To the Gates of Richmond

Posted on 24 July 2017 by Stephen W. Sears

This is a history of the largest and bloodiest campaign of the American Civil War one in which a quarter of a million men fought, and one in four died. Best Download [ To the Gates of Richmond ] By [ Stephen W. Sears ] – kino-fada.fr It really isn t fair that I read this book and am now rating it after having read Allen Guelzo s Gettysburg The Last Invasion Stephen Sears To the Gates of Richmond, about George McClellan s failed Peninsula Campaign of 1862, is not a bad book To the contrary, it is sturdy and dependable, just like the Honda Civic you drove back in high school But when compared with Guelzo s bracing new history and yes, I know, the books were written at different times, about different battles , it s h It really isn t fair that I read this book and am now rating it after having read Allen Guelzo s Gettysburg The Last Invasion Stephen Sears To the ...Never had connected these series of battles together as Seven Days Battles before reading this account One battle outcome and results, and the positioning of different parts of the armies, definitely influenced other subsequent battles Liked the perspective of the change of leadership from Joe Johnston to Lee that I don t think I understood before It wasn t really a done deal that Lee would command in the field until he was needed, that I wasn t aware of previously Hadn t known about Gle Never had connected these series of battles together as Seven Days Battles before reading this account One battle outcome and results, and the positioning of different parts of the armies, definitely influenced othe...I almost gave this two stars, but relented I heard this was Sears worst book and my fears were correct It lacks the narrative punch of his other books and his deft analysis of command relationships is absent The book is the pinnacle of McClellan bashing, and Sears who is known to pick his favorites spares nothing to blast McClellan as an incompetent and arrogant McClellan here is an idiot who was also a coward of sorts McClellan s solid grasp of strategy and logistics is barely mentioned I almost gave this two stars, but relented I heard this was Sears worst book and my fears were c...A thorough telling of George McClellan s failed attempt to capture the city of Richmond in 1862 in order to quickly put an end to the Southern rebellion Steven Sears did an excellent job of introducing the major players on both sides of the conflict and of laying out each of their motivations and strategies during the 5 month long campaign After reading this book, I have a much better understanding of George McClellan s character and why the Peninsula Campaign ultimately failed I recommend th A thorough telling of George McClellan s failed attempt to capture the city of Richmond in 1862 in order to quickly put an end to the Southern rebellion Steven Sears did an excellent job of introducing the major players on both sides of the conflict and of laying out each of their motivations and strategies during the 5 month long campaign After reading this book, I have a much better understanding of George McClellan s character and why the Peninsula Campaign ultimately failed I recommend this book to anyone who has a fairly good understanding of the events of the Civil War If you want a broader overview of the Civil War, this book is probably too detailed It spends quite a bit of time on troop movements at each of the battles I found this aspect of the book somewhat difficult to follow, and also a bit dry, as I am not familiar with many of the names of the commanders I ended...Man, this is dry stuff It s like reading a box score from an old time baseball game lots of names and lots of stats, but you really have to work hard to get the highlights of the contest I started this book three years ago in anticipation of a trip to the Richmond peninsula I m glad I got some of the background I did, before the trip But after the trip, the unfinished book languished on my night stand for months and months Finally, I decided to muscle my way to the end.What saddens me mos Man, this is dry stuff It s like reading a box sc...Stephen Sears delivers an excellent account of the Peninsula Campaign waged by the Army of the Potomac aimed at capturing Richmond in 1862 The plan to use the navy to land and march to Richmond via Williamsburg was one of the most daring operations of the war and provided for two largely untested armies to engage in major combat It was the highest number of soldiers committed on each sides and while not the bloodiest it comes close in terms of numbers lost It sealed McCellan s fate and ...In 1862, George McClellan was finally persuaded to move on Richmond with the Army of the Potomac Beloved by his troops, his campaign would be largely undone by his fears and overcautious decisions, which bordered on paranoia and cowardice.Meanwhile, Robert E Lee would assume command of the Army of Northern Virginia His grand schemes for the destruction of the Union army would be undone by fatigued and otherwise ineffective lieutenants, poor communication, and worse maps.It was the largest cam In 1862, George McClellan was finally persuaded to move on Richmond with the Army of the Potomac Beloved by his troops, his campaign would b...This was the very first book I read on the American Civil War I read this book in 1994 and since then I haven t stopped buying Civil War books I have read Sears other 2 books, Antietam Landscape Turned Red and Chancellorsville and enjoyed them both very much This book covers the Federals Peninsula Campaign of 1862 and the text flows along smoothly, so much so that I found it hard to put down The author describes the battles and characters so well that you can see them in front of you I This was the very first book I read on the American Civil War I read this book in 1994 and since ...Having had a firm memory of the overview Shelby Foote gave of this same campaign, it was interesting to see the differences in their interpretations of the event For the most part, this book is harsher on the Confederate command and control than Foote was I would say that Sears is a little bit nicer to Jackson than Foote, but just because Sears tries to give an explanation for Jackson s behavior It was an enjoyable well, as enjoyable as the destructions of thousands of lives can be , fast re Having had a firm memory of the overview Shelby Foote gave of this same campaign, it was interes...The start of the book is its weakest part Rather than give some background on the armies, there organization, etc, as Sears did in his Chancerlorsville book, he jumps right into the campaign.From there, it is excellent Sears weaves the politics, personalities, operations, and strategy seamlessly into a narrative The descriptions of the battles are rich in qoutes from participants In fact, a strenght of the book is its use of letters and diaries of the participants, ...

English
24 July 2017

Stephen W. Sears