Customer Reviews

Mountains Touched With Fire: Chattanooga Besieged, 1863

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book concerns itself with the siege of Chattanooga in the fall of 1863 by the Confederates and the unexpected breakout by Union forces just when it seemed that they on the verge of suffering a major defeat. Historian Willey Sword weaves a brilliant narrative that reveals the behind-the-scenes infighting of the Confederate generals and the ineptness of many of the northern generals as well as the rise of Ulysses S. Grant (this battle helped to cement his reputation). But what I found most compelling about this book was the detailed descriptions of the incredible suffering that was sustained by the common soldiers.

Many people have a romantic image of the Civil War. But the reality is that the average soldier suffered hardships that cannot even be imagined today. For example, so starved were the troops on both sides during the siege that many were driven to such desperate acts as eating bark off trees or picking undigested corn from animal feces. For in those days, supplies to the battlefield often had to travel hundreds of miles on rail which were often sabotaged by the enemy. Even if the supplies made it to the nearest depot safely, they still had to travel dozens of miles by horse-driven wagons over muddy and often impassable roads. The sad truth is that most supplies ended up rotting or otherwise were destroyed before they even got to the troops, ensuring a constant lack of vital supplies and rampant starvation and illnesses.

By this stage of the Civil War, it was apparent that many of the rank-and-file soldiers were sick of the war and just wanted it to end. In fact, soldiers on opposing sides of the picket lines would often banter playfully with each other and trade such items as pocket knives and tobacco back and forth across enemy lines. But they would soon enough be engaged in bloody battle once again. The climactic battle makes for gripping reading and many unexpected (and unheralded) heros turn disaster into victory (for the Union).

The battle described in this book is typical of many Civil War battles. Lots of people were slaughtered and maimed. Many of them senselessly on account of ill-advised orders from their own officers. It is amazing how the United States was able to reunite at all after such a bloody conflict (over 520,000 Americans were killed), but that is a story for other books to tell. This book only concerns itself with the action at Chattanooga in late 1863 and the narrow focus of the book is an advantage as it does not bore the reader with a confusing tangle of battles and generals - the pitfall of many of the other Civil War books.

The only disappointment with this book (and keeping it from getting five stars) is that there are only a few maps and they are horrid and almost useless. This extremely well-written text deserves better situation maps and more of them so that the reader can better picture the action in his/her mind.

For the most part this was an entertaining and useful book. I did not enjoy it as much as Sword's other works, for two reasons. First, the maps were poor and not well situated throughout the text. Often events were described and the locations were not on any of the overall regional maps. It was also difficult to find the relevant map so an index would have been helpful. Considering the main audience for this work is composed of Civil War buffs, detailed and covenient maps should have been a top priority. Second, I think there was some mild hyperbole used throughout, with verbs chosen to unnecessarily sharpen the conflict between fueding generals. Other than these points I thought this book was a wonderful exposition of the siege of Chattanooga. After reading it I will have to visit Missionary Ridge all over again. I highly recommend Sword's other books to the Civil War enthusiast.

Wiley Sword has a richly deserved reputation as a Civil War historian and a writer. Although the title indicates the book is about the battle of Chattanooga, the book is half gone before you start the fighting that occurred in Nov. 1864.

Sword starts with the Tullahoma Campaign, touches on the events preceding Chickamauga, and with the fires still glowing 12 miles south of Chattanooga, Sword begins to weave the tale of America's Scenic City late in 1863. The Union Army is stranded with little food and little hope of increasing its supply, Rosecrans is arrogently refusing to admit to his problem and General Grant is put in charge of a potentially disasterous situation.

Grant's first concern are the men trapped in this valley between two mountains. He is willing to overlook his distaste for George Thomas, who is, well, a Virginian in the Union Army. Once a supply route is secure and the rations begin to pour into the besieged city, Grant turns his attention to the problem at hand -- lifting the seige and driving the Rebels back. This he does in a series of four battles, Orchard Knob, the "Battle Above the Clouds," Missionary Ridge and Ringgold Gap.

The Confederates are being torn apart by the hatred of most of the generals for their commanding officer, Braxton Bragg. And as much a the book is a big hurrah for General Grant and Thomas, its an indictment of the beleaguered commander of the Army of Tennessee.

