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The Chickamauga Campaign #2
The Chickamauga Campaign—Glory or the Grave: The Breakthrough, the Union Collapse, and the Defense of Horseshoe Ridge, September 20, 1863
David Powell's The Chickamauga Campaign—Glory or the Grave: The Breakthrough, Union Collapse, and the Retreat to Chattanooga, September 20-23, 1863 is the second volume in his magnificent projected three-volume study of this overlooked and largely misunderstood campaign.
According to soldier rumor, Chickamauga in Cherokee meant "River of Death". The name lived up to that grim sobriquet in September 1863 when the Union Army of the Cumberland and Confederate Army of Tennessee waged a sprawling bloody combat along the banks of West Chickamauga Creek. This installment of Powell s tour-de-force depicts the final day of battle, when the Confederate army attacked and broke through the Union lines, triggering a massive rout, an incredible defensive stand atop Snodgrass Hill, and a confused retreat and pursuit into Chattanooga. Powell presents all of this with clarity and precision by weaving nearly 2,000 primary accounts with his own cogent analysis. The result is a rich and deep portrait of the fighting and command relationships on a scale never before attempted or accomplished.
His upcoming third volume, Analysis of a Barren Victory, will conclude the set with careful insight into the fighting and its impact on the war, Powell s detailed research into the strengths and losses of the two armies, and an exhaustive bibliography.
Powell's magnum opus, complete with original maps, photos, and illustrations, is the culmination of many years of research and study, coupled with a complete understanding of the battlefield s complex terrain system. For any student of the Civil War in general, or the Western Theater in particular, Powell s trilogy is a must-read.
According to soldier rumor, Chickamauga in Cherokee meant "River of Death". The name lived up to that grim sobriquet in September 1863 when the Union Army of the Cumberland and Confederate Army of Tennessee waged a sprawling bloody combat along the banks of West Chickamauga Creek. This installment of Powell s tour-de-force depicts the final day of battle, when the Confederate army attacked and broke through the Union lines, triggering a massive rout, an incredible defensive stand atop Snodgrass Hill, and a confused retreat and pursuit into Chattanooga. Powell presents all of this with clarity and precision by weaving nearly 2,000 primary accounts with his own cogent analysis. The result is a rich and deep portrait of the fighting and command relationships on a scale never before attempted or accomplished.
His upcoming third volume, Analysis of a Barren Victory, will conclude the set with careful insight into the fighting and its impact on the war, Powell s detailed research into the strengths and losses of the two armies, and an exhaustive bibliography.
Powell's magnum opus, complete with original maps, photos, and illustrations, is the culmination of many years of research and study, coupled with a complete understanding of the battlefield s complex terrain system. For any student of the Civil War in general, or the Western Theater in particular, Powell s trilogy is a must-read.
768 pages, Hardcover
First published December 19, 2014
49 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
David A. Powell
26 books29 followersGraduated from the Virginia Military Institute with a B.A. in history. He has spent years studying the Battle of Chickamauga and wrote several books on the campaign. His book Failure in the Saddle: Nathan Bedford Forrest, Joseph Wheeler, and the Confederate Cavalry in the Chickamauga Campaign won the 2011 Richard Harwell Award for the best book on a Civil War topic published in the last year. In addition to his books, he has written articles for the magazines North & South and Gettysburg Magazine.
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December 2, 2022
David Powell's "The Chickamauga Campaign" -- Book 2
"Glory or the Grave: the Breakthrough, the Union Collapse, and the Defense of Horseshoe Ridge, September 20, 1863" is the second book of a trilogy of the Chickamauga Campaign of the American Civil War. The trilogy begins in June, 1863 with the Tullahoma Campaign and ends on September 21, 1863, with the Union retreat from the Chickamauga battlefield in northern Georgia into Chattanooga. During this time, William Rosecrans was the commanding general of the Union Army of the Cumberland while Braxton Bragg commanded the Confederate Army of Tennessee. With the exception of Gettysburg, Chickamauga was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War; but it has not received as many detailed studies as have some other battles. Powell's study offers a close, dense, and insightful consideration of the battle.
