An account of the largest campaign of the Civil War weaves together narrative, military analysis, and firsthand testimony from the diaries and letters of Union and Confederate soldiers to reflect on the influence of individuals on events. 25,000 first printing.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Sears complements his 1988 biography of George McClellan with this definitive analysis of the general's principal campaign. McClellan's grand plan was to land an army at Yorktown, move up the Virginia peninsula toward Richmond, and fight a decisive battle somewhere near the Confederate capital, thereby ending the Civil War while it was still a rebellion instead of a revolution. The strategy failed in part because of McClellan's persistent exaggerations of Confederate strength, but also because under his command the Federals fought piecemeal. The Confederates were only marginally more successful at concentrating their forces, but Sears credits their leaders, especially Lee, as better able to learn from experience. Confederate victory on the Peninsula meant the Civil War would continue. The campaign's heavy casualties indicated the kind of war it would be. Illustrations not seen by PW.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
This companion to Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam ( LJ 5/15/83) continues the author's narrative of the fortunes of the Army of the Potomac and its leader, General George B. McClellan. Sears's compelling Civil War chronicles rival those of the late Bruce Catton, and this work resonates with authority derived from a thorough knowledge of McClellan and his adversaries and immediacy achieved by extensive use of eyewitness accounts gleaned from the reminiscences of combatants on both sides. Lucid maps, accurate tables of command, and a comprehensive bibliography all contribute to the book's usefulness. Those reading it may also want to consult Richard Wheeler's Sword over Richmond ( LJ 4/1/86) for other eyewitness accounts and William C. Davis's The Guns of '62 ( LJ 2/15/82) for a superb photographic record of the campaign. Recommended for most libraries. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 5/1/92.
-Lawrence E. Ellis, Broward Community Coll. Lib., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
-Lawrence E. Ellis, Broward Community Coll. Lib., Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Sears (as usual) does a great job of covering all the logistics and numbers surrounding the lengthy Peninsula campaign, and it's necessary since the campaign's principal source, George Brinton McClellan, was deluding himself throughout 1862.
Each battle is covered in very good detail and the maps are easy enough to follow. Sears does a good job covering every folly, from Johnston's mixeded up plan for Seven Pines to McClellan's disgraceful disappearance act on the Galena.
As always, plenty of primary source information from the common soldier gives a good idea what the marches and other hardships were like. And every reader will put down the book completely disgusted with George McClellan.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Carnage and confusion, much like Shiloh and Manassas, reign in this campaign. Some of the rare instances where the confederates created situations where they outnumbered the union troups yet still resorted to the napoleonic charges through ravine and up hill.
Sears is a no frills writer and that is good. The story is told in a clear and interesting fashion. He is a writer not apparently in the McPherson, Robertson, Davis high level exposure group, yet I look forward to reading his Landscape Turned Red, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg books for I feel he mostly trumps those mentioned.
Sears is a no frills writer and that is good. The story is told in a clear and interesting fashion. He is a writer not apparently in the McPherson, Robertson, Davis high level exposure group, yet I look forward to reading his Landscape Turned Red, Chancellorsville, and Gettysburg books for I feel he mostly trumps those mentioned.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The Civil War Virginia Peninsula Campaign of 1862 set the tone for the Union implementation of the war for the subsequent 2 years and Stephen Sears chronicles this series of battles magnificently in "To the Gates of Richmond". The overwhelming thrust of this book descrbes in great detail how inept a battle general George McClellan was and how his poliicies led to the ultimate withdrawal of the "Army of the Potomac" from the Richmond front. The reader gets a true feeling of frustration at McClellan right from the beginning as the campaign starts with the siege at Yorktown. The Federals far outnumber the Confederates in this initial phase, but McClellan opts to entrench his army in the face of a much weaker and somewhat exhausted "Army of Northern Virginia" just completing it's march down to the Peninsula from Manassas. Sears does a good job of documenting McClellan's lack of ability to obtain military intelligence but does a better job showing McClellan's lack of "the will to fight". And this isn't more evident than in the following battles at Williamsburg and Seven Pines/Fair Oaks...the Federals really had victory in their grasp, but because of the "defensive minded" leadership, the campaign continued on. An interesting debate on how long this faceoff at Richmond would have lasted can be had if Joe Johnston hadn't gotten wounded at Seven Pines and R.E. Lee hadn't taken over. Johnston was fairly "defensive-minded" himself and I'm sure that the campaign would not have followed the course that it ultimately did. Lee then, of course, initiated an offensive that started with Jeb Stuart's cavalry ride around the Federal entrenchments, proceeded on to the battles at Mechanicsville, Gaines Mill, Savage's Station and Glendale before ending with the blood-bath at Malvern Hill and subsequent Union withdrawal to Harrison's Landing on the James River. Sears descibes each battle with just the right amount of military tactics and "real-person" accounts from