The Darkest Days of the War

Posted on 16 April 2018 by Peter Cozzens

During the late summer of 1862, Confederate forces attempted a three pronged strategic advance into the North The outcome of this offensive the only coordinated Confederate attempt to carry the conflict to the enemy was disastrous The results at Antietam and in Kentucky are well known the third offensive, the northern Mississippi campaign, led to the devastating and little studied defeats at Iuka and Corinth, defeats that would open the way for Grant s attack on Vicksburg Peter Cozzens presents here the first book length study of these two complex and vicious battles Drawing on extensive primary research, he details the tactical stories of Iuka where nearly one third of those engaged fell and Corinth fought under brutally oppressive conditions analyzing troop movements down to the regimental level He also provides compelling portraits of Generals Grant, Rosecrans, Van Dorn, and Price, exposing the ways in which their clashing ambitions and antipathies affected the outcome of the campaign Finally, he draws out the larger, strategic implications of the battles of Iuka and Corinth, exploring their impact on the fate of the northern Mississippi campaign, and by extension, the fate of the Confederacy.During the late summer of 1862, Confederate forces attempted a three pronged strategic advance into the North The outcome of this offensive the only coordinated Confederate attempt to carry the conflict to the enemy was disastrous The results at Antietam and in Kentucky are well known the third offensive, the northern Mississippi campaign, led to the devastating and little studied defeats at Iuka and Corinth, defeats that would open the way for Grant s attack on Vicksburg Peter Cozzens details the tactical stories of Iuka and Corinth, analyzing troop movements down to the regimental level and providing compelling portraits of Generals Grant, Rosecrans, Van Dorn, and Price He also draws out the larger, strategic implications of the battles, exploring their impact on the fate of the northern Mississippi campaign, and by extension, the fate of the Confederacy. Best Read [ The Darkest Days of the War ] by [ Peter Cozzens ] – kino-fada.fr Peter Cozzens is rapidly becoming one of my favorite Civil War authors, and The Darkest Days of the War The Battles of Iuka and Corinth is just one good example of why This a well written, fast paced historical accounting of a campaign and two sharply fought battles in the extreme northeastern corner of Mississippi in early fall 1862 There may be other accounts of the battles of Iuka and Corinth out there in the many thousands of Civil War books that have been written, but I m betting that th Peter Cozzens is rapidly becoming one of my favorite Civil War authors, and The Darkest Days of the War The Battles of Iuka and Corinth is just one good example of why This a well written, fast paced historical accounting of a campaign and two sharply fought battles in the extreme northeastern corner of Mississippi in early fall 1862 There may be other accounts of th...This book meant a great dealto me than it might to most, because my Greatx3 Grandfather was killed at the Battle of Iuka and I was able to read this book just prior to visiting the site That said, I still think most people wit...What do you say about a book that you find pretty much perfect This seems to be dilemma I am finding myself in right now, as I try to formulate some sort of coherent opinion about Peter Cozzens The Darkest Days of the War The only thing that keeps popping up in my head is simply This bloody thing is perfect.Of course I realize that this is not a very helpful review and if I d be hard pressed to beprecise about the reason why this book made such an impression on me, I d say balance What do you say about a book that you find pretty much perfect This seems to be dilemma I am finding myself in right now, as I try to formulate some sort of coherent opinion about Peter Cozzens The Darkest Days of the War The only thing that keeps popping up in my head is simply This bloody thing is perfect.Of course I realize that this is not a very helpful review and if I d be hard pressed to beprecise about the reason why this book made such an impression on me, I d say balance The author strikes absolutely perfect balance between overall picture and detail, between dry facts and personal experience, between commander s perspective and the horror of combat experienced by individual soldier standing in the line of battle Military history buffs interested in American Civil War are blessed by the fact that there is a multitude of historians that are also very talented writers, but ...Perhaps not for the casual Civil War reader Marvelous research and detail of the battles in the Iuka Corinth campaign These battles have been overshadowed by Antietam and even Perryville but were significant In September, 1862, the Confederates were advancing everywhere east of the Mississippi Every repulse was significant The book also provides thorough descriptions of a few famous generals many lesser known men For example, General David Stanley does not receive enough recognition Perhaps not for the casual Civil War reader Marvelous research and detail of the battles in the Iuka Corinth campaign These battles have been overshadowed by Antietam and even Perryville but were significant In September, 1862, the Confederates were advancing everywhere east of the Mississippi Every repulse was significant The book also provides thorough descriptions of a few famous generals many lesser known men For example, General David Stanley does not receive enough recognition from historians He was a superb battlefield leader Others were not superb The book describ...A great book Cozzens does an amazing job of bringing attention to the oft forgotten battles of Iuka and Corinth These battles, fought between small desperate rebel armies and the large yet dispersed Federal army, helped determine the course of the war not only by keeping the vital town of Corinth in Union hands but by also eliminating the only true offensive Confederate threat left in Mississippi.Cozzens brings life to the battles and creates order from the confusion The author also pulls no A great book Cozzens does an amazing job of bringing attention to the oft forgotten battles of Iuka and Corinth These battles, fought between small desperate rebel armies and the large yet dispersed Federal army, helped determine the course of the war not only by keeping the vital town of Corinth in Union hands but by also eliminating the only true offensive Confederate threat left in Missis...Cozzens has written one of the truly masterful campaign studies, where command analysis and battlefield drama are given equal weight War is depicted for what it is, a brain spattering, windpipe slitting art to quote Lord Byron Iuka and Corinth are shown as swirling masses of death.Cozzens is in no one s corner Grant is depicted as detached and duplicitous, and possibly depressed Rosecrans is a genius but with a huge flaw he loses his head in battle David Stanley is difficult but a combat Cozzens has written one of the truly masterful campaign studies, where command analysis and ...I will admit to being biased about the topic being that Corinth was the first battle my great great grandfather was in I had spent countless hours reading reports from the officers who were in the battle to get some idea about what my ancestor went through Then I found this book and it all came together This is a very well written and easy to read narrative of these...This book does a good job of filling the gap between Shiloh and Vicksburg It does not give a particularly flattering view of Grant, Rosecrans, or Ord Van Dorn comes off badly as well, although I don t think many people ever had a high opinion of him then ...An interesting history of the battle for the train hub of Corinth, MS during the last half of the Civil War.Listened to the unabridged audiobook on Audible.com.

English
16 April 2018

Peter Cozzens