The Darkest Days of the War, Peter Cozzens
The Darkest Days of the War, Peter Cozzens
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The Darkest Days of the War
The Battles of luka and Corinth

Author: Peter Cozzens

Narrator: Don Hagen

Unabridged: 14 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/03/2010


Synopsis

During the late summer of 1862, Confederate forces attempted a three-pronged strategic advance into the North. The outcome of this offensive, the only coordinated Confederate attempt to carry the conflict to the enemy, was disastrous. The results at Antietam and in Kentucky are well known; the third offensive, the northern Mississippi campaign, led to the devastating and little-studied defeats at Iuka and Corinth, defeats that would open the way for Grant's attack on Vicksburg.Peter Cozzens presents here the first book-length study of these two complex and vicious battles. Drawing on extensive primary research, he details the tactical stories of Iuka, where nearly one-third of those engaged fell, and Corinth, which was fought under brutally oppressive conditions, analyzing troop movements down to the regimental level. He also provides compelling portraits of Generals Grant, Rosecrans, Van Dorn, and Price, exposing the ways in which their clashing ambitions and antipathies affected the outcome of the campaign. Finally, he draws out the larger, strategic implications of the battles of Iuka and Corinth, exploring their impact on the fate of the northern Mississippi campaign, and by extension, the fate of the Confederacy.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Michael

Of the three Confederate offensives in the late summer and early autumn of 1862, the best known and documented is, of course, Lee’s Maryland campaign with the major battle at Antietam on September 17. Lagging far behind in second place is Bragg’s Kentucky campaign which culminated at the battle of P......more

Goodreads review by Joseph

A good basic overview of the two battles that had the most influence on Vicksburg in the Western Theater of the Civil War, this battle study satisfies on many levels. We meet and get to know some of the outsized personalities involved in the campaign, including a bull-dog tough US Grant and philande......more

Goodreads review by John

A very informative read of these lesser but important battles. A Line of Battle treatment needs done for them.......more

Goodreads review by Nick

This is, in my opinion, the definitive work on the 1862 campaign for Corinth. Cozzens does a wonderful job framing the overall situation and characterizing those personalities involved. From the flamboyant Van Dorn, to the bi-polar Rosecrans, to the adored Missourian Sterling Price, I thoroughly enj......more