With Sheridan in the Final Campaign against Lee, by Lt. Col. Frederick C. Newhall, Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry
With Sheridan in the Final Campaign against Lee, by Lt. Col. Frederick C. Newhall, Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry

Author: Eric J. Wittenberg

Publisher: LSU Press

Published: 2002-07-01

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9780807127568

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After enlisting in the elite Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment of the Army of the Potomac, Frederick Newhall (1840--1898) quickly rose to company commander and eventually to provost marshal and assistant adjutant general at Cavalry Corps headquarters. There, riding alongside Major General Philip H. Sheridan -- the dynamic, inspirational bantam who led the Union cavalry to glory in 1864 and 1865 -- Newhall witnessed the inner workings of Union cavalry operations and many of the important events that spurred the end of the Civil War. A highly intelligent observer, he published the details of his experiences in 1866, before time could dull his memory. This new edition of Newhall's memoir, carefully edited by Eric J. Wittenberg, makes his revealing eyewitness account widely available once again. Newhall had both Sheridan's ear and confidence during the campaign from Petersburg to Appomattox in April 1865. He was sent by the general to convey information directly to Ulysses S. Grant and George Meade, and he was present with Sheridan during Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House. Loyal to the last, Newhall vigorously defended Sheridan's controversial relief of Major General G. K. Warren from command of the Fifth Corps after the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865. Wittenberg has carefully transcribed and annotated Newhall's original text, adding maps, photographs, a preface, a biographical sketch of Newhall, an order of battle, and a selected bibliography. He also includes the text of a pamphlet that Warren printed defending himself and criticizing Sheridan, and Newhall's response to it. An enlightening insider's view of Union leadership during the Civil War's denouement, Wittenberg's excellent edition of Newhall's lively and descriptive commentary rescues an important and informative perspective from the vault of history.

The Early Morning of War
The Early Morning of War

Author: Edward G. Longacre

Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press

Published: 2014-10-22

Total Pages: 885

ISBN-13: 0806147601

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When Union and Confederate forces squared off along Bull Run on July 21, 1861, the Federals expected this first major military campaign would bring an early end to the Civil War. But when Confederate troops launched a strong counterattack, both sides realized the war would be longer and costlier than anticipated. First Bull Run, or First Manassas, set the stage for four years of bloody conflict that forever changed the political, social, and economic fabric of the nation. It also introduced the commanders, tactics, and weaponry that would define the American way of war through the turn of the twentieth century. This crucial campaign receives its most complete and comprehensive treatment in Edward G. Longacre’s The Early Morning of War. A magisterial work by a veteran historian, The Early Morning of War blends narrative and analysis to convey the full scope of the campaign of First Bull Run—its drama and suspense as well as its practical and tactical underpinnings and ramifications. Also woven throughout are biographical sketches detailing the backgrounds and personalities of the leading commanders and other actors in the unfolding conflict. Longacre has combed previously unpublished primary sources, including correspondence, diaries, and memoirs of more than four hundred participants and observers, from ranking commanders to common soldiers and civilians affected by the fighting. In weighing all the evidence, Longacre finds correctives to long-held theories about campaign strategy and battle tactics and questions sacrosanct beliefs—such as whether the Manassas Gap Railroad was essential to the Confederate victory. Longacre shears away the myths and persuasively examines the long-term repercussions of the Union’s defeat at Bull Run, while analyzing whether the Confederates really had a chance of ending the war in July 1861 by seizing Washington, D.C. Brilliant moves, avoidable blunders, accidents, historical forces, personal foibles: all are within Longacre’s compass in this deftly written work that is sure to become the standard history of the first, critical campaign of the Civil War.

American Civil War [6 volumes]
American Civil War [6 volumes]

Author: Spencer C. Tucker

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2013-09-30

Total Pages: 3030

ISBN-13: 1851096825

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This expansive, multivolume reference work provides a broad, multidisciplinary examination of the Civil War period ranging from pre-Civil War developments and catalysts such as the Mexican-American War to the rebuilding of the war-torn nation during Reconstruction. The Civil War was undoubtedly the most important and seminal event in 19th-century American history. Students who understand the Civil War have a better grasp of the central dilemmas in the American historical narrative: states rights versus federalism, freedom versus slavery, the role of the military establishment, the extent of presidential powers, and individual rights versus collective rights. Many of these dilemmas continue to shape modern society and politics. This comprehensive work facilitates both detailed reading and quick referencing for readers from the high school level to senior scholars in the field. The exhaustive coverage of this encyclopedia includes all significant battles and skirmishes; important figures, both civilian and military; weapons; government relations with Native Americans; and a plethora of social, political, cultural, military, and economic developments. The entries also address the many events that led to the conflict, the international diplomacy of the war, the rise of the Republican Party and the growing crisis and stalemate in American politics, slavery and its impact on the nation as a whole, the secession crisis, the emergence of the "total war" concept, and the complex challenges of the aftermath of the conflict.

The Appomattox Campaign
The Appomattox Campaign

Author: Chris Calkins

Publisher: Da Capo Press, Incorporated

Published: 1997-07-21

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13:

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Previous accounts of the Civil War's last major campaign have often neglected the actual maneuvers and tactics of the units involved. This new addition to the Great Campaigns series features a tactical approach to the final drama of the Civil War. Innovative maps, sidebars and charts complement a dramatic narrative. The fall of Petersburg and Richmond, the last battles at Five Forks, Sailor's Creek, and Dinwiddie Court House, and the final surrender at Appomattox are all described by an author whose knowledge of the historical sources is equaled by his familiarity with the area over which the armies marched and fought.The author provides a day-to-day narrative of this fascinating campaign, with a series of specially commissioned maps that make clear the complex series of maneuvers that finally brought Lee's beleaguered army to bay. Special sidebars highlight many incidents and personalities of the campaign, including never-before-published information on African-Americans in Confederate service. Record-keeping, especially for the Confederates, was difficult in the last hectic days of the war, and readers will find here the most complete order of battle available for both sides.