The opening book in the trilogy, "A Mad Irregular Battle from the Crossing of the Tennessee River through the Second Day, August 22 -- September 19, 1863" covers the maneuvering of the Army of the Cumberland south from Chattanooga and Bragg's counterattack at Chickamauga when the Union lines became scattered and over-extended. By comparison, the second book is much more focused, covering in its 700 pages only the eventful final day of fighting. Most of the famous events of the battle occurred on September 20. As a result of a botched order, the Union lines were broken at a critical time and Confederate troops under General James Longstreet rushed into the gap. While much of the Union Army retreated and left the field, including General Rosecrans, a substantial portion remained. Some of the remaining troops gravitated to Horseshoe Ridge, a mix of valleys and high ground on the road to Chattanooga. At Horseshoe Ridge, Union General George Thomas mounted a solid and gallant defense holding off the charges of the Army of Tennessee until nightfall and staving off almost certain disaster. For his efforts in holding Horseshoe Ridge, Thomas became known as the "Rock of Chickamauga". In his calmness, stolidity, and courage at Chickamauga and elsewhere, Thomas proved himself a hero for a United States today in need of iconic, inspiring figures from its past.
Because it tells a continuous story, this book is easier to follow than its predecessor. Powell begins this book with a chapter-long summary of the events leading to September 20. This summary helps make the book accessible for readers who have not read the first volume of the trilogy. The book then proceeds in a mostly chronological way to cover the events of September 20 beginning with the Councils of War held by both Rosecrans and Bragg and concluding with the Union withdrawal and retreat. The coverage is thorough and tells the history of the battle strategically and tactically by examining command decisions and actions at the corps, brigade, and individual levels. The book covers the pivotal events of the day including the Army of Tennessee's failure to implement Bragg's order to attack at dawn and its consequences, the withdrawal of a division from the center of the Union line at the heart of the battle and its consequences, the resultant rout of many Union forces, and more. The book offers a painstaking analysis of these events and of lesser-known aspects of the battle. Powell offers a full, measured, thoughtful account of the climactic day at Chickamauga.
The longest section of the book deals with the fighting at Horseshoe Ridge. The book taught me a great deal about the geography of the Ridge, the many Confederate attacks throughout the day, and the gallant if sometimes wavering Union defense. Before reading the book, I had a general but undetailed knowledge of the nature of the Union stand. Powell's treatment of Horseshoe Ridge is well-paced and eloquent. It shows tragedy, heroism, and bungling. The events at Horseshoe Ridge reminded me of attempts to take high ground at Gettysburg at, for example, Little Round Top, Culps Hill, and to an extent Cemetery Ridge. Comparisons and contrasts went through my mind as I read and learned about the specifics of the attack and defense of Horseshoe Ridge.
The book is long and detailed, both as part of a trilogy and as a single volume. Powell explains in the volume that he decided against adopting a simple narrative approach which states his own interpretation of the battle. Instead the book examines the vast, conflicting historical material available about Chickamauga and discusses conflicting interpretations and different sources in the text. This approach lengthens and complicates the book while offering the serious reader a nuanced view. I think Powell is right in finding the historiography of Chickamauga, or any major Civil War battle, as important to the understanding as the events of the battle itself. The density of this study makes it most suitable for readers with a passion for Civil War study.
The subtitle of the book, "Glory or the Grave", derives from an incident at Horseshoe Ridge. Union General Negley withdrew his troops from Horseshoe Ridge early on apparently believing the position was indefensible. While leading his troops away, Negley encountered topographical engineer Ambrose Bierce who would become a famous author of stories about the Civil War. Bierce tried to dissuade Negley from his chosen retreat, and to lead him back to action -- to what Bierce called "Glory or the Grave". Negley declined and in his retreat found neither glory nor the grave. His reputation has been seriously tarnished ever since. Powell's book includes this and many other small, telling anecdotes and incidents.
At the end of the volume, Powell offers a single paragraph summary of the momentous events of the day. Powell writes:
"And thus ended the third (and most desperate day) of the battle of Chickamauga. The Army of the Cumberland had been decisively defeated-- but not destroyed. Both sides had suffered heavily in the battle, and as the light faded across the smoke-shrouded woods and hills, uncertainty was the prevailing condition on both sides. The scope of any victory won by Bragg and the Army of Tennessee would only be gradually revealed, dictated in part by what came next."
David Powell studied history at the Virginia Military Institute. He lives and works in Chicago, but the passion of his life has been learning and writing about the Chickamauga Campaign. It is inspiring to see the result of his devotion, loyalty, and study of his lifelong love. The publisher of this book, Savas Beatie, is known for its volumes of military history, particularly of the Civil War. Most publishers would have difficulty with a three-volume study of this nature on the Battle of Chickamauga. Savas Beatie deserves praise for seeing Powell's project through. Savas Beatie also kindly sent me a review copy of this book. I am looking forward to reading the final volume of Powell's trilogy on the Chickamauga Campaign.
