John Michael Priest’s Top Civil War Book Picks

By John Michael Priest · Originally published November 2018 · p. 48

John Michael Priest The Maryland Campaign of September 1862: Vol. I: South Mountain. By Ezra A. Carman. Edited and annotated by Thomas G. Clemens. Maps, footnotes, appendices, bibliography, index, 522 pp., 2010. Savas Beatie. www.savasbeatie.com. The Maryland Campaign of September 1862: Vol. II: Antietam. By Ezra A. Carman. Edited and annotated by Thomas G. Clemens. Maps, footnotes, appendices, bibliography, index, 668 pp., 2012. Savas Beatie. www.savasbeatie.com. The Maryland Campaign of September 1862: Vol. III: Shepherdstown Ford and the

End of the Campaign. By Ezra A. Carman. Edited and annotated by Thomas G. Clemens. Maps, footnotes, appendices, bibliography, index, 325 pp., 2017. Savas Beatie. www.savasbeatie.com. This work is a tribute to Ezra Carman and the men of both armies who served at Antietam. Superbly edited and footnoted by Dr. Thomas G. Clemens, it represents the finest scholarship in the field. The notes alone make it worth having in my library. It is the foundation from which new Antietam studies should begin. Failure in the Saddle: Nathan Bedford Forrest, Joseph Wheeler, and the Confederate Cavalry in the Chickamauga Campaign. By David A. Powell. Maps, footnotes, appendices, bibliography, index, 348 pp., 2010. Savas Beatie. www.savasbeatie.com David Powell destroyed all of my preconceived ideas about the competency of Wheeler and Forrest as generals in the field. Their less than stellar performances during the Chickamauga Campaign clearly illustrated how their promotions to higher command exceeded their personal abilities. It clearly illustrates raw courage and personal fearlessness do not often necessarily translate into effective leadership. The Great Locomotive Chase: More on the Andrews Raid and the first Medal of Honor. By Craig Angle. Photos, illustrations, maps, portrait gallery, endnotes, index, 354 pp., 1992. Privately printed by Craig Angle, The Great Locomotive Chase is the best compilation primary material on the Great Locomotive Chase I have yet read. The author allows the participants to present the evidence much like an individual would find in a trial transcription. It held my attention from beginning to end. The Louisiana Tigers In The Gettysburg Campaign: June– July 1863. By Scott L. Mingus, Sr. Maps, endnotes, bibliography, index, appendices, 316 pp., 2009. Louisiana State University Press Scott Mingus Sr., one of the most prolific Civil War historians and an avid miniature wargamer, has written a very readable and thorough account of the legendary Louisiana Brigade. His vivid descriptions of the combat at Cemetery Hill held me spellbound. This is historical writing at its best.

The Wars of Reconstruction: The Brief, Violent History of America’s Most Progressive Era. By Douglas R. Egerton. Photos, index, pp., 2014. Bloomsbury Press. Professor Egerton’s has brought to life, in painstaking detail, the violence and turmoil wrought upon both white and black civilians in the South during Reconstruction. His monumental work has permanently changed my perspective on the era. To date, it is the most comprehensive study of an all too-often overlooked period of history. Under the Crescent Moon with the Eleventh Corps in the Civil War: Vol. 1: From the Defenses of Washington to Chancellorsville, 1862–1863. By James S. Pula. Photos, maps, footnotes, appendices, bibliography, index, 312 pp., 2017. Savas Beatie. www. savasbeatie.com. Under the Crescent Moon with the Eleventh Corps in the Civil War: Vol. 2: From Gettysburg to Victory, 1863-–865. By James S. Pula. Photos, maps, footnotes, appendices, bibliography, index, 384 pp., 2017. Savas Beatie. www.savasbeatie.com.

Finally, the XI Corps has gotten the honest, objective coverage it has long deserved. These two volumes have changed how I interpret Oliver Otis Howard’s wartime performance and that of the oft-maligned men who served under him. Under the Crescent Moon dispels the long held misconceptions about the “Flying Dutchmen” of the XI Corps. John Michael Priest is a tour guide at Antietam Battlefield, who will specialize tours to the visitors’ specific needs. He is currently working on a battalion-level book describing the July 1, 1863 actions at Gettysburg. The project is still in its infancy but he is looking for primary material on the XI Corps, in particular.