The Iron Dice of Battle - by Timothy B Smith (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Killed in action at the famous Battle of Shiloh, Confederate General Albert Sidney Johnston stands as the highest-ranking Civil War soldier to perish in battle. He is also the highest-ranking American military officer ever to die in combat. His unexpected death had cascading negative ramifications on the Confederate war effort, especially in the Western Theater, where his absence created a void in adequate leadership. Johnston's experiences before the war are a window into the factors that compelled men like him to volunteer to fight to preserve slavery. Surprisingly, there have been only two major biographies of Johnston, one by his son in the 1870s and another by historian Charles P. Roland in the 1960s. In "The Iron Dice of Battle," prolific Civil War historian Timothy Smith reexamines Johnston's life and death, reaching new conclusions about both. According to Smith, as a commander, Johnston constantly faced larger and better-armed Union forces, which dramatically shaped his command decisions, turning him into a strategic gambler. Over and over, he noted that his strategy was essentially a roll of the dice. Johnston's personality was anything but that of a gambler, making choices that required quick and bold bluffs or audacious enemy engagement at odds with his inclinations. Nevertheless, he gambled with his life and troops throughout his command. The final wager came with his army at Shiloh in April 1862. He had alerted his troops that "we must this day conquer or perish," and he perished instead of conquered. His death came amid a desperate gamble to mold the fighting the way he needed it to go; in doing so, he charged ahead to lead from the front and fell mortally wounded. The first volume to examine Johnston's life and career in detail in nearly sixty years, "The Iron Dice of Battle" builds on modern scholarship to provide a new and incisive analysis of not only Johnston's life but, more importantly, his Confederate command and the effect his death had on the remainder of the Civil War in the West"--

Book Synopsis

Killed in action at the bloody Battle of Shiloh, Confederate general Albert Sidney Johnston stands as the highest-ranking American military officer to die in combat. His unexpected demise had cascading negative consequences for the South's war effort, as his absence created a void in adequate leadership in the years that followed. In The Iron Dice of Battle, noted Civil War historian Timothy B. Smith reexamines Johnston's life and death, offering remarkable insights into this often-contradictory figure.

As a commander, Johnston frequently faced larger and better-armed Union forces, dramatically shaping his battlefield decisions and convincing him that victory could only be attained by taking strategic risks while fighting. The final wager came while leading his army at Shiloh in April 1862. During a desperate gambit to turn the tide of battle, Johnston charged to the front of the Confederate line to direct his troops and fell mortally wounded after sustaining enemy fire.

The first work to survey the general's career in detail in nearly sixty years, The Iron Dice of Battle builds on recent scholarship to provide a new and incisive assessment of Johnston's life, his Confederate command, and the effect his death had on the course of the Civil War in the West.

Review Quotes

"In what the author terms a 'think-piece' (as opposed to a full biography), Smith presents a clearly focused and strongly analytical study of Johnston's personality and generalship. . . . The Iron Dice of Battle is a forcefully argued study of leadership. The author is especially effective in dealing with Johnston's personality, the geography of military operations in the western theater, and complex strategic problems. His approach could well be applied to several other Civil War commanders."--Journal of American History

"Two things in particular stand out in Smith's work: his measured approach to the failings of Johnston as a commander, and his treatment of the 'what ifs' regarding Johnston's death and the fate of the Confederate West. . . . Overall, Smith's study of Johnston is truly outstanding and should be considered one of the most important works regarding not only Johnston but also the Civil War West."--Journal of Southern History

"Every Civil War figure should be fortunate enough to have such an important book written about his life and career by such an outstanding scholar."--John F. Marszalek, author of Commander of All Lincoln's Armies: A Life of General Henry W. Halleck

"Smith undertakes a painstaking analysis of Albert Sidney Johnston as a man and a soldier, illuminating his dual nature as a careful chess player and an impulsive gambler, and how it led him to the disasters of 1862. A truly fresh and perceptive study of perhaps the greatest might-have-been of the western Confederacy."--Sam Davis Elliott, author of Isham G. Harris of Tennessee: Confederate Governor and United States Senator

"Timothy B. Smith explores a man both flawed and formidable, a chess player by choice yet unafraid to 'roll the iron dice.' This is a much-needed modern view of a man of many contradictions."--Larry J. Daniel, author of Engineering in the Confederate Heartland

About the Author

Timothy B. Smith is the author of eighteen books on the American Civil War, including Early Struggles for Vicksburg: The Mississippi Central Campaign and Chickasaw Bayou, October 25-December 31, 1862.