War So Terrible: Sherman and Atlanta [Hardcover]

James Lee McDonough (Author), James Pickett Jones (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1988

Atlanta's fall was the beginning of the end for the South, and this book describes and analyzes the dramatic Atlanta campaign in a manner fair to both Yankee and Rebel, more extensive then any volume ever published. Photographs.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

The fall of Atlanta was a decisive event in the Civil War. As the authors show, it boosted Lincoln's reelection, jolted Confederate morale, and began Sherman's evisceration of the deep South. This is the most extensive review of the sources and the first modern interpretation of this dramatic campaign. The authors limn portraits of many soldiers, with a very favorable rendering of Sherman as strategist; offer revealing insights into Sherman's army; and look deep inside Atlanta's society and economy. Their comparison of fact with Margaret Mitchell's fiction adds to the book's worth. An excellent military study for university and Civil War collections. Randall M. Miller, St. Joseph's Univ., Philadelphia
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 385 pages
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc; 1st edition (January 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393024970
• ISBN-13: 978-0393024975
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,936,180 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars War So Terrible, March 11, 2003

By 

M. Gerard (Escondido, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: War So Terrible: Sherman and Atlanta (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book reviewing the battles that took place from Chattanooga to Atlanta in the summer of 1864 in the Western armies. The authors, working independently, have chronicled much of the strategy and and battlefield drama that characterized such engagements as Dallas, New Hope Church, Pickett's Mill, Kennesaw Mountain, Ezra Church, Resaca etc.
As a layman, I was not bogged down with too much military lingo, and was able to get a good grasp of the strategy used on both sides. Maps and pictures add to the clarity. The authors seemed to start out being favorably disposed to Joseph E. Johnston's command, then, as they analyze all the historical and geographical factors from hindsight, they bring the reader to wonder at his failure to maneuver into a decisive victory over Sherman's advancing army. With the ensuing command of Gen. Hood one senses the nearly frantic contrast to throw men into battle as Atlanta becomes ever-more threatened, at great sacrifice of Confederate lives.
If you had ancestors that fought in the Atlanta Campaign, this is a very good book, with details drawn from numerous sources. The writers have added soldiers' and officers' comments from diaries and letters that detail the morale, the terrain, the weather, and attitude towards the events of the day. These add more interest to the sometimes dry, official commentaries so often quoted in other works.
Good history for layman or scholar; Union or Confederate.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Solid work, May 15, 2006

By 

Thomas W. Robinson (Dayton, VA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: War So Terrible: Sherman and Atlanta (Hardcover)

I'd probably give this book 3.5 stars, the plagiarism comment and all. Part of the reason this book is worth reading is simply because there are not many books on the Atlanta Campaign, despite how important it was. While Albert Castel's Decision in the West probably ranks as the best, this book is a good companion. This work gives the reader a good view from mostly the generals headquarters, but also from in the field as well. The authors are not afraid to criticize or second guess generals, but they are also not afraid to heap praise either.

The book does have some negatives, though. The text does not read especially well nor is it all that interesting. I would describe it as very workmanlike. The book features no endnotes or footnotes so what the authors cited can be a mystery. Finally, the book is mostly a military history of the campaign and doesn't delve too deep into the social aspects or what it was like for the common soldier in great detail.

Overall, while this is not the greatest book on the campaign, it is worth reading just because there are not many books written on the campaign. Also, the epilogue about Margaret Mitchell and her writing of Gone With the Wind as compared to David O. Selznick's screen version is very interesting.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Be Aware, March 9, 2006

By 

Wary Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: War So Terrible: Sherman and Atlanta (Hardcover)

While this book may appear to be well-written at first glance, one would do well to read the May 1989 (vol.55, #2) review of it in The Journal of Southern History. The reviewer points out evidence of plagiarism, and the journal notes that the publisher withdrew the book from publication. Though it doesn't say the book was pulled for plagiarism, it is reasonable to assume so. The lesson here is to always check scholarly journals for reviews of scholarly books before trusting their content. Trust the pros.