Sword over Richmond: An Eyewitness History of McClellan's Peninsula Campaign

by Richard Wheeler

Uses eyewitness accounts to describe General George McClellan's ill-fated attempt to capture Richmond in 1862 and explains the impact of this military failure on the course of the Civil War

Genres: Civil War, History, American Civil War, American History, Nonfiction, War

371 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1986

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Richard "Dick" Wheeler was an accomplished military historian and served with the United States Marine Corp (Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 28th Marines, 5th Marine Division) during World War II. Wheeler participated in the Battle of Iwo Jima and was wounded there. He wrote seventeen military history books and served as a consultant on numerous movie and television productions. He passed away on October 21, 2008 at the age of 86.

Reviews

[William Guerrant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. The author tells the story of the Peninsula (and Valley) campaign, relying almost entirely on first-hand, eyewitness accounts, from which he quotes extensively. Doing so poses challenges for an author trying to maintain a good readable narrative flow but he has created a book that is both informative and a pleasure to read. Definitely recommended, with the caveat that readers who want a thorough understanding of these campaigns should not limit themselves to this book.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everything you ever wanted to know about McClellan's 1862 attempt to capture Richmond and end the war. The level of detail is remarkable. The eyewitnesses are not really as numerous as implied. Many of McClellan's letters to his wife are quoted to demonstrate his delusional nature. He was always worried about what the enemy might due and saw twice as many Rebels as there were. Squandered opportunities abound and yet the soldiers still admired and cheered him. I found the book difficult to plow through but made it at last.

[David Engel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This detailed account of the penisula campaign adds to the story of McClennan's megalomania and hesitancy to commit his forces to battle, deflecting blame upon the administration for his own failures. The large number of first-hand accounts made this book especially interesting and readable.

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

First hand accounts woven together about McClellan's Peninsula Campaign

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Follows George McCellan's appointment to commander of the Union army following Bull Run and the attempts to capture Richmond, the Confederate capitol.