The Army of the Potomac: Birth of Command, November 1860-September 1861 [Hardcover]

Russell Beatie (Author), Russel H. Beatie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2, 2002

There have been many studies of the generals who commanded the Union's victorious Army of the Potomac, but none has considered the corps, division, and brigade commanders (and their all-important staff officers) through the entire war--until now. Placing their actions in the social, political, military, and economic context of the day, this original and thought-provoking book examines in meticulous detail the command and performance of the brave and controversial officers of the Union's main fighting force.This study in command, the first of a multi-volume work, is based entirely on manuscript sources, many of which have never before been examined. As a result, the narrative and conclusions about the actions of many of the Union's prominent generals differ--often significantly--from traditional historical thinking. What emerges is a much different picture of these men and how their personalities influenced their command decisions and the political atmosphere that influenced and determined their military careers. The Army of the Potomac is about the leaders as men--their successes and failures commanding the Union's largest army.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Russel H. Beatie, a former army lieutenant, is a graduate of Princeton University and Columbia Law School. He has been a trial lawyer in New York City for almost four decades. He is the author of many articles about the Civil War and the book Road to Manassas.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 640 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (July 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306811413
• ISBN-13: 978-0306811418
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #964,634 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book!, August 4, 2002

By 

Richard Valle (Napverville, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Army of the Potomac: Birth of Command, November 1860-September 1861 (Hardcover)

I don't know where Russell Beatie has been hiding for so many years, but it must have been working on this project. The size and scope of his work (which is going to be many volumes) is daunting, but he is up for the task if this first volume is any indication. The writing is very clear and lucid, the level of detail just right for a top-down study, and his use of manuscript material is judicious. His crisp portraits of the primary leaders are outstanding, as are his battle descriptions. I received this book as a birthday present, but almost wish I could brag of having bought it myself. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and well written, September 7, 2002

By 

Minnesota Mom (Shoreview, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Army of the Potomac: Birth of Command, November 1860-September 1861 (Hardcover)

The book is well organized and clearly written.

Mr. Beatie gives a new (and detailed) look at the origins of the Civil War from the Union perspective. The pantheon of Confederate leaders are known to us all, Beatie gives the Union leaders a voice.

I found his detailed research, especially as it related to G.B.McCellan particularly insightful. He does not follow the crowd in vilifying McCellan, rather he presents a balanced appraisal of the man-- his many weaknesses as well as his magnetism that drew people to him.

I am looking forward to volume two!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book on the Army of the Potomac, January 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Army of the Potomac: Birth of Command, November 1860-September 1861 (Hardcover)

I ordered the Army of the Potomac from Amazon (as I do all my books now). I love reading about McClellan and the major field army of the Eastern Theatre, so when I found out about the book I decided to pick it up and give it a try. I don't know for sure what I was expecting, but I was not anticipating such a sweeping, almost magesterial yet detailed treatment of the formation of that army and the intriguing history of its top brass. I should warn readers it is a long read (more than 600 pages), and it only gets past First Bull Run! There are more volumes to come.

This book is not a battle study type of book. Although there are two or three chapters dealing with Bull Run, they offer top down strategic glimpses of what was taking place, and always from the Union point of what based up what the commanders knew or believed at the time. That can be confusing, but when you get the feel for what the author is doing, it works well. It reminded me of Albert Castel's "Decision in the West: The Atlanta Campaign" book, which was written in the first person. It takes a while to get used to it.

Overall this is a wonderful book. Beattie examines the entire officer corps from their social backgrounds, military experience and beliefs, political ties and connections, etc. I did not find anything that really surprised me, but he fleshed out a lot of information and helped fill in gaps in my knowledge of that period of the war, which is almost always glossed over in other books. The maps by Civil War cartographer Blake Magner are good and there are lots of them, and the notes and bibliography are both required reading. I concur wholeheartedly with what others on this page have written.