What do you think?
Rate this book
A Fire in the Wilderness: The First Battle Between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee
The riveting account of the first bloody showdown between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee—a battle that sealed the fate of the Confederacy and changed the course of American history.
In the spring of 1864, President Lincoln feared that he might not be able to save the Union. The Army of the Potomac had performed poorly over the previous two years, and many Northerners were understandably critical of the war effort. Lincoln assumed he’d lose the November election, and he firmly believed a Democratic successor would seek peace immediately, spelling an end to the Union. A Fire in the Wilderness tells the story of that perilous time when the future of the United States depended on the Union Army’s success in a desolate forest roughly sixty-five miles from the nation’s capital.
At the outset of the Battle of the Wilderness, General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia remained capable of defeating the Army of the Potomac. But two days of relentless fighting in dense Virginia woods, Robert E. Lee was never again able to launch offensive operations against Grant’s army. Lee, who faced tremendous difficulties replacing fallen soldiers, lost 11,125 men—or 17% of his entire force. On the opposing side, the Union suffered 17,666 casualties.
The alarming casualties do not begin to convey the horror of this battle, one of the most gruesome in American history. The impenetrable forest and gunfire smoke made it impossible to view the enemy. Officers couldn’t even see their own men during the fighting. The incessant gunfire caused the woods to catch fire, resulting in hundreds of men burning to death. “It was as though Christian men had turned to fiends, and hell itself had usurped the place of the earth,” wrote one officer. When the fighting finally subsided during the late evening of the second day, the usually stoical Grant threw himself down on his cot and cried.
In the spring of 1864, President Lincoln feared that he might not be able to save the Union. The Army of the Potomac had performed poorly over the previous two years, and many Northerners were understandably critical of the war effort. Lincoln assumed he’d lose the November election, and he firmly believed a Democratic successor would seek peace immediately, spelling an end to the Union. A Fire in the Wilderness tells the story of that perilous time when the future of the United States depended on the Union Army’s success in a desolate forest roughly sixty-five miles from the nation’s capital.
At the outset of the Battle of the Wilderness, General Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia remained capable of defeating the Army of the Potomac. But two days of relentless fighting in dense Virginia woods, Robert E. Lee was never again able to launch offensive operations against Grant’s army. Lee, who faced tremendous difficulties replacing fallen soldiers, lost 11,125 men—or 17% of his entire force. On the opposing side, the Union suffered 17,666 casualties.
The alarming casualties do not begin to convey the horror of this battle, one of the most gruesome in American history. The impenetrable forest and gunfire smoke made it impossible to view the enemy. Officers couldn’t even see their own men during the fighting. The incessant gunfire caused the woods to catch fire, resulting in hundreds of men burning to death. “It was as though Christian men had turned to fiends, and hell itself had usurped the place of the earth,” wrote one officer. When the fighting finally subsided during the late evening of the second day, the usually stoical Grant threw himself down on his cot and cried.
270 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2021
18 people are currently reading
147 people want to read
About the author
John Reeves
3 books9 followers John Reeves has been a teacher, editor, and writer for over twenty-five years. The Civil War, in particular, has been his passion since he first read Bruce Catton’s The American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War as an elementary school student in the 1960s. Recently, John’s articles on Robert E. Lee have been featured in The Washington Post and on the History News Network.
Earlier in his career, he taught European and American history at various colleges in Chicago, the Bronx, and London. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in Economics from Syracuse University in 1984. Later, he received an MA in European History from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and pursued a PhD in History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His dissertation was on Britain’s role in Persia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Throughout his career, Reeves has tried to make history lively and accessible for ordinary readers and students. Over the years, he has taught European and American history at Lehman College, Bronx Community College, and Southbank University in London. His next book is on the Battle of the Wilderness. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two children.
