The Battles for Spotsylvania Court House and the Road to Yellow Tavern, May 7--12, 1864

Grant and Lee, May , Feb 06, Monte Lamb rated it it was amazing Shelves: This is the second book in a series describing the campaign in Virginia after Grant took over as the chief general of the union forces. Just like the first, it tells the story clearly and with enough detail that the reader understands the how's and why's of this severely fought battle. While it has plenty of detail, the author is very careful not to get lost in the details so much that it is difficult to follow what is happening in the fighting.

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After the reading this book, I have a very cl This is the second book in a series describing the campaign in Virginia after Grant took over as the chief general of the union forces. After the reading this book, I have a very clear idea of how the battle was initiated and how it developed. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

I highly recommend this book. Jan 24, Matt rated it really liked it. I like the addition of the yellow Tavern battle to this account of the overland campaign. Jun 12, Garry rated it it was amazing Shelves: May 11, Dennis Dowd rated it it was amazing Shelves: Great book by a modern Civil War scholar. Enjoyed the first two volumes in this history of the Overland Campaign, looking forward to the next three!

Apr 20, Joyce Lagow rated it it was amazing Shelves: The 2nd in a series about Grant s overland campaign. The wounded sprawled in every attitude of pain. A soldier in the 1st South Carolina recollected that in stooping or squatting to load, the mud, blood, and brains mingled, would reach up to my waist, and my head and face were spotted with the horrid paint.

It was a bulge in Lee s lines that was the weakest point in his very formidable entrenchments. When Hancock s 2nd Corps charged the salient on May 12, the last and most terrible day of 5 days of butchery, the salient was the scene of some of the most terrible fighting of the war. One particular angle of the salient was so lethal for both sides that it was named Bloody Angle. The fighting there was 20 continuous hours of Hell. Gettysburg , wrote a soldier from the Iron Brigade, is a skirmish compared to this fight.

But it was preceded by 5 days of carnage. The fact was that Lee the aristocrat made mistakes, plenty of them, and at times was outfoxed by the store clerk from Galena, IL, the quiet, ungod-like Grant. This was one such occasion.

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After the battle of the Wilderness, Lee was confident that Grant would attack again, while Grant made preparations to slip the entire Union Army between the Confederates and Richmond, forcing Lee out from the Wilderness into the open where the Union Army s superior in numbers and artillery would make a difference.

Even when Lee was informed that the Union Army was on the move, he believed, until the two armies actually met, that Grant was retreating towards Fredericksburg. By sheer accident, a part of the Confederate 1st Corps, led by General Anderson Longstreet had been severely wounded in the Wilderness by his own men arrive at a crossroads near the hamlet of Spotsylvania Court House literally minutes before the advance elements of Warren s Union 5th Corps.

Stuart did indeed meet Sheridan, at Yellow Tavern--and was killed. That, however, was not a knock-out blow for the Confederate cavalry, since there were two nearly as capable commanders ready to take over--Wade Hampton and Fitzhugh Lee, a nephew of the Confederate commander-in-chief. It was a diversion, and cost far more than it accomplished in terms of Union lives. In this book, Rhea s prose does improve over his previous one, although the verbs to gloat , to boast , to concede , to tumble back are vastly overworked.

The maps are superb, allowing the reader to follow the action at the brigade level and sometimes at the regimental level quite easily. There are times when the Order of Battle, given in the Appendix, comes in handy; because of the large numbers of names of commanders, especially on the Union side, it s sometimes difficult to remember which unit belonged to what division or even corps.

The battle was not complex--too often it was merely Grant insisting on hurling troops piecemeal against impregnable defenses--but Rhea tells the story in a straightforward way, using as in his previous book excerpts from letters, diaries, Official Records, and other sources to illuminate his points.

Jan 11, Josh Liller rated it really liked it Shelves: This is the second book in the author's Overland Campaign series, picking up after the second day of major fighting in the Wilderness has ended and running through the end of the day of fighting over the Bloody Angle aka Mule Shoe. The book also covers the first part of Sheridan's first raid that climaxed at Yellow Tavern with Jeb Stuart's defeat and death. Ending the book at the end of May 12th is an interesting decision; while it marks the climax of the fighting at Spotsylvania, lesser fighting This is the second book in the author's Overland Campaign series, picking up after the second day of major fighting in the Wilderness has ended and running through the end of the day of fighting over the Bloody Angle aka Mule Shoe.

The style of the Wilderness book is pretty much continued here, except the footnotes have been replaced by endnotes. There are pages of main text and good maps, plus an order of battle in addition to the citations. A reoccurring theme I am noticing is serious problems in the Union army hierarchy: On the Confederate side, Lee seems to struggle between his natural aggressiveness and his near desperation at stopping critical Union breakthroughs. There seems to be similarities in Hancock's attacks on May 6 and May Lee also suffers a noticeable attrition in top officers which I think comes into play at North Anna.

