Reviews for The Battle of Belmont: Grant Strikes South

The average rating for The Battle of Belmont: Grant Strikes South based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-05-13 00:00:00 Christopher Chapman This book is a detailed account of a small, relatively little known battle, which ended up having outsized consequences. Hughes' prose is easy, his narrative is well paced, and his analysis of the conduct of the leaders of both sides is fair and insightful. The Confederate leaders didn't tend to shine at Belmont. Although Hughes has written a biography of Gideon Pillow, he doesn't spare him any due criticism (while still giving him scant credit he does deserve). He also rightly criticizes Leonidas Polk's conduct of the campaign, battle and aftermath. The main Confederate leader to shine through is Benjamin 'Frank' Cheatham, who showed exceptional bravery and initiative, and handled his troops well. By contrast, the Union leaders did much better. Grant's conduct of the campaign wasn't perfect, but it was good. He also learned valuable lessons from Belmont that he would use to build his future success. Grant also may have contributed to his future victories at Forts Henry and Donelson by cowing Pillow and Polk. McClernand, Logan, and Walke also turned in good (but not flawless) performances, which helped Grant achieve the success that he did, and staved off disaster when the tide turned against the Union forces. Hughes does a good job acknowledging the disputed and unsure nature of the result of the Battle of Belmont. He notes that the Confederates held the field at the end of the day, and drove off the Union forces in a near route, but they failed to finish them. Though both sides claimed victory, it seems according to Hughes analysis that the Union deserves more credit. Grant did destroy Camp Jackson, and largely push Confederate forces out of Southeastern Missouri, but even more for the later effects on Grant's career and the campaign against the Confederate line in Middle Tennessee. As a last note of compliment, the maps in this book really stand out. There are a copious number of them, and they're well placed to assist in understanding the narrative. The maps are also illustrative of the battlefield situations they represent, easy to read, and visually appealing. Since maps (in number and quality) are one of the most common weak points of military history narratives, the high quality of the maps in this book is really worth calling out for recognition.

Review # 2 was written on 2010-03-05 00:00:00 Susan Hall This book offers the reader a well researched and presented account of the Battle of Belmont, the first battle in the Western Theatre and one of the first battles fought by Ulysses S. Grant. The book covers Grants attack on the Southern forces under the command of Leonidas Polk and Gideon Pillow at Belmont on the Mississippi River in Missouri on the 7th of November 1861. The maps in the book are easy to understand and guide the reader through the fighting, the narrative runs smoothly and offers a good overview of this battle. There is extensive notes and bibliography to assist the reader with further studies. Overall a decent book covering this battle of the American Civil War. An enjoyable read.