Earlier in his career, he taught European and American history at various colleges in Chicago, the Bronx, and London. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a BA in Economics from Syracuse University in 1984. Later, he received an MA in European History from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and pursued a PhD in History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His dissertation was on Britain’s role in Persia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Throughout his career, Reeves has tried to make history lively and accessible for ordinary readers and students. Over the years, he has taught European and American history at Lehman College, Bronx Community College, and Southbank University in London. His next book is on the Battle of the Wilderness. He lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two children.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
November 10, 2022
An exceptional look at the first battle between Grant and Lee. The author details the horrific contest Grant wages to try to flank Lee and get to Richmond. I especially liked the way the author tied in the personal experiences of several soldiers into the story. I've read many books about the Overland Campaign, and this book ranks near the top of the list. An exceptional effort.
August 5, 2025
A Fire in the Wilderness is an incredible novel about the first Civil War battle between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. Unfortunately, it focuses mostly on the Yankees and gives the Confederates short shrift. The battle takes place in the dense woods of Spotsylvania County in Virginia. To make matters worse, the fighting on both sides sets the woods on fire, burning both Yankees and Confederates. Unlike most Civil War novels, Reeves includes politics and medicine into his story and also commemorates fallen Yankee and Confederate soldiers. A Fire in the Wilderness is well worth reading.
September 18, 2023
A Fire In The Wilderness: The First Battle Between Ulysses S. Grant And Robert E. Lee, by John Reeves
This is the second time I have read a book by the author, and the second time that this author has shown himself to be a particularly maladroit and heavy-handed historian whose craft lacks something of the integrity that one expects from a professional historian. In this particular book, we find a few notable lapses from sound historical judgment. For one, the author enters into the head of Private William Reeves of the 76th New York Infantry quite often during the course of his brief and spectacularly unsuccessful time as a soldier in the Army of the Potomac as well as his time dealing with the incompetent medical staff of that same army which was at about the same level of competence in medicine as the author is as a historian, which is all the more striking as the author does not cite a great deal of actual research as to what this replacement soldier said or thought, though the author presumes to speak on his behalf in terms of how he fights and how he deals with the various medical interventions that terminate in his untimely demise. This man appears to be a relative of some kind to the author, though the author does not make the precise relation very clear. Besides the biased attention that the author shows to Private Reeves and his particular regiment, there is a related and serious bias for the somewhat pokey General Warren, whose cause the author takes up with a marked bias against Generals Grant and Sheridan, whose glory the author appears to envy on behalf of the cashiered Warren, whose slow advance at Five Forks led to his removal from the army only days before its final victory against Lee. These sorts of biases make this book less a work of history than a simulacrum of a history and mere reportage of mediocre quality.
This book is a bit more than 200 pages and it is divided into sixteen generally short chapters. The author begins by framing the fight in the Wilderness in the context of the previous year's Battle of Chancellorsville on nearly the same ground (1). This is followed by a detailed discussion of private William Reeves (2) as well as the advance of the Confederates to counter the Union advance through the Wilderness (3) and the shock of the contact between Union and Confederate forces that leads to Reeves' injury (4). A discussion of the fighting at Saunders Field (5) and Orange Plank Road (6) on the first day of the Wilderness follows, as well as a discussion of the harrowing first night of the battle (7). The noted incident where Texan troops urged Lee to the rear (8) forms the core of the next chapter with Longstreet's belated arrival at the battle, along with a discussion of the second days' fighting on the Orange Plank Road (9) and Lee's missed opportunity for a chance to defeat Grant spoiled by the disorganization following Longstreet being wounded by friendly fire (10). At this point the proper narrative of the battle of the Wilderness has ended, and the book continues with a discussion of Grant's night march to Spotsylvania Court House (11), the wounded of the battle (12), the fighting at the Bloody Angle of Spotsylvania (13), the burial of the dead at Arlington (14), a chapter on the death and recovery for the Union of General Wadsworth's body (15), and a closing discussion of the legacy of the battle in the Reeves family (16). The book then ends with acknowledgements, selected bibliography, endnotes, and an index.
