American Civil War Commanders (3): Union Leaders in the West (Elite) (Pt.3) [Paperback]

Philip Katcher (Author), Richard Hook (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: Elite | Publication Date: March 11, 2003

Osrpey's examination 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 three of those were over 70 years of age and veterans of the Napoleonic period. About one in three of America's professional officers chose to serve the Confederacy, and the government's urgent need to find commanders for its vastly expanded army put stars on the shoulders of men of very varied backgrounds and talents. The trials of war would soon separate the born leaders from the over-promoted and the political opportunists. This second volume devoted to Union generals examines the careers and personalities of 25 commanders whose service was mainly, or at first, in the Western 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 lives and works in Pennsylvania USA, and has written over 20 titles in the Men-at-Arms Series including the highly successful five-volume set on Armies of the American Civil War.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (March 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841763217
• ISBN-13: 978-1841763217
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 0.3 x 9.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,190,391 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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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
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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
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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.