Thomas F. (hardtack) -
Helpful Score: 1
Since I've been reading almost constantly about the American Civil War since I was 13-years-old, or 61 years ago, I was really surprised I overlooked this book until now. Especially as it was first published in 1982.
While you may disagree with the author's premise that the ancestry of Southern soldiers had a great effect in determining the huge casualties and eventual defeat of the Confederacy, the author present statistics that convince you the leaders of the Southern armies bore the blame for the bloodletting.
I have to admit reading the book wasn't always easy, as I don't think the author is one of the War's great entertaining authors. However, if you want to understand his premise without reading the entire book, I suggest you read just the the first and eleventh chapters.
"It was not War---It was Murder" basically provides the statistics for the entire war and shows how the South bled its armies in the first three years of war, taking much larger casualties then the North. Then the author shows how this changed in the final year of the war. It is hard to find these startling figures in most other Civil War books.
In "We Dashed With Sword and Bayonet on the Foe" gives you a closer look at some of the Civil War's leaders and why they used the tactics they did.
While you may disagree with the author's premise that the ancestry of Southern soldiers had a great effect in determining the huge casualties and eventual defeat of the Confederacy, the author present statistics that convince you the leaders of the Southern armies bore the blame for the bloodletting.
I have to admit reading the book wasn't always easy, as I don't think the author is one of the War's great entertaining authors. However, if you want to understand his premise without reading the entire book, I suggest you read just the the first and eleventh chapters.
"It was not War---It was Murder" basically provides the statistics for the entire war and shows how the South bled its armies in the first three years of war, taking much larger casualties then the North. Then the author shows how this changed in the final year of the war. It is hard to find these startling figures in most other Civil War books.
In "We Dashed With Sword and Bayonet on the Foe" gives you a closer look at some of the Civil War's leaders and why they used the tactics they did.