Robin Friedman
"Glory or the Grave: the Breakthrough, the Union Collapse, and the Defense of Horseshoe Ridge, September 20, 1863" is the second book of a trilogy of the Chickamauga Campaign of the American Civil War. The trilogy begins in June, 1863 with the Tullahoma Campaign and ends on September 21, 1863, with the Union retreat from the Chickamauga battlefield in northern Georgia into Chattanooga. During this time, William Rosecrans was the commanding general of the Union Army of the Cumberland while Braxton Bragg commanded the Confederate Army of Tennessee. With the exception of Gettysburg, Chickamauga was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War; but it has not received as many detailed studies as have some other battles. Powell's study offers a close, dense, and insightful consideration of the battle.
The opening book in the trilogy, "A Mad Irregular Battle from the Crossing of the Tennessee River through the Second Day, August 22 -- September 19, 1863" covers the maneuvering of the Army of the Cumberland south from Chattanooga and Bragg's counterattack at Chickamauga when the Union lines became scattered and over-extended. By comparison, the second book is much more focused, covering in its 700 pages only the eventful final day of fighting. Most of the famous events of the battle occurred on September 20. As a result of a botched order, the Union lines were broken at a critical time and Confederate troops under General James Longstreet rushed into the gap. While much of the Union Army retreated and left the field, including General Rosecrans, a substantial portion remained. Some of the remaining troops gravitated to Horseshoe Ridge, a mix of valleys and high ground on the road to Chattanooga. At Horseshoe Ridge, Union General George Thomas mounted a solid and gallant defense holding off the charges of the Army of Tennessee until nightfall and staving off almost certain disaster. For his efforts in holding Horseshoe Ridge, Thomas became known as the "Rock of Chickamauga". In his calmness, stolidity, and courage at Chickamauga and elsewhere, Thomas proved himself a hero for a United States today in need of iconic, inspiring figures from its past.
Because it tells a continuous story, this book is easier to follow than its predecessor. Powell begins this book with a chapter-long summary of the events leading to September 20. This summary helps make the book accessible for readers who have not read the first volume of the trilogy. The book then proceeds in a mostly chronological way to cover the events of September 20 beginning with the Councils of War held by both Rosecrans and Bragg and concluding with the Union withdrawal and retreat. The coverage is thorough and tells the history of the battle strategically and tactically by examining command decisions and actions at the corps, brigade, and individual levels. The book covers the pivotal events of the day including the Army of Tennessee's failure to implement Bragg's order to attack at dawn and its consequences, the withdrawal of a division from the center of the Union line at the heart of the battle and its consequences, the resultant rout of many Union forces, and more. The book offers a painstaking analysis of these events and of lesser-known aspects of the battle. Powell offers a full, measured, thoughtful account of the climactic day at Chickamauga.
The longest section of the book deals with the fighting at Horseshoe Ridge. The book taught me a great deal about the geography of the Ridge, the many Confederate attacks throughout the day, and the gallant if sometimes wavering Union defense. Before reading the book, I had a general but undetailed knowledge of the nature of the Union stand. Powell's treatment of Horseshoe Ridge is well-paced and eloquent. It shows tragedy, heroism, and bungling. The events at Horseshoe Ridge reminded me of attempts to take high ground at Gettysburg at, for example, Little Round Top, Culps Hill, and to an extent Cemetery Ridge. Comparisons and contrasts went through my mind as I read and learned about the specifics of the attack and defense of Horseshoe Ridge.
The book is long and detailed, both as part of a trilogy and as a single volume. Powell explains in the volume that he decided against adopting a simple narrative approach which states his own interpretation of the battle. Instead the book examines the vast, conflicting historical material available about Chickamauga and discusses conflicting interpretations and different sources in the text. This approach lengthens and complicates the book while offering the serious reader a nuanced view. I think Powell is right in finding the historiography of Chickamauga, or any major Civil War battle, as important to the understanding as the events of the battle itself. The density of this study makes it most suitable for readers with a passion for Civil War study.
The subtitle of the book, "Glory or the Grave", derives from an incident at Horseshoe Ridge. Union General Negley withdrew his troops from Horseshoe Ridge early on apparently believing the position was indefensible. While leading his troops away, Negley encountered topographical engineer Ambrose Bierce who would become a famous author of stories about the Civil War. Bierce tried to dissuade Negley from his chosen retreat, and to lead him back to action -- to what Bierce called "Glory or the Grave". Negley declined and in his retreat found neither glory nor the grave. His reputation has been seriously tarnished ever since. Powell's book includes this and many other small, telling anecdotes and incidents.
