While Days of Glory draws on the lives and words of common soldiers, it focuses primarily on the commanders. Daniel explores the dynamics of discord, political in-fighting, and feeble leadership that stymied the army in achieving its full potential. He offers a fresh interpretation of General George H. Thomas as a flawed character who did not mature until late 1863 and addresses the impact of battlefield logistics and the formation of the cavalry.
The Cumberland army evolved as the war progressed, and Daniel traces its changing mission from the liberation of East Tennessee to the penetration of the Deep South. Disproportionately influenced during the first two years of the war by the Kentucky bloc, the officer corps eventually reflected the tremendous influx of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois regiments. The author shows the troops’ abolitionist sympathies emerging in the summer of 1862 and growing to the point that the army’s support for President Lincoln played a decisive role in his reelection in 1864.
Making extensive use of thousands of letters and diaries, Daniel creates an epic portrayal of the developing Cumberland army, from untrained volunteers to hardened soldiers united in their hatred of the Confederates. It is a saga of what veterans would remember pridefully as the days of glory.
