Customer Reviews

The U.S. Army War College Guide to the Battle of Antietam: The Maryland Campaign of 1862

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Luvaas has written an excellent book for anyone wanting to know more about the South Mountain/Harper's Ferry/Anietam Campaign of 1862.

Each chapter contains the following information:

1. Detailed driving direction for reaching the site.
2. A description of what happened at the site.
3. An account of the action by an acutal participant.
4. Map(s) of troop dispositions at the site during the campaign.

I have referred to the book during some of my several visits to the Antietam Battlefield and have thoroughly enjoyed each tour! A detailed order of battle and other pertinent information is included in the book.

The only complaint I really have is that the maps could have been more detailed and numerous. Complaint aside, I highly recommended the book as a valuable guide to the actions in September 1862.

Read and enjoy!

This entire guide series is wonderful and I've used the Antietam (which includes the Battle of South Mountain three days earlier) and Gettysburg guides extensively. They encompass the entire battles and, unlike other guides or the CD-based ones sold in the battlefield gift shops [Gettysburg doesn't carry these! - I was there Sept. 3, 2010], these U.S. Army War College guides really put you THERE. With short, clear descriptions and the writings of eyewitness soldiers, you can understand how the battles developed from the well-chosen locations at which the book stops you, even down to small details: for example, why one regiment kept getting lost in the woods at South Mountain trying to find the battle and never getting there. If there wasn't a modern development nearby, we'd have gotten lost ourselves!

The directions are amazing in their detail, including taking a path "...225 yards into the woods, take the left fork, and continue to a position under the powerline where you can look back across the field at the stone wall defended by the Confederates..."

Likewise, the explanations are amazing and give you the choice of a short read or, if you're spending a leisurely day, a longer read of writings by soldiers from privates to generals who fought at very spot you're examining!