BATTLE OF DESPAIR [Hardcover]

Robert Broadwater (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Mercer University Press; 1 edition (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0865548218
• ISBN-13: 978-0865548213
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,316,008 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Robert P. Broadwater (1958-?)was born in Meyersdale, Pennsylvania, and raised in Salisbury, Pennsylvania, graduating from Salisbury Elk-Lick High School in 1976. He attended Penn State University, Altoona Campus, from 1976 to 1978, majoring in Letters, Arts and Sciences. His first book The Bronze and the Granite, was published by Daisy Publishing in 1983. To date, Broadwater has had more than twenty books published, primarily in the fields of Civil War and Revolutionary War history. Battle of Despair: Bentonville and the North Carolina Campaign (2004) was nominated for both the Lincoln Prize and the Douglas Southall Freeman Awards. American Generals of the Revolutionary War: A Biographical Dictionary (2007) was nominated for the George Washington Book Award. In addition to the books, Broadwater has written more than 100 magazine articles. He wrote a regular, monthly column for Military Trader Magazine for eight years, and has been a contributor to North South Trader's bi-annual Civil War Collector's Price Guide. A charter member and past president of Descendants of Civil War Veterans, Broadwater has also been a member of the Civil War Round Table of Baltimore, The Harry Gilmore Camp of Sons of Confederate Veterans, and the Kennesaw Mountain Association. He actively speaks to historical societies and civic organizations on Civl War and Revolutionary War topics.
On October 1, 2009, Broadwater was inducted into the Blair County Arts Hall of Fame for his contributions to the field of Literary Arts.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars What a disappointment...., October 16, 2004

By 

Eric J. Wittenberg "Civil War Book Maven" (Columbus, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: BATTLE OF DESPAIR (Hardcover)

Sherman's Carolinas Campaign, which is one of the most tactically interesting campaigns of the Civil War, has traditionally received short shrift. Perhaps that results from the fact that there was only one major battle. Or perhaps it has been overlooked because neither Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, the Army of Northern Virginia, nor the Army of the Potomac were involved. Moreover, the campaign lacks some of the drama of the Appomattox Campaign. However, the surrender of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston's Army of the South at Bennett Place in April 1865 had more far-reaching implications than did Lee's surrender.

The two best studies of the Carolinas Campaign are John G. Barrett's timeless classic, Sherman's March Through the Carolinas, and Mark L. Bradley's superb Last Stand in the Carolinas: The Battle of Bentonville. In addition, noted historian Nathaniel Cheairs Hughes Jr.'s Bentonville: The Final Battle of Sherman and Johnson is a fine study of the last major battle in the Carolinas Campaign, although its scope is much more limited than that of Barrett and Bradley. Hughes deals almost exclusively with the two-day bloodletting at Bentonville, while Barrett and Bradley chronicle the entire campaign.

Against this backdrop, Robert John Broadwater has just released a volume titled Battle of Despair: Bentonville and the North Carolina Campaign. This reviewer had high hopes for this book. Because it was published by a respected university press, and because I have become a student of the Carolinas Campaign, I had hoped that it would be a worthy addition to the body of literature addressing the Carolinas Campaign. I was terribly disappointed.

The book is poorly edited, and really could have stood the firm hand of a competent proofreader. There are numerous major typographical errors throughout. The name of prominent Confederate general Lafayette McLaws is misspelled throughout the entire book as McClaws. Many other typos fill these pages.

Astonishingly, this so-called campaign study does not include a single map. The reader is just supposed to envision the events described in his or her mind's eye without the benefit of a map to help the process. For a large and complicated battle like Bentonville, it is all but impossible to try to understand what happened without the benefit of at least one map that shows the terrain features described in the book.

While the book claims to be a study of the North Carolina Campaign, it is not. For instance, it does not even mention the great cavalry battle that took place at Monroe's Crossroads on March 10, 1865. But for the fight at Monroe Crossroads, the Union cavalry might have reached Fayetteville before Lt. Gen. William J. Hardee could evacuate his troops. There was also a significant skirmish in Fayetteville on March 11. Neither of these events is even discussed in the book.

Instead, the book begins with the federals already occupying Fayetteville. Describing this book as a study of the entire campaign, therefore, badly misstates the scope of work. A more accurate description would be to discuss the period beginning on March 12, 1865, and ending with Johnson's surrender in late April. To its credit, the book does give decent coverage of Braxton Bragg's battle of Wyse Fork (also known as the battle of Kinston) and to the battle of Averasboro - actions that are often overlooked by historians examining the Carolinas Campaign.

Of greater concern is the lack of solid primary source research. In many instances, Broadwater cites Barrett, Bradley and Hughes as his source, and not the primary sources. In short, there is nothing new in this book, and there is nothing to set it apart from the books referenced therein. It simply regurgitates the work of those who came first without even so much as undertaking any real primary source research. In short, this book adds absolutely nothing to the existing body of knowledge.

This reviewer believes that reader should save their money by avoiding this volume. Instead, spend your money on the much better works by Barrett, Bradley and Hughes. If you do, you will get the same information, only from the original authors, and not simply Broadwater's regurgitation of their writings.

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Rebs Last Stand, December 4, 2005

By 

Scott Bell (Jacksonville, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: BATTLE OF DESPAIR (Hardcover)

This book may not be the definite book detailing the Battle of Bentonville. However, it is still interesting and informative. A fellow reviewer said that the author does a good work describing the smaller battles leading up to Bentonville. Most other previous books about the Battle of Bentonville do not devote many pages to this. This alone adds worth to this book.

I have been researching the Battle of Bentonville and read much and it seems every book read adds to my enjoyment and knowledge about this Last Stand of the Confederates. This book doesn't give you minute-by-minute and blow-for-blow details of the entire battle as some have. However, the author still does provide an interesting, entertaining and historical narrative of the Carolina Campaign of 1865.

This is a good selection whether you are a serious reseacher and or especially if you just desire an enjoyable read about the Battle of Bentonville.