At the end of the volume, Powell offers a single paragraph summary of the momentous events of the day. Powell writes:
"And thus ended the third (and most desperate day) of the battle of Chickamauga. The Army of the Cumberland had been decisively defeated-- but not destroyed. Both sides had suffered heavily in the battle, and as the light faded across the smoke-shrouded woods and hills, uncertainty was the prevailing condition on both sides. The scope of any victory won by Bragg and the Army of Tennessee would only be gradually revealed, dictated in part by what came next."
David Powell studied history at the Virginia Military Institute. He lives and works in Chicago, but the passion of his life has been learning and writing about the Chickamauga Campaign. It is inspiring to see the result of his devotion, loyalty, and study of his lifelong love. The publisher of this book, Savas Beatie, is known for its volumes of military history, particularly of the Civil War. Most publishers would have difficulty with a three-volume study of this nature on the Battle of Chickamauga. Savas Beatie deserves praise for seeing Powell's project through. Savas Beatie also kindly sent me a review copy of this book. I am looking forward to reading the final volume of Powell's trilogy on the Chickamauga Campaign.
Robin Friedman
November 3, 2015
Chickamauga, I am convinced, was one of the most confusing battles of the Civil War. So many uncertainties. So little understanding by many officers as to what the situation was. Some wonderful generalship--James Longstreet early on, George Thomas on the Union left, division and brigade commanders. Those who has bad days? As not atypically--Braxton Bragg. As Longstreet was driving Union forces, Bragg was despondent, thinking his army in bad shape. William Rosecrans made an ill-advised move, creating a gap in the Union lines for Longstreet to fill. D. H. Hill and Leonidas Polk did not shine.
This volume is well researched with extraordinary detail as to what was happening on different parts of the field. As often happens in a confusing battle, many units were fed into combat piecemeal, e.g., at the regiment and brigade level. Some of the regiment and brigade commanders did exceptionally well; others not so much.
As the narrative develops, it becomes clear how confused the battle was--just as at the outset (well covered in the first volume of this series). That some officers could enforce order on the battlefield was striking (e.g., Longstreet and Thomas). Gordon Granger had a pretty decent day (although his obsession with cannons is baffling!). So many others flailed about.
Several items caught my attention. First, Thomas' retreat was more chaotic than I had thought from shorter versions of the battle that I had read. Smaller units were sometimes unaware that a retreat was taking place and were in great danger as a result (many prisoners taken by the Confederate forces as a result). Second, Longstreet's idea of an offense in depth was fascinating (I have read of this before, but there was more detail here and it was clear that this was not an accident). Upton Emory at Spottsylvania was accorded great credit for this tactic-- but Longstreet had the same insight long before that).
Maps of the battlefield were useful. The author did not provide an order of battle, noting that he had done so in the first volume. Well, my copy of the first volume is elsewhere and I did not have ready access to it. It would have been helpful to have had a few pages listing that order of battle.
In short, I strongly recommend this volume. Between this and the first book in the series, the reader gets a magisterial view of an extraordinarily complicated and confused battle.
This volume is well researched with extraordinary detail as to what was happening on different parts of the field. As often happens in a confusing battle, many units were fed into combat piecemeal, e.g., at the regiment and brigade level. Some of the regiment and brigade commanders did exceptionally well; others not so much.
As the narrative develops, it becomes clear how confused the battle was--just as at the outset (well covered in the first volume of this series). That some officers could enforce order on the battlefield was striking (e.g., Longstreet and Thomas). Gordon Granger had a pretty decent day (although his obsession with cannons is baffling!). So many others flailed about.
Several items caught my attention. First, Thomas' retreat was more chaotic than I had thought from shorter versions of the battle that I had read. Smaller units were sometimes unaware that a retreat was taking place and were in great danger as a result (many prisoners taken by the Confederate forces as a result). Second, Longstreet's idea of an offense in depth was fascinating (I have read of this before, but there was more detail here and it was clear that this was not an accident). Upton Emory at Spottsylvania was accorded great credit for this tactic-- but Longstreet had the same insight long before that).
Maps of the battlefield were useful. The author did not provide an order of battle, noting that he had done so in the first volume. Well, my copy of the first volume is elsewhere and I did not have ready access to it. It would have been helpful to have had a few pages listing that order of battle.
