The final days of the Confederacy saw a kaleidoscope of action in the east; with most Civil War historians focusing on the imminent demise of the Army of Northern Virginia. However; to both Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant; it was the inexorable advance of the Union’s western army up through the Carolinas in the spring of 1865 that dictated their final moves. William Tecumseh Sherman’s Carolinas campaign has long been overshadowed by the events in Virginia; even as the Confederates themselves recognized it as the crucial; war-winning blow; and pitted a luminous array of their best generals—Johnston; Hardee; Hampton; A.P. Stewart; D.H. Hill; and others—against it. In this work; career military officers Mark A. Smith and Wade Sokolosky rectify the oversight with “No Such Army Since the Days of Julius Caesarâ€; a careful and impartial examination of Sherman’s advance up the seaboard. After his largely unopposed “March to the Sea;†in March 1865 Sherman struck off again north; aiming to unite with Grant and crush Lee between them. But the Confederacy in the Carolinas was not finished yet; and while Sherman rampaged through South Carolina they gathered forces to resist him in its northern neighbor. In North Carolina the Rebels conceded their vast arsenal at Fayetteville; which the Federals destroyed; but under William J. Hardee prepared to receive Sherman’s host in the narrow corridor between the Black and Cape Fear rivers at Averasboro. With a number of untried units (former coastal battalions) plus a scattering of veterans in Lafayette McLaws’ division; and Joe Wheeler’s cavalry; Hardee created a defense-in-depth; reminiscent of four-score years earlier at the battle of Cowpens. At Averasboro; Sherman’s spearhead was stopped cold in a two-day battle; which in these pages is described in intimate detail. Arraying his disparate forces into three lines; Hardee forced a full two Union corps to struggle against each one; while saving his true strength for the last. Even then; it was only the fortuitous appearance of Wheeler’s cavalry that retrieved the second day; when Sherman launched a flank attack. Strategically; along with Braxton Bragg’s command fighting off a Union thrust from the coast; the battle of Averasboro provided time for Joe Johnston to assemble all of his forces in the Carolinas; and then contest the advance of Sherman once and for all; at Bentonville. This work uncovers a long-overlooked clash in the Civil War; which had consequences beyond the gallant sacrifices of the men; who by then on both sides knew that the war for the Union was approaching its culmination.
#495020 in Books 2015-11-10 2015-11-10Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.50 x 2.00 x 6.50l; .0 #File Name: 1610394992688 pages
Review
28 of 30 people found the following review helpful. The best summary of the End of the Cold WarBy William A. ThayerRobert Service is one of the best writers on Communism and their leaders. This book is about the Communist leaders ending with Gorbachev and Yeltsin. It is also about the principal American leaders; mostly Reagan and his advisors. It is also about the British; French and German leaders. The detail is terrific. This is the best summary I have seen on the end of the Cold War; and I have read a lot of them. I am very familiar with the history of the Cold War. For example; I was in Berlin in 1961 when the Wall went up. I have travelled to Russia in 1972 and 2000. I travelled through East Europe in 1972. The Poles just hated the Russians. I have travelled through the Baltic States; and they detest the Russians also.Service did an awesome amount of research. He presents the various factions in the US and USSR that were fighting for positions on disarmament and other key issues vs. just stating a monolithic US position and monolithic USSR position.This book is primarily a political history although it does touch on some economic issues and some military issues. For a more in depth treatment of the military issues; I recommend "The Collapse of the Soviet Military" by General Odom. I have yet to find a good summary on the decline of the USSR economy.In summary; if you are interested in the end of the Cold War; this is the definitive book. Well done Mr. Service.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. The Cold Wars Last BreathsBy Michael GriswoldThe End of the Cold War by Robert Service showcases the final six years or so of the Cold War 1985-1991. Much of the first part of the book covers how we got to Mikhail Gorbachev in the USSR and The Cold War broadly. Then he takes this panoramic view throughout the big players of Europe and the Soviet Satellite countries. This pattern actually occurs throughout the book as one chapter will cover some element of US-Soviet relations under Reagan and Gorbachev and their surrogates mostly Shultz and Shevardnadze; which a few other faces sprinkled in. Then the next chapter will cover Europe or Communism outside of Moscow. This snapshot format can make it hard for readers to get their barring because once one is into a section; boom it changes.Service has clearly dug through the archives and for that I praise him; but the problem is that at times it reads like somebody dug through the archives and spewed what they learned onto the page. This is my long winded way of saying some context and exposition would be nice; otherwise you just spend your time getting run over by an interesting two pound academic door stop.Yet; if you have a lover of Russian and Eastern European History to shop for; they will love this.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A Vital Story Well ToldBy F. W. Strong IIIRobert Service has written the history from credible sources of the last decade of the Cold War. It is organized by major participant and arrayed chronologically. I served as an Intelligence Director in Strategic Air Command during the last decade of the Cold War but was working at the operational level. I have been looking for a credible history of events occurring at the national strategic level. This book meets that requirement in spades. It answered many questions I had about what exactly happened in the USSR and Warsaw Pact that led to their demise. The book is so comprehensive that it is not an easy casual read. But if you want to know how the world avoided nuclear holocaust as an empire collapsed on itself this book will tell you
