Roll Call to Destiny

by Brent Nosworthy

Roll Call to Destiny puts readers on the frontlines of the Civil War by providing the point of view of small bands of men who braved unique combat situations. Acclaimed military historian Brent Nosworthy answers such questions as what it was like for artillery to beat back an aggressive infantry assault or to take part in a fast-paced cavalry charge, and how Civil War infantry conflict was waged in thick, forest foliage. From firsthand accounts, Nosworthy has pieced together Burnside’s infantry at Bull Run (infantry-versus-infantry on the open field), the Fifty-Seventh New York at Fair Oaks (fighting in the woods), Daniel Webster’s section at Arkansas Post (artillery attacking a fort), the third day at Gettysburg (cavalry-versus-cavalry), plus much more. A must-read for anyone who wants to know what Confederate and Union soldiers saw, heard, and felt, as well as how they acted at critical moments of the Civil War.

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

342 pages, Hardcover

First published March 3, 2008

About the author

Brent Nosworthy is a game designer, author, and military historian from Providence, Rhode Island.

Reviews

[Sean Chick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book's subtitle is misleading. It is really a tactical analysis of the war with various case studies. It is in the tradition of Griffith and Hess, in that Nosworthy downplays the power of the rifle with added points about entrenchments, bayonets, and cavalry (surprise they could pull off charges). I found it to be well written and fair with only a few errors. Nosworthy also noted something I have seen in my Shiloh research. Many battle narratives are flawed due to received wisdom and not enough attention paid to tactical details, although he notes the difficulties of using the later which has limited other works.

[Cameron · Rating 2 out of 5]

Think I will finally give up on trying to read books about the Civil War, even though I live in Virginia and battlefields can be found everywhere around here. The summary made this book sound much more exciting and dynamic than I found it - suffering from the same interminable lists of names, ranks, and units that wash over and drown out the interesting details and descriptions in every CW historical novel I've attempted.

[Mark Harden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting tactical analysis of various battles, some refreshingly obscure. Marred by reliance on maps that are vintage downloads from the Library of Congress and nearly illegible. The level of tactical discussion really needs more precise maps for full appreciation.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book on military history focused on the American Civil War. The author gives the reader a look at what the battle was like from the soldier's viewpoint: the sights, sounds, smells, and confusion. He pieces together a soldier-eye view of events from the letters and memoirs of soldiers on both sides of the conflict and includes direct quotes from some of those accounts.

The author starts the book off by explaining the military technology available in the United States and abroad at the time and how it was changing the military tactics used.

He then describes several battles, giving an excellent look at what the battle was like for the soldiers as they approached and fought from the various positions. After the account of the battle, the author discusses the tactics used compared to what they were taught was the ideal at the time.

Maps were included to show the positions of the various units in each battle, but the maps weren't very easy for me to read or understand. However, I didn't have trouble visualizing what was happening solely from the text.

The author usually explained the various military terms used (the weapons, formations, maneuvers, tactics, etc.), but sometimes he didn't. I could usually figure it out from context, though. Someone more familiar with the military at that time probably wouldn't have any trouble at all.

Overall, the book was easy to read and effectively gave the reader a look into what Civil War battles were like for the troops. The book was clearly very well researched, and I found it very interesting. I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in the Civil War battles or who's interested in what the battles would have been like to live through.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brent Nosworthy has written a series of three extremely detailed books on various aspects of the military periods from the late 17th century through the American Civil War. He approaches history as a mechanic. How does a unit or battle run? What are it's elements, how do they work? What information would be needed to successfully simulate the situation.

Nosworthy's "Roll Call to Destiny" is the compilation of elements of his Civil War research that did not fit in other of his books. In it he depicts 9 battles from the perspective of a single regiment or brigade. Some of the depictions are less detailed, or actually shown from a much higher level, such as that of the Battle of Fredricksburg. The two chapters I found most interesting were the discussions of Burnsides' Brigade in the First Bull Run/Manassas and the cavalry fight July 3rd at Gettysburg. Both add human dimensions that are generally lacking in history books. And the Gettysburg account is pure revisionist. Nothing wrong with revisionism, though, because if the current view cannot successfully address, perhaps it needs to revised in favor of a stronger and more supportable account.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the American Civil War or Military History.

[Monte McGuire · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not happy with the book, just didn't deliver on what was advertised. There wasn't much material about personal accounts. This was a typical Civil War book. I don't care much for tactics, like the 57th Minnesota Battalion was against the 4th Alabama infantry, etc. Sometimes he would mention a General, Colonel or even a Captain, where I didn't know whether he was a Union or Confederate soldier.

Ernie Pyle was a better writer in relation to personal accounts.

This book is for an advanced civil war buff in my opinion.

[Crunknor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very hard to follow. It's an admirable effort, but keeping track of the battles is very difficult given the dense text and level of detail. A few interesting tidbits, but not enough to really hold my attention. Could very much have used some custom situational maps to supplement the contemporary ones.