Rating: 
Summary: Best military history of a Civil War battle
Review: "Battle of the Wilderness", by Gordon C. Rhea, is simply the best treatment of any Civil War battle. Rhea's narrative is as captivating as the best work of fiction, and more so. As a reader, I felt as though the action was un-folding right before my eyes, and I found it exceedingly difficult to put the book down! As for the content, this book was well researched, and presented in a very orderly fashion. Rhea does an excellent job of making clear the tangled mess that was the Wilderness. I had no difficulty in following the ebb and flow of the battle as I have had with other works. Rhea makes the reader realize that this was a major effort by both sides on the scale of the great battles of Gettysburg and Antietam. The Overland Campaign is often overshadowed by these more "glorious" battles from earlier in the war, but after reading this book, I am convinced that the Southern cause was by no means lost in May 1864, and that Grant was not the invincible juggernaut people think. He was very nearly whipped in the Wilderness, and Rhea does a good job of making that clear to the reader. To conclude I gave this book five stars because it touches a subject that not many people know about, it is well researched, and is written so well that some novelists could learn lessons from it. In short, this is a must own for any Civil War or military buff!
Rating: 
Summary: Battle of the Wilderness
Review: "Battle of the Wilderness", by Gordon C. Rhea, is simply the best treatment of any Civil War battle. Rhea's narrative is as captivating as the best work of fiction, and more so. As a reader, I felt as though the action was un-folding right before my eyes, and I found it exceedingly difficult to put the book down! As for the content, this book was well researched, and presented in a very orderly fashion. Rhea does an excellent job of making clear the tangled mess that was the Wilderness. I had no difficulty in following the ebb and flow of the battle as I have had with other works. Rhea makes the reader realize that this was a major effort by both sides on the scale of the great battles of Gettysburg and Antietam. The Overland Campaign is often overshadowed by these more "glorious" battles from earlier in the war, but after reading this book, I am convinced that the Southern cause was by no means lost in May 1864, and that Grant was not the invincible juggernaut people think. He was very nearly whipped in the Wilderness, and Rhea does a good job of making that clear to the reader. To conclude I gave this book five stars because it touches a subject that not many people know about, it is well researched, and is written so well that some novelists could learn lessons from it. In short, this is a must own for any Civil War or military buff!
Rating:
Summary: Best military history of a Civil War battle
Review: "Battle of the Wilderness", by Gordon C. Rhea, is simply the best treatment of any Civil War battle. Rhea's narrative is as captivating as the best work of fiction, and more so. As a reader, I felt as though the action was un-folding right before my eyes, and I found it exceedingly difficult to put the book down! As for the content, this book was well researched, and presented in a very orderly fashion. Rhea does an excellent job of making clear the tangled mess that was the Wilderness. I had no difficulty in following the ebb and flow of the battle as I have had with other works. Rhea makes the reader realize that this was a major effort by both sides on the scale of the great battles of Gettysburg and Antietam. The Overland Campaign is often overshadowed by these more "glorious" battles from earlier in the war, but after reading this book, I am convinced that the Southern cause was by no means lost in May 1864, and that Grant was not the invincible juggernaut people think. He was very nearly whipped in the Wilderness, and Rhea does a good job of making that clear to the reader. To conclude I gave this book five stars because it touches a subject that not many people know about, it is well researched, and is written so well that some novelists could learn lessons from it. In short, this is a must own for any Civil War or military buff!
Rating:
Summary: Definitive account of the start of the Overland Campaign...
