Customer Reviews

Before Antietam: The Battle for South Mountain

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Those of us who have enjoyed Priest's other works on Antietam and the Wilderness will find this book comparable.

Advantages: meticulous, hour-by-hour study from a soldier's eye view--- once again, thoroughly researched bringing to light many unpublished materials from diaries, letters, etc. This book differs from others in that it covers a number of little-known cavalry skirmishes that preceeded the battles on South Mountain. Also has some very interesting accounts of marches through Maryland towns and gives a civilians' perspective.

Weaknesses: detailed maps once again are in Priest's hand-drawn style. The events described in the text can be hard to follow because the maps are dominated by terrain features, while military units and road names can be difficult to see. The book also ends much too abruptly-- there is no summary chapter that gives an overview of the events and personalities described in the book.

This said, the book is therefore NOT recommended fo! ! r readers who are new to the subjects at hand. On the other hand, dedicated students of the Civil War and those interested in studying military tactics will find it to be an outstanding contribution to the field.

Priest presents an interesting, if incredibly myopic, view of the Battle of South Mountain. Rich in personal accounts and drama it is woefully lacking in strategic context. To a great extent the concentration on the experience of participants, often of low rank, robs the narrative of a purpose. He does a great job of portraying the violence and chaos but leaves one scratching one's head as to how this battle fits into the Maryland Campaign of 1862 or much else.

As a warning to the reader, there are lots of maps. They all stink. At least one of them is misoriented by 90 degrees. Non standard map symbols lessen rather than increase one's understanding of the battle. They all appear to have been drawn by crayon. I say again, the maps stink.

I'd encourage anyone reading this to read an overview of the campaign first.

This book is, without question, THE BEST that I have ever read about the battles of South Mountain. Telling the story from the viewpoint of the ordinary soldier, Priest begins at 2nd Bull Run and continues through the battles at Turner's Gap, Fox's Gap, and Crampton's Gap. Priest doesn't guess about anything - he cites everything (almost all original material). And when there is a conflict, he tells you. In addition, there are NUMEROUS maps: at times a map for every page of text. He puts you in the field with the soldiers, behind the stone wall with the tall corn in front. The book shows the humorous, the sad, the vicious, and the amazingly courageous sides of men. I could not put it down. If you don't know much about South Mountain, this book will get you interested. If you are already interested in South Mountain and Antietam, this book will be an invaluable resource. I shall certainly bring it along on my next visit there. Read it - you will be thrilled

This is one of the best Civil War books I have read. Priest gives an excellent account of the battles for South Mountain, from the Private's as well as the General's points of view. Standing in Fox Gap as I did after reading the book, I could hear the muskets and the cries, smell the smoke, and feel the overwhelming sense of tragedy and triumph. I salute Mr. Priest for his presentation of a very human perspective of the battle, contrasting with what are typically dry accounts. The maps are numerous, providing a clear picture of how the battle transpired. But I too wish that they were of better quality.

Please read this book (you can get an autographed copy at the Antietam visitor's center).

John Priest is one of the nicer Civil War authors and it is a shame that he is having this "accuracy" problem. Having read and enjoyed the book, I have taken the time to investigate the extent of the "factual errors". I found it very hard to pin down the errors that reports indicate abound in this book. The Sgt. Bloss "problem" is covered in an extensive footnote. Except for the Amazon review, I have never had it mentioned as one of the book's errors. The one documented error all agree on is the story of an Iron Brigade skirmish with a reference to Nolan's book. It seems that this skirmish was never mentioned in the various editions of the Nolan book. If your passion for historical accuracy is such that editing or transcription can destroy a book, you should stop reading this review.

What we have is good solid coverage of an under reported battle. South Mountain is lost in the story of Harpers Ferry and Antietam. A book length treatment is welcome and unique. Priest focuses on the experiences of the rank and file as much as the generals, giving the reader a good micro and macro view of the battle. The maps are Priest's maps, better than no maps but not great maps. There are a large number of them, which helps keep the reader on the field and aware of what is going on. We are not dealing with one battle but a series of somewhat linked battles that slowly break through the AoNV's line and force a retreat.

Is this a great battle book? No, but it is an above average one and very readable. This could be the only book available on this battle and is needed to understand the Antietam Campaign. This is not a book that should be dismissed lightly and one I never regretted buying.

This was the first book of John Michael Priest that I had ever read and I found it to be a well researched and well presented account of the 'Battle for South Mountain'. I enjoyed it so much that I ordered his other book "Antietam: The soldiers Battle' as soon as I finished this book. He presents the fighting through the eyes of the Northern and Southern soldiers and it is done is such an easy manner that the narrative flows along quite well. The only criticism I have of the book itself is the standard of the maps. There is quite a number of maps that assist the reader to follow the accounts of the fighting but I believe that he could have done a better job in their presentation. Overall this book offers the reader a very good account of this forgotten battle. Well worth the money.

I would probably award this book 2.5 stars. There are no others that offer the kind of small scale detail that this book provides. For miniature wargamers, that alone may be worth the price of the book. The maps, though, are truly ugly and not very much help (which is a disappointment considering the maps in his Antietam book are, while ugly, better).

What really concerns me is his factual accuracy. His account of the Lost Order has the erroneous story of Sgt. Bloss seeing the packet and having Corporal Mitchell pick it up for him. This is wrong. Bloss made up this story later, trying to take credit for the Lost Order well after Mitchell had died. Historians don't lend any credence to the story, but here it is -- given as fact -- in Priest's book. This mistake, while sloppy, wouldn't worry me so much if I hadn't read reviews of some of his other books (particularly those on the Overland Campaign) that say he's made numerous factual errors there.

If you want small scale details, you can't find other books to match this one. Just don't use this as your only source, and keep Priest's track record of accuracy in mind.

I had heard a lot of good buzz about this book and Priest's fine writing style. I was let down, frankly. I found his prose fairly choppy throughout. And I think he focused on the micro at the expense of the bigger picture. Oh, and terrible, useless maps!