General Abner Doubleday (1819-1893) is best known as the man who "invented" baseball, but his admirable service on behalf of the Union earned him a reputation as a solid commander and patriot. He saw action at Fort Sumter where he aimed the first gun fired against the rebellion; at Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville, where he lead the First and later the Third Divisions of the First Corps of the Army of the Potomac; and finally at Gettysburg, where he commanded the entire First Corps after the death of General Reynolds early in the morning of the first day. Facing powerful...
General Abner Doubleday (1819-1893) is best known as the man who "invented" baseball, but his admirable service on behalf of the Union earned him a re...
Often hailed as a stroke of military genius, General William T. Sherman's decision to divide his command and his subsequent, infamous march through the interior of Georgia to the Atlantic coast inaugurated the final phase of the war. General Jacob D. Cox (1828-1900) played key roles in most of the decisive actions that followed. Left with Generals Schofield and Thomas to delay Hood's advance, Cox led his men through the night and at Spring Hill; he supervised the construction of the fortifications that proved so effective against Hood's assaulting columns at Franklin; at Nashville his...
Often hailed as a stroke of military genius, General William T. Sherman's decision to divide his command and his subsequent, infamous march through th...
In 1864 Abraham Lincoln had privately predicted his defeat in the impending election, but ten days later Atlanta fell, assuring his victory. General Jacob D. Cox (1828-1900) played a key role in the Union success at Atlanta, a city of profound strategic and political significance. At Kenesaw Mountain in June, his division seized a ridge opposite the Confederate left, allowing Sherman to flank the Confederates out of their prepared position; in late August Cox's men served the city's final rail line, forcing Hood's evacuation. It was Cox's self-professed qualities of "a bold heart, a cool...
In 1864 Abraham Lincoln had privately predicted his defeat in the impending election, but ten days later Atlanta fell, assuring his victory. General J...
Most people still view the final, bloody confrontation between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee as a relentless grinding away of the Army of Northern Virginia in a continuous battle of attrition, attributing Grant's victory not to his generalship but to his overwhelming superiority in numbers. General Andrew A. Humphreys (1810-1883), chief of staff of the Army of the Potomac and later the fiery commander of the Second Corps, provides readers with a far more enlightened understanding in The Virginia Campaign, 1864 and 1865. Humphreys was known for his high military scholarship,...
Most people still view the final, bloody confrontation between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee as a relentless grinding away of the Army of Norther...
John G. Nicolay (1832-1901) was an undeniably apt and brilliant choice to inaugurate the landmark Campaigns of the Civil War series. Private secretary to President Lincoln and coauthor (with John Hay) of the monumental, ten-volume Lincoln biography, Nicolay experienced the Civil War from a unique vantage point: living in the White House, witnessing the many momentous events and minor wranglings, sharing the nation's trauma with Lincoln, and winning his open confidence. It is Nicolay's firsthand knowledge and personal observations of the key figures that imbue The Outbreak of...
John G. Nicolay (1832-1901) was an undeniably apt and brilliant choice to inaugurate the landmark Campaigns of the Civil War series. Private se...
