American Civil War Commanders (1): Union Leaders in the East (Elite) (Pt.1) [Paperback]

Philip Katcher (Author), Richard Hook (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Elite | Publication Date: April 25, 2002

Osprey's study of the commanders of the American Civil War (1861-1865). When the War Between the States broke out in 1861, the US Army had only four line generals - and only one of them was not a septuagenarian veteran of the War of 1812. With about one-third of all professional officers choosing to offer their swords to the South, the government's urgent need to find commanders for the vastly expanded Federal army put generals' stars on the shoulders of men of very varied backgrounds and talents. In time the shock of war would separate the born leaders from the over-promoted and the political opportunists. This first of four volumes examines the careers and often colorful personalities of nearly 30 Union generals whose service was mainly in the Eastern theater of war.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

An unrivalled illustrated reference source on fighting men and commanders, past and present. Each volume is packed with full colour artwork, making military history uniquely accessible to enthusiasts of all ages.

About the Author

Philip Katcher was born in Los Angeles, California, to parents involved in the film industry. He was educated at the University of Maryland and served in the US Army in Vietnam. He has also been an active participant in living history activities, especially in the 18th and 19th Century periods. He has written a number of books on various periods of US military history and presently is editor/publisher of Military Images Magazine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (April 25, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841763209
• ISBN-13: 978-1841763200
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,549,742 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars American Civil War Commanders - Union Leaders in the East, January 3, 2008

By 

Jonathan Lupton (Little Rock , AR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: American Civil War Commanders (1): Union Leaders in the East (Elite) (Pt.1) (Paperback)

This title was somewhat above my expectations. While many Osprey books run toward the shallow side, Philip Katcher is one of their better writers with a wealth of knowledge about the Army of the Potomac. The biographies of well-known generals like McClellan, Burnside, Hooker, and Meade are competently done but with little that is new. Where this book stands out is its biographies of lesser generals like William French, Darius Couch, and Philip Kearny, about whom serious information is harder to find. I was pleased to learn that Couch was something of an intellectual with an interest in nature, and that William French tried to manipulate a New York Herald reporter to cover his mistakes after Mine Run. Katcher makes fine use of eyewitness personal accounts to depict people by those who knew them. All in all a small but useful work of research by an interesting writer.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Short bios about some of the major Union leaders in the East, July 11, 2008

By 

Steven A. Peterson (Hershey, PA (Born in Kewanee, IL)) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Civil War Commanders (1): Union Leaders in the East (Elite) (Pt.1) (Paperback)

This is another in the Osprey Publishing series on the Civil War. The focus here is on 30 generals serving with the northern forces in the East. Each general receives brief coverage and either a photo or other rendering of his likeness. So, if you want an in-depth analysis of the likes of Phil Sheridan, George Meade, Winfield Scott Hancock, Joseph Hooker, or George McClellan, forget about it. However, if you want a quick and dirty examination of each--plus an introduction to many lesser known generals--this does a nice job.

The book begins by noting the obvious--the standing military of the United States at the outset of the Civil War was tiny. The largest functional units were regiments--and these were largely broken into companies to serve on the frontier or in other postings. There were relatively few professional officers--and 1/3 of these went south. There were only four generals in the army--Winfield Scott, David Twigg, John Wool, and William Harney, the latter the only general under 70 and who had NOT served in the War of 1812!

What I find especially interesting about this book is learning a bit about some of the lesser known generals, such as Darius Couch (How many know that he was acting commanding general at Chancellorsville of the Army of the Potomac?), William French, Andrew A. Humphreys, Fitz John Porter, James Ricketts, Edwin Sumner, and so on. There is just enough on each to give a sense of the person and broaden the knowledge base of people who have not read deeply on the Civil War.

As with all Osprey volumes (in this and other series), the book is rather short (58 pages of text). However, it does provide a useful service in exposing people to a fair amount of basic information in a short work.