Sword's strength is his ability to tell a story without sacrificing historical accuracy. I suppose he could have gone into more detail, but I like it just the way it is. We don't need another Cozzens epic.

I want to start off by saying that I loved this book, and this was the first book on the Siege/Battle of Chattanooga that I have read. There was one glaring inaccurarcy: while describing Sherman's movement from Memphis to Chattanooga (via the Memphis & Charleston RR), Sword misplaces the town of Colliersville as being in Mississippi, while, in fact, it is in Tennessee. I know this as I live within 20 miles of Collierville.

Sword, as usual, is very skillful in his writing. His book on Shiloh was, I believe, the best on that battle, and this book definitely doesn't dissapoint. The photo section of this book was great.

Why, you may ask, didn't I give this book five stars, then? The reason is that his book had very few maps, and those provided, while not bad, could definitely have been better. If there had been more maps, I most likely would have given this book five stars.

With all that said, I would recommend this book to anyone who has a sincere interest in the campaigns of the War Between the States. At the price Amazon.Com charges, I would recommend even more highly that you purchase it.

Mountains Touched with Fire is a fine history of the the battle of Chickamauga and the resulting siege and relief of Chattanooga. It is the perfect companion to Sword's other book dealing with the western front - Embrace an Angry Wind : The Confederacy's Last Hurrah Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville.

Mountains Touched traces the battle in detail from the Union loss of Chickamauga to the raising of the subsequent siege of Chattanooga. Sword excels in describing the effect of the battle on the common soldier and the interplay of the Union and Confederate Generals and the effect that it had on the outcome. His description of the charge up Missionary Ridge is at times griping. He takes particular care in describing the fact that the charge was in direct violation of General Grant's orders and was the result of the spontaneous action of the Union rank and file.

He, like others, is especially critical of Braxton Bragg and almost all of the other Confederate commanders. Of the Union Generals, he is not as critical. However, his description of the successful frontal charge up Missionary Ridge and the simotaineous stalemate with Sherman's troops on the northern side of the Ridge reveals that Sword believed that luck, as much as anything else was the reason for the Union victory. If there is a General that Sword is positive about it is General Thomas. The same is true of his other book. Combined they reveal that Sword believes that Thomas is an unsung hero of the Civil War.

The book is well written, although at times the detail seems excessive. The weakness of the book is the maps or lack thereof. At times it is difficult to follow the battle sequences and place them in a geographical context.

Wiley Sword has written a very compelling and totally engrossing book on the Battles for Chattanooga in 1863. Mr. Sword takes you to the front lines of both sides and makes you feel that you are a part of the action as you read his stirring narrative. The book chronicles the horrible state of the Army of the Cumberland directly after the dreadful loss at Chickamauga. Sword also portrays the hard times suffered by the Army of Tennessee as the long siege of Chattanooga begins in September of that year. Mr. Sword's pen puts you on the front lines of both armies. You get the soldiers' perspective here...all of the horror, suffering and yes, humor that the boys in the western theater realized that late fall of 1863. The triumph of this book are the chapters dealing with the assault of Missionary Ridge by George Thomas's troops on the 25th of November. I was mesmerized by Sword's account, and have finally come to realize the great contributions ! ! that the Army of the Cumberland had made throughout those bloody years of our history. Sword's narrative brings to life the heroism of that day, and finally puts a spotlight on that Grand Army of the West, who unfortunately have not received the recognition they so richly deserve and have earned as we approach the 135th anniversary of this great struggle. A must for all buffs, and history fans, Sword presents an entirely fair and accurate depiction of the events that took place in Southeastern Tennessee all those years ago. I would have rated this book a five, but the maps included with the text were very ordinary, and too small. They did not aid in telling the story, and for that reason I was disappointed.

