Description
For sixteen days the armies had grappled-a grueling horror-show of nonstop battle, march, and maneuver that stretched through May of 1864. Federal commander Ulysses S. Grant had resolved to destroy his Confederate adversaries through attrition if by no other means. He would just keep at them until he used them up.
Meanwhile, Grant's Confederate counterpart, Robert E. Lee, looked for an opportunity to regain the offensive initiative. "We must strike them a blow," he told his lieutenants.
The toll on both armies was staggering.
But Grant's war of attrition began to take its toll in a more insidious way. Both army commanders-operating on the dark edge of exhaustion, fighting off illness, pressure-cooked by stress-began to feel the effects of that continuous, merciless grind in very personal ways. Punch-drunk tired, they began to second-guess themselves, began missing opportunities, began making mistakes.
As a result, along the banks of the North Anna River, commanders on both sides brought their armies to the brink of destruction without even knowing it.
Picking up the story started in the Emerging Civil War Series book A Season of Slaughter: The Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, historian Chris Mackowski follows the road south to the North Anna River. Strike Them a Blow: Battle Along the North Anna River offers a concise, engaging account of the mistakes and missed opportunities of the third-and least understood-phase of the Overland Campaign.
About the Author
Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., is the editor in chief and a co-founder of Emerging Civil War, and he's the managing editor of the Emerging Civil War Series published by Savas Beatie. Chris is a writing professor in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University, where he also serves as the associate dean for undergraduate programs, and is the historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the Spotsylvania Court House battlefield.
Reviews
'I found it compulsive and addictive and jam-packed with new information. I unreservedly recommend this book.' * Wargames, Soldiers, and Strategy *
A fascinating account of just one battle during the American Civil War. * Books Monthly 17/02/2016 *
Book Information
ISBN 9781611212549
Author Chris Mackowski
Format Paperback
Page Count 168
Imprint Savas Beatie
Publisher Savas Beatie
Meanwhile, Grant's Confederate counterpart, Robert E. Lee, looked for an opportunity to regain the offensive initiative. "We must strike them a blow," he told his lieutenants.
The toll on both armies was staggering.
But Grant's war of attrition began to take its toll in a more insidious way. Both army commanders-operating on the dark edge of exhaustion, fighting off illness, pressure-cooked by stress-began to feel the effects of that continuous, merciless grind in very personal ways. Punch-drunk tired, they began to second-guess themselves, began missing opportunities, began making mistakes.
As a result, along the banks of the North Anna River, commanders on both sides brought their armies to the brink of destruction without even knowing it.
Picking up the story started in the Emerging Civil War Series book A Season of Slaughter: The Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse, historian Chris Mackowski follows the road south to the North Anna River. Strike Them a Blow: Battle Along the North Anna River offers a concise, engaging account of the mistakes and missed opportunities of the third-and least understood-phase of the Overland Campaign.
About the Author
Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., is the editor in chief and a co-founder of Emerging Civil War, and he's the managing editor of the Emerging Civil War Series published by Savas Beatie. Chris is a writing professor in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University, where he also serves as the associate dean for undergraduate programs, and is the historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the Spotsylvania Court House battlefield.
Reviews
'I found it compulsive and addictive and jam-packed with new information. I unreservedly recommend this book.' * Wargames, Soldiers, and Strategy *
A fascinating account of just one battle during the American Civil War. * Books Monthly 17/02/2016 *
Book Information
ISBN 9781611212549
Author Chris Mackowski
Format Paperback
Page Count 168
Imprint Savas Beatie
Publisher Savas Beatie