In short, I strongly recommend this volume. Between this and the first book in the series, the reader gets a magisterial view of an extraordinarily complicated and confused battle.
May 25, 2023
Powell’s second volume continues his fantastic narrative of this highly-confusing battle. I started reading this on our vacation to Chickamauga and this was when it all finally started to come together for me. I’d visited the battlefield twice before but still had trouble making sense of what happened where and when. This volume, along with Powell’s excellent companion volume The Maps of Chickamauga finally helped the second day’s fighting make sense to me, and I was able to finally appreciate the battlefield markers and tablets and understand their chronology. Highly recommended as an engaging and comprehensible narrative of the battle that doesn’t get bogged down in unit minutiae.
March 25, 2016
Every once and a while, there comes a series of books which redefine how we think of the engagement. While volumes have been dealt with concerning the Battle of Gettysburg or Antietam, there have been lesser works on the Battle of Chickamauga which left quite a bit to be desired for the Civil War student. Last year, a great series of books began by David A. Powell named The Chickamauga Campaign. The first in the series was The Chickamauga Campaign: A Mad Irregular Battle and gave an incredible detailed account from August 22nd to September 19th, 1863. The second in the series, Glory or the Grave, gives us a look into the action on September 20th.
David A. Powell is a graduate from the Virginia Military Institute of the Class of 1983 with a BA in History. The majority of his research and his passion has been the Chickamauga Campaign to which he has authored many articles in many different magazines along with publishing a few other works on the people and the battle itself. He has previously authored The Maps of Chickamauga; An Atlas of the Chickamauga Campaign, including the Tullahoma Operations, June 22 – September 23, 1863, and The Chickamauga Campaign: A Mad Irregular Battle. He was the recipient of the Atlanta Civil War Round Table Richard Barksdale Harwell Award in 2010 for Failure in the Saddle: Nathan Bedford Forrest, Joseph Wheeler, and the Confederate Cavalry in the Chickamauga Campaign.
Once again, Powell shows the breadth of his knowledge in this massive volume adding to the trilogy of works he is writing on the campaign. When I first read A Mad Irregular Battle, I was astounded by the amount of knowledge in the pages, but in Glory or the Grave, he continues to fill this large work with just as much information as the last. What was most fascinating to me was the ability to do so with information concerning a single day of battle. The second volume in his trilogy, while large, never feels its length as the narrative is so well written, it pushes you forward and forward until you are wanting more. Not only does he chronicle the one day of battle more incredibly than I have ever read before, he does so through the time tables of action seen on the field. I have rarely seen a book outside of the Gettysburg Campaign handle such a time table like this and it is good to have for ease of reading. Filled with photographs and maps of the battle, there is never any confusion from the reader on what is going on in the strange battle. While the first volume may have been titled A Mad Irregular Battle there were moments in which I felt the same thing when handling this text. It may not have been as mad or irregular as the previous work, but the tension between the forces was still incredibly palpable.
I highly recommend The Chickamauga Campaign: Glory or the Grave to anyone interested in the Chickamauga Campaign. As I said in my introduction, every once and a while, a series comes along which makes a bold statement about a campaign. Right now, Powell is to be applauded and revered for the work he is placing within these volumes. I wait with much excitement at the coming, and final, volume.
Matthew Bartlett - Gettysburg Chronicle
David A. Powell is a graduate from the Virginia Military Institute of the Class of 1983 with a BA in History. The majority of his research and his passion has been the Chickamauga Campaign to which he has authored many articles in many different magazines along with publishing a few other works on the people and the battle itself. He has previously authored The Maps of Chickamauga; An Atlas of the Chickamauga Campaign, including the Tullahoma Operations, June 22 – September 23, 1863, and The Chickamauga Campaign: A Mad Irregular Battle. He was the recipient of the Atlanta Civil War Round Table Richard Barksdale Harwell Award in 2010 for Failure in the Saddle: Nathan Bedford Forrest, Joseph Wheeler, and the Confederate Cavalry in the Chickamauga Campaign.