Ultimately, this book has a lot of padding that demonstrates that the Wilderness as a battle really lacks the material to make it a suitable subject for the sort of battle study that the author wants to create for it. Indeed, it is only by including information from later battles as well as the author's rather unseemly personal focus on the obscure private Reeves and his equally unseemly animus against Generals Grant and Sheridan that give enough material for this book to reach even barely the length of a standard nonfiction book at around 200 pages, and had the book stuck to what was historically significant, it would have been even shorter. Though there is certainly enough material here for a short book if it was written by someone of more skill and subtlety than the author possesses, the author's clunky prose often falls flat, and the author's tendency to enter unbidden into the consciousness of his relative as he moves about from one hospital to another with the likes of Walt Whitman and his taking the paranoid conspiratorial thinking of General Warren for historical fact demonstrate that he lacks the sound judgment to be a worthwhile military historian, despite his obvious ambitions to be one. At its best, this book is acceptable as historical fiction or an effort in contemporary journalism about the past, but that is the highest achievement it can claim for itself.
This is the second time I have read a book by the author, and the second time that this author has shown himself to be a particularly maladroit and heavy-handed historian whose craft lacks something of the integrity that one expects from a professional historian. In this particular book, we find a few notable lapses from sound historical judgment. For one, the author enters into the head of Private William Reeves of the 76th New York Infantry quite often during the course of his brief and spectacularly unsuccessful time as a soldier in the Army of the Potomac as well as his time dealing with the incompetent medical staff of that same army which was at about the same level of competence in medicine as the author is as a historian, which is all the more striking as the author does not cite a great deal of actual research as to what this replacement soldier said or thought, though the author presumes to speak on his behalf in terms of how he fights and how he deals with the various medical interventions that terminate in his untimely demise. This man appears to be a relative of some kind to the author, though the author does not make the precise relation very clear. Besides the biased attention that the author shows to Private Reeves and his particular regiment, there is a related and serious bias for the somewhat pokey General Warren, whose cause the author takes up with a marked bias against Generals Grant and Sheridan, whose glory the author appears to envy on behalf of the cashiered Warren, whose slow advance at Five Forks led to his removal from the army only days before its final victory against Lee. These sorts of biases make this book less a work of history than a simulacrum of a history and mere reportage of mediocre quality.
This book is a bit more than 200 pages and it is divided into sixteen generally short chapters. The author begins by framing the fight in the Wilderness in the context of the previous year's Battle of Chancellorsville on nearly the same ground (1). This is followed by a detailed discussion of private William Reeves (2) as well as the advance of the Confederates to counter the Union advance through the Wilderness (3) and the shock of the contact between Union and Confederate forces that leads to Reeves' injury (4). A discussion of the fighting at Saunders Field (5) and Orange Plank Road (6) on the first day of the Wilderness follows, as well as a discussion of the harrowing first night of the battle (7). The noted incident where Texan troops urged Lee to the rear (8) forms the core of the next chapter with Longstreet's belated arrival at the battle, along with a discussion of the second days' fighting on the Orange Plank Road (9) and Lee's missed opportunity for a chance to defeat Grant spoiled by the disorganization following Longstreet being wounded by friendly fire (10). At this point the proper narrative of the battle of the Wilderness has ended, and the book continues with a discussion of Grant's night march to Spotsylvania Court House (11), the wounded of the battle (12), the fighting at the Bloody Angle of Spotsylvania (13), the burial of the dead at Arlington (14), a chapter on the death and recovery for the Union of General Wadsworth's body (15), and a closing discussion of the legacy of the battle in the Reeves family (16). The book then ends with acknowledgements, selected bibliography, endnotes, and an index.
