The Civil War Generals: Comrades, Peers, Rivals-In Their Own Words
"Drawing from memoirs, diaries, letters and interviews, Robert Girardi offers a nuanced portrait of more than 400 generals and an occasional admiral and commander in chief, in the views of those who fought alongside and against them. You'll probably start by flipping to his entries on your favorites, but end up, as I did, reading from cover to cover." -Civil War Times"Girardi provides an insightful look at 400 American Civil War generals as viewed by their contemporaries and prominent historical figures. While some of those profiled are well known, others are not, and the length of the entries reflects this. The text is divided into two sections, the Union and the Confederacy, and the generals are listed in alphabetical order. It might have been better advised to give Grant and Lee a separate section or to have put their entries at the top of their respective sections and perhaps have presented the better-known generals individually as well, rather than forcing readers to page through the book for the information they need. Included are 100 photographs of the generals that, along with the quotes, help to paint a more detailed picture of who these men were. Three excellent appendixes feature a list of the battles and generals involved, a general battle map and four battle-specific maps, and a "Contributors" listing indicating the source of the quotes. ­VERDICT A useful and easy-to-read resource for history buffs and general readers." -Library Journal"The Civil War Generals is a fantastic addition to the libraries of Civil War scholars and casual readers alike. It offers an easy, one-volume, cross reference guide of the reputations, warts and all, of the generals who waged war with and against each other from 1861 to 1865." -CivilWarNotebook.blogspot.com"In summary, Girardi's book is an excellent contribution to Civil War literature. The work lends itself to either being read straight through or reading quotes at random. The book will also serve as an excellent reference resource. Civil War buffs in particular will greatly enjoy this book." -ArmchairGeneral.com