the many journal/diary entries enclosed to give the reader a real feel for the action. His discussions of Longstreet's subversion of the plan at Seven Pines, the mysterious actions of Stonewall Jackson throughout the campaign, the bloody fighting and ultimate breakthrough by the Confederates at Gaines Mill and the standoffs at Savage's Station and Glendale adroitly precede the brilliant climax of the book at the "Guns of Malvern Hill" chapter and the amazing decision (by McClellan) to retreat to Harrison's Landing following the Malvern Hill victory. Sears continues his brilliant writing as he closes the book with the entrenchment at Harrison's Landing and subsequent withdrawal (ordered by Halleck and protested by McClellan) back up the Potomac. Sears proves himself to be one of the pre-eminent Civil War historians around today with this book and he should be considered an "essential" author in any reading of the conflict...I definitely look forward to reading his other books and would recommend this book very highly.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
War is Bloody
Sixty thousand men lost their lives or where severely wounded in the Peninsula campaign of 1862. No question the American Civil War was a bloody affair, but this campaign was... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Barbara Cruz
A Lesson in Leadership - A Review
Above all else, Stephen W. Sears' 2001 account To The Gates Of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign demonstrates the power of resolute combat leadership. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Jerad W. Alexander
A study in indecisiveness and war
This book is a great history of the Peninsula Campaign. General Lee and McClellan would match wits in this campaign for the first time, with Lee being the clear winner. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Dr. Cardinal
biased history
I was very disappointed with the book "TO THE GATES OF RICHMOND" by Stephen W. Sears. He wrote this book with a severe bias against aerial reconnaissance and in particular Thaddeus... Read more
Published 10 months ago by setting the record straight
Well-written and highly readable
Sears is possibly the best historian of the Eastern Theater today, with the ability to write well-researched, well-written, gripping works. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Thomas W. Robinson
Civil War Chronicles
Very well written story of a very complex subject. The author makes is sound like a novel with antecdotes from soldier's letters.
Published on April 9, 2010 by M. Reid
To the gates and back!
Stephen Sears delivers an excellent account of the Peninsula Campaign waged by the Army of the Potomac aimed at capturing Richmond in 1862. Read more
Published on January 27, 2010 by Lehigh History Student
Stephen Sears is Still One of the Masters
If you've ever read any of Stephen Sears' fantastic books about the Civil War, you already know that he's simply one of the best writers to tackle the subject. Read more
Published on June 17, 2009 by Charles Lewis
Yet another jewel for Mr. Sears
This is the third book that I've read by Sears and true to form it did NOT disappoint. There is just the right mix of detailed information and storytelling ability to put this... Read more
Published on January 7, 2009 by Demoralized
Another Masterpiece
Reading the other books by Stephen W. Sears, I've come to expect great things from him. To sum it up simply, Sears does an exceelent job of giving you the overall picture and the... Read more
Published on May 26, 2008 by L.B.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
AT TEN O'CLOCK on the clear, cold morning of Friday, March 7, 1862, an even dozen brigadier generals assembled at army headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue at Jackson Square in Washington. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
grand campaign, fifth corps, second brigade, principal army, artillery reserve, battle smoke, siege train Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, North Carolina, United States, Seven Pines, Army of the Potomac, General Lee, Malvern Hill, South Carolina, Stonewall Jackson, Joe Johnston, Fort Monroe, Prince John, Quaker Road, White House, Fitz John Porter, New Jersey, Williamsburg Road, Army of Northern Virginia, Savage's Station, Comte de Paris, White Oak Swamp, Baldy Smith, New Hampshire, James River, Second Corps New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
AT TEN O'CLOCK on the clear, cold morning of Friday, March 7, 1862, an even dozen brigadier generals assembled at army headquarters on Pennsylvania Avenue at Jackson Square in Washington. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
grand campaign, fifth corps, second brigade, principal army, artillery reserve, battle smoke, siege train Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, North Carolina, United States, Seven Pines, Army of the Potomac, General Lee, Malvern Hill, South Carolina, Stonewall Jackson, Joe Johnston, Fort Monroe, Prince John, Quaker Road, White House, Fitz John Porter, New Jersey, Williamsburg Road, Army of Northern Virginia, Savage's Station, Comte de Paris, White Oak Swamp, Baldy Smith, New Hampshire, James River, Second Corps New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
42
books
cite this book:
See all 42 books citing this book
- General John Buford: A Military Biography by Edward G. Longacre in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Confederate States of America: What Might Have Been by Roger L. Ransom on page 257, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Burnside's Bridge: The Climactic Struggle of the 2nd and 20th Georgia at Antietam Creek by Phillip Thomas Tucker in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Edge of the Sword: The Ordeal of Carpetbagger Marshall H. Twitchell in the Civil War and Reconstruction by Ted Tunnell on page 37, and Back Matter
- Regiment of Slaves by Edward G. Longacre in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
See all 42 books citing this book
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