Once again, Powell shows the breadth of his knowledge in this massive volume adding to the trilogy of works he is writing on the campaign. When I first read A Mad Irregular Battle, I was astounded by the amount of knowledge in the pages, but in Glory or the Grave, he continues to fill this large work with just as much information as the last. What was most fascinating to me was the ability to do so with information concerning a single day of battle. The second volume in his trilogy, while large, never feels its length as the narrative is so well written, it pushes you forward and forward until you are wanting more. Not only does he chronicle the one day of battle more incredibly than I have ever read before, he does so through the time tables of action seen on the field. I have rarely seen a book outside of the Gettysburg Campaign handle such a time table like this and it is good to have for ease of reading. Filled with photographs and maps of the battle, there is never any confusion from the reader on what is going on in the strange battle. While the first volume may have been titled A Mad Irregular Battle there were moments in which I felt the same thing when handling this text. It may not have been as mad or irregular as the previous work, but the tension between the forces was still incredibly palpable.
I highly recommend The Chickamauga Campaign: Glory or the Grave to anyone interested in the Chickamauga Campaign. As I said in my introduction, every once and a while, a series comes along which makes a bold statement about a campaign. Right now, Powell is to be applauded and revered for the work he is placing within these volumes. I wait with much excitement at the coming, and final, volume.
Matthew Bartlett - Gettysburg Chronicle
November 10, 2018
It's hard to believe 700+ pages can be spent on the events of not just a single battle, but a single day of a battle. Nevertheless, Powell has done it with this titanic volume about the final day of one of the bloodiest battles of the American Civil War. Not only is this an extensive regimental-level study, but Powell examines all the controversies and questions at length, such as the infamous order that lead to Wood's division moving and opening a hole in the Union line. It is an exhaustive study of the subject and a darned good one.
There is no shortage of maps in this volume (I thought the previous one didn't have enough), but the annoying editorial decision to leave room for four lines of main text below each map continues. It could also use more section breaks. It's a hard book to find a good place to stop (and given the length and weight it's not a quick read) and if you're trying to skim over some of the tactical details as too in-depth it's easy to miss the other analysis.
I'm not giving this the full 5 stars only because, despite it's quality and good writing by Powell, it's a marathon to get through - call it 4 1/2 (rounded down). Definitely not for the casual reader, but if you enjoyed the first volume you should certainly pick up the second. I still plan to read the third volume if I can get ahold of it, but I'll need a break first.
There is no shortage of maps in this volume (I thought the previous one didn't have enough), but the annoying editorial decision to leave room for four lines of main text below each map continues. It could also use more section breaks. It's a hard book to find a good place to stop (and given the length and weight it's not a quick read) and if you're trying to skim over some of the tactical details as too in-depth it's easy to miss the other analysis.
I'm not giving this the full 5 stars only because, despite it's quality and good writing by Powell, it's a marathon to get through - call it 4 1/2 (rounded down). Definitely not for the casual reader, but if you enjoyed the first volume you should certainly pick up the second. I still plan to read the third volume if I can get ahold of it, but I'll need a break first.
March 20, 2018
This book is very detailed and is a slow read. It is well worth the effort.It is well researched and documented.It is a little too detailed for a casi reader but is a great book for the person who wants to know the truth about this import battle. I have visited this battlefield several times and i,m more fascinated by it with each visit. There was chose on both sides and the author does a good job of describing that chaos. This is a great book for you if you are a dedicated reader or student of this very important part of our history and I recommend
It highly.
. Richard Guthrie
It'd recommend this book to everyone this book for anyone but if you are not a cival war enthusiast it will be a hard read.
It highly.
. Richard Guthrie
It'd recommend this book to everyone this book for anyone but if you are not a cival war enthusiast it will be a hard read.
July 30, 2023
If there is a more detailed account of the battle of Chicamauga than this book, I have yet to find it. David Powell’s campaign series goes into such intricate detail of the combat action, minor and major participants, strategic and tactical plans and failures and detailed explanation of the terrain and its effects, it is sometimes dizzying to follow. His use of so many personal accounts of the participants adds a wonderful addition to the story. He does a superb job of describing both side’s battle plans as they mostly fall apart and the resulting solutions, and failures, that doom the Federal armies to final defeat. A great addition to any Civil War buff’s library.
December 22, 2025
You know history is written well when you feel transported to the spot! David Powell's 2nd book of the Chickamauga trilogy follows up the first with some of the best writing I've ever read. The description of Colonel Opdyke's usage of August Willich's tactics on horseshoe ridge will forever stick with me.
November 19, 2017
Excellent
July 7, 2020
Definitive. Exhaustive. Brilliant. Every charge, every regiment, but with enthralling prose. Perfect balance of first hand descriptions of combat with high level strategy and analysis.
March 27, 2021
Wow! A great book on the final day at the Battle of Chickamauga. The detail is enthralling. The research is massive. I heartily recommend this book and the trilogy.
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