Sheridan's Lieutenants: Phil Sheridan, His Generals, and the Final Year of the Civil War (The American Crisis Series: Books on the Civil War Era)
Coffey's compact, readable monograph covers the Army of the Potomac's last year in the Civil War through a group portrayal of Philip Sheridan and the cavalry commanders he brought with him from the West. Like their chief, those subordinate officers believed in mobility and aggressive use of massed cavalry, and they contributed notably to the greater effectiveness of the Union cavalry in the Overland Campaign, the Shenandoah Campaign, and the final overthrow of the Confederacy at Appomattox. About the only one of them the nonspecialist is likely to have heard of is George Armstrong Custer, but Wesley Merritt, George Crook, Ranald Mackenzie, and Alfred Torbert also had distinguished postwar careers. Coffey knows his territory from thorough research (see the fine, annotated bibliography) and has written clearly, making even fast-moving mounted engagements intelligible. An admirable set of portraits--what an array of whiskers!--concludes the book's catalog of virtues.Roland GreenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved