6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Road Runs Through It..., October 1, 2009
This review is from: Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, and Prairie Grove: A Battlefield Guide, with a Section on Wire Road (This Hallowed Ground: Guides to Civil Wa) (Paperback)
The battles of Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, and Prairie Grove were among the most important fought west of the Mississippi River during the Civil War. The battles, which took place between mid-1861 and late 1862, played an important part in the Union's vital goal to control the Mississippi Valley, which proved necessary to its ultimate success. Though less famous than some of the more noted battles in the East, all three of the battles covered in this book were marked by fierce fighting, notable personalities, lessons in leadership and strategy, and interesting stories, including the role of Native American soldiers on both sides.
As national parks, the Wilson's Creek and Pea Ridge battlefields are unique in that they encompass significant portions of the land on which fighting took place. This reviewer has visited the Wilson's Creek battlefield several times and can attest to the luxury of visiting a battlefield relatively free from encroachment. Likewise, the Pea Ridge battlefield is dominated by "Big Mountain," whose vistas provide a beautiful panorama of the park. As a state park, Prairie Grove encompasses less of the original battlefield, but additional land acquisitions have been secured, thanks to federal, state, and private partnerships.
The series editors could hardly have done better in choosing the authors for this guide; as a group, the authors are expert historians who have produced some of the seminal works on Civil War's Trans- Mississippi theater. Piston and Hatcher are co-authors of Wilson's Creek: The Second Battle of the Civil War and the Men Who Fought It (Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 2002); Hess and Shea are co-authors of Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign in the West (Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1992); Shea is currently preparing a detailed study of the Battle of Prairie Grove.
In its format, the book follows the style of other titles in the University of Nebraska's "This Hallowed Ground" series of battlefield guides (including Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Shiloh, and the Seven Days), with sections on Directions, Orientation, What Happened, Analysis, and Vignettes. This volume also has about a half dozen "Optional Excursions" which take the reader on secondary tours. More than forty maps (excellent for their topographical detail) orient the reader to the layout of the parks themselves as well as the action that took place. A brief annotated bibliography provides ideas for reading in advance of a battlefield visit or for reflection on return.
The authors avoid the inherent danger of any compilation by expertly using the introductory "Overview' sections to describe the historical threads that tie the three battles together. For example, Hess begins the chapter on Pea Ridge by first discussing military movements that took place after Wilson's Creek, and Shea begins the chapter on Prairie Grove by discussing how the Confederates hoped to reverse the results of their disaster at Pea Ridge. They are also consistent in their assessment of leaders who participated in more than one of the battles (such as the oft-maligned Franz Sigel).
While a historical thread - including strategy and leaders - runs through the narrative of the three battles, so does an actual "thread": the Wire Road (also known as the "Telegraph Road"). The road played an important role in the Missouri/Arkansas theater by bringing "the armies to the battlefields," serving as a "readymade invasion route" for the Federals, and as an "avenue of concentration" for the defending Confederates (p. 229). The authors' detailed driving tour of the road - from Springfield, Missouri, to Fort Smith, Arkansas - is a welcome and unique contribution to Civil War travel guides.
Overall, the authors aptly describe the historic action while making sense of the modern parks' tour roads; this is no mean feat, as the roads do not always conform to the chronology of the battles. Still, there are a few areas for improvement. The Pea Ridge and Prairie Grove chapters are much lighter on analysis - the most useful part of the book - than the Wilson's Creek chapter. The omission of the Springfield (Missouri) National Cemetery, even as an "optional excursion," was very surprising. These are minor complaints and do not distract from this reviewer's hearty recommendation of the book as a thorough and readable guide that will make any reader's visit to these battlefields more enjoyable and interesting.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Badly needed, August 15, 2008
This review is from: Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, and Prairie Grove: A Battlefield Guide, with a Section on Wire Road (This Hallowed Ground: Guides to Civil Wa) (Paperback)
When Earl J. Hess and William Shea work on battlefield guides for the trans-Mississippi, you know something special will happen. I am very happy to say this book will not disappoint and meets my very high expectations. The University of Nebraska Press is working to fill a void that has existed for sometime in battlefield guides. Publishers do not want to spend money on out of the way battlefields. This book provides a high quality guide to three critical battles in the trans-Mississippi.
Each battle has an overview setting the stage by giving the reader a historical perspective of how and the battle happened. From that point, we have a detailed tour of the existing fields. Each stop contains a detailed map with driving and hiking directions. The book is illustrated with portraits of the principles and contemporary illustrations. Early on is a map of Missouri and Arkansas showing the important battle of 1861 & 1862. This general map is very useful in gaining an understanding of how the armies moved during this time and enhances our understanding of the battles.
My only objection to this book is it was not available when I was walking these battlefields. Make sure you have it when you walk them!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very worth it for visitors to these battlefields, July 13, 2011
This review is from: Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge, and Prairie Grove: A Battlefield Guide, with a Section on Wire Road (This Hallowed Ground: Guides to Civil Wa) (Paperback)
I bought this book on my spin through the gift shop *after* visiting the Wilson's Creek battlefield. After spending the afternoon with it, I wished I had had it in hand while touring. I found it very valuable when I visited Pea Ridge later... the book provides detail on elements of the battle that are noted little or not at all by the markers at the park. Highly recommended if you plan to visit any of these battlefields.
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