Review: 4 1/2 stars...this misses my 5 star category for the very reasons that some others give it 5 stars. First, this is a very detailed (sometimes maddingly so) account and the maps, although very well done, are not plentiful enough to accurately follow along. I'd compare this to Noah Trudeau's "Gettysburg" where a detailed military history is presented and the maps in that classic account are plentiful AND placed in the correct context in the book...this detail (to me) is one of the big and important differences between these two books. Secondly, although Rhea gives many "first-person" accounts from diary and journal entries, he fails (in my opinion) to give the "everyday soldier" feel thats so prevelant in recent works by Trudeau, Stephen Sears and Ernust Furgurson. These authors write Civil War history on a grand scale and seem to instinctively know when enough battle tactic detail is enough.Now, having said all that, this is still an excellent book...one that's well worth reading for it captures the little discussed battle for the Wilderness (May, 1864) in complete and comprehensive detail. U.S. Grant's assumption of command and his initial tentative dealings with former commander George Meade are the framework that starts this book and Rhea shows how that fragmented structure was partly responsible for the Union Armies' disappointing showing in this battle. This unwieldy command structure is at first evident when Grant's plan to get R.E. Lee out in the open is thwarted by the many problems with the Widerness area itself and the lethargy of his many division commanders...they just couldn't get momentum enough to get this Army across the Rapidan River and through the Wilderness to meet Lee on the field of their choice. What resulted was that the Confederate Army was able to attack and hold at bay (indeed, almost defeat) the Federals while being greatly outnumbered. Rhea then breaks this battle discussion down into two main parts: the "Northern" battle along the Orange Turnpike and the "Southern" battle on and around the Orange Plank Road. Division, Brigade and Company movements are analyzed in excruciating detail and it takes a lot of concentration to follow along here. Rhea does, however, summarize at the end of each chapter fairly well, so understanding the "big picture" is ultimately accomplished. The second day's battle plan and execution follows this detailed description style, and Rhea deftly describes the apex of the battle when Longstreet's troops make their appearance (later then planned, having marched many miles from the Southwest). The hugely successful flanking attack around the Union's left flank through an unfinished railroad cut and subsequent rollback of the Federals to the Brock Road, along with John B. Gordon's flank attack along the Federal right flank at Saunders Field are the highlights of the battle and the book. The unremitting carnage is ever present throughout and Rhea does a great job in making the point that this was a major Civil War battle with major casualties. Rhea then closes out the book with brilliant conclusions and summaries (i.e. everybody gets some blame and some kudos). This work is a very schlolarly and detailed military study and justly stands as the definitve account of the Wilderness Battle...this should be read by all Civil War historians, but may be a little much for the general reader. However, I do look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series and I would recommend this to any history buff.
Rating:
Summary: Detailed, Entertaining, Excellente!
Review: A refreshing and detailed book about some of the most intense and gruesome fighting of the war. I must ask when Mr.Rhea is going to turn out more of these outstanding summarys of Grant's overland campaign. It is to be applauded that this book ignores the pro-southern tilt than many works about the Civil War invariably manifest. Clearly this enlightened author is out to provide an account of what happened, not folklore. This book covers it all.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating read.
Review: An exhaustively researched study by Mr. Rhea that puts you there with Generals Lee, Grant, Meade, ....etc. He also includes quotes from the letters and memiors of ordinary foot soldiers. The result is an incredible portrate of the American Civil War that makes it difficult to not feel like you are actually witnessing what took place during those bloody two days in May 1864.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling narrative of the Wilderness Campaign
Review: As a park historian at the Wilderness told me, this book is the definitive study of the battle. Rhea is a historian who understands, almost perfectly, the military tactics of the campaign. As the reader follows his narrative, they begin to understand how and why things happened. With that being said, one must recognize Rhea's mistakes. His harsh criticism of General Meade is perhaps unnecessary and downright unfair. What Rhea does not comprehend is that Meade's corps commanders at the battle did not match up with Lee's Confederate generals. Warren and Burnside were unreliable, and Hancock and Sedwick did not perform at their very best. On the other hand, Lee had such luxuries as Ewell and Hill, to go along with his war horse, General James Longstreet. It is true that Rhea is not a Meade fan, but he must give some credit to the "Snapping Turtle." During the battle, no one is the Army of Potomac knew for sure who the commander was. Grant and Meade may have appeared to act as one but both had their own agendas. From this, there was confusion from the ranks down on orders and so forth. But, to keep it short, the rest of the book is interesting and very readable. It is true that the Wilderness Campaign has received little attention over the years. The importance of the battle was that for the first time, the Union army went forwards rather than backwards after a defeat. In a way, this battle confirmed Lee's worst nightmare, Grant was here to fight.
