The Battered Stars: One State's Civil War Ordeal During Grant's Overland Campaign: From the Home Front in Vermont to the Battlefields of V [Hardcover]

Howard Coffin (Author), Edwin C. Bearss (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2002

From the Home Front in Vermont to the Battlefields of Virginia

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Grant's ill-starred 1864 Overland Campaign commenced at the Union winter encampment at Brandy Station, VA, and ended at the siege of the vital Rebel railroad center of Petersburg, south of Richmond. During this 100,000-man, 40-day effort (May-June), in which the Federals participated in the horrific battles of Second Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, and Cold Harbor, the Army of the Potomac suffered in excess of a two-to-one casualty margin over the Confederates. Focusing almost entirely on the units from Vermont, Coffin (Nine Months to Gettysburg) weaves together stories of the participating military units, outlines the overall campaign, and gives voice to several hundred personalities on the battlefield and back home, primarily through diaries and letters. The family correspondence gives a glimpse into small-town Vermont life as well as life at the front. The book's best chapter deals with Vermont's substantial wartime losses. Though the tone can be hagiographic, the research is credible, the inclusion of contemporary travelog segments relative to the Overland Campaign imaginative, and the selected illustrations blend effectively with the story. Recommended for New England collections, major Civil War holdings, and large libraries. John Carver Edwards, Univ. of Georgia Libs., Cleveland
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Howard Coffin is a sixth-generation Vermonter and great-grandson of two men who served in Vermont regiments in the Civil War. Coffin was a US Senate appointee to the national Civil War Sites Advisory Commission and has served on the board of the Association for the Preservation of Civil War Sites. Now a public relations consultant and writer, Coffin is a former reporter and for many years was press secretary to US Senator James Jeffords. He is a tireless and charismatic lecturer and tour guide to Civil War battlefields who is well known and loved throughout the state. He lives in Montpelier, Vermont.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Countryman Press; First Edition edition (May 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881504874
• ISBN-13: 978-0881504873
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,831,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Vivid Account of a Devastating Campaign, July 24, 2002

By 

Doug Reynolds (Fort Lauderdale, Fl United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Battered Stars: One State's Civil War Ordeal During Grant's Overland Campaign: From the Home Front in Vermont to the Battlefields of V (Hardcover)

Howard Coffin has established himself as the premier authority on Vermont and the Civil War. He has exhaustively researched Vermont's historical records including countless letters and diaries from the actual participants. He allows them to directly share their personal, heroic, sorrowful and inspiring stories and insights. It is difficult today to appreciate the pain and suffering which was brought home to every Vermont family during this Campaign. Mr. Coffin does honor to their memories and has provided a valuable research source for those interested in this period.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly, it's excellent, December 26, 2007

By 

Julian B. Shand Jr. "ianmcshand" (Columbia, SC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Battered Stars: One State's Civil War Ordeal During Grant's Overland Campaign: From the Home Front in Vermont to the Battlefields of V (Hardcover)

Though I never thought of Vermont's role in the war against the South, except related to their Heavy Artillery, the price was right and I bought it on Amazon. When I finally opened it to read, I found a really good treatment of Grant's Overland Campaign, with excerpts from Vermonter's letters about ferocious combat, horrendous casualties, hot and dusty forced marches and night marches - all that can make you feel some of what it was like to be involved. I recommend this even for Sons of Confederate Veterans like myself! There is little of the usual propaganda about who was justified, and the author's writing is very pleasing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable for historians and buffs, June 1, 2007

By 

O. Pflug - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Battered Stars: One State's Civil War Ordeal During Grant's Overland Campaign: From the Home Front in Vermont to the Battlefields of V (Hardcover)

I did not quite know what to expect from this book considering it was published by a non-academic press and written by a political bureaucrat, but I was pleasantly surprised by its quality. Battered Stars is well written and informative, adding a new fresh perspective to an over-studied portion of the Civil War. I have read over a hundred Civil War books and I have seen many second rate efforts by non-professionals, but Battered Stars is highly recommended. My only wish is that Coffin had used professional footnotes to show exactly where his quotes were coming from, but most sources are nonetheless clear.