Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns (Great Campaigns of the Civil War) [Hardcover]

Steven E. Woodworth (Author)

Book Description

Series: Great Campaigns of the Civil War | Publication Date: April 1, 1998

When Vicksburg fell to Union forces under General Grant in July 1863, the balance turned against the Confederacy in the trans-Appalachian theater. The Federal success along the river opened the way for advances into central and eastern Tennessee, which culminated in the bloody battle of Chickamauga and then a struggle for Chattanooga. Chickamauga is usually counted as a Confederate victory, albeit a costly one. That battle—indeed the entire campaign—is marked by muddle and blunders occasionally relieved by strokes of brilliant generalship and high courage. The campaign ended significant Confederate presence in Tennessee and left the Union poised to advance upon Atlanta and the Confederacy on the brink of defeat in the western theater.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

A narrative history of crucial Civil War operations in the West after Grant's great victories at Vicksburg and Fort Donaldson in July 1863. Woodworth (History/Texas Christian Univ.) traces how several bloody campaigns, marked by serious blunders on both sides, helped seal the Confederacy's fate. The Union Army of the Cumberland, under the command of General William S. Rosecrans, a neurotic, slow-moving perfectionist, were under orders to seize Chattanooga, a city important both because it served as a Confederate rail center (and the area around it was a breadbasket for Confederate forces) and because it guarded the path to Atlanta and the deep South. Opposing Rosecrans was Braxton Bragg, in charge of the Army of Tennessee. Bragg was particularly unpopular, and his command was frequently hamstrung by dissension. The opposing armies, maneuvering in an immense mountainous and forested area, were intermittently crippled by a lack of intelligence and by the difficulty of moving large numbers of troops over inhospitable terrain. Woodworth offers some convincing portraits of Rosecrans, Bragg, and their officers, and catches with great clarity the nature of the deadly chess game the armies were engaged in. Rosecrans's errors led to a Union defeat at Chickamauga, costly for both sides, after which both armies were reinforced. General Longstreet joined Bragg, bringing elements of the Army of Northern Virginia, and deepening the professional jealousy that kept threatening to dissipate Confederate successes. Union forces were bolstered by the arrival of the armies of Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan, all talented, aggressive fighters. Pressured by Lincoln, the Union forces finally captured Chattanooga, inflicting another humiliating setback on the Confederates and opening up the path for Sherman's march to Atlanta and the sea. A fine analysis of strategic and tactical operations, stressing the influence of commanders on the success, or failure, of their armies, while not losing sight of the grim experience of war for frontline troops. (4 photos, 6 maps, 5 engravings, not seen) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

“Woodworth traces how several bloody campaigns, marked by serious blunders on both sides, helped seal the Confederacy’s fate. . . . A fine analysis of strategic and tactical operations, stressing the influence of commanders on the success, or failure, of their armies, while not losing sight of the grim experience of war for frontline troops.”—Kirkus

(Kirkus )

“Concise and easily read . . . To give a full picture of the battles here, Woodworth takes us to Hoover’s Gap and Tullahoma, McLemore’s Cove and Knoxville, and ties those important facets into one seamless story that enables the reader to grasp the full significance of the whole campaign.”—Chattanooga Free Press

(Chattanooga Free Press )

“Woodworth does not shy from provocative analysis, especially when it concerns the Confederate high command.”—H-Net Reviews

(H-Net Reviews ) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 262 pages
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press (April 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803247788
• ISBN-13: 978-0803247789
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #502,813 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Steven E. Woodworth is a professor of history at Texas Christian University, and an acknowledged expert on the Civil War. He has written a number of well-received books on the topic, including Nothing But Victory. He lives in Fort Worth, Texas.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Another "Lost Cause" Apology, August 30, 2009

By 

William H. Billings "islandhopper3" (Key Largo, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns (Great Campaigns of the Civil War) (Paperback)

