Dealing with the civil war; this title takes a close look at the battlefield doctors in whose hands rested the lives of thousands of Union and Confederate soldiers. It also examines the impact on major campaigns - Manassas; Gettysburg; Vicksburg; Shiloh; Atlanta - of ignorance; understaffing; inexperience; and overcrowded hospitals.
#1128581 in Books 2014-08-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.25 x 2.10 x 6.13l; .0 #File Name: 0252038525824 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. An Astute ObserverBy GerryThere is an aspect of this book that is like the relation between Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Hamlet. You are seeing the Lincoln administration from a perspective that is entirely different from those with which we are familiar. Here the battles are being fought in the background while members of the executive interact with each other; with members of the legislature; with military officers; and with civilians; many of whom are asking for something. Wells writes very well and has a deft eye for characterization both good and bad. His portraits of Stanton and Seward are among the bad. He holds Lincoln in very high regard but identifies some of his failings. In particular he characterizes Lincoln as wishing to support all petitioners. (We know from other sources that there were exceptions to this: Fremont; for example.)This is; of course; Welles story and he comes across as the level-headed conciliator. That may be a bit exaggerated; but I still see him as a rock solid cabnet member whose first concern was the welfare of this country.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. I particularly enjoyed the subtle hints starting in December 1863 when Welles ...By C. CraneGideon Welles's Diary provided much needed insight into the inner workings of the Navy Department and Lincoln's cabinet during the Civil War. As a big Lincoln fan; I particularly enjoyed the subtle hints starting in December 1863 when Welles started to mention that Salmon Chase seldom attended the cabinet meetings prior to his resignation in June 1864. On a more serious note; I truly appreciated that the editors chose to include Welles's entries from the first year in Lincoln's presidency as an appendix since Welles did not start writing his diary until 1862 and the entries for 1861 were written well after they had taken place.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An Intimate Look at the Civil War from Inside Lincoln's CabinetBy A. A. NofiA summary of the review on StrategyPage.Com:'Although this is not the first published edition of the wartime SecNav’s diary; the Gienapps have restored the text as written at the time; rather than as revised; corrected; and edited by Welles postwar. While doing this; they have added their own annotations and commentary; which include the later revisions made by Welles or “corrections†added by earlier editors. As a result; this edition of the diary gives us a much clearer and more immediate picture of what Welles thought about events at the moment he was writing. We get a vivid look at how confusing and frightening the opening weeks of the Lincoln administration seemed to those experiencing them. We also often get very critical assessments of particular politicians; officers; and others; and see how Welles’s opinions about some people evolved over the years. In this diary Welles gives us an insider’s perspective on discussions of political; strategic; and technical questions; operational planning; and much more. Although probably not a volume one would read for enjoyment; this reference is certainly of immense value to anyone writing on the war. 'For the full review; see StrategyPage.Com