Rating:
Summary: A compelling narrative of the Wilderness Campaign
Review: As a park historian at the Wilderness told me, this book is the definitive study of the battle. Rhea is a historian who understands, almost perfectly, the military tactics of the campaign. As the reader follows his narrative, they begin to understand how and why things happened. With that being said, one must recognize Rhea's mistakes. His harsh criticism of General Meade is perhaps unnecessary and downright unfair. What Rhea does not comprehend is that Meade's corps commanders at the battle did not match up with Lee's Confederate generals. Warren and Burnside were unreliable, and Hancock and Sedwick did not perform at their very best. On the other hand, Lee had such luxuries as Ewell and Hill, to go along with his war horse, General James Longstreet. It is true that Rhea is not a Meade fan, but he must give some credit to the "Snapping Turtle." During the battle, no one is the Army of Potomac knew for sure who the commander was. Grant and Meade may have appeared to act as one but both had their own agendas. From this, there was confusion from the ranks down on orders and so forth. But, to keep it short, the rest of the book is interesting and very readable. It is true that the Wilderness Campaign has received little attention over the years. The importance of the battle was that for the first time, the Union army went forwards rather than backwards after a defeat. In a way, this battle confirmed Lee's worst nightmare, Grant was here to fight.
Rating:
Summary: An example of the dichotomy between history and literature
Review: As the dueling reviews of this book demonstrate, it is hard to find both good, hard history and good literature. Foote is beautiful and evocative on The Wilderness, but a bit shy of facts. Rhea is full of facts, but shy of style. I cannot say that I agree with all his conclusions, but Rhea does make it graphically clear that the heretofore almost invincible Army of Northern Virginia met something it had never seen before, did not know how to deal with, and, yes, something of which it was afraid in The Wilderness.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Fantastic
Review: I have read (and reviewed) many books regarding Civil War campaigns and battles, and this is the first book to earn 5 stars. In my opinion, Rhea does everything the reader can ask for: He presents a meticulous account of all the movements of both armies on a brigade level throughout the campaign, and in the Wilderness, Rhea lets soldiers' accounts explain the difficulties of doing so. The battleground itself is described in great detail throughout as a result. The maps detailing the movements are easy to follow. The combat of the battle is easy to follow and Rhea is able to keep the big picture in mind while offering up little sidestories from soldiers' reminisces to keep the reader's interest. Again the use of primary sources is plentiful and beneficial. The fact that the two fronts are mostly separated throughout the two days helps this as well. Despite the meticulous research and liberal use of primary sources throughout the book, Rhea still injects plenty of his own analysis in all of the factors concerning the combat and the campaign as a whole. Rhea aptly explains the importance of several decisions from brigade commanders like John Gordon all the way up to Grant and Lee, stressing the pros and cons of the decisions. Rhea doesn't mince words: when Lee coordinates an assault on Hancock along the well fortified Brock Rd defenses, Rhea compares it to courting disaster on the scale of Antietam and Pickett's Charge. While many books of these natures often attach an appendix dealing with the battle's "romances," Rhea does plenty of that work without the appendix. Throughout the book, Rhea dispels some of the myths regarding the battle, such as the suggestion that Grant's "attrition" policy was simply one of frontal assaults with superior numbers. Rhea also addresses the inevitable "what if" questions (especially regarding Gordon's flank attack on the evening of May 6) and boldly offers his analysis in answering questions regarding discrepancies among officers in both armies (Hancock and Barlow/Early and Gordon for example). I also felt as though there were plenty of maps and they were descriptive enough. The battle itself consisted of charges and countercharges, and much of the action concerns entire brigades and divisions in full fledged retreat. It would require a book full of maps to show every movement, so Rhea's detailed narrative of the combat itself is strong enough to allow the reader to understand. All in all, I think Rhea's book is absorbing, meticulous and every possible question and scenario is covered. And right on cue, the book ends with an invitation for a sequel regarding Spotsylvania.
|
