The Battered Stars: One State's Civil War Ordeal During Grant's Overland Campaign
Grant's ill-starred 1864 Overland Campaign commenced at the Union winter encampment at Brandy Station, VA, and ended at the siege of the vital Rebel railroad center of Petersburg, south of Richmond. During this 100,000-man, 40-day effort (May-June), in which the Federals participated in the horrific battles of Second Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, and Cold Harbor, the Army of the Potomac suffered in excess of a two-to-one casualty margin over the Confederates. Focusing almost entirely on the units from Vermont, Coffin (Nine Months to Gettysburg) weaves together stories of the participating military units, outlines the overall campaign, and gives voice to several hundred personalities on the battlefield and back home, primarily through diaries and letters. The family correspondence gives a glimpse into small-town Vermont life as well as life at the front. The book's best chapter deals with Vermont's substantial wartime losses. Though the tone can be hagiographic, the research is credible, the inclusion of contemporary travelog segments relative to the Overland Campaign imaginative, and the selected illustrations blend effectively with the story. Recommended for New England collections, major Civil War holdings, and large libraries. John Carver Edwards, Univ. of Georgia Libs., ClevelandCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.