Customer Reviews

The American Civil War (West Point Military History)

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The US Military Academies have published several excellent books on military history, and this one follows the same path of excellence. I deducted one star because all the maps are in another book which makes it hard to follow the campaigns at times and it increases the price of the "book" substantially when the maps are purchased. Plus, I have found other books with better maps; however, they do not match up with the text of this book; thus, the reader may feel they have to buy both the book and the map book thereby more than doubling the cost.

I like this overview of the Civil War because it mostly leaves politics behind and concentrates on the battles themselves and the military considerations going into these battles. I have read The Battle Cry of Freedom (excellent book), Bruce Canton's series, and Shelby Foot's series on the Civil War as well as other tombs; however, here I learned how difficult it was for the American staffs of both armies to adjust to the demands of the large and total war. It became clear why, in the early stages of the war, maneuvers failed. The staff could not effectively carry out the orders they were given by the generals. It also became clear that the CSA under Lee made great strides at improving its staff work and it showed as the battles in the east progressed. Lee's army could respond to his orders quickly and effectively while the Union armies were still struggling with the process of command and control.

This book also points out how the organization of artillery (for example) made a large difference in the battles. It was much more than the type of artillery, the organization of the artillery made a big difference. The same holds true for the unit organizations. The South was not using Corps organizations early on and it made the coordination of attacks more difficult.

Over and over again, this book shows the reader how the somewhat obscure parts of the military profession made very large contributions to victory or defeat for the two sides.

If you want to explore the causes of the Civil War, or the personalities behind the conflict, or if you want to delve deeply into the weaponry this is not the book you will want to buy. If you want the war from an almost pure military perspective this is a must read.

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