By May 1864; General Robert E. Lee had been transformed from a young soldier into a gray-haired patriarch of the Confederate cause. As Lee struggled to keep his ragged soldiers alive; he faced pressure from two fronts. Grant’s Union Army not only had superior numbers; but a steadfast infra-structure or railroads and industrialized supply routes. Lee’s Last Campaign is a triumph of historic research and elegant writing. In this essential analysis of General Lee’s military strategy; Dowdey follows the triumphs and tragedies of the Army of Northern Virginia as it breathed its last gasps at the end of the Civil War.
#678668 in Books 2012-10-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.10 x 1.00 x 6.30l; 1.25 #File Name: 1612511341272 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Lot's of "he said; she said"By John HigginsI liked the idea of this book. The author is probably the most experienced person to narrate such an exciting story on the high seas. No doubt; there is no-one else in the world with his unique perspective - having seen all the action up close. He also has the insights to present a much higher level view of the conflicts that are occurring in this part of the world.However; I found the flow of the book very difficult to follow. The author quotes many many sources; slipping in and out between the first person (himself) and the many experts that he quotes throughout the book. In places; he obviously cutpaste's an incident report. I found it very confusing to follow. It seemed to get worse as I progressed through the book. So much so; that I stopped at chapter 4.I had no idea who was 'speaking' and the context of the 'stories' throughout seemed to get lost in the action.Nice try - but stick to catching those scurvy pirates rather than writing about them.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A description of a rather impossible task on the part of Naval Forces in a cesspool of banditry or would be piratryBy GastonThe book relates a series of overly complicated actions taking place in a sea dire straight environments while under the curtailments and restraints of the international laws of the seas in a scenario which involves lawless people versus dedicated authorities in the course of protecting goods; people;countries and stakeholders. The book demonstrate a complicated task at hand for the defeat of a legion of self governed ruthless killers and highjackers of freighters and people sea farers.The ongoing piracy activities have been taking place for some years and have caused immense suferings at the hands of unrestrained and uneducated and lawless Somalians reeping ridiculus summs for hostages lives ship's and ship's goods . It isinterresting to follow the routine responses of the hostages mariners;and also to see the modus respondi of the SOMALIAN HYGHJACKERS AND ALSO intriguing to learn of the defence mechanisms of the defenders while the book also describes the hardships of the crews. Given the com-lexity of the situation it is nice to read of the conduct of the defenders and their adhenrense to integreted action0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A great read on an odd chapter in US military historyBy ExkeydetI have to confess that the author; Terry McKnight; was a college classmate of mine at VMI; so there's an element of bias in my review.The book offers a first-hand account of an odd chapter of US military history. Unlike many military authors; Terry writes for the civilian audience; offering explanations and definitions of military acronyms and verbage; which keeps the reader focused on the subject matter.Terry left the theater command before the siezure of the Mersk Alabama and subsequent rescue of "Captain Phillips"; however; his contacts in the Navy and US government more than adequately served as a basis for an in-depth reporting of the incident.The book offers an insightful look into the inner workings of the US Navy; the US government; the press and the military command infrastructure.
