Nowhere to Run: The Wilderness, May 4th & 5th, 1864 Hardcover November 1, 1995

by John Michael Priest

When the armies entered the Wilderness, they were changed forever. Within thirty-six hours after the Army of the Potomac began its attempt to flank the Army of Northern Virginia and attack Richmond, the armies became locked in combat. In two days of bloody fighting by disconnected and often confused but heroic forces, Lee fought Grant to a tactical draw at a cost of approximately 18,000 Union and an estimated 8,000 Confederate casualties.

Genres: Civil War, American Civil War, Civil War Eastern Theater, Overland Campaign

Unknown Binding

First published November 1, 1994

Reviews

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly a worm's eye view of the battle; sometimes this makes it difficult to keep the sequence of events straight. There are plenty of maps but they tend to be of very small areas of the battlefield, which also makes understanding what's going on difficult.

The book starts "cold turkey" on the morning of May 4th; it doesn't give any background to the campaign or the battle, doesn't discuss any plans the two army commanders had. In fact, the author rarely mentions any general or commander above the brigade level; at times, this means that the brigades seem to be moving or acting at random, without any guidance from the division commander.

While someone looking to understand or examine the soldiers' experiences in the war might enjoy this book, those looking to learn the strategic or tactical aspects of the battle are likely be disappointed.

[Clinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Smell the Gunsmoke, Hear the Bullets

Priest follows his usual style of describing the battle from the perspective of the common soldier. You don't get explanations of what the generals were trying to do. You get the eyes and ears of the combatants in the midst of the fight. This battle was a very confusing affair because of the environmental conditions where it was fought. Limited visibility and mobility made troop direction nearly impossible. Decisions were made by the squad lieutenants and non-coms on the spot. Priest does a superb job of putting the reader on the battlefield alongside the brave soldiers amid all the darkness and confusion that was unique to this battle. You can almost smell the smoke and hear the bullets pass by overhead.