Reviews for Triumph and Defeat

The average rating for Triumph and Defeat based on 2 reviews is 2 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-05-01 00:00:00 Mike Mann This is a collection of mostly unremarkable essays about the Vicksburg campaign. Unlike the Gallagher essay series which each include several different authors, all of these essays are by by Winschel. The essays are: -a short summary of the campaign -Grant's move from opposite Vicksburg to opposite Grand Gulf and Bruinsburg and his crossing of the Mississippi River -Grierson's Raid -Battle of Port Gibson -Battle of Champion Hill, with a focus on Pemberton -1st Battalion 13th US Infantry & their attacks on the Stockade Redan during the early unsucessful assaults on Vicksburg -Vicksburg siege operations, with a focus on Logan's Approach -Vicksburg citizens during the siege -efforts to raise the siege via operations west of the Mississippi, with a focus on Walker's attack at Milliken's Bend -surrender of Vicksburg -epilogue summarizing the fate of several noteable participants in the campaign I found the essays about Grierson's Raid and Logan's Approach to be pretty interesting, but nothing else stood out to me. Excluding notes, etc. this book is only 195 pages, meaning the essays are nearly all less than 20 pages; one is only 10 pages. In both page count and content this is lightweight stuff as far as essays go and I would rank it below most, if not all, of the Gallagher essay books.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-03-27 00:00:00 Katherine Banks Terry Winschel is the chief historian of Vicksburg National Military Park, so you couldn't find a better source of information on the Vicksburg campaign. His writing style is accessible, and his material is well thought-out and well researched. The book consists of ten essays, covering a broad spectrum of subjects. Not just the marches and battles conducted by the Union and Confederate armies are explored here. Winschel touches on the naval aspect of the campaign, some of the controversial generals involved on both sides, civilian life in Vicksburg during the campaign and siege, the political and strategic importance of Vicksburg during the war, and the creation of the Vicksburg park after the war. The essays are all of an easily digestible length, and pleasant prose. The main drawback I encountered is that some of the assertions the author makes, and quotes he refers to, are repeated several times across the ten essays. It may help emphasize some of his points, but it can also feel a bit unnecessary. Overall, Triumph & Defeat, Vol. 2 is a great way for both casual readers and Civil War buffs to expand their knowledge of this critical part of Civil War and American history.