Overall there is not much that I can add to the last review of this book offered by Amazon.com. I must say that the author provides more than enough detail of the events and personalities leading up the battle of Chattanoogo in 1863. And as the previous review makes mention he certainly covers all aspects of the soldiers and generals lives during this campaign . Of interest was the in-fighting between the Southern Officers and the decent and honest appraisal of Grant, Sherman & Thomas and who the real hereo/s were. The only thing that I could fault this book on was that you had to read nearly half of it until you got to the fighting, however once there it became a great book. The maps were OK but there could have been more and an index to their locations. The actual accounts of the fighting were excellent, however the lead up to the battle was, at time, tedious. Overall a good solid book which covers all aspects of the battle and the men involved and as good as Peter Cozzens "Shipwreck of their hopes'.

The Battle of Chickamauga occurred as an event in the larger struggle between both sides for control and possession of the important railroad and riverside terminus of Chattanooga. In war, just as in real estate, location means everything. The struggle for Chattanooga and the Battle of Missionary Ridge just outside it, probably had a greater affect on the outcome of the war than anything occurring at Chickamauga, despite the latter's ferocity.

If you want to satisfy your curiosity on this subject, let me recommend to you Wiley Sword's most recent work, Mountains Touched with Fire, Chattanooga Besieged. Some of you no doubt recognize Wiley Sword as the author of Shiloh , Bloody April and Embrace An Angry Wind, The Confederacy's Last Hurrah: Spring Hill, Franklin and Nashville. Of course other books cover the same subject matter, but to my mind, no one narrates the overall story of a campaign as well as Mr. Sword. Touched with Fire proves no exception.

I won't spoil the story by revealing the details here. However, if you enjoy learning about how inept military planning, accidental coincidence and the simple courage of common soldiers have more to do with the actual outcome of history than most other things, you will enjoy this book.

I will say this though, the book contains an excellent quip about the "possum grin". The reference, for those who care to take note, originally comes from Sam Watkin's of "Co. Aytch".

"They were gunless, cartridge-boxless, knapsackless, canteenless, and all other military accoutermentsless, and swordless, and officerless, and they all seemed to have the 'possum grins, like Bragg looked, and you never heard such fun made of a parcel of soldiers in you life."

Sword's book presents a detailed and gripping account of the Union's struggle to break through tough Confederate forces holding on to the gateway of Georgia. He takes us from the Union's loss at Chicamauga to the final conquest of Missionary Ridge while providing a clear picture of the human misery and tragedy of this seige. Sword also provides an objective narration of the principal players, including Grant, Sherman, and Bragg. A great book from beginning to end.

Mountains Touched With Fire by Wiley Sword is a very interesting history of the Battle for Chattanooga in 1863. The book skillfully blends the common touch of the daily life of the enlisted men with the facts about the great struggle which played a large part in deciding the outcome of the war.

In this book, Sword displays the human failings of the commanders as well as the significance of the battle, both for the commanders personally as well as the countries which they served.

Braxton Bragg gets a thorough thrashing. He is portrayed as the general who, in failing to drive the Union out of Chattanooga after his victory at Chickamauga, prepared the way for the disaster which later befell his army. Bragg first had to face an open rebellion among his subordinate officers, which he subdued through his influence with President Davis. He then turned his attention to the Union Army. He and his subordinates managed to bungle the job to the point that the armies were marching, not north into Tennessee, but south into Georgia. The conventional wisdom of superior Southern military leadership is clearly called into question in this campaign.

For the Union commanders the developments were more favorable. Ulysses S. Grant was brought in to Chattanooga after his victories in the West and turned a starving, demoralized mob into a conquering army by procuring supplies and planning an offensive campaign. When the battle had been won, Grant was transferred to command all Union Armies and to direct operations in Virginia. His trusted lieutenant, William T. Sherman, was left as the commander of the Western Armies that would March through Georgia and burn South Carolina. The change in the fortunes of the commanders was striking.

The Battle for Chattanooga was of greater national significance than is generally recognized. Although much attention is directed toward the war in Virginia, the truth is that the war was largely won and lost in the West. Although the ultimate defeat of the Confederacy is seen in the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia and the capture of Richmond, the truth is that after the fall of Chattanooga, their was relatively little of the Confederacy still in Confederate hands. Even if the Confederates could have gotten the upper hand in Virginia, it could not have won the independence of the rest of its country.

Mountains Touched With Fire is a valuable resource to all who want to understand the how the Union won the war and how Grant and Sherman became the heroes they remain today.