit a particular battlefield, these books are the only ones you will need to bring along.) This series of 4 books is something that you will read with delight - and refer to again and again.

I have the 1956 version of this book called, "Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: North to Antietam" - one of the most captivating books on the Civil War that I have ever read. This book is simply the lastest publication of the same book. The book, one of a 4-volume set, is composed of articles and letters published in "The Century Magazine" from 1865 to about 1885 - all by Civil War participants (mostly generals, with the occasional private, colonel, major mixed in). Through their eyes you get the battle as they saw it: "close up and personal". The editors (who were also the editors of "The Century Magazine" in the 1880's) have extensive footnotes to clarify and/or correct information in the authors' articles, plus numerous maps and photographs of the scenes (in the 1860's and 1880's). The maps are invaluable to the reader, showing in great detail the positions of even regiments and artillary batteries. This information proved most useful when I recently visited the South Mountain and Antietam battlefields in person. Using the maps I could pinpoint and follow troop movements with little or no guess-work. This book is a great reference and a fun read. It is full of "what happened", not "what should/might/could have happened"; and, as such, it is most refreshing. (I might add that some parts are actually entertaining and often very amusing.) I recommmend it most highly. P.S.S, Millbury, Mass.