Customer Reviews

Fields of Glory: A History and Tour Guide of the War in the West, the Atlanta Campaign, 1864 (Civil War Explorer Series)

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Finding Civil War related sites in North Georgia is no mean feat, but Miles' book really helps. I was able to see the majority of the most important sites in the Atlanta Campaign on a two day whirlwind car tour by following the route laid out by Fields of Glory. (Although a faithful and through tour following the book would have taken several days at least.) The interpretive background provided about each stop is extremely valuable, and I'm sure many of the sites I visited are not the sort of thing the casual Civil War tourist would ever find unaided. Also, the chapters describing the campaign history are very well written and provide just the right amount of detail. I did find that the (modern) maps in the book were somewhat less than adequate and, in many cases, there are no maps provided for some hard-to-find locations. I spent several hours before my trip printing off online street maps of each of the destinations. Without this prepration I probably would have gotten lost and would have seen a lot less. But, on balance, the book was exactly what I was looking for. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to tour the sites related to the Atlanta Campaign.

Now in its second edition and part of the outstanding Cumberland House "Civil War Explorer" series, Fields Of Glory by American Civil War expert Jim Miles is an informed and informative study and tour guide of the American Civil War in the west, culminating with the Atlanta campaign of 1864. The meticulously detailed text traces the path of the war, chronicles its skirmishes and battles, and provides detailed directions for a self-guided driving tour that follows the path of history. Black and white photographs illustrate this superbly presented and highly recommended travel resource for an unforgettable journey that recounts the life-and-death saga of nearly a hundred and fifty years ago.

It can be fun traveling in the footsteps of history. In fact there has been a recent upswing in "Heritage Tourism," and with the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War quickly approaching I can only imagine the number of heritage tourists is only going to grow. Though guided tours are great, they are often prohibitively expensive for the average tourist. Besides, I would rather invest a small amount of money and buy a great guide book, follow the footprints of history at my own leisurely pace.

"The Civil War Explorer" is a terrific series of guidebooks written by Jim Miles published by Cumberland House Publishing of Nashville. Among the series' titles is "Fields of Glory: A History and Tour Guide of the War in the West, The Atlanta Campaign, 1864," which is currently in its second edition.

"Fields of Glory" traces the route of Sherman's campaign and capture of Atlanta. Mr. Miles has broken the tour up into several easily manageable sections: Ringgold to Dalton, Tilton & Resaca, from Adairsville to Cassville, Cartersville to Pickett's Mill, Kennesaw Mountain, from Roswell to Peach Tree Creek, and finally a tour of Atlanta and Jonesboro.

Introducing each section of the tour is a historical overview which puts the sites to which he will eventually guide his readers into their proper historical context. Once you climb in the car with Mr. Miles book as a guide (I highly recommend taking another person along with you to act as a navigator) there detailed turn by turn instructions to take you to the tour stops. Along the way, Mr. Miles has supplemented his text with several thumbnail, biographical sketches covering many of the most prominent players in the drama unfolding before you. Not only does Mr. Miles take his readers to all of the must see places, but also he takes them off the beaten path to see things that many casual tourists may miss.

Any one who buys Mr. Miles book is getting two tours for the price of one, as also covered in the book are many sites related to "The Great Locomotive Chase" detailed by Russell Bonds in his book "Stealing the General: The Great Locomotive Chase and the First Medal of Honor."

Mr. Miles' book serves as a great companion book to two other recent books about the Campaign and battles for Atlanta, "The Bonfire: The Siege and Burning of Atlanta" by Marc Wortman and "War Like the Thunderbolt: The Battle and Burning of Atlanta," another book by Russell Bonds.

"Fields of Glory" is a must have for every heritage tourist who finds him or herself in Northwestern Georgia. You can easily cover a section or two of the tour in a day, but if you would like to take the whole tour, and see everything, I would highly suggest scheduling a week of vacation, as you will most surely need it.