Ultimately, this book has a lot of padding that demonstrates that the Wilderness as a battle really lacks the material to make it a suitable subject for the sort of battle study that the author wants to create for it. Indeed, it is only by including information from later battles as well as the author's rather unseemly personal focus on the obscure private Reeves and his equally unseemly animus against Generals Grant and Sheridan that give enough material for this book to reach even barely the length of a standard nonfiction book at around 200 pages, and had the book stuck to what was historically significant, it would have been even shorter. Though there is certainly enough material here for a short book if it was written by someone of more skill and subtlety than the author possesses, the author's clunky prose often falls flat, and the author's tendency to enter unbidden into the consciousness of his relative as he moves about from one hospital to another with the likes of Walt Whitman and his taking the paranoid conspiratorial thinking of General Warren for historical fact demonstrate that he lacks the sound judgment to be a worthwhile military historian, despite his obvious ambitions to be one. At its best, this book is acceptable as historical fiction or an effort in contemporary journalism about the past, but that is the highest achievement it can claim for itself.
June 4, 2021
A curious book - it’s more a collection of anecdotes around the battle of the Wilderness and some selected individuals who took part, than any sort of tactical or operational view of the battle itself. However, this actually made it very interesting to me, as I still learned all sorts of new things about the battle, the experience of wounded soldiers in the immediate aftermath, and the fates of individuals who were lesser-known and in some cases entirely unknown previously. These sometimes jumbled tangents, while creating a bit of a chaotic reading experience in terms of linear narrative, were nonetheless captivating.
November 18, 2021
This book is a historical account of the fiercest battle of The Civil War called "The Wilderness." It was fought in the early weeks of May 1864. It was the first battle fought between U.S Grant and Robert E. Lee. Up to that time the Union Army was not able to destroy Lee's Confederate Army. And Lincoln's reelection hung in the balance of a victory. Lincoln was counting on Grant's success in 'The Wilderness. It came at a heavy loss on both sides. Because the war was fought in the forest, gun shot ignited the trees thereby causing fire to erupt. Wounded soldiers unable to walk to safety were burned alive where they lay. Any reader who is fascinated with The Civil War will find this book a delight.
October 11, 2021
Stylistically this is a very good book. The author weaves personal histories with the the daily progress of the battle. There is an excellent summary of the impact of the Battle of the Wilderness and how fits into subsequent events. It is a good beside read and you are not overwhelmed by the details. My problem is that is allegedly a book about the first battle between Grant and Lee yet General Grant appears almost as a footnote. We mostly glimpse him sitting on a log, whittling and smoking cigars. There is scant insight in what he was thinking during the battle expect for speculation about how much events moved him.
December 10, 2023
A mishmash, and no, not "riveting," contra the editorial blurb.
First, a good history of subject, battle or whatever "X," when it hits a controversy point, will usually plump for one side or other at end.
In The Wilderness, was the less-than-stellar performance of Gouverneur Warren his fault or Grant's? And Reeves kind of tries to go both ways. Early on, at the start of the first day, he says that if Warren had pitched in quickly enough, things could have been done. But, from then, as far as the actual battle, it's almost entirely blaming Grant, with bits of blame on Meade. And, when we move to Spotsylvania, it's all Sheridan's fault for having the road blocked.
Was Grant innocent? No. Specific to this battle, in terrain at least as wood as that at Shiloh, his last major similar battle, not allowing for terrain effects was an issue. Not recognizing this would cause some "fog of war" (not discussed by Reeves) also a problem. But, was the fault more Warren's? Yes. On Day 1, even without the next corps to his right, the Sixth, covering his right flank, he probably could have done more to organize his own divisions than he did, even given the difficulties of the terrain. Plus, the reason Grant pushed him (and Sheridan cashiered him at Gravelley Run 11 months later even if not warranted), was that, if not as bad as McClellan, he had some reputation for "the slows" already. Meade felt that, too.
The only other fault of Grant's, per his conversations with James Wilson, was not recognizing just how much such lethargy was deeply ingrained in the Army of the Potomac.
Wrong on Longstreet. The failure to take Knoxville was not primarily his fault, especially since he was outnumbered from the start, and even more so post-Chattanooga, when Sherman sent additional Union troops to help Burnside. Problems on day 2 at Gettysburg was primarily Lee's fault, for not allowing him to do the type of reconnaissance the lack of which has Reeves faulting Grant here.
