Customer Reviews

The Darkest Days of the War: The Battles of Iuka and Corinth (Civil War America)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Peter Cozzens' book interested me for the simple fact that it deals with the very important but largely 'forgotten' battles of Iuka and Corinth in September and October of 1862. My previous reading on these battles included Battles and Leaders, reports in the Official Records, and Frost's rare History of the 10th Missouri. Cozzens brings the story together in a cogent and exciting way. He does a very good job of developing the major characters, none of whom shine on close inspection, from the pompous and self-serving Rosencrans to the libertine Van Dorn. Cozzens is at his best with descriptions of the actual battles. He paints the panorama on a regimental level through the cotton fields of Iuka to the great actions around the fortress batteries at Corinth. I am in awe at the heroism and shudder at the incompetence of leadership on both sides. My only complaint, and this is minor, is that he wrongly identifies Company E of the 24th Missouri Infantry as 'Company F.' This Company was attached to the 10th Missouri, and included my ancestor Hezekiah Lucas and my ancestoral uncle, Drury Campbell, who was killed at Corinth facing another of my relatives, Rufus Yancey Powell, with the Confederate 5th Missouri in the action near Battery Powell on October 4. I am thankful that Mr. Cozzens has written a book worthy of honoring their memory.

Peter Cozzens does it again. In his series of books on the Civil War's western theater, Cozzens has shown a unique ability to convert detailed research into a gripping narrative. I put his books in the same category with those of Gordon C. Rhea-- destined to be the final word on their respective battles for some time to come. Cozzens's sheer attention to detail is amazing, and I love his direct and concise analysis of tactical decisions on the field. A must read.

Cozzens has written many fine books about the less well known Western Theater campaigns. The Darkest Days of the War: The Battles of Iuka and Corinth is perhaps the finest yet. It goes into great detail about 2 obscure, but ultimately important battles in the western theater. It manages to describe the battles in clear terms, set out convincing portraits of the key players and place these campaigns in context. At the same time, Cozzens avoids the pitfalls common to many Civil War books. (No, not everyone who dreams that they are going to die, dies. Its just that those dreams, when related to others, are the ones that are remembered. Cozzens doesn't treat us to the umpteenth take on this old saw).

Highly recommended.

Peter Cozzens spends an enormous amount of time researching his books, and the results show. The length of the bibliography is indeed impressive. In this book he has written a book that is not so much a report of a battle, as it is the telling of a story. Mr. Cozzens's narrative skills have grown. He uses much more individual information, and spends less time on the troop movements. That does not mean he inadequately reports troop movements. It means that in addition, you get sometimes gruesome details of battle, including the one that struck me most. The detail of the remains of the horses of an artillery unit all piled up together with a flume of blood flecked foam extending six feet from the nostrils of one horse. Obviously, this was not a pretty sight. Mr. Cozzens made this a much more human story than some of his past works.

After reading 3 of Cozzens' books (this one, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga), I believe this one is his best so far.

The descriptions of the battles, troop movements, and major personalities involved will interest you from the outset and keep
you interested throughout the book. I particularly enjoyed reading his seemingly objective critiques of the major generals involved in the campaign (Rosecrans, Van Dorn, Price, Lovell, Grant, Oglesby, Hurlbut, Maury, Ord, etc.) and their particular personality quirks.

I also appreciated the relatively short chapters (about 10-20 pages each) that focused one particular aspect of the campaign. Doing so I believed kept the book flowing smoothly by avoiding the abrupt changes sometimes found in battle studies that can throw the reader off.

I also noticed an improvement in the quality of maps and pictures (instead of drawings) of the major personalities. In my humble opinion, the only reason I did not give the book 5 stars was because of what I felt were the lack of sufficient maps (although the ones included were detailed and well-done). As a result, I had to refer to a AAA map of Mississippi to get a better grasp of the Corinth - Iuka area and the troop movements.

This complaint aside, I highly recommend this book as the definitve study of the Corinth - Iuka Campaign and eagerly look forward to more titles by Cozzens!

