Rating: 
Summary: A model campaign study
Review: An unfailingly interesting account by a fine historian. Kenneth W. Noe has made sense of one of the most neglected and confusing campaigns of the entire Civil War. He has sorted through the geographical complexities and factionalism in both armies to show his readers why people should still care about what happened near an obscure Kentucky village over 140 years ago. His work is truly a pioneering one. Unlike most campaign studies, this excellent book pays considerable attention to the treatment of the wounded, the effects of battle on the local landscape, the lives of veterans after the war, and even how the battlefield itself was interpreted and preserved. It will be the standard account for many years to come.
Rating: 
Summary: Fair History, Undermined by Dimestore Psychology
Review: Braxton Bragg's campaign into Kentucky in the late summer and early autumn of 1862 is an often neglected chapter in Civil War history. Noe's book is a thorough exploration of the campaign based on use of primary and secondary sources. While a solid account, the author's digressions into retrospective psychoanalysis are a bit silly and lessen the credibility of the book as serious history. Nevertheless, it is worth reading. Like many university press histories, however, it is degraded by poor maps. The award of three stars is just a little bit generous. It's really a two and a half!
Rating:
Summary: An outstanding campaign and battle history
Review: I read Noe's "Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle" ("grand havoc of battle" is a quote from Sam Watkin's of the 1st Tennessee on his participation in the hottest fighting he ever faced from Shiloh to surrender)just before visiting the battlefield park. I found the description of the campaign leading the battle to be excellent, and the details of 8 Oct 1862 were well described. Unlike other some other readers, I found the maps to be very helpful in understanding the battle -- I only wished there were more! The discussion of Bragg is fair and balanced; the mild psychoanaysis was helpful and insightful.I particularly enjoyed reading about the pre-battle conflicts between the Union troops and their search for food and water from private lands enroute to Perryville -- and the occasional sheltering of escaped slaves -- contrasted with some officers intent to stop the "pilaging" and return "property" to slave-owners. More than one example of men in the ranks promising to kill their own officers in the next battle is given. Not to mention the murder of General "Bull" Nelson by Union general Jefferson C. Davis. That crime went unpunished... and Noe explains all sides fairly. Riveting stuff, well told, and extremely helpful in preparing to walk those rolling hills themselves...
Rating:
Summary: The Western Civil War gets an important literary addition
Review: Kenneth Noe's book is a fantastic addition to the recent books dealing with obscure Western battles. It expands upon the previously small amount of material dealing with Bragg's Kentucky campaign and its climax on the fields of a small town called Perryville. The book is quite readable, and is filled with first-hand descriptions from period accounts, some of which are absolutely fascinating.
Overall, I found this to be a very good read. The book seemed to flow well, and I never got bogged down in dry facts. One minor quibble is that the maps sometimes were hard to reconcile with the text. Eventually I would get to the part of the narrative that corresponded to the map, but I had to use my imagination sometimes to fill in the blanks. Also, there were several towns and/or brigades mentioned that were not labeled on the appropriate map, or were not clear. However, I could usually figure out where they would have been located by using other maps, and overall it did not hurt the main story.
Noe also tries to draw some new conclusions about different facets of the battle, but I did not get the sense that he was trying to rigidly rewrite history. He does imply that they are new interpretations and not solid facts. This allows the readers to decide for themselves, instead of having a new theory forced upon them by a pretentious author as the final word on the subject. This was refreshing, and really made the book more enjoyable and intelligent.
If you enjoyed Shea and Hess's account of Pea Ridge, or Cozzen's book on Iuka and Corinth, I think you will find this book to be similar in style and tone. It does not quite match the Pea Ridge book, but it is very close, and I would recommend it as the best current book on Perryville. If you want to understand a little-known battle which was the high-water mark of the Western Confederacy, it is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: The Western Civil War gets an important literary addition
Review: Kenneth Noe's book is a fantastic addition to the recent books dealing with obscure Western battles. It expands upon the previously small amount of material dealing with Bragg's Kentucky campaign and its climax on the fields of a small town called Perryville. The book is quite readable, and is filled with first-hand descriptions from period accounts, some of which are absolutely fascinating.
Overall, I found this to be a very good read. The book seemed to flow well, and I never got bogged down in dry facts. One minor quibble is that the maps sometimes were hard to reconcile with the text. Eventually I would get to the part of the narrative that corresponded to the map, but I had to use my imagination sometimes to fill in the blanks. Also, there were several towns and/or brigades mentioned that were not labeled on the appropriate map, or were not clear. However, I could usually figure out where they would have been located by using other maps, and overall it did not hurt the main story.
Noe also tries to draw some new conclusions about different facets of the battle, but I did not get the sense that he was trying to rigidly rewrite history. He does imply that they are new interpretations and not solid facts. This allows the readers to decide for themselves, instead of having a new theory forced upon them by a pretentious author as the final word on the subject. This was refreshing, and really made the book more enjoyable and intelligent.
If you enjoyed Shea and Hess's account of Pea Ridge, or Cozzen's book on Iuka and Corinth, I think you will find this book to be similar in style and tone. It does not quite match the Pea Ridge book, but it is very close, and I would recommend it as the best current book on Perryville. If you want to understand a little-known battle which was the high-water mark of the Western Confederacy, it is a must read.
