Victory Without Triumph: The Wilderness, May 6th & 7th, 1864

by John Michael Priest

Book by Priest, John Michael

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

331 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1996

Reviews

[Clinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the author notes in the introduction, this book is from the perspective of the front line soldiers. It is not about grand strategy or generals. Lee makes a few brief appearances, but Grant is a no-show. If you're interested in a book that covers background and strategy, look elsewhere. That being said, this is still a 5 star book. Priest tells the stories of the troops on the field dodging bullets better than anyone. You can almost smell the smoke from the guns and the forest fires that swept through the battle areas and hear the screams of the wounded unable to escape the flames. The action is told in chronological order, which necessitates jumping around the battlefield a bit, but numerous excellent maps keep the reader organized and able to keep up with the action. Priest tells of all the various combat actions during the second half of the battle in great detail and includes an appendix listing each regiment's strength and casualties. It reads almost like a novel, drawing from letters, memoirs and reports to get inside the heads of individual soldiers. It is an interesting approach that Priest has perfected in this volume and his books of other battles. It is about the closest you will get to experience Civil War combat without a time machine.

[Jimmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marginally better than the author's first volume on the Wilderness; he briefly mentions the actions of a few division and corps commanders, along with a (very) brief) appearance of Lee. However, as with the first volume, there is barely any discussion at all of any decision-making above the brigade level.

While the experiences of the common soldier is thoroughly explained, the reader is unlikely to understand the battle any better.