Banners to the Breeze - (Great Campaigns of the Civil War) by Earl J Hess (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Banners to the Breeze analyzes three major Civil War campaigns that were conducted following a series of devastating Confederate defeats at the hands of Ulysses S. Grant in the spring of 1862. After the recapture of Tennessee, Confederate armies under Braxton Bragg and Edmund Kirby Smith conducted a brilliant advance into the deeply divided state of Kentucky. Meanwhile, other Confederate forces under Sterling Price and Earl Van Dorn attempted to recapture the town of Corinth, Mississippi. As the year drew to a close, Bragg's army was involved in a tactical draw at the battle of Stones River. Earl J. Hess mixes dramatic narrative and new analysis as he brings these campaigns together in a coherent whole. Previously unpublished historic photographs of the battlefields are included.

Review Quotes

"A concise synthesis of recent Civil War scholarship. . . . Persons interested in one of these campaigns would do well to start their study with this book. Scholars in the field will find some of the observations about commanders a good point of departure for future academic debate."--Damon Eubank, West Virginia History

"A well-written book. It is informative and objective. The author comments on the shortcomings of both sides with sound reasoning. His descriptions of the movements of the various forces are detailed and point out the difficulties encountered. This book contains far more than just the stories of these three battles. I recommend this excellent book to all Civil War readers."--Duane A. Benell, Civil War Courier

"Hess's study is a balanced, thoughtful account of three separate Civil War campaigns. . . . Hess's account is superbly fairminded. . . . The final result is definitely worthwhile. All levels."--Choice

"Like all of Hess's books, this one is marvelously done. I am especially pleased with his treatment of Iuka and Corinth."--Herman Hattaway, author of Shades of Blue and Gray: An Introductory Military History of the Civil War

"The University of Nebraska series features professional historians who eschew the traditional narrow tactical study, and instead examine the military operations within a wider political and social context. The books are synthetic works that use the most recent scholarship in providing a comprehensive overview of the campaigns. . . . Hess meet[s] this formidable challenge."--Mark Bradley, Civil War History

"Without a doubt, Earl J Hess's Banners to the Breeze is one of the finest Civil War campaign histories ever written. . . . A welcome addition to the Great Campaigns of the Civil War series and necessary for a thorough understanding of the importance of the western theater to the defeat of the Confederacy."--Indiana Magazine of History

About the Author

Earl J. Hess is an associate professor of history at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. He is the author of The Union Soldier in Battle: Enduring the Ordeal of Combat and other works. For related information, please visit http: //www.love-and-learning.info/