Chickamauga and Chattanooga: The Battles That Doomed the Confederacy [Paperback]

John Bowers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2001

In the Autumn of 1863, a pair of remarkable military engagements took place on opposite sides of the Georgia-Tennessee border -- two battles marked by ferocity, genius, courage, astonishing ineptitude, and outrageous fortune that changed the course of the War Between the States. This is the riveting story of two brutal months in the life of a young nation at war with itself -- from the opening volleys at Chickamauga Creek to the final, shocking outcome several miles north at Chattanooga -- a dramatic account of stunning master strokes and fatal missed opportunities, and of the real people on both sides whose actions helped determine the ultimate fate of a country.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In this slim book, Tennessee-born novelist and historian Bowers returns to the source of boyhood memories and family lore to make big claims about the sites of two Tennessee battles in the Civil War. Bowers writes drums-and-powder history, with overmuch attention to generals and tactics and little on men and the meaning of combat. Despite Bowers's assertion that Confederate defeat in Tennessee sealed the South's doom and his absurd speculation that a more favorable result there might have led to a negotiated peace, he provides little context to show how or why the battles might have mattered in the larger strategy and psychology of the war. A few deftly executed vignettes of generals (with Braxton Bragg again getting his comeuppance) redeem an otherwise flat narrative that offers neither sufficient new information nor insight to justify its purchase by any but the most assiduous collector.
Randall M. Miller, St. Joseph's Univ., Philadelphia
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

This slim, eminently readable book by an established novelist and historian covers the two major battles of the Tennessee campaign in the fall of 1863. The Confederacy then had its last clear chance to reverse the course of the war. But its army proceeded to throw away what might have been a decisive victory at Chickamauga and was then driven from Tennessee at Chattanooga (the best-known episode of which is the Battle of Missionary Ridge). Bowers gives us almost straight narrative history, providing little background and less analysis but many memorable pen portraits of specific units and commanders (he adds notably to the well-deserved scorn heaped on Braxton Bragg). Although it may not adhere to the strictest academic canons for Civil War historiography, this volume is far too much fun not to recommend warmly. Roland Green --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (January 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380725096
• ISBN-13: 978-0380725090
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #720,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Battles that Doomed the Confederacy, November 8, 2001

By 

Samuel R. Rosselli (Mesa, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chickamauga and Chattanooga: The Battles That Doomed the Confederacy (Paperback)

I found this book to be very enjoyable reading. The book goes into depth about the battle that occured at Chickamauga and Chattanooga, but does not require the reader to be familiar with Civil War history. I found this book to be easy to read as well as enjoyable. Unfortunately, Bowers writes with a sympathetic viewpoint towards the CSA and goes into detail about Chickamauga (which was a confederate victory) but barely gleems over the battle of Chattanooga. good book for the lay reader, but you historians and civil war buffs may be disappointed.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is a Hoot!, September 6, 2002

By 

Sherman Peabody "Sherm" (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Chickamauga and Chattanooga: The Battles That Doomed the Confederacy (Paperback)

No one will ever accuse John Bowers of letting historical facts get in the way of telling a good story. Hyperbole? Lively? This is a good overview of the campaign, especially for beginners, but Bowers is really interested in telling dramatic stories about the major figures. But he needs to check his facts. For example, on page 101 he introduces Ambrose Bierce, a lieutenant in the 9th Indiana Infantry, and uses an excerpt from Bierce's post-war short story "Chickamauga" to illustrate the fighting. But on page 146 Bowers calls him Captain Bierce, an officer in an Ohio battery and chronicler of the battle. Although a serious student of the battle will do much better to read Steven Woodworth and Peter Cozzens, many will find Bowers very entertaining. Bowers is from East Tennessee and is the grandson of a Confederate cavalryman who fought in the battle. Bowers' best story in this book is in the Acknowledgements and concerns a Virginia patrician historian at the New York City Civil War Round Table. This alone is worth the cover price!

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books ever written about the Civil War., January 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Chickamauga and Chattanooga: The Battles That Doomed the Confederacy (Paperback)

John Bowers has a novelist's ear for dialogue and an almost uncanny knack for entering a period of history long gone. He combines these qualities with a historian's grasp of the Civil War era. This gives his book an authority and readability that brings the whole fascinating crucial battle of Chickamauga and its surrounding episodes to life. It's a brilliant job as is Mr. Bowers' book Stonewall Jackson: Portrait of a soldier (Morrow), alas now out of print.