The author's depictions of the principal characters of the Southern armies at Chickamauga seem to be penned by someone who believes there is merit in the post-Civil War mythology of the "Lost Cause". This bias cannot be ignored in Woodworth's diverse treatments of Generals Braxton Bragg and James Longstreet. Woodworth would have his readers to believe Bragg's ineffectiveness was due to a cabal of subordinates who were in a constant state of either panic, fear or mutiny or a combination thereof, and that Longstreet was vain, petty, conniving and unworthy of his reputation as a superb General. Closer examination of Bragg's performance prior to Chickamauga reveals a lack of success that cannot be solely attributed to his subordinates, but can help explain how and why his subordinates - and the troops they commanded - lost confidence in their commanding officer. Of particular offense is Woodworth's treatment of General James Longstreet. The author provides excruciating detail about the areas between Ringgold, GA and Chickamauga, and the propensity to become lost or disoriented in the maze of mountains, but attributes Longstreet's anger at not being met at Catoosa to vanity. More likely are the facts that Longstreet was not familiar with the area, did not have maps of the area (Bragg would later provide a crudely drawn map, and did not know the positions of the opposing armies or Bragg's HQ. Longstreet's near capture by Federal troops along the way could have been avoided, and a more timely positioning of Longstreets troops could have been facilitated had some member of Bragg's staff been deployed as an escort. When Longstreet located Bragg nine hours later, Bragg, at that time, was asleep and after almost two days of fighting was unaware of the whereabouts or condition of his army's entire Left Wing. Woodworth faults Longstreet for delaying his attack when Bragg's instructions were for Longstreet to delay his advance until General Leonidas Polk's troops had advanced en enchelon, and successive units had moved forward sufficient to meet the Confederate Left Wing. Longstreet waited but the agreed upon signal to advance did not come. When Longstreet did advance the resulting attack was considerably more effective than Woodworth's description, and it was not until General George Thomas (The Rock of Chickamauga) stood firm on Snodgrass Hill that Longstreet's attack was blunted. For an excellent account of Longstreet's attack consider Jeffry Wert's "General James Longstreet: The Confederacy's Most Controversial Soldier". I will also take issue with the author's characterization of Longstreet as being complacent during the battle regarding reconnaisance of the Federal positions, and of his stopping to take rations during the battle. On more than one occasion Longstreet had nearly been killed conducting personal reconnaisance, or with his staff, and it would be the case at The Wilderness that he, like Stonewall Jackson, would be shot by Confederate pickets because he was so far in front of his lines that he was mistaken for the enemy. As most readers already know the taking of rations during a battle was not uncommon. Men ate and drank what they could when they could. This would certainly have been the case when trying to remove the Federals from the formidable defense Thomas mounted from Snodgrass Hill. Although I was willing to give this book a three star rating I now believe it deserves no more than two due to the author's reliance on and citation of questionable resources. One such resource is Edward Carr Franks, whose opinion of General James Longstreet found resonance with Woodworth's subscription to Lost Cause mythology. The sole reference to Carr's bibliography is an article published in a Civil War journal edited by Steven Woodworth. Woodworth also cites Judith Lee Hallock's whose doctoral-dissertation-turned-two-volume, 740 page "Braxton Bragg and Confederate Defeat", and 134 page "General James Longstreet in the West: A Monumental Failure" also resonate with the author's bias. Bragg, according to Woodworth suffered defeat not at the hands of Ulysses S. Grant but by those of his reluctant and rebellious subordinate officers. No Lost Cause excoriation of Longstreet would be complete without the use of the South's finest apologist, Douglas Southall Freeman, who in his biography of Robert E. Lee presents in dramatic prose the case for Longstreet being responsible not only for the defeat at Gettysburg, but the war itself. Not surprisingly the author does not cite Freeman's subsequent admission that he had erred in making Longstreet the scapegoat, or his subsequent lack of focus on Longstreet - in "Lee's Lieutenants" - or any other individual as being responsible for the outcome of Gettysburg, or the war. Although the author is an Associate Professor of history at Texas Christian University he has demonstrated here either an inability or an unwillingness to offer a full account of the historical records arising from the events in question, and thus denies both his readers and students the full benefits of our nation's history.

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS IS A MUST, October 3, 2002

By 

J. Romeo (knoxville, tn USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns (Great Campaigns of the Civil War) (Paperback)

I stumbled upon this title by accident, when I was looking for Civil War books about Tennessee. I am very happy that I did. The book was an easy read, but not so easy that I flew through it without learning anything.
One of the best things about the book was Woodworth's writting style. He wrote it in such away that I felt I was there, living these events with the generals and the soldiers from both sides. Having hiked the regions that the events took place in helped too, but even if you have not the descriptions are very strong. He never writes over your head like he expects you to be a Civil War historian, nor does he dumb it down to a fifth grade level.
The transitions from the North's side to the South's side of the conflict was brilliantly done. Nothing was left out in going from one side to the other. If events were taking place at the same time Woodworth let you know. When he talked of the battles they were well layed out as to who was doing what,where and when.

The thing that I learned most from this book was the internal bickering in the South's upper chain of command. No one was doing what they were suppose to do when they were suppose to do it. It would seem to me,after reading this book, if the generals under Bragg's command would have done as they were told the outcome would have been totally different and maybe even the outcome of the Civil war itself.
If you are from Chattanooga or Knoxville, I highly recommend reading this book. If you just like reading Civil War histories this is a must.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Chicachatta, March 7, 2006

By 

D. Halliday "hunkomellow" (Minneapolis, Mn) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Six Armies in Tennessee: The Chickamauga and Chattanooga Campaigns (Great Campaigns of the Civil War) (Paperback)

Woodworth is a first-rate writer with an impressive command of the material. The campaign is complicated one and he deals with it well, although not in the detail that Peter Cozzens offers in his landmark books. I have two quibbles: There is no map with the Chickamauga chapter, a battle of mind-bending complexity. Also, Woodworth deals very lightly with Gen. John B. Turchin, surely one of the war's most colorful characters