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Title: The Fredericksburg Campaign: Winter War on the Rappahannock by Francis Augustin O'Reilly ISBN: 0-8071-2809-0 Publisher: Louisiana State University Press Pub. Date: January, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $39.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.86 (7 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: The new definitive military history of Fredericksburg
Comment: Frank O'Reilly aims for - and achieves - a detailed military history, down to the regiment and battery level, laying out precisely the what, where, and when of combat operations. Fully 60 percent of his 500-plus page text is devoted to the action of December 13, 1862. This is not, however, a merely dry recounting of maneuver and sequence; O'Reilly takes care to maintain the vitality of his narrative by addressing the experiences and fates of individual officers and soldiers caught up in the fighting. The maps are clear and informative, although I do wish there had been a few more provided when describing some of the intricacies of the attacks and counterattacks in the Prospect Hill fighting. There is one curious omission: In books of this type, it has long been standard to list the Orders of Battles of the contending armies, something very useful as a quick reference when a reader wishes to check to what brigade the 121st Pennsylvania belonged or which subordinate units reported to Winfield Hancock. Oddly for a detailed military history tables of this information are not included in "The Fredericksburg Campaign"; perhaps the publisher wished to trim a few pages from this quite large book (yes, that information can certainly be readily obtained elsewhere, but it would be far more handy to have it in this volume). Although O'Reilly provides a passable description of events leading up to this short campaign and a discussion of its aftermath, he does not evaluate the performance of the various senior officers as extensively as I had expected, only quickly summarizing their merits or flaws - mostly flaws, in the case of the Union generals. In O'Reilly's estimation, clearly George Meade was the best Northern commander on the field, while Franklin, Birney, and Reynolds earn his sharpest censure. Confederate commanders are accorded perhaps even less analysis than their Union counterparts.
Only a few months ago, George C. Rable's "Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!" was published. Inevitably, a comparison between the two must be made. Rable sought a blending of what he characterizes the "old" military history (dealing largely with leaders and dissecting strategy and tactics) and the "new" (focused on soldier life and its connections to larger social themes). And, I think it is fair to say, he well achieved that blending in "Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!" In marked contrast to O'Reilly's study, less than 20 percent of Rable's text describes the December 13th fighting, only about 80 pages in a volume nearly as long as O'Reilly's. Where Rable excels is in providing what might be called the "context" of the campaign, including discussions of the impact of McClellan's replacement by Burnside, the continuing controversy over the planned formal issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation, the repercussions of recently conducted state and congressional elections, and the realities of army life in the field. And Rable delves deeply into the experiences of the wounded after the fighting ended and into how the battle was reported, both North and South. For the general reader not deeply into the study of American Civil War military operations, "Fredericksburg! Fredericksburg!) is probably more accessible than O'Reilly's more narrowly focused study.
Taken by itself, O'Reilly's book is clearly the definitive traditional military history of the Fredericksburg battle (and in the modern trend, he expands upon that traditional military history to portray the common soldiers as well as the generals). Paired with Rable's volume, the two together provide a uniquely comprehensive study of the campaign in all its multitude of aspects. I recommend reading both.
Rating: 5
Summary: Outstanding
Comment: This is the finest Civil War battle study done in many years. It is critical without being wantonly revisionist; it is vivid without being overwritten; it is human without being trite. The author has brought together artfully the three disciplines required to write compelling history: extensive research, thoughtful analysis, and excellent writing (a rare accomplishment in combination). This is an intense, almost minute-by-minute examination of the Battle of Fredericksburg--far exceeding anything else that's been done on the battle (or likely will be done). Where George Rable's excellent book looks at the battle in the broad picture, O'Reilly's book dissects the battle in a fashion rarely matched for any major event of the war (Gettysburg aside, of course).
Rating: 5
Summary: Ranks up there with the best
Comment: Fredericksburg is one of those battles that while a major conflict, is often overshadowed by battles such as Gettysburg and Antietam. So it's nice to see a book that covers the entire campaign so completely. In fact I rank this book up there with what I think are some of the best Civil War books around such as Coddington's Gettysburg: A Study in Command.
What is really outstanding about this work is that it both the Xs and Os of the battle and also the generals involved. I especially enjoyed the hard look O'Reilly takes at Burnside. This is Burnside's one and only time to really command the Army of the Potomac in battle and in many ways he was a man in over his head.
O'Reilly also looks at the politics involved in the Army of the Potomac. A factor so often over looked in the Civil War but one that had a major impact on everything in the Eastern Theater.
There has been over the last 10 years quite a number of top quality books published about individual Civil War battles and this work by O'Reilly can stand up with the very best of them. It's a must read I think for anyone interested in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War.
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Title: Chancellorsville by Stephen W. Sears ISBN: 039587744X Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 22 June, 1998 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
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Title: Gettysburg by Stephen W. Sears ISBN: 0395867614 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 24 June, 2003 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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Title: Cold Harbor: Grant and Lee, May 26-June 3, 1864 by Gordon C. Rhea ISBN: 0807128031 Publisher: Louisiana State University Press Pub. Date: September, 2002 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
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Title: The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern May 7-12, 1864 by Gordon C. Rhea ISBN: 0807121363 Publisher: Louisiana State University Press Pub. Date: May, 1997 List Price(USD): $34.95 |
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Title: To The Gates of Richmond : The Peninsula Campaign by Stephen W. Sears ISBN: 0618127135 Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 01 May, 2001 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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