"Civil War Blunders"
by Clint Johnson
Review by Molly Nash
This book is a series of Civil War vignettes on personalities and events which qualify as gaucherie or colossal gaffes. The book is written with a light touch and with the kind of humor which brightens one's mood and causes those silent smiles of pleasure.
The book is segmented into war years with the vignettes grouped by the year they happened. For the avid student of the war, most of the tales are known, but to the beginning student or to the historically curious these tales are likely to be brand new and amazing.
My favorite vignette was the Selfridge Jinx, probably because I had not read of this previously. Captain T. O. Selfridge was naval officer on the USS Cumberland at Hampton Roads in March 1862 in charge of the forward ten-inch gun. Although confident of his gun’s power to crack the iron plating of the CSS Virginia, the angle of the latter's attack precluded damage from the gunnery. Bravely the decimated gun crews on the Cumberland fought on, but damage from the Virginia's cannon had killed the Union warship and she sank with great loss of life. Selfridge swam to safety.
His next assignment was a new river gunboat, the USS Cairo. Of this episode it was said by his superior "that he found torpedoes and removed them by placing his vessel over them." Unfortunately, the torpedoes fatally damaged the Cairo and as she sank in the Yazoo River in Mississippi, Selfridge again swimming to safety. His next command was the USS Conestoga, which sank when Selfridge collided with a Confederate vessel two years to the day after the Cumberland sinking.
His superiors, however, still saw merit in the man's abilities and assigned him to yet another vessel, which was to participate in the Red River expedition. Luck finally smiled on Selfridge and he did not lose his ship. Selfridge remained in the navy, retiring as Rear Admiral near the close of the 19th century.
The author's style in telling this tale is almost pure whimsy. I found myself laughing out loud. The whole book is rewarding. His facts are facts, his conclusions justifiable; but his appreciation of the humor makes the book well worth reading.
Paperback / John F Blair Pub / May 1997 / ISBN: 0895871637
Touring Virginia's and West Virginia's Civil War Sites
Clint Johnson
Review by Molly Nash
As a devoted Civil War student, I made my "once in a lifetime trip" to Virginia long before this book was published. If I have a reprise visit in my future, this book will be at my side.
This masterful compilation of mini-trips is not your ordinary guidebook. Johnson has located lesser-known sites and collected anecdotes offered with a light or humorous touch.
The maps and driving directions are minutely detailed; sites are arranged in a logical order. If one lived in the vicinity and knew little about the Civil War, a series of one and two day excursions could produce an education hard to surpass through only books.
If one can't do the travel immediately, Johnson's research still makes enjoyable reading. Clint Johnson has also written Touring Civil War Site in the Carolinas. My recommendation -- before you get in your car pick up these books, leaving all the other guidebooks at home.
Paperback / John F. Blair Pub. / Sept. 1999 / ISBN: 089587184X
Civil War Generals in Defeat
Edited by Steven E. Woodworth
Review by Molly Nash
One might think reading about unsuccessful generals might be less exciting than studying those who were victorious, but the reverse is true in this book. In a series of essays by some well-known and some lesser-known authors Woodworth has provided us with superb discussions of the two Generals Johnston, of Little Mac, of Don Carlos Buell, of Fighting Joe, and of Pemberton. The final essay deals with the command relationships at Gettysburg.
More than merely a defense of a particular general whose reputation might need rehabilitation, the authors have delved into motivations and political considerations. In the essay on McClellan, author Ethan S. Rafuse pleads a well-argued case that his strong Whig background tempered Mac's war aims away from conquest to negotiation. For those who desire to achieve a glimmer of Mac's complexities and his treatment of Stanton and Lincoln, there is a powerful argument that McClellan may have had presidential aspirations before he was relieved of duty.
Each essay could be separately reviewed; as a group the essays are fresh and sometimes startling. These are not turgid, ponderous essays, but rather concise, logical discussions of generals about whom it is frequently said, "How could he have been so _____ (fill in the blank with any descriptive phrase such as stupid, arrogant, or blind)."
The essay on Buell covers his campaign from Pittsburgh Landing to Chattanooga. It was enlightening to me as a perfect study in what a commander must not do. Perhaps this essay will become required reading at military colleges and at the Pentagon. I felt I had learned more about campaigning from Buell's march than from all the books I have read on Grant's masterpieces.
If Woodworth, as editor, had substantial impact on the style and readability of these essays, I can't wait to read to read a book he has authored. If he only solicited and selected the contributors, I am still in awe.
Hardcover-248pp / University of Kansas Press / April 1999 / ISBN: 0700609431
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