The Spotsylvania Campaign

by Gary W. Gallagher (Editor)

Overview

The Spotsylvania Campaign marked a crucial period in the confrontation between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee in Virginia. Waged over a two-week period in mid-May 1864, it included some of the most savage fighting of the Civil War and left indelible marks on all involved.

Approaching topics related to Spotsylvania from a variety of perspectives, the contributors to this volume explore questions regarding high command, tactics and strategy, the impact of 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 offset Lost Cause interpretations of his actions at Spotsylvania and elsewhere in the Overland Campaign.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807898376
Publisher:	The University of North Carolina Press
Publication date:	02/01/2010
Series:	Military Campaigns of the Civil War
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
Lexile:	1370L (what's this?)
File size:	5 MB

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.

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction

I Have to Make the Best of What I Have: Robert E. Lee at Spotsylvania / Gary W. Gallagher
The Federal High Command at Spotsylvania / William D. Matter
The Testing of a Corps Commander: Gouverneur Kemble Warren at the Wilderness and Spotsylvania / Gordon C. Rhea
An Insurmountable Barrier between the Army and Ruin: The Confederate Experience at Spotsylvania's Bloody Angle / Robert K. Krick
Stuart's Last Ride: A Confederate View of Sheridan's Raid / Robert E. L. Krick
A Hard Road to Travel: The Impact of Continuous Operations on the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia in May 1864 / Carol Reardon
We Respect a Good Soldier, No Matter What Flag He Fought Under: The 15th New Jersey
Remembers Spotsylvania / Peter S. Carmichael
Grant's Second Civil War: The Battle for Historical Memory / William A. Blair

Bibliographic Essay
Contributors
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Some of the most important and innovative scholarship on Civil War battles and their political and social impact has appeared in the volumes of the Military Campaigns of the Civil War series. I strongly recommend these essays to everyone who is interested in the latest findings and interpretations.” — James M. McPherson, author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning Battle Cry of Freedom: The Era of the Civil War

Editorial Reviews

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

“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

“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

From the Publisher