More about justifying violence Book

This is an interesting compilation of essays on generals in defeat in the Civil War. The editor, Steven Woodworth is a fine scholar of the Civil War, and this book makes a nice addition to a Civil War library. The book states at the outset (Page 2): "War is a hard business, and well may its rule, its test of merit, be hard. . . .Most of all, [a general:] had better produce results. The general is not employed to make a good attempt, fight nobly, and lose impressively."

The first chapter, by Woodworth himself, focuses on Albert Sidney Johnston. Johnston's reputation coming into the Civil War was impressive. Jefferson David made him commander-in-chief of the western Confederacy. However, with the fall of Forts Henry and Donelson, things unraveled, and Johnston took a lot of criticism. The chapter outlines the arc of his career, ending with the defeat at Shiloh. There is a nice evaluation of Johnston's strengths and weaknesses.

A second chapter feature Joseph Johnston's command in the east until his wounding at Seven Pines. Alan Downs does a nice job crediting Johnston with more aggressiveness than he is normally granted. However, Johnston's prickliness and political ineptitude are chronicled nicely here.

Other chapters consider George McClellan's Peninsula Campaign and his retreat to the James, Don Carlos Buell's poor performance at Chattanooga, Fighting Joe Hooker's generalship at Chancellorsville (where he comes of, in Stephen Sears' view, as less inept than normally considered). There is an almost poignant consideration of John Pemberton, who would have made a fine staff officer but had no business being named a combat commander.

Finally, Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg, a chapter authored by Brooks Simpson. Many have been blamed for the failure of the Confederate forces at Gettysburg. Simpson focuses on Lee's style of delegation at this bloody fight. This is hardly a revolutionary judgment, as others have made a similar argument. But his analysis, nonetheless, appears pretty solid.

Overall, this volume works pretty well. Some of the chapters do not seem quite as well developed as I would like. The writing is a bit uneven. Nonetheless this is an interesting work of unsuccessful command.