Rating: 
Summary: Opportunities lost
Review: First of all I want to say that this is the best account of any Civil War battle that I have ever read. I had never read anything by Stephen Sears before, and I was pleasantly surprised with this book. It is VERY readable and there is never a dull moment. If you have limited knowledge about the circumstanes surrounding Antietam, then dont worry, Sears does a wonderful job summarizing the events leading up to the battle (including the Peninsula Campaign and the Second Battle of Bull Run) and makes a convincing argument early on about why Antietam was so important.The overall theme of this book is how the North had every opportunity to destory the Army of Northern Virginia but, thanks to General McClellan, did not capitalize on them. McClellan was a wonderful organizer and had alot of military knowledge, but was overly-cautious. His cautiousness is what led to his downfall. If the Union generals were even close to as good as the Confederate generals, I am sure this war would have been over in 1862. After reading this book I was motivated to purchase another Sears' book: "To the Gates of Richmond: The Peninsula Campaign". If its as good as "Landscape Turned Red", I will be a very happy man.
Rating:
Summary: Best book out there on America's bloodiest day
Review: Having just toured the Antietam battlefield, I once again appreciate how good of a book this is. The story of Antietam is one not so much of what did happen but what might have been. Lee had his back to the river and was heavily outnumbered. McClellan once again had another chance to deal a crushing blow to Lee and once again due to his inability to press the fight let's him off the hook. As much as anything this book is about the generals and how they approach the battle as it is about who shot who where and when. On the one side you have Lee moving his troops from one end of the field to another in perhaps his greatest achievement of the war. On the other side you have McClellan who is frozen by indecisiveness. As for the writing style, Sears again shows why he's one of the more talented writers in the Civil War genre today. The book reads like a good novel thanks to Sears's writing talents. This book is easly the best book out there on the battle of Antietam and I highly recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: I've read a number of books that focus on a particular battle in the Civil War. I spent some time in Virginia, and made an effort to visit each of the major Civil War battlefields. Before I would go, I would find a book about the particular battle. Landscape Turned Red has been the best so far; my experience at Antietam was enhanced by the read. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Maps, historical context, analysis of the thinking of the commanders, tactical detail, and details of the combat combined with an interesting and fluid writing style prompted me to pick up a couple more of Mr. Sear's works. Well worth the money and the time.
Rating:
Summary: Definitive !!!
Review: If you were to read just one book about the Maryland campaign of 1862, then this is "the" book. Mr. Sears research is first rate. His understanding of the the battle of Antietam is stupendous ! It was written in 1983 and still hasn't been topped. His account of the single bloodiest day in American military history is harrowing, you'll have trouble putting this book down once the battle starts.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: It is typical Sears in style. There is more detail here however, than in the others I've read from him. Definitely more regimental accounts. Maps are also more detailed than his Peninsula treatment, although they sometimes cover a large time frame with multiple movements and countermovements. He clearly has his views of McClellan and that sometimes gets in the way of the story telling, but I have no issues with this. I subscribe to the thought. Those who want a pure telling of action may be turned off by the slant. South Mountain and Harper's Ferry is a bit rushed, but you get the basics. I also felt the Bloody Lane narrative wasn't as strong as the cornfield, but was decent enough. The bread and butter of the work is definitely the northern action involving Hooker, Mansfield and Jackson. There is a good mix of reporting, recounting, etc. You'll get excerpts from soldier's letters, notes from the OR, after thoughts from the key generals' memoirs. A very nice read overall. Very much recommended. One can only wish that a Coddington type treatment is out there, coming soon for this much deserved battle. Until then, I think Sears is a good replacement which gets you about 75% there.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: It is typical Sears in style. There is more detail here however, than in the others I've read from him. Definitely more regimental accounts. Maps are also more detailed than his Peninsula treatment, although they sometimes cover a large time frame with multiple movements and countermovements. He clearly has his views of McClellan and that sometimes gets in the way of the story telling, but I have no issues with this. I subscribe to the thought. Those who want a pure telling of action may be turned off by the slant. South Mountain and Harper's Ferry is a bit rushed, but you get the basics. I also felt the Bloody Lane narrative wasn't as strong as the cornfield, but was decent enough. The bread and butter of the work is definitely the northern action involving Hooker, Mansfield and Jackson. There is a good mix of reporting, recounting, etc. You'll get excerpts from soldier's letters, notes from the OR, after thoughts from the key generals' memoirs. A very nice read overall. Very much recommended. One can only wish that a Coddington type treatment is out there, coming soon for this much deserved battle. Until then, I think Sears is a good replacement which gets you about 75% there.
