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The Glories of War: Small Battle and Early Heroes of 1861

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The very earliest part of the Civil War is normally treated in a cursory fashion. The battles examined in this book include only the merest handful that people are usually conversant with, such as First Manassas and Ball's Bluff. Many of the other encounters are treated by different authors in a mere handful of paragraphs before those authors move on to the major battles.

This book, though, gives a flavor of the armies in the East in 1861, as most officers and soldiers were learning their job. Most of the "Old Army" officers had never commanded anything larger than a company or, at most, a regiment. Now, all of a sudden, these were moving into commands of brigades, divisions, and corps.

This volume provides a view of units often being little more than amateur armed mobs led by amateur officers. In 1861, soldiers and officers learned their job. Later, they became more skilled. The poor officers were weeded out with time; those who were competent were more likely to rise. This book certainly introduces us to some pretty poor excuses for officers--on both sides of the War.

The author uses geography as his organizing principle, examining four "invasion corridors": the eastern invasion line, from Washington DC across the Potomac, from the south from Fort Monroe, from the West through the western part of Virginia (now West Virginia)--where George McLellan first made his name, and from the north through Harper's Ferry.

There is enough detail so that the reader actually understands what happens at these smaller scale, obscure contests. But 1861 is when a lot of soldiers and officers began to learn their craft.

Soon, the scale of the Civil War would change, with Shiloh an almost incomprehensibly bloody battle as compared with those described in 1861. Forts Henry and Donelson would fall in early 1862, a major strategic victory for the north, much more profound in its effect than almost anything occurring in 1861.

Still, though the Civil War in 1861 was "small potatoes" compared with what would come later, it provides the early training ground for what came later. And this book does an excellent job of infrming the reader of this training ground.

Never before have I found a text that so thoroughly explains the first year of the Civil War in Virginia. Dr. Poland takes great pains to explain the minor actions that influenced not only the armies, but the two nations as well.
The battles are descibed in detail and set the stage for the following years of war in the Eastern Theater. Much of the information concerning western Virginia (present day West Virginia) is usually absent or diluted in most modern accounts.
Dr. Poland also examines the press accounts of this period in the war and contrasts the sentiments of the public in the North and South. The book is well footnoted and gives many examples of newspaper coverage. This is especially enlightening in the current climate of news coverage.
The division of the conflict into the four invasion corridors makes the information easier to follow and allows the reader to better visualize the conflict. This is important because the information is sometimes tedious by the nature of detailed troop movements.
While this book and its detailed description of minor, athough fierce, battles may not hold the interest of the young or casual reader, it is a must for any student or buff of the Civil War in Virginia. It is also good for those generally interest in Virginia/West Virginia history. Attention to detail is required to read this, but it is that amount of detail that makes it worth it.

If you are looking for a romantic view of heroic battles, the title "The Glories of War" may mislead you. The stories in this book are dramatic but not glorious. The concluding remarks in this book make it clear that the "glories" were those imagined by soldiers when they enlisted in 1861. By the end of that year, many a soldier had learned that the harsh realities of war and army life held more misery than glory.

The American Civil War started in a country that was idealistic, more naive and less technologically-oriented than today. Dr. Poland recounts countless examples of inexperienced soldiers finding overwhelming fear, confusion, suffering, and tragedy when they met their enemy. Neither side was well-prepared for the war and the battles of 1861 were often poorly executed, chaotic, and even inconclusive.

This book is as much a collection of stories as it is a description of strategy and battles. It begins with the occupation of Alexandria, Virginia by Federal Troops and uses that story to introduce "The Eastern Invasion Corridor." This part of the book also describes the Bull Run Campaign and the Battle of Ball's Bluff. "The Southern Invasion Corridor" focuses on the Battle of Big Bethel. "The Western Invasion Corridor" details the struggle for control of western Virginia, which resulted in the creation of West Virginia as a new Union state. "The Northern Invasion Corridor" briefly covers Federal movement into Harper's Ferry and Romney.

Dr. Poland combines scholarship with a folksy style of storytelling. Humor and tragedy make their appearance regularly. I found the footnotes to be worth reading for their additional anecdotes as well as explanatory notes.

This book is suitable for Civil War buffs, researchers, and students. Those who are squeamish may prefer something else, as it does not ignore the hideous results of combat. However, carnage is only a small part of the book and is reported honestly. The book offers us a look at what soldiers went through along with clarifying descriptions of battles.

The story of Ball's Bluff is particularly detailed and well-told and the action in West Virginia is given over 200 pages. Quotes from soldiers who were there enliven the stories and help us picture the challenging geography and weather.

