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.
Rating:
Summary: Page turning account of this terrible battle
Review: I loved this book, it is one of the best written and researched accounts on the Battle of the Wilderness. With over 450 pages of text and 20 well presented and easy to read maps this book gives you a day to day and blow by blow account of this terrible battle. This is the definitive account of the Battle of the Wilderness and I highly recommend it to any person who loves a good book on the Civil War.
Rating: 
Summary: Often eloquent, often strained
Review: I must agree with the reader in VA when he states that Rhea often strains with his narrative. The research is thourough and the book is well organized. His storytelling is often eloquent but is also often awkward. On a personal note, as a Wisconsinite and a poud veteran of the WI Army National Guard's 57th "Iron Brigade"-the direct descendant of the Civil War Iron Brigade- I must take issue with his contention that the unit broke and ran in disorder. A relatively new account of the Iron Brigade's fight in the Wilderness, Sharon Eggleston Vipond's chapter "A New Kind of Murder" in "Giants in their tall black hats : essays on the Iron Brigade" edited by Alan T. Nolan and Sharon Eggleston Vipond sets the record straight. She successfully convinces that the brigade's hard core still existed and never broke in disorder. On the contrary, they captured many prisoners and several battle flags. It was the suspect reinforcements which had been attached to the brigade after they were decimated saving the army of the Potomac at Gettyburg who melted away that afternoon on the turnpike, leaving the hard core of veterans. The veterans retreated in good order with prisoners and captured flags. Routed men don't do that. Overall, good book.
Rating:
Summary: A Civil War battle book of the highest caliber.
Review: If you are a Civil War buff as I am you will find Battle of
The Wilderness one of the best researched and written books
of the gendre. Rhea's descriptions are vivid and even though
you know the outcome of this battle you relive every hour
through his step by step recounting of the action. For those who have never read Civil War history this is
a moving tale of two of the greatest Generals locked in
mortal combat, as well as how the common soldier fared in one of the most bloody battles of the Civil War.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely sensational history AND story-telling!
Review: In his initial account of the Overland Campaign, Rhea offers a wonderful account of the horrors of the Wilderness. Rhea takes you into the minds of Lee/Grant and the "others" in an almost "you-are-there" like experience. A bountiful amount of maps helps assist the sometimes mind-numbing movements of "this brigade" and "that regiment". All and all a very user-friendly and certainly scholarly endeavor! I look forward to the next book of the trevails of Spotsylvania and Yellow Tavern. A rare must-read!
Rating: 
Summary: Tangled in the Wilderness
Review: This book comes with recommendations of high praise - but unfortunately falls short of the mark. While Rhea demonstrates that he successfully surveyed the appropriate primary sources and has a grasp of the tactics (especially identifying and elucidating errors committed by officers in charge) and circumstances of complex troop movements and engagements in a very confused environment - no small feat - he also demonstrates deficiencies in story-telling and analysis. There is a great story to be told here, one of the beginning of the end of Lee's proud army as they face the first conflict in Grant's remorseless Overland Campaign. Shelby Foote tells it (in a much more concise fashion) with insight, emotion and the intensity of human drama - Rhea falls well short of that standard. Rhea fares better with discussions and descriptions of logistics and tactics - although he doesn't measure up to some of his contemporaries, for example Sears - but his real downfall is the con! clusions he draws from his analysis. For example, Rhea makes the statement that Longstreet's delay in reaching the battlefield until the morning of the 6th was somehow the saving of Lee's army. This is absurd. If Longstreet (and for that matter Anderson's division of Hill's corps) had been up the night before, Lee's army would have been in place to vigorously repulse Hancock's attack, saving their energy, manpower and firepower for a devastating counter-attack (after the pattern of Second Manassas). As it was, when Hancock was out-flanked later in the day, Longstreet's troops were already exhausted from the counter-attack along the plank road (required to save two of Hill's divisions) and they lacked the organization and the energy to press their momentary advantage. Rhea writes well, but with much room for improvement. If this is the best we have to date, then we are still waiting for the definitive history of this important battle.
Rating:
Summary: an outstanding account of the battle
Review: This is a beautifully written account of the Wilderness battle! It's very imformative yet extremely readable, which is more than you can say about alot of civil war histories!
Rating:
Summary: Battle of the Wilderness
Review: This is a useful, definitive account of the battle. Rhea writes the sort of book which tells readers where every regiment was at every moment, which is precisely what I find helpful. His maps are clear and he uses plenty of quotes from primary sources, which gives the text excitement and human interest. The book focuses equally on Confederate and Union experiences. What I found a little strange about this book was Rhea's desire to evaluate the performance of each unit, general and army overall -- not simply in terms of analysis but in terms of making statements as to their quality -- statements to the effect of "Lee made three mistakes here" and "None of Grant's corps commanders performed well on that day". These are bold statements to make, and perhaps an overweening position of judgment for an author who was not present at the battle to take. This will be a vital text for anyone studying the battle, though as the Wilderness was part of continuous action and Rhea stops before getting to Spotsylvania, it would need to be combined with other works.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps my favorite civil war book
Review: This is by far the best book on one of the mose terrifying battles of the war. It's full of details, from indivdual regiments to General's personal thoughts. I read through it in no time, and quickly moved on to the following books in Rhea's series (this being my favorite). Rhea uses a wealth of primary sources and soldier's accounts to add flair to the excellent writing. I would reccomend this book to anyone who has an interest in the American Civil War
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This is one of the best accounts of the battle and the events leading up to it. The problems of command, ideas and the AOP's problems with the ANV. Rhea is an excellent writter and pulls you into the world of command and battle with ease. Buy all 3 of the books now, settle back and fight your way from the Rapidan to the North Anna. Feel the real war at the FEBA and the other war at HQ. Rhea will move you back and forth allowing you to see and understand both. This is one of the best ACW series and could be the best.
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