Rating:
Summary: Audacity versus an Ego that loses thge Initiative
Review: Sears scores big in this well detailed book on the Antietam campaign. He is the expert on McClellan and offers a great picture of "Little Mac's" state of mind as he has the advanatge over Lee in numbers and knowledge but cannot seem to coordinate his attacks to overwhelm Lee. On the other hand, Lee shows great audacity in shuttling his troops from needed areas of the field leaving virtually nothing but 500 sharpshooters to hold Burnside at bay on the far right Burns contemplates the bridge later named after him below the great hill that the sharpshooters occupy. Besides describing the slugfest on Jackson's north side of the field where he handles uncoordinated attacks, Longstreet handles the south end and at one point he heroically commands his staff while they fire a cannon due to the depletion of gunners. Fascinating account of the Confederates in the sunken road that stops a Union advance but results in crippling of the Confederate line when a rumored order of retreat causes 100s of Confederates to get shot down. Harvey Hill is at his best in this battle and he bravely stays on horseback while Lee and Longstreet complain that he is drawing fire by being mounted. After reassuring them, the front forelocks of his horse are amputated by a cannon shot. Burnside waits for defenitive orders to advance and does so late while McClellan has almost 20,000 cavalry in reserve loosing the battle when blue coated A. P. Hill's light division appears as Burnside is finally in motion only to be hit from Hill in an oblique angle. Sears captures probably the north's greatest opportunity to win the war. A well preserved battlefield in very rural Maryland. Best sites are the sunken road, Burnside's bridge, Sharpshooter hill, the path to the ford that Burnside finally finds and the Dunker Church West Woods area. This battlefield is in a more natural state than Gettysburg as it is not adorned with a gross number of monuments. Pack a lunch, this lovely place was too rural for fast food which is part of the great attraction.
Rating:
Summary: Opportunity Lost -- The McClellan Indictment
Review: Sears treatment of the Battle of Antietam stands head and shoulders above any other. Superb documentation and analysis. Easy-to-read flow. Concise, clear language. Sufficient (if not generous) maps and useful illustrations. Appropriate consideration of political and intra-army intrigue. Geopolitical context (i.e., Antietam's impact on European interests and potential intervention). Places known as The Corn Field, Bloody Lane, Burnside's Bridge come alive through individual and unit stories of bravery and sacrifice. And, like a prosecuting attorney making his case, few pages go by without Sears alleging (ad nauseam, but with a strong evidentiary case) that the greatest villian was Major General George B. McClellan. Sears' theme throughout the work is McClellan as "the poster boy" for the pre-Gettysburg, Army of the Potomac's failures. Milton would have entitled it "Opportunity Lost". On no fewer than six occasions in September 1862 Sears suggests that the "Young Napolean" had the opportunity to advantage himself of intelligence, terrain, numbers, or situation to significantly hurt if not criple Lee's Army of Northern Virginia. In each instance McClellan failed. Sears writes, "On no other Civil War field did a commanding general violate so many of what a Union officer at Antietam called 'the established principles of the military art' that a professional solider was expected to know." General-in-Chief, Henry Halleck -- himself far from a military genius -- like Lincoln, at least understood McClellan: "There is an immobility here that exceeds all that any man can conceive of. It requires the lever of Archimedes to move this inert mass. I have tried my best, but without success." Opportunity for a shorter war and fewer deaths was, Sears suggests, ultimate casualty of the bloodiest day in American History.
Rating:
Summary: 23,000 Casualties in One Day!
Review: The number says it all: The carnage of the Antietam battlefield was other worldly. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia is broken, scattered across 20 miles of Maryland country side, vastly outnumbered and fights with its back to the Potomac River while the Army of the Potomac is complete, focused and in possession of Lee's battle plan. So why did they fight to a draw? Why was Lee allowed to escape? Why was this battle fought piecemeal allowing Lee to shift his troops from sector to sector? Why was one complete Union Division held in reserve and never engaged? Why was their no pursuit? This battle is living proof that the South's best general was not Robert E. Lee. The South's finest general, their most consistent and dependable general, was Union commander George B. McClellan. Stephen W. Sears pens an epic, the best and most complete analysis of not only how Antietam happened but why.
Rating:
Summary: Perhaps Sears's Best Book (Which Says A Lot)
Review: This book is a fantastic narrative starting with the last days of defeat for Pope and ending with McClellan headed for home after being dismissed. Much of the book (especially before the battle) focuses on McClellan, his mentality, and the political intrigue that was such a trademark in the Army of the Potomac. McClellan clearly believed he would be the savior via Divine Intervention. Sears will have us believe he was the savior...of the Army of Northern Virginia. The battle itself is told in extensive detail (although I felt the battle at South Mountain and Harper's Ferry were rather short) and scrutinized closely, something McClellan made very easy for any armchair quarterback reading this account. It seemed to me that there was less first hand accounts in this book than in other Sears books but it's possible that this is the case simply because Antietam was fought on just the 17th. Inbetween all of that, Sears provides a clear picture of what Southern occupation of Maryland towns were like, the men's feelings for their officers, and of course the inexplicable Lost Order. Like all his other books, this one is certainly a must read.
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