This reviewer has taken classes under Dr. Poland and found that he is incredibly knowledgeable about the Civil War in Virginia and West Virginia. He makes it a point to describe hardships that were suffered by soldiers and citizens so that we don't get carried away by the mythical glamour of this war.

An interesting book marred by numerous factual errors and typos. The Wheeling Intelligenser is spelled "intellegener". On page 327 it says that Corrick's Ford was usually mis-spelled as "Carrock's Ford" in the Official Record of the war. In fact, it was usually spelled as "Carrick's Ford" in the Oficial Record. The ford was named for William Corrick, whose house stood (and still does) at the ford.

Among other errors of fact is the statement on page 284 that "a weeping Union Major, John Love, Garnett's former roommate at West Point, recognized the slain general". No reference is given for this statement. Major John Love was assigned to the Indiana Brigade that participated in the battle at Corrick's Ford as a staff officer, but no contemporary accounts place him on the scene on or about the time Garnett was killed. The body was identified at the scene by Captain Henry Benham who recognized him. While Love and Garnett were in the same West Point class, and they might have been roommates, there is no evidence of that. West Point records, which have been searched, do not indicate who roomed with whom in that West Point class. The information might be in other papers or records, but the only Love papers available for review are those at the Indiana Historical Society and these contain no information on his West Point or Civil War time. Someone at the Indiana Historical Society 10 years ago said that there are some Love Civil War papers in a private collection, but as of September 2010 the Indiana Historical Society had no information as to whether there are or are not other Civil War records or papers on John Love.

This book lays out the entire first year of the American Civil War in Virginia and in detail describes all the battles and skirmishes during this time throughout the entire State.

The author tells the story by dividing the state of Virginia into four "invasion corridors". The first corridor is the Eastern Invasion Corridor. This invasion route is the one coming directly from Washington D.C. and even though I dont think most people have heard of this book it gives a fine description of the campaign and battle of First Bull Run. This alone makes the volume worth adding to anyones Civil War library. Balls Bluff is the other major action described in detail in this part of the book, and again, this makes it worth owning. Not only are these actions explained, but they are done so in a way that is easy to follow and highly informative, as are all actions in this volume no matter how obscure they might be. Other actions described in this part of the book are the Union occupation of Alexandria, Virginia and the death of Elmer Ellsworth commander of the 11th New York Fire Zouaves, and skirmishes at Pohick Church, Lewinsvile, Munson's Hill, and Dranesville.

Next covered is the Southern Invasion Corridor. This corridor originates from Fortress Monroe at the tip of the Virginia Peninsula bordered by the James and York Rivers southeast of Richmond and the shortest path for Union forces to capture the Confederate capitol. This is the single best and most detailed description of the battle of Big Bethel this reviewer has ever seen. This part of the book could stand alone as a book by itself. Excellent.

The third, or Western Invasion Corridor, covers all the actions in the northwestern part of the state of Virginia that in 1863 would become the new state of West Virginia. Again, this part of the book would make a worthwhile addition to anyones Civil War book collection by itself! Every action that occured during this campaign is covered. The Phillipi "Races", Belington, Rich Mountain, Corrick's Ford, Cheat Mountain, Greenbrier River, Camp Allegheny, Scary Creek, Cross Lanes, Carnifex Ferry, Sewell Mountain, and Cotton Hill, all these small actions, commanders, units engaged, and the campaigns that all these small battles and skirmishes comprise, are explained in great detail. Really good stuff.

The final invasion route covered is the Northern Invasion Corridor. This covers 1861 actions in the Shenandoah Valley. The Confederate capture of Harper's Ferry, the attempt by Union General Patterson to pin Joe Johnston's southern forces in the valley and keep them from reinforcing Beauregard at Manassas, and Stonewall Jackson's Romney campaign are laid out for the reader.

The final part of the book explains the reactions of, and conclusions the participants on both sides drew from the actions of 1861 in Virginia.

This book does not brush over anything, at 570 pages it describes in detail every campaign, battle, and skirmish covered. The information is laid out clearly and it is easy to understand what is happening. The reader never gets lost. Military history books require good maps to effectively show the reader, and allow them to follow along with the action and this book does not disappoint! There are 53 maps throughout the text, and from the look of them, they are all hand drawn by the author! Dont let this turn you off, these maps work. Twenty illustrations are included of participants and actions that make up this fine volume. The only reason I did not give this book five stars was there were quite a few typographical errors in the text. This volume needed more proofreading. (I have the paperback volume) Besides that criticism, I highly recommend this book!