The Battle of Brandy Station: North America's Largest Cavalry Battle

by Eric J. Wittenberg

Just before dawn on June 9, 1863, Union soldiers materialized from a thick fog near the banks of Virginia's Rappahannock River to ambush sleeping Confederates. The ensuing struggle, which lasted throughout the day, was to be known as the Battle of Brandy Station--the largest cavalry battle ever fought on North American soil. Meticulously captured by historian Eric J. Wittenberg, these events marked a major turning point in the Civil War: the waning era of Confederate cavalry dominance in the East gave way to a confident and powerful Union mounted arm. This fascinating volume features a GPS guided tour of the battlefield with illustrations and maps by master cartographer Steven Stanley.

Genres: Civil War, History, American Civil War

275 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2010

About the author

Eric J. Wittenberg is an American Civil War historian, author, lecturer, tour guide and battlefield preservationist. He is a practicing attorney in downtown Columbus, Ohio. His published works have focused especially on the Civil War cavalryman and the cavalry battles of the Civil War, with emphasis on the Army of the Potomac's Cavalry Corps

Reviews

[Lorri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wittenberg is an excellent military historian. His narrative is vivid and evenhanded. He blends his narrative with deft quotes from eyewitnesses and other primary sources across ranks and divides. Wittenberg illustrates his narrative with many photos and battle maps, and includes a Driving Tour of the battlefield in one of the information-filled appendices. Wittenberg's analysis of the entire battle is clear, fair, and mostly presented in the last chapter. My only kwibble is that he expects the reader to remember way too many names and titles without enough gentle reminders, and he uses state names interchangeably with state nicknames without explanation. For instance, I did not know North Carolinians were called Tar Heels, so the label appearing without explanation was confusing.

[Patrick J. Baier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Mr. Wittenberg has become the perminer historian of the cavarly of the Civil War. I enjoyed the maps that he included in the book.
But like the majority of authors, he gets entangled up in the fluid of the Battle. Nevertheless, Mr. WIittenberg does the best job in describing the flow of the din of battle.
The reader will read the book. If only if it is written by Mr. Wittenberg.

[Jack Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to follow

I found it hard to follow the battle without an overview map that placed the small area maps. I would have preferred the author to follow a time line to describe positions and actions of troops. In spite of these comments, I found the book valuable for my research on the role Buford's orderly played in this famous cavalry battle.

[Jane Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great information on a battle I knew little about. Makes me want to investigate more.

[Tom Powers · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice read

Interesting read shows the lack of commanders on the union side except for a handful. Lack of knowing the battlefield from the union side except

[Blaine Pardoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've heard grumbles about this book but as a long time Civil War reader, I found it enjoying. Does it break new ground? Some. Is it the authoritative account of the battle? It is the best published account in 30 years - that much is for sure. Yes, I have heard that other authors have books coming out that will blow this one out of the water - but talk is cheap. I found this account to be compelling, well organized, well written and downright entertaining.

[Mark Luongo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the Civil War Sesquicentennial Series. Most people consider Wittenberg the dean of AOP cavalry writers and his work here is creditable as both a narrative and a guide (walking/driving) to the battlefield today. I believe this book is a precursor to his larger work on the battle, "Out Flew the Sabers."