Lee takes command - from Seven Days to Second Bull Run (The Civil War Series, US History Ebook).pdf

Pdf / English / 1984 Time-Life / 176 pages / 29.3 MB

"This book's focus is on 1862 with the Penninsula Campaign which flounders out into the Seven Days Battles (Mechanicsville, Beaver Dam Creek, Gaines Mill, Seven Pines, Malvern Hill, etc.) after and during Little Mac's strategic "retreat" to the Pamunkey River and the James. Eventually building up to the debacle for the Army of the Potomac at 2nd Bull Run.
One interesting section of this book, among others, is at page 83 where 7 pages or so of landscape watercolors by Private William McIlvane Jr., of the 5th New York Volunteers or the Duryee Zouaves is presented. Among other things this Union soldier's watercolors visually illustrate things during the Seven Day's Battles at Harrison's Landing, includes St. Peter's church where years before George Washington was married. This historic building even impressed General McClellan.
Other than at Malvern Hill (the Union held the high ground), Robert E. Lee is just spectacular, Stonewall Jackson and James Longstreet are mostly so, and the majority of Confederate commanders out command their Union brethren. Living in Virgina for the past 6 years I've visited most of these sites so the reading of this book with its illustrations, brings back enjoyable memories.
The book gives several unknown facts, at least for me, that I've never encountered in other books of the Civil War. The bickering or the ego centric behavior of the officers (supposed leaders) on both sides is given great allowance and attention. Especially the rift between McClellan and Pope. The raggedness of Washington (Lincoln, Stanton, and Halleck) is also pointed to and written about in some detail. The year 1863 with new commanders will eventually straighten most of this out, and it's hard to believe that for the first two years of the war most victories came in the Western theater and not with the mighty Army of the Potomac.
However, for the present after 2nd Bull Run's defeat for the Army of the Potomac, General Pope will be gone and Lee "would push farther north, all the way into Maryland, there to wage a decisive battle on a creek named Antietam.".
This is a very good book for people who read on the war for enjoyment, however, the seasoned "expert" will undoubtedly find little here that is new."

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