Fletcher Pratt Award McLemore PrizeIn the spring of 1862; there was no more important place in the western Confederacy—perhaps in all the South—than the tiny town of Corinth; Mississippi.Major General Henry W. Halleck; commander of Union forces in the Western Theater; reported to Washington that "Richmond and Corinth are now the great strategical points of war; and our success at these points should be insured at all hazards." In the same vein; Confederate General P. G. T. Beauregard declared to Richmond that "If defeated at Corinth; we lose the Mississippi Valley and probably our cause." Those were odd sentiments concerning a town scarcely a decade old. By this time; however; it sat at the junction of the South's two most important rail lines and had become a major strategic locale. Despite its significance; Corinth has received comparatively little attention from Civil War historians and has been largely overshadowed by events at Shiloh; Antietam; and Perryville. Timothy Smith's panoramic and vividly detailed new look at Corinth corrects that neglect; focusing on the nearly year-long campaign that opened the way to Vicksburg and presaged the Confederacy's defeat in the West.Combining big-picture strategic and operational analysis with ground-level views; Smith covers the spring siege; the vicious attacks and counterattacks of the October battle; and the subsequent occupation. He has drawn extensively on hundreds of eyewitness accounts to capture the sights; sounds; and smells of battle and highlight the command decisions of Halleck; Beauregard; Ulysses S. Grant; Sterling Price; William S. Rosecrans; and Earl Van Dorn.This is also the first in-depth examination of Corinth following the creation of a new National Park Service center located at the site. Weaving together an immensely compelling tale that places the reader in the midst of war's maelstrom; it substantially revises and enlarges our understanding of Corinth and its crucial importance in the Civil War.
#2026326 in Books University Press of Kansas 2003-12-02Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.20 x .80 x 6.10l; 1.20 #File Name: 0700618244364 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. The quality is poor although there are some interesting vignettesBy CustomerDisappointing. The author has strong beliefs (the Nazis were arrogant; the Soviet Secret Services omnipotent) which he reiterates in every chapter. Sadly; support for his key these - for example; that the Germans completely failed to penetrate the upper echelons of the Soviet state; party or military - have only conjecture as support. The quality is poor although there are some interesting vignettes. Compare Stephan's laborious review of the Klatt/Kaudner network with Arnold Silver's terse and pointed article in Studies in Intelligence.5 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Excellent bookBy H. WilliamsThis is an excellent;well researched book .The author does a fantastic job recounting the events on the eastern front and his portrayal reads like something out of a James Bond novel with its description of German agents behind enemy lines and the Soviet organization SMERSH (death to spies) which as any James Bond fan knows was the original nemesis.The author is modest in admitting that this book does not hold all the answers which makes the book even more spectacular. This book illustrates that just as the Western allies' use of deception contributed to victory at D-Day ;so to did th Soviets' use of deception contribute to victory at Moscow;Stalingrad;Kursk and Belorussia which were the most important victories of the war.A must read for students of intelligence;war or history buffs.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Excellent read on a neglected aspect of the Eastern Front warBy JGA357This is a very detailed and well-researched piece and is well worth the purchase price if you are interested in the Eastern Front and want something that is off the beaten path. If the Red Army's tanks and artillery were punches to the Wermacht's face; the counter-intelligence effort and the partisan war were a continuous series of body blows that helped (particularly in the early stages of the war) to level the playing field. The author does a very credible job laying out how the Soviet agent system was emplaced during Barbarossa and how it subsequently and effectively neutralized it's German counterpart throughout the war. More importantly; the book shows how the "untermensch" were able to deceive the Germans on a strategic scale. In that vein; it offers an intriguing counterpoint to the bevy of books out there that portray the Red Army as capable of nothing more than brute force.
