Guide to the Battle of Chickamauga (The U.S. Army War College Guides to Civil War Battles) [Paperback]

Matt Spruill (Author, Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1993 | Series: U.S. Army War College Guides to Civil War Battles

Near Chattanooga in northern Georgia, the Confederacy won one of its most decisive battles. This guide uses first-hand accounts to illustrate how this skirmish turned into one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, with over 34,000 Union and Confederate troops being killed, wounded or captured.

Product Details

• Paperback: 290 pages
• Publisher: Univ Pr of Kansas (May 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0700605967
• ISBN-13: 978-0700605965
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #505,108 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Guide to the Battle of Chickamauga, April 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Guide to the Battle of Chickamauga (The U.S. Army War College Guides to Civil War Battles) (Paperback)

Many of you, no doubt, have acquainted yourselves with the series of books that comprise the US Army War College Guide to Civil War Battles. The latest volume, the Guide to the Battle of Chickamauga, edited by Col. Matt Spruill, constitutes a new and worthwhile addition.

The series follows a particular format that bears mentioning. Each guide uses excerpts from after-action reports, along with topo maps and detailed driving and, occasionally, hiking instructions. This enables a reader to place himself at critical points on the battlefield with a solid understanding of the terrain's significance. Spruill does not deviate from this standard. The choice of maps and selection of battle reports (most from the Official Records) along with his brief comments clearly document the fierce fighting which took place on these fields. Considering the heavily wooded terrain and confusing ebb and flow of forces over the area, Spruill paints a remarkably clear picture of what transpired.

The great clash of armies at Chickamauga played out over two intense days of combat along a front some several miles long. On this ground, characterized by forests of thick brush punctuated with only a few open spaces used for small farm cultivation, the hostile lines came almost into contact before fighting was possible. Blind to what lay before them and often unaware of the success or failure of supporting units, commanders threw their troops into attacks that flanked and routed the enemy only to be flanked and routed in return. Scattered farmer's fields became killing zones as artillery concentrated their attention on the openings in the surrounding woods. Each side felt for the others vulnerable flank in a deadly race to capture and hold the road to Chattanooga. Soldiers entrenched at every opportunity and built breastworks, however shallow, whenever a lull in the fighting permitted time.

Spruill's book depicts this story very well, guiding the reader from one disputed point to another. For the most part, he allows the participants to narrate each scene. Yet he tempers their tale by reminding you how restricted a view each possessed. Invariably, men felt the fighting on their front to be the fiercest they experienced, during the war. As a consequence, we travel in our mind's eye along the paths of victory and defeat, where soldiers marched and fought and died to possess the ground where we now tread. Let me recommend the book to you.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Badly needed for this park, April 9, 2008

By 

James W. Durney (Tampa Bay area) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Guide to the Battle of Chickamauga (The U.S. Army War College Guides to Civil War Battles) (Paperback)

The Chickamauga battlefield guide published in 1997 and the first not edited by Jay Luvaas. Matt Spruill maintains the series standards and format started with the Gettysburg guide. The book covers the first major victory of the Confederate Army of Tennessee in the American Civil War. This victory, coming after the defeat at Gettysburg and Vicksburg's surrender brightened Confederate hopes in the Fall of 1863. New features include a 30-page essay on Civil War medical and a section of aftermath. The Chickamauga Park covers two days of fighting and many positions overlap. This leads to some understandable confusion for visitors while viewing monuments and trying to understand the battle. For anything beyond the park driving tour, this book is essential.

The series format is directions to a point on the field, orientation, a general lesson on what happened in your view, followed by first person accounts of the action. These guides are designed using the general staff training concept of a Staff Ride. This is when a class is taken to a historic location, discuss what happened and see how the terrain influences the event. Staff Rides are designed to be intensive "on the ground" training coupled with physical observation in the hopes students will gain experience for later use.

I am not saying this to frighten you away from this guide but to tell you this is not a walk about and look at the monuments type of guide. This guide will have several pages devoted to the action at this point. It may contain a critique of the local commander's actions with possible alternates.

My experience is that reading the book prior to my visit works best. This allows me more time observing the field and less time reading the book. Of the tour options, a professional guide is usually the best but most expensive choice. The park driving tour is the best choice for a quick trip through the field to get the kids passport stamp. This book is the best choice for a serious student of the battle looking for a detailed explanation.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensable..., January 25, 2006

By 

A. B. Powers - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guide to the Battle of Chickamauga (The U.S. Army War College Guides to Civil War Battles) (Paperback)

I just completed a hike of the Chickamauga NBP, using Colonel Spruill's guide book. The book transformed a pleasant day outdoors into an informative learning experience. The hiking directions are precise. The selected narrations by the participants enhance understanding of the action on the field, and Colonel Spruill's additional notations explain the narrations in a larger context. If you're serious about getting the most out of a visit to Chickamauga, then this book is a required item in your rucksack.