A Bird's-eye View Of Our Civil War [Paperback]

Theodore Ayrault Dodge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 22, 1998

Following the course of Civil War campaigns can be taxing for even the most well-read military scholar. The operations at major sites such as Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and Petersburg were complicated matters, with generals on each side commanding infantry and cavalry brigades from different positions and making simultaneous movements along complex geographic routes; the battles were less climactic moments than prolonged struggles marked by continual flux. But Theodore Ayrault Dodge makes it easy. With his well-drawn maps, his positioning of each movement with its date and, where important, time, his enumeration of the size of—and the losses suffered by—the various forces engaged, Dodge makes every episode of this long war clear and comprehensible. His concise military history of the American Civil War evenhandedly treats major and minor operations with the space each deserves, presenting a kind of skeleton of the Civil War. Here is perhaps the only general history that avoids over-detailed descriptions and technical terms, withholds partisan bias, treats generals on both sides with admiration and respect, and communicates elegantly yet succinctly, calmly yet vividly, the entire course of the conflict that changed the way men and nations make war.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Ayrault Dodge (1842–1909) served in the New York volunteer infantry during the Civil War. His books include Alexander, Hannibal, The Campaign of Chancellorsville, A Bird's Eye View of Our Civil War, Gustavus Adolphus, Cesar,and Napoleon (in four volumes).

Product Details

• Paperback: 366 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (March 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306808455
• ISBN-13: 978-0306808456
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,654,878 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Though a Century Old, still the best one-volume treatment, July 23, 2000

By 

James J. Bloom (Silver Spring, MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Bird's-eye View Of Our Civil War (Paperback)

Theodore Dodge was one of the most astute military historians and critics of his era, roughly the 1890s through the early 1900s. His books on "The Great Captains" of all ages from Alexander through Napoleon continue to do well in reprints.

As a participant in the Civil War, he had some insights not available to other scholars. As Dodge's preface indicates, this book was pitched at high-school level students who wanted to learn more about the military aspects of the war and who were likely to be confused by the profusion of self-justifying post war accounts of pariticipants. But understand that high school level in the 1890s, unlike today, did not mean you had to feed the kids politically correct and dumbed-down pap.

Dodge manages to give highly analytical yet very succinct accounts of the campaigns. He does not waste time in challenging one or the other post-war accounts of this or that action, but gets right down to describing and analyzing the combat and the leadership.

The 6 theater maps and 42 battlefield maps are a good indication of the level of critical discussion.

A glossary of military terms was appended because his readership was expected to be mostly civilians. However even the military service man or woman of today would need this glossary as many of the terms are antiquated or have different meanings today.

This is one civil war book that has not lost its value despite tens of thousands of subsequent accounts.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent overview, June 10, 2001

By 

therooter (Oconomowoc, WI.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Bird's-eye View Of Our Civil War (Paperback)

Being a fan of T.A. Dodge's works on ancient generals, I was anticipating reading his account of the war in which he was involved. Having not read much on this subject, I found this work to be an excellent over-view of the conflict without being over-bearing in details. As usual, Dodge gives his unique perspective on the main characters and opinions on some controversial subjects. However, if one is well-versed concerning our civil war, then this work is not worth reading for it is too general. But, for the initiate such as myself, it is a superb starting point for further reading. The only fault I found is that the maps of the various regions and even some of the battle areas were in too minute of detail and therefore difficult to read. This fault however does not detract significantly from the work and is but a minor nuisance. I look forward to reading the newly released novel on his journal as part of the Army of the Potomoc.