The Passing of Armies: An Account Of The Final Campaign Of The Army Of The Potomac [Mass Market Paperback]

Joshua Chamberlain (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1992

A member of the Fifth Corps recounts the dramatic final acts of the Civil War, describing Sheridan's rise, Warren's fall, and the slow, inexorable stalking of Lee's forces across the battle-scarred countryside. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is one of the finest accounts of a campaign penned by a Federal soldier....A stellar work of Civil War history -- a classic." -- The Civil War in Books. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Introducer Brooks D. Simpson has written widely on the Civil War and Reconstruction. He is a professor of history and humanities at Arizona State University.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (December 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553299921
• ISBN-13: 978-0553299922
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #406,928 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Americas > United States > Civil War

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A deeply moving experience - a real insight, November 19, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Passing of the Armies: An Account of the Final Campaign of the Army of the Potomac, Based upon Personal Reminiscences of the Fifth Army Corps (Hardcover)

It was after being shown the film "Gettysburg" in August 1997 I first heard of Joshua Lawrence Chamnberlain and the 20 Maine. I found the film very moving, and the serious, very human and very sensitive character of Chamberlain (played by Jeff Daniels) a very appealing figure - a true leader, a man who could inspire the best from others, a man of courage and integrity.

I wanted to find out more, to discover the real Joshua Chamberlain. To my delight, I found he had written a personal account of his life with the Army of the Potomac. Unbelievably - "The Passing of the Armies" was now available in the UK.

I was overwhelmed by this book, a poem in prose, a beautiful command of language and emotion, sensitive and deeply felt. It helped me understand a little of what the American Civil War did mean and how men could endure such agony and danger.

The book is an incredibly personal account of the last days before Appomattox, followed by a almost mystical account of the last review of the battered but triumphant Army of the Potomac. The language is very romantic, very foreign to twentieth century ears, but Joshua Chamberlain was there, he risked everything, valued people, he saw the deaths and felt the loss. Wounded six times, he was once given up for dead after being shot through both hips by a musket ball while leading a charge at Petersburg in 1864.

He was a good man, an inspiring man, with a wonderful self-deprecating humour, as shown when he describes falling in a muddy river along with his horse. Raymond Chandler wrote a line for his creation Philip Marlowe which I feel is very appropriate for Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain - "If there were enough like him, the world would be a very safe place to live in, and yet not too dull to be worth living in."

I went on to read "In the Hands of Providence" by Alice Rains Trulock, the latest biography of Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain which I would recommend to anyone.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating View Inside the Closing Days of the War, January 2, 2005

By 

Andrew Olmsted (Colorado Springs, CO USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Passing of Armies: An Account Of The Final Campaign Of The Army Of The Potomac (Mass Market Paperback)

Joshua Chamberlain is probably the most famous 'minor figure' of the American Civil War. While history has remembered an amazing number of Civil War generals (quick, name three generals from America's Revolutionary War), Chamberlain never rose to a position high enough to be generally considered important. Except, that is, for his amazing work on July 2, 1863, when his regiment, the 20th Maine, held the left flank of the Union army against repeated Confederate attacks, culminating with a bayonet charge when the regiment ran out of ammunition. For his actions on that day, Chamberlain received the Medal of Honor.

But while Chamberlain's heroism at Gettysburg was amazing and vitally important to the survival of the United States of America, they were hardly the only important actions Chamberlain took during the war. Chamberlain would go on after Gettysburg to be wounded six times, twice declared dead in The New York Times, and rise to the rank of Brevet Major General and division commander. During his time with the Army of the Potomac, Chamberlain had a front row view of the battles that ended the American Civil War, and he was on the field at Appomattox when Robert E. Lee finally accepted the inevitable and asked Grant for terms of surrender. Chamberlain was then selected to accept the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.

Given those exploits, Chamberlain had quite a bit to report on, and in The Passing of the Armies he offers his views on the final campaign of the war and the disbanding of the Army of the Potomac. Chamberlain's writing is fascinating, although the style is appropriate to the 19th century and can appear a bit cumbersome to the modern reader. It is nonetheless a gripping read as the reader travels with Chamberlain across the last battlefields of the American Civil War, feeling the excitement and horror of the first industrial war in history. Chamberlain's perspective was at once close enough to feel the heat of the battle yet removed enough that he is able to describe the larger picture relative to the battlefield. All the book is really missing is a few better maps; it can be difficult to follow the battles given the limited maps included in the book. But that is a minor point, and the reader will be caught up in the battles even if unable to place them on a map.

Despite all the excellent books written on the Civil War, only those who actually experienced the war can provide a feeling for what it was like to survive the battles. Joshua Chamberlain's memoirs give the reader an opportunity to actually get inside the head of a true American hero. As such, they are invaluable reading for anyone interested in the American Civil War, war in general, or leadership.

20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A well written account of the final days, July 15, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Passing of Armies: An Account Of The Final Campaign Of The Army Of The Potomac (Mass Market Paperback)

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain's book is a well written, detailed account of the final days of the Civil War. (As it should be - he was a Rhetoric Professor at Bowdoin College.) The book is not for those with a desire to read a more action packed or anecdotal view of the Civil War. It is intended to be a historically accurate and detailed account of what happened during the surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia.