The Battle of Glendale: Robert E. Lee S Lost Opportunity

by Douglas Crenshaw

By late June 1862, the Union army, under George B. McClellan, stood at the doorstep of Richmond. In a desperate hour for the Confederate capital, Robert E. Lee attacked McClellan and drove the Union army into a full retreat toward the safety of the James River. Lee recognized an opportunity to seal a decisive victory and commanded his Army of Northern Virginia to prevent the Union forces from retreating. A.P. Hill, James Longstreet and Stonewall Jackson were among those who engaged in the harrowing day of battle during the Seven Days Campaign. Author Douglas Crenshaw details the dramatic Battle of Glendale in the Civil War."

Genres: Civil War, American Civil War, Military Fiction

178 pages, Hardcover

Published January 9, 2017

Reviews

[Bob Green]

Excellent details on General Longstreet’s main thrust up the Long Bridge Road. General Lee devised a solid plan but it failed to split the Union Forces at the Glendale Crossroads due to inactivity by multiple generals (Huger, Holmes, Jackson) and poor communications overall.This is a good book for anyone seeking information about the battle.

I have visited White Oak Swamp, the crossroads and Malvern Hill Battlefield multiple times. Malvern Hill is well preserved and easy to access, while the Glendale Battlefield is not easy to access.

[William Olenick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book about one of the battles during the Seven Days.
The describes some of the other battles in order to arrive at the books topic in logical order.
Several maps, numerous photos and a good order of battle are included.

[W Charles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good, tight, well balanced examination of a pivotal battle in the Seven Days Campaign. I recommend it to all readers.

[Sean Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good summary of the battle with decent maps, images, and analysis. I do think Crenshaw's book on Chaffin's Farm was slightly superior though.

[Ryan Diamond · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to start with my conclusion - this one of the best battle narratives I have read on the Civil War in years. I enjoyed it immensely. Crenshaw's style and prose appeals t me.

He recounts the masterplan for the closely co-ordinated attack of units under Hill, Holmes, Huger, Jackson, Longstreet and Magruder, and how its falls apart. Poor timing, lack of experience, non-existent staff work and an unwieldly pre-corps division system mean that only Longstreet's and Hill's troops make attacks and these are mistimed and disjointed.

Even though only 20,000 rebel troops of a potential 70,000 make the attack it's a rough day for the Union Army. McCall is captured, Meade is horribly injured multiple times, and John Reynolds replacement, Simmons, is killed. The Union is saved by the performance of the actors on the flanks, Phil Kearny and Joe Hooker. His Glendale performance is probably the pinnacle of Kearny's military career.

Crenshaw's description of the confused but determined fighting in thick woods and appalling terrain, and particularly his description of the seesaw fighting over the Union batteries in the centre really gives a sense of the visceral struggle at Glendale. You get some sense of the horror and barbarity of close quarters infantry versus artillery fighting from Crenshaw's descriptions.

This is a first class contribution to a much neglected campaign of the Civil War and I heartily commend it to you.