UNC Press - The Antietam Campaign

<SPAN STYLE= "" >The Antietam Campaign</SPAN>

352 pp., 6.125 x 9.25, 40 illus., 1 table, 6 maps, notes, bibl., index

Military Campaigns of the Civil War

Paper

ISBN 978-0-8078-5894-3

Published: February 2008

The Maryland campaign of September 1862 ranks among the most important military operations of the American Civil War. Crucial political, diplomatic, and military issues were at stake as Robert E. Lee and George B. McClellan maneuvered and fought in the western part of the state. The climactic clash came on September 17 at the battle of Antietam, where more than 23,000 men fell in the single bloodiest day of the war.

Approaching topics related to Lee's and McClellan's operations from a variety of perspectives, contributors to this volume explore questions regarding military leadership, strategy, and tactics, the impact of the fighting on officers and soldiers in both armies, and the ways in which participants and people behind the lines interpreted and remembered the campaign. They also discuss the performance of untried military units and offer a look at how the United States Army used the Antietam battlefield as an outdoor classroom for its officers in the early twentieth century.

The contributors are William A. Blair, Keith S. Bohannon, Peter S. Carmichael, Gary W. Gallagher, Lesley J. Gordon, D. Scott Hartwig, Robert E. L. Krick, Robert K. Krick, Carol Reardon, and Brooks D. Simpson.

About the Author

Gary W. Gallagher is John L. Nau III Professor of History at the University of Virginia and author or editor of numerous books, including Lee and His Army in Confederate History and The Shenandoah Valley Campaign of 1864 (both from the University of North Carolina Press).

Reviews

"This paperback . . . will make this fine work readily available and affordable for college classrooms and firesides tables, where it can inform, enlighten, and entertain."
--Military History of the West

"[This book] significantly advances our understanding of a well-known clash between the North and the South. . . . The essays in this volume, as in the earlier entries in this fine series, show that it is still possible for scholars to explore new and challenging interpretations of the legendary but familiar battles of the Civil War. Blending tactical and strategic analysis with insights into social, cultural, political, and economic trends, The Antietam Campaign is fascinating and instructive. . . . It should inspire historians of the Middle Period to adopt a similarly rigorous, analytical approach to the study of the war's battles."
--Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography

"This collection of essays edited by Professor Gary Gallagher offers entertaining passages, interesting details, and thought-provoking ideas. The entries in the book also have complementary strengths: some are valuable for the wealth of their information, others are valuable for the depth of their analyses. All of them are enjoyable to read. This volume should attract a large and varied audience."
--Journal of Southern History

"In this book, Gallagher again demonstrates that he is willing to challenge traditional and recent revisionist interpretations of the Civil War with equal energy. He and this team of writers collectively combat the popular and often incorrect interpretations of the war. The Antietam Campaign offers many new insights and is highly recommended to the serious student of the Civil War."
--North Carolina Historical Review

"The Antietam Campaign is at once a lively and provocative read. It offers proof that the study of military history, too often detached from the larger social and political contexts, can be rewarding to those who seek to understand more thoroughly our nation’s past."
--Southern Historian

"Each of the articles in The Antietam Campaign is well researched and written in a delightful prose style befitting the interesting subject matter. A brief but insightful bibliographical essay compliments the notes accompanying each article. Readers with an interest in the Maryland Campaign and a sound grasp of the general scenario will find these detailed pieces both thought provoking and instructive."
--Civil War Regiments