Wrong on Meade not wanting to retreat after day 2 of Gettysburg. Most historians of that battle will tell you that he called the famous council of war hoping it would recommend just that.
Also, only two maps in what is supposed to be (but not totally) a detailed look at the battle? And, why were those two put on plates pages instead of plain paper pages?
Finally, the last three chapters aren't about the battle at all, and only very indirectly about its aftermath. That means that Reeves has barely 200 pages about the battle, or actually less, since that includes a chapter about Spotsylvania.
And, in the second part of the last chapter, he also doesn't acknowledge that Grant, not a lot less than Lincoln, had his eye on the November electoral calendar — which a lot of corps and division commanders in the Army of the Potomac did not.
First, a good history of subject, battle or whatever "X," when it hits a controversy point, will usually plump for one side or other at end.
In The Wilderness, was the less-than-stellar performance of Gouverneur Warren his fault or Grant's? And Reeves kind of tries to go both ways. Early on, at the start of the first day, he says that if Warren had pitched in quickly enough, things could have been done. But, from then, as far as the actual battle, it's almost entirely blaming Grant, with bits of blame on Meade. And, when we move to Spotsylvania, it's all Sheridan's fault for having the road blocked.
Was Grant innocent? No. Specific to this battle, in terrain at least as wood as that at Shiloh, his last major similar battle, not allowing for terrain effects was an issue. Not recognizing this would cause some "fog of war" (not discussed by Reeves) also a problem. But, was the fault more Warren's? Yes. On Day 1, even without the next corps to his right, the Sixth, covering his right flank, he probably could have done more to organize his own divisions than he did, even given the difficulties of the terrain. Plus, the reason Grant pushed him (and Sheridan cashiered him at Gravelley Run 11 months later even if not warranted), was that, if not as bad as McClellan, he had some reputation for "the slows" already. Meade felt that, too.
The only other fault of Grant's, per his conversations with James Wilson, was not recognizing just how much such lethargy was deeply ingrained in the Army of the Potomac.
Wrong on Longstreet. The failure to take Knoxville was not primarily his fault, especially since he was outnumbered from the start, and even more so post-Chattanooga, when Sherman sent additional Union troops to help Burnside. Problems on day 2 at Gettysburg was primarily Lee's fault, for not allowing him to do the type of reconnaissance the lack of which has Reeves faulting Grant here.
Wrong on Meade not wanting to retreat after day 2 of Gettysburg. Most historians of that battle will tell you that he called the famous council of war hoping it would recommend just that.
Also, only two maps in what is supposed to be (but not totally) a detailed look at the battle? And, why were those two put on plates pages instead of plain paper pages?
Finally, the last three chapters aren't about the battle at all, and only very indirectly about its aftermath. That means that Reeves has barely 200 pages about the battle, or actually less, since that includes a chapter about Spotsylvania.
And, in the second part of the last chapter, he also doesn't acknowledge that Grant, not a lot less than Lincoln, had his eye on the November electoral calendar — which a lot of corps and division commanders in the Army of the Potomac did not.
May 10, 2022
The American Civil War is the pivotal event in the history of our great nation. Household names like Grant, Lee, Lincoln, Jackson, and Davis are widely known among the general public in America as well as in countries around the world. Place names such as Gettysburg, Antietam, Bull Run, and the Wilderness are known as the sites of battles and life-changing events for soldiers, families, and modern Americans. The Battle of the Wilderness, which was a series of battles that occurred between Grant and Lee in May of 1864, came to personify the bloody and often mortal fighting that would lead to the end of the war in April of the following spring. It is this series of battles that John Reeves describes in his new book, A Fire in the Wilderness: The First Battle Between Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, (New York: Pegasus Books, 2021, 276 pgs., $28.95, $38.95 CAN).
