The Spotsylvania Campaign - (Military Campaigns of the Civil War) by Gary W Gallagher (Paperback)

About the Book

Essays by Civil War historians examine the Spotsylvania campaign of May 1864. Topics include the high command, tactics and strategy, the impact of the fighting on officers and soldiers, and the Bloody Angle.

Book Synopsis

The Spotsylvania Campaign was a crucial period in the protracted confrontation between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee in spring 1864. Approaching the campaign from a variety of perspectives, the contributors to this volume explore questions regarding high command, tactics and strategy, the impact of continuous fighting on officers and soldiers in both armies, and the ways in which some participants chose to remember and interpret the campaign. They offer insight into the decisions and behavior of Lee and of Federal army leaders, the fullest descriptions to date of the horrific fighting at the "Bloody Angle" on May 12, and a revealing look at how Grant used his memoirs to counter Lost Cause interpretations of his actions at Spotsylvania and elsewhere in the Overland Campaign.

The contributors are William A. Blair, Peter S. Carmichael, Gary W. Gallagher, Robert E. L. Krick, Robert K. Krick, William D. Matter, Carol Reardon, and Gordon C. Rhea.

Review Quotes

"The Spotsylvania Campaign, ably edited by historian Gary Gallagher, is a vivid overview of that hell on earth, a place where battlefield conditions reached their nadir, and human courage and endurance reached their apex." -- America's Civil War

"[This] new group of essays, each a product of deep research and clear writing, provides refreshing insights to a well-known campaign. . . . One cannot fully study any aspect of that campaign without consulting the Gallagher compilation." -- Richmond Times-Dispatch

"No student of the war, or instructor who teaches it, can afford to overlook this provocative and challenging volume." -- Military History of the West

"Offer[s] insight into the decisions and behavior of Lee and Federal army leaders, the fullest descriptions to date of the horrific fighting at the 'Bloody Angle' on May 12 and a revealing look at how Grant used his memoirs to offset Lost Cause interpretations of his actions at Spotsylvania and elsewhere in the Overland Campaign." -- McCormick Messenger

About the Author

Gary W. Gallagher is John L. Nau III Professor of History at the University of Virginia. He is author, most recently, of Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten: How Hollywood and Popular Art Shape What We Know about the Civil War.