Synopses & Reviews
Controversies and Commanders of the Civil War might well be the most intriguing book ever published about the Civil War, for it focuses on the people and events that one of our best historians has found most fascinating, including: Professor Lowe's reconnaissance balloons; the court-martial of Fitz John Porter; the Lost Order at Antietam; press coverage of the war; the looting of Fredericksburg; the Mud March; the roles of volunteers, conscripts, bounty jumpers, and foreign soldiers; the notorious General Dan Sickles, who shot his wife's lover outside the White House, and the much maligned Generals McClellan (justifiably) and Hooker (not so justifiably). The book follows the Army of the Potomac throughout the war, from 1861 to 1865, painting a remarkable portrait of the key incidents and personalities that influenced the course of our nation's greatest cataclysm.
Review
"A personal look at the facinating events of the Civil War, by "the finest and most provacative Civil War historian wriring today" The Chicago Tribune
Review
"A master storyteller and leading Civil War historian." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
A well-known historian focuses on the Civil War people and events that he finds most fascinating and follows the Army of the Potomac throughout the war, from 1861 to 1865.
Synopsis
CONTROVERSIES AND COMMANDERS is a fascinating look at some of the most intriguing generals in the Union's Army of the Potomac and at some of the most extraordinary events of the Civil War, chronicled by one of our leading historians, Stephen W. Sears. Sears investigates the accusations of disloyalty against General Charles Stone; the court-martial of Fitz John Porter; the crisis in army command on the eve of the Antietam battle; the Lost Order of Antietam; the revolt of the Potomac army's high command; the notorious General Dan Sickles, who had shot his wife's lover outside the White House; the murderous Kilpatrick-Dahlgren raid on Richmond; the firing of corps commander Gouverneur Warren on the eve of victory; and the much maligned Generals McClellan (justifiably) and Hooker (not so justifiably). The book follows the Army of the Potomac through the course of the war, from 1861 to 1865, painting a remarkable portrait of key incidents and personalities that influenced the outcome of our nation's greatest cataclysm.
About the Author
STEPHEN W. SEARS is the author of many award-winning books on the Civil War, including Gettysburg and Landscape Turned Red. The New York Times Book Review has called him "arguably the preeminent living historian of the war's eastern theater." He is a former editor for American Heritage.