The Battle of the Wilderness was a very bloody first encounter between U.S. Grant and R.E. Lee, commanders of the Union and Confederate forces respectively. Grant had developed a fighting style that was practical but yet aggressive and Lee had been used to Union commanders who were inept braggarts who could not win a fair fight. Grant had been brought eastward by Abraham Lincoln to try to build a tidal wave of force that many thought should have been utilized after the convincing defeat of the Confederates at Gettysburg. Lee was trying to find an avenue to break through a closing Union line and continue the war. Reeves uses a very engaging narrative to describe the importance of winning what would become the decisive beginning of the end. In describing the interwoven lives of men such as the ones mentioned above, as well as Private William Reeves, who would become one of the first men to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Reeves adds a human element that is often missing from Civil War battle depictions.
A Fire in the Wilderness is an engaging and poignant tribute to the men who fell close to home and far from their previous lives. Reeves does a masterful job of describing the horrors of the burning fields and the screams of the men who would be wounded and die on the field. His incorporation of primary sources is not usually found in narrative tales. A Fire in the Wilderness is history written for a wide audience, one that is familiar with the Civil War but desires to understand why men fought and died for a cause that they believed in or a nation they were fighting to preserve. Pegasus books should be applauded for supporting works by scholars like John Reeves. It should find a place on the Civil War bookshelf of scholars and history buffs alike. A Fire in the Wilderness is great history and great storytelling.
The Battle of the Wilderness was a very bloody first encounter between U.S. Grant and R.E. Lee, commanders of the Union and Confederate forces respectively. Grant had developed a fighting style that was practical but yet aggressive and Lee had been used to Union commanders who were inept braggarts who could not win a fair fight. Grant had been brought eastward by Abraham Lincoln to try to build a tidal wave of force that many thought should have been utilized after the convincing defeat of the Confederates at Gettysburg. Lee was trying to find an avenue to break through a closing Union line and continue the war. Reeves uses a very engaging narrative to describe the importance of winning what would become the decisive beginning of the end. In describing the interwoven lives of men such as the ones mentioned above, as well as Private William Reeves, who would become one of the first men to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Reeves adds a human element that is often missing from Civil War battle depictions.
A Fire in the Wilderness is an engaging and poignant tribute to the men who fell close to home and far from their previous lives. Reeves does a masterful job of describing the horrors of the burning fields and the screams of the men who would be wounded and die on the field. His incorporation of primary sources is not usually found in narrative tales. A Fire in the Wilderness is history written for a wide audience, one that is familiar with the Civil War but desires to understand why men fought and died for a cause that they believed in or a nation they were fighting to preserve. Pegasus books should be applauded for supporting works by scholars like John Reeves. It should find a place on the Civil War bookshelf of scholars and history buffs alike. A Fire in the Wilderness is great history and great storytelling.
October 16, 2024
A Fire in the Wilderness by John Reeves
.
.
Set against the backdrop of the first battle between Ulysses S Grant and Robert E Lee, the reader transports back in time to 1864 when the commanding General of the Union Army- Ulysses S Grant - begins what is called the “Overland” campaign against Confederate forces under the command of General Lee. As Union troops push into Virginia toward Richmond they meet endless bloodshed in battle after battle, and this book puts focus on what is known as the battle of the wilderness. Fought in the dense backwoods and thickets of Virginia, casualties amassed to over 29,000 men injured and killed over a few days (May 5-7). The fighting was brutal hand to hand combat with fires blazing in the brush and woods around the troops with many injured men unable to escape the flames being burned alive or taken prisoner behind confederate lines. Many veterans described the battle as hell on earth and likened to Dante’s inferno and would never erase such images from their minds. While not considered a win for either side the battle of the wilderness put the confederates on defense as Grant pushed his army towards Richmond at any cost necessary in order to end the war and keep his promise to Lincoln to never retreat. An important story to remember the horrors of the sometimes long forgotten civil war.
.
.
#civilwar #civilwarhistory #battleofthewilderness #virginia #grant #lee #generals #battle #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #overlandcampaign #1864 #ulyssessgrant #unionarmy #usa #history
.