Rating: 
Summary: Lost in Kentucky
Review: Most books written about the War Between the States focus on the East, mainly Virginia. This one is quite different, it focuses on the battle for the States of Kentucky and Tennessee. These were so called "border" states and the natives were pretty equally split between southern and northern sympathizers. The author provides a very detailed account of the conflict between the Confederate forces under the generalship of Braxton Bragg battling with the Union Forces under the direction of General Don Carlos Buell. But the conflict was not just between these two armies. Much conflict existed between the generals and officers within both the Confederate and the Union forces. There was no respect for eithe Bragg or Buell from their respective underlings. One complaint I have - not being familiar with the territory on which these battles took place - is the lack of definition for that territory. I feel most CW enthusiasts are a bit ignorant re the battle for these border states and do not know exactly where Perryville is. The author could have been a lot more helpful. Yes, there are maps. But they are woeful. The ledgends on the maps are in very small print and difficult to read. The activities of the armies are shown by lines and arrows, but this is also confusing. Confederate movements are shown by black lines and arrows; Union movements by grey. When the map is printed there is little distinction on the map between black and grey. Also, the pictures shown are relatively poor. Photographs of the various officers are fine; but landscapes, houses, etc. leave a lot to be desired. The tale, itself, was pretty well told. However, often unnecessary detalil broke the action. I found it difficult to have a continued interest in the story and consequently had to "force" myself thru. Nevertheless when I finished I felt satisfied that I had become knowledgeable about another area of the War with which I had been entirely unfamiliar.
Rating:
Summary: Great book on neglected battle
Review: Perryville has been pretty much ignored by Civil War historians except for Kenneth Hafendorfer's poineering book and this one, which is newer, better researched, and has better (but far fewer) maps. Professor Noe has pretty much written the definitive account of this fairly obscure battle. It covers, besides the battle itself, all of Bragg's campaign in Kentucky, from the viewpoints of generals, soldiers, and civilians alike and his views are reasonable, unbiased, and well thought out. Additionally, he writes well and the book was a real joy to read. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Great book on neglected battle
Review: Perryville has been pretty much ignored by Civil War historians except for Kenneth Hafendorfer's poineering book and this one, which is newer, better researched, and has better (but far fewer) maps. Professor Noe has pretty much written the definitive account of this fairly obscure battle. It covers, besides the battle itself, all of Bragg's campaign in Kentucky, from the viewpoints of generals, soldiers, and civilians alike and his views are reasonable, unbiased, and well thought out. Additionally, he writes well and the book was a real joy to read. Highly recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Bragg versus Buell
Review: Perryville may not be one of the best-known Civil War battles, but its story is well worth telling. Kenneth Noe does a good job in explaining the events of October 8th 1862, making a complex and confusing battle comprehensible. He puts the battle into context by explaining why Braxton Bragg's Confederate Army of the Mississippi headed into Kentucky. The prize at stake was the allegiance of the border state, whether it would follow the South or stay in the Union. Noe is fairly critical of Bragg, even arguing that he suffered from mental illness. This is one of the least successful aspects of his analysis. Noe recognises the dangers of using modern psychiatry to investigate historical figures, but then proceeds to expose his analysis to just this danger by classifying Bragg as a manic-depressive. Bragg had his faults and in the Perryville campaign made mistakes, but the fact remains that his 16,000 men took on Buell's 55,000 man Army of the Ohio and beat them. Bragg's leadership does not look quite so insane when it is remembered that he won the battle. Noe is not nearly as critical of Buell, but it would be equally easy to apply a psychiatric analysis to a man who was miles away from the fighting while his army fought for its life. Noe's analysis generally does not give enough credit to the Confederate performance and rather whitewashes the Union army. Bragg's army faced odds at least as bad as Lee's army did at Chancellorsville, yet the Army of the Potomac is routinely condemned for its performance there, and Lee's leadership is generally praised while Hooker's is usually criticised. Bragg should certainly get some credit for the victory at Perryville and should not be put on the psychiatrist's couch. Noe should however, be praised for the depth of his research and the clarity of his writing. He uses contemporary sources well to give the reader a sense of what it was like to be fighting the battle. His book is not an especially easy read, but this has more to do with the complexity of the battle, than any faults in Noe's style of writing. It would have helped to have a few more maps. The maps, which are provided, are adequate, but not as good as in some other Civil War books. These criticisms though, are outweighed by the merits of Noe's book. I very much enjoyed reading it and learned a great deal about an important and interesting battle.
Rating:
Summary: This is what a battle history should be!
Review: The Battle of Perryville, which took place in central Kentucky in October 1862, was in my opinion one of the most important battles of the Civil War. In a day of intense combat, Confederate and Federal troops fought over the Chaplin Hills northwest and west of the little (even to today) town of Perryville. In the end, the Southerners had gained a tactical victory, but lost the campaign, perhaps ending the last chance the Confederacy had of bringing in Kentucky.
In "Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle," Kenneth W. Noe provides the reader with an excellent study of the battle. From the Confederate movement northward from Chattanooga to their subsequent retreat back to the Volunteer State, Mr. Noe covers all the important events. He is very critical of Union General Don Carlos Buell's handling of the Army of the Ohio during the maneuvering in Middle Tennessee, and also reveals the in-fighting, and discontent, present within that army throughout this campaign. Mr. Noe covers the entire campaign, from start to finish, very well.
The maps in this book are second to none, allowing the reader to easily follow the movements of both Northern and Southern soldiers, as well as understand the topograpy of the battlefield. Interspersed throughout the narrative are old photos of commanders involved in the battle and of the battlefield, along with modern photos of sites on the battlefield. Combine these with Mr. Noe's excellent writing and one has a great narrative of the 1862 Kentucky Campaign.
The Battle of Perryville has been all but ingored by Civil War historians. However, Mr. Noe has gone far in bringing this deserving battle to the forefront. No Civil War library is complete without this book. After reading this book, I find myself hoping that Mr. Noe will continue to write volumes on Civil War campaigns. Get this book!
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