Sherman's Battle For Atlanta (Campaigns of the Civil War) [Paperback]

General Jacob D. Cox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 1994 | Series: Campaigns of the Civil War

In 1864 Abraham Lincoln had privately predicted his defeat in the impending election, but ten days later Atlanta fell, assuring his victory. General Jacob D. Cox (1828–1900) played a key role in the Union success at Atlanta, a city of profound strategic and political significance. At Kenesaw Mountain in June, his division seized a ridge opposite the Confederate left, allowing Sherman to flank the Confederates out of their prepared position; in late August Cox's men served the city's final rail line, forcing Hood's evacuation. It was Cox's self-professed qualities of "a bold heart, a cool hand, and practical common-sense" that later earned him the command of the entire Twenty-third Corps and the rank of major general. After the war, Cox applies those same attributes to his books, Sherman's Battle for Atlanta and Sherman's March to the Sea/two volumes in the landmark series Campaigns of the Civil War. In Atlanta Cox offers readers a compact, comprehensive, and balanced history of that campaign. William T. Sherman emerges as the primary hero of events, but he does not remain unscathed by Cox's evaluation. Cox’s insightful chronicle of the campaign—from the performances of Generals Johnston's evasive maneuvers through Hood's three desperate attempts to dispel the Yankees to Sherman's triumphant telegram to Washington that "Atlanta is ours, and fairly won"—has endured the scrutiny of time.

Product Details

• Paperback: 274 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (August 22, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030680588X
• ISBN-13: 978-0306805882
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,079,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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4.0 out of 5 stars Really Quite Outstanding., November 22, 2011

By 

Michael E. Fitzgerald (Kingwood, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sherman's Battle For Atlanta (Campaigns of the Civil War) (Paperback)

When most of us think about the Civil War we tend to think of the engagements fought in the Eastern Theater of operations, Antietam, Gettysburg, Bull Run, etc. These battles represent campaigns of relatively short duration, 4-6 weeks maximum.

The Atlanta campaign was materially different. It lasted for more than 4 months, was fought along a corridor up to 50 miles wide and 150 miles long, contained 17 separate battles and generated more casualties for both sides, Union and Confederate, than Antietam and Bull Run combined. It took Union operations awhile to take hold, but once Sherman and Grant replaced first Don Carlos Buell and then William Rosecrans, Atlanta and the rest of the Central Theater of operations were toast, succumbing to Sherman's juggernaut in very short order.

Written in 1882, this 9th volume of the series Campaigns of the Civil War, is the primary source document for all subsequent historians as to Union operations during this portion of the Civil War. Sherman's forces were composed of three distinct armies, the Army of the Ohio under John Schofield, the Army of the Cumberland under George Thomas and the Army of the Tennessee under James McPherson. Cox served under Schofield for the entire Atlanta campaign, eventually becoming Major General of the Twenty-third Corps, responsible for the entire Army of the Ohio in Schofield's absence. His first hand knowledge of Sherman's troop dispositions, the careful maneuvering of each of his 3 armies, their strategic positioning and application is remarkably informative.

General Cox is a skillful writer. While his style reflects his time, I found this work incorporated not just the intricacy with which these battles were contested but the organizational efficiency with which Sherman fought, resupplied and moved his 112,000 thousand men. The sheer scale is what astounds. Depending on the terrain, the battle lines of the opposing armies could stretch 6 to 12 miles! Within an hour, Union forces could entrench field fortifications twenty feet wide at the base, ten feet tall and six miles long. Foreign observers were astounded at the rapidity with which these armies could move and completely refortify themselves. Burnt and destroyed bridges were replaced so quickly Confederates could hear the whistles of the Union resupply trains before they had retreated a mile. And telegraph lines were strung on trees through the forest to ensure communication between the various armies was as instantaneous as the technology of 1864 could provide.

If you are a true Civil war buff, you will greatly enjoy this fine, remarkably detailed work. In just 4 months Sherman would move 112,00 men 150 miles, taking Atlanta and saving Lincoln's Presidency in the process. It was a remarkable feat of arms. In the process he would slice the Confederacy in two for a second time. This is how he did it according to a key participant who fought in each of these 17 battles.

Cox's work is as close as it gets to a direct report from the front.