.
Set against the backdrop of the first battle between Ulysses S Grant and Robert E Lee, the reader transports back in time to 1864 when the commanding General of the Union Army- Ulysses S Grant - begins what is called the “Overland” campaign against Confederate forces under the command of General Lee. As Union troops push into Virginia toward Richmond they meet endless bloodshed in battle after battle, and this book puts focus on what is known as the battle of the wilderness. Fought in the dense backwoods and thickets of Virginia, casualties amassed to over 29,000 men injured and killed over a few days (May 5-7). The fighting was brutal hand to hand combat with fires blazing in the brush and woods around the troops with many injured men unable to escape the flames being burned alive or taken prisoner behind confederate lines. Many veterans described the battle as hell on earth and likened to Dante’s inferno and would never erase such images from their minds. While not considered a win for either side the battle of the wilderness put the confederates on defense as Grant pushed his army towards Richmond at any cost necessary in order to end the war and keep his promise to Lincoln to never retreat. An important story to remember the horrors of the sometimes long forgotten civil war.
.
.
#civilwar #civilwarhistory #battleofthewilderness #virginia #grant #lee #generals #battle #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #overlandcampaign #1864 #ulyssessgrant #unionarmy #usa #history
February 10, 2022
I live a little more than forty miles away from the Wilderness battlefield, I've been there a couple of times; I find it kind of spooky. I'll be going back there in early May for sure this year.
Reading this great work, I get confused and feel I need a map every ten pages or so. There are so many names of the soldiers involved in the battles that I found it hard to fathom. One name I did remember was "substitute soldier" Private William Reeves, his story is told in full. The book is a truly wonderful history of this frightful, horrible, and most murderous infernal mess. There is a delightfully broad level of detail presented in the narrative about the protagonists and antagonists, their circumstances and the environment. I had not heard about "Lee To The Rear", and sure didn't know that it happened twice. So much more than just the battle is wonderfully covered in this work. We learn about Lee's beloved estate at Arlington and its fate, the field hospitals, and other hospitals in Alexandria and elsewhere. The foot soldiers and their predicament are covered front and center. Of course, the Generals and their maneuvers or the plans they made for other's operations were covered in exquisite detail.
Reading this great work, I get confused and feel I need a map every ten pages or so. There are so many names of the soldiers involved in the battles that I found it hard to fathom. One name I did remember was "substitute soldier" Private William Reeves, his story is told in full. The book is a truly wonderful history of this frightful, horrible, and most murderous infernal mess. There is a delightfully broad level of detail presented in the narrative about the protagonists and antagonists, their circumstances and the environment. I had not heard about "Lee To The Rear", and sure didn't know that it happened twice. So much more than just the battle is wonderfully covered in this work. We learn about Lee's beloved estate at Arlington and its fate, the field hospitals, and other hospitals in Alexandria and elsewhere. The foot soldiers and their predicament are covered front and center. Of course, the Generals and their maneuvers or the plans they made for other's operations were covered in exquisite detail.
December 30, 2021
The Overland Campaign and Siege of Petersburg in the last year of the Civil War may perhaps have been the clearest antecedents of the First World War. The Battle of the Wilderness and the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House in May of 1864 began the long march to the defeat of the Confederacy. In the snarled woods and thick underbrush of the woods known as "The Wilderness," Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee faced one another for the first time. In this well-written and easily readable book, John Reeves focuses on the first clash between Grant and Lee. Based upon both archival work and solid secondary readings, Reeves' book is an excellent primer on the chaotic Battle of the Wilderness: a battle so wild and fast-changing that even the men fighting it were never quite clear on what was happening where. In the snarled and thick trees of The Wilderness, the brutality of war reached a new level in the spring of 1864: a level eerily reminiscent of the First World War's butchery and stalemate. Forest fires, thousands of wounded, the stubbornness of Robert E. Lee, and the determination of Ulysses S. Grant coalesced to create a vastly underappreciated - and horrifyingly grim - battle.