In 1862, Jefferson Davis proclaimed that there were two crucial places that the Confederacy must hold if it was to survive - Richmond, VA and Corinth, MS. While Richmond is a major focal point of the American Civil War, Corinth and Iuka, Mississippi have had little if any attention, except by those who study the western and Trans-Mississippi armies of the war.

Peter Cozzens has written THE definitive work on the battles at Iuka and Corinth in the fall of 1862. The writing is full of the facts and research that are a hallmark of Mr. Cozzen's previous efforts, and the descriptions are so vibrant that one can almost smell the gunpowder and feel the earth shake to the rumble of cannons.

Not only does Mr. Cozzens provide great detail on the battles themselves along with the Battle of Davis Bridge (Hatchie River) that followed the fight at Corinth; he provides an understanding of the importance of these battles, how they fit into the scheme of things (Van Dorn / Price were defeated at Corinth during the same week that Bragg was defeated at Perryville). We see one of the few attempts at a Confederate "Grand Strategy," but like many of the Confederate operations, this one is beset by political intrigue between Van Dorn and Price with Richmond; nebulous orders, rank insubordination and a failure to follow through on opportunities earned on the battlefield. In downtown Corinth and at Batteries Robinette and Powell, some of the bloodiest fighting of the war occurred.

Winning at Corinth allowed the Federals to control the extremely valuable north-south and east-west rail roads that crossed in downtown Corinth and set the stage for Grant's victory at Vicksburg the next summer. It deprived the Confederacy of the means to ship food, men and supplies from the Mississippi to the East by rail.

Mr. Cozzen's book served as the "bible" for the planning and execution of the huge re-enactment of the Battle of Corinth staged Oct. 1-2, 2005 near Corinth, MS.

The writer does an excellent job writing about 2 little known, but important strategically, battles in Mississippi following Shiloh. He writes about the common soldier as well as the generals. His descriptions of the battles are as suspenseful as any adventure story...even though you know who won the battles. As well as providing details of the battles, he also writes about the strategic big picture. His characterizations of the generals are also superb.

The Civil War in the West has not received the literary attention that its strategic importance merits. Peter Cozzens continues to delight us Westerners with another masterpiece. Iuka and Corinth may not be household battle names, but Cozzens puts them and their role in shaping the Union victory in the West in proper perspective. The key generals (Grant, Rosecrans, Van Dorn) are given their due, both good and bad. Cozzens describes the movement of the armies and shares the words of the participants, while keeping the reader focused on the big picture - the objectives of the two armies, and why they succeeded or failed.

Are you a military board gamer? If you have SPI's 1981 "Corinth" game, this book makes a great supplement to enhance the game's playability and realism.

If you have read Cozzens' trilogy (Stones River, Chickamauga, Chattanooga), you will love this book. If you haven't read any of Cozzens' works, try this one first. He is one of the best contemporary writers. Peter, what's next? Pea Ridge? Forts Henry and Donelson? Vicksburg?

Nicely written from Union side.
Could use better map placement.
Northern Mississippi is not the easiest place to track.
I read as I had a relative killed at Iuka.

Peter Cozzens is, arguably, the greatest writer today of the Western Theatre of the Civil War. I live 90 miles from Corinth and have been to many of the sites related to the Battle of Corinth of fall-1862 (and some sites from the April-May 1862 siege of the city), but never knew even the basic series of events of this battle. Not so after reading Mr. Cozzens' great book.

Of course, Cozzens brings back his great writing style and research, then adds the maps by one George Skoch, one of the best mapmakers of military history today. Along with all this, many good illustrations are spread across the book.

But this book does not only cover the Battle of Corinth; it covers the Battle of Iuka, the engagement precipitating the much larger battle at Corinth, and the Battle of Davis Bridge, which followed the Battle of Corinth.

On my most recent trip to Shiloh and Corinth in early-April, on the way home I decided to stop by the Davis Bridge Battlefield, and happily found it to be in pristine condition, and interpreted. I never would have visited the battlefield had it not been for this book.

If you are a fan of the Western Theatre, your book collection is definitely incomplete without this fine volume; if you are a fan of the Eastern Theatre, Trans-Mississippi Theatre, or the Civil War in general, I would also urge you to purchase this book!