I'll be continuing the series as it continues to live up to its reputation. Jun 20, Chuck Leonard rated it it was amazing. The author's approach to the conflict is identical to that of his first in this series There are thorough discussions about the missed opportunities and tactical errors of the commanders but Rhea provides perspective that seems to soften the res The author's approach to the conflict is identical to that of his first in this series There are thorough discussions about the missed opportunities and tactical errors of the commanders but Rhea provides perspective that seems to soften the responsibilty imposed on some of the less successful and forceful generals in earlier critiques of their performance A balanced portrayal of these specific days in the civil war.

Specific mention must be made of the way this author reveals the horror of the Bloody Angle and how the commanders on both sides kept feeding troops into it. Rhea highlights the carnage while providing the motivation of both sides for pursuing advantage at this point on the battlefield, making, what might look like insanity to us almost years later, rational in the context that existed at that moment in history.

A fluid, well-written book and a fast read for this type of history. Dec 06, Mikey rated it it was amazing. Normally I read during commercials and timeouts I missed a lot of plots and plays due to the fact that I could not put this one down. If you look at my shelves you will know i love to read about war,politics,and history. Some I have read have been tedious civil war of for example but not this one. It had my attention from beginning to end and didn't seem to pull any punches when it came to calling a spade a spade.

Although, I am glad the union was preserved, my Normally I read during commercials and timeouts Although, I am glad the union was preserved, my childhood heroes were Confederates. It was especially saddening to read how J. Stuart died and rather surprising to read how pettiness was so prevalent in the command ranks, especially the Union Army.

Anyways, it was a fantastic read and I would reccomend it to anyone who does not consider themselves a civil war expert. Gordon Rhea is my favorite Civil War author. His coverage of the Lee vs. Grant campaigns in Virginia are monumental. His prose is highly charged with motion, active verbs and imagery.

I now believe that this titanic battle was the most savage and intense conflict in our American history and in modern warfare. The detail is personal and meticulous, while at the same time panoramic.

The Battles For Spotsylvania Court House and The Road To Yellow Tavern

The question in my mind is why a Gordon Rhea is my favorite Civil War author. The question in my mind is why a negotiated peace was not concluded to avoid such carnage and loss of life. Jan 07, Steve Switzer rated it really liked it Shelves: I doubt there is a better military history writer then gordon c rhea This bloody,messy ,badly handled by Grant and his generals shambles of a battle wonderfully protrayed by mr rhea in another triumph of the miltary writers art.

This epic multi day fight has the dubious honour of being the first Trench warfare battle in modern history , futile charges murderous bayonet attacks all the things we think of as synonomous with trench warfare I will look for his next volume in his 4 volume master w I doubt there is a better military history writer then gordon c rhea This bloody,messy ,badly handled by Grant and his generals shambles of a battle wonderfully protrayed by mr rhea in another triumph of the miltary writers art. This epic multi day fight has the dubious honour of being the first Trench warfare battle in modern history , futile charges murderous bayonet attacks all the things we think of as synonomous with trench warfare I will look for his next volume in his 4 volume master work on the epic contest between grant and lee in , to the north anna Jan 20, Greg rated it really liked it Shelves: This book, along with his book on the Wilderness, has now convinced me to read his 4 part series.

Clearly, Rhea "owns" the "new modern re-interpretations" of the history, like those I'm seeking to read, of the months of May and June of , in the Eastern theater. Just like Sears owns the campaigns of in the Eastern theater, and Cozzens owns the campaigns of in the Western theater. Mar 04, Jwest87 rated it it was amazing. In the Lion's Mouth. Memoirs of the Civil War. In the Trenches at Petersburg.

The Sword of Lincoln. Seven Days Before Richmond.

The Battles For Spotsylvania Court House and The Road To Yellow Tavern by Rhea, Gordon C

The Battle of Fisher's Hill: Breaking the Shenandoah Valley's Gibraltar. The Illustrated Gettysburg Reader. Fort Harrison and the Battle of Chaffin's Farm. Confederate High Tide in the Heartland. A Brotherhood Of Valor. The Battle of the Crater. The Maps of Fredericksburg. If It Takes All Summer. The Pennsylvania Reserves in the Civil War. Battle of West Frederick, July 7, Encircling the Union Army. The Maps of Gettysburg, eBook Short 2: The First Day, July 1, The Battle of the Wilderness, May 5—6, To the North Anna River. How to write a great review. The review must be at least 50 characters long.

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