March 11, 2023
I have read several good books on the 1864 Civil War battle in the Wilderness. When I picked this one up, I was wondering what I might learn from it and wasn't sure it would be worth reading. Many books on Civil War battles get bogged down at times saying things like the 47th Indiana attacked the 43rd Alabama regiment and drove them until the 24th Georgia regiment saved the day. While this is important information, if over done, this style can be difficult to follow unless you already have knowledge of the important units fighting. Reeves avoids this and instead writes in a very easy to read style that shares all significant parts of the battle without going into so much detail that he loses the reader. Additionally, he covers several individuals in the battle that die and gives a background story on each soldier. Rather than slowing the story line down, this enhances the book by understanding how and why various participants arrived at this battle. I found this a refreshing book to read and while it gave all pertinent information of the battle, the background stories brought the individuals to life. I enjoyed this book.
March 14, 2022
"A Fire in the Wilderness" is an amazing book about the first battle U.S. Grant and Robert E. Lee fought against each other, the 2nd battle of the Wilderness. Grant was not always correct in his decisions but he always had the nation in mind and this battle - although a horrible - continued Grant on his way to Richmond, the capitol of the CSA and eventual victory. Of the many books I've read about Grant, Lincoln and the Civil War this one goes behind the scenes and presents the ugly truth and Grant not just a hero but also human. To make the story even more interesting the author, John Reeves, follows a young Union soldier into the Wilderness, his first battle, and serious but seemingly survivable injury. As said, Grant was human and made mistakes, but so was and did Lee. The book also discusses the horrid medical and hospital situations the Union injured had to face. A must-read for Civil War enthusiasts.
September 2, 2023
A bit heavy and difficult to power through at times, but this is an incredibly detailed account of one of the most important battles of the Civil War, the one that marked the beginning of the end to the confederacy. Not only does the author outline the tactics of Grant and Lee, but he brings to life the trauma and horror of this battle, weaves together anecdotes not just about warfare, but also politics and medicine. And the passages about Private Reeves give the reader a regular person to root and gave empathy for.
January 17, 2022
A very clear and well written overview of a confused and confusion battle, the first encounter between Grant and Lee. The author is fair to all concerned and has tough words where they are warranted. I particularly thought the concluding chapters that reflected on losses, General Wadsworth’s death, Arlington, the search for lost fathers and sons on the battlefield, the dismissal of General Warren and General Grant’s last year were very effective. I highly recommend this book.
March 30, 2024
A very good account of this horrific battle. Details of individual units were in depth and with interest. The only problem was a scarcity of good maps. one good map of some of the early fighting and one illegible one were all you got for day one, And one good one of Longstreets approach, and that was it.
May 9, 2023
It was a solid narrative on the opening battle of Grant's Overland Campaign. I like a good book about a Civil War battle and this scratched that itch. Recommended if you want to learn about The Battle of the Wilderness.
October 2, 2024
Good account of one of the most hellish battles of the ACW. Map in photos is helpful. Follows one general and one private soldier throughout, with emphasis on the medical aid side. Not a Grant cheerleader. Battle context is given as well.
January 30, 2025
A succinct telling of the beginning of the Overland Campaign. Covers the context of Grant's new position, the complications of combined command with Meade. Would have been 5 stars had there been a few more maps, and more coverage of the May 6 1864 action north of the Orange Turnpike.
August 18, 2025
Good account of one of the last battles of The War Between the States. At times graphic, but realslistic of the General Grant and General Lee battles and how some small circumstances could have resulted in a different outcome.
July 13, 2022
A very good account of the Wilderness. Easy to read and informative. Recommended!!
December 6, 2022
Very detailed but excellent account. War truly is hell!
March 19, 2024
Focus on specific people at different levels was an interesting way to tie together the experiences of all of the participants.
August 1, 2024
I would give this book 20 stars if I could!
March 6, 2025
Good and accessible account of the Wilderness. Would recommend to non Civil War buffs.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews