⇒ [PDF] Decision in the West The Atlanta Campaign of 1864 Albert E Castel 9780700605620 Books

Decision in the West The Atlanta Campaign of 1864 Albert E Castel 9780700605620 Books

Download As PDF : Decision in the West The Atlanta Campaign of 1864 Albert E Castel 9780700605620 Books

Decision in the West The Atlanta Campaign of 1864 Albert E Castel 9780700605620 Books

I am over 3/4 of the way through this book, in the month of August, 1864. I far prefer War Like the Thunderbolt, which is more objective. This book, while comprehensively researched and written in a direct, lively, easy to read style, is hopelessly negative toward Sherman. In a nutshell, he believes that Sherman prevailed only because of the incompetence of Johnson and Hood. When Sherman attacked, he should have held. When he held his position, he should have attacked. Monday morning quarterbacking at its worst. For me, the principal military take away from the Civil War was that, given the status of armaments at that point in history, assaults against fortified positions were usually unsuccessful, regardless of which side was on the offense. Castel tirelessly attempts to flog Sherman with this idea, giving only scant recognition to the "fog of war". It is ironic that, despite him having the benefit of hindsight, Sherman appears to have grasped this far better than does Castel. Castel also seems to overlook the fact that Confederate soldiers were Americans. Sherman's goal was not to kill as many Americans (Union and Confederate) as he could, it was to win the war as quickly and efficiently as he could. In this, he was undeniably successful. Which is another irony. One of Castel's strengths is that he does a masterful job of placing this campaign in the context of the overall struggle between the North and the South, by jumping from his narrative about the campaign to Grant's struggles in Virginia and to the Presidential Campaign of 1864 yet, in evaluating Sherman's performance, he seems to lose sight of the forest for the trees.


Tags : Decision in the West: The Atlanta Campaign of 1864 [Albert E. Castel] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A detailed history of one of the most grisly episodes of the Civil War provides a balanced treatment of the North's invasion of Atlanta,Albert E. Castel,Decision in the West: The Atlanta Campaign of 1864,Univ Pr of Kansas,0700605622,Military - United States,USA,Atlanta Campaign, 1864.,American history: c 1800 to c 1900,Atlanta Campaign, 1864,Civil war,History,History - Military War,History Military United States,Military,Military - General,Military History - U.S. Civil War,United States - Civil War,c 1800 to c 1900,History: American

Decision in the West The Atlanta Campaign of 1864 Albert E Castel 9780700605620 Books Reviews

Great read. Fast delivery very happy with service.
Rich detail you can't find in the usual sources, and plenty of background, not just who went where when. I am a GA native so I really appreciate that.

Very enjoyable read.
This is not only the best account of the Atlanta Campaign, but one of the absolute finest on the Western Theater in general. In fact, it ranks as one of the most enjoyable books on the Civil War itself.
Decision in the West is well researched, and the narrative is well constructed from the various primary sources. In his own analysis, Castel drops the bombshell that Sherman was not a very good general. If only old Slow Trot, George Thomas, could have had his way, then things would have ended much sooner. Fortunately for the Union, the principles of industrial war were already kicking in, and good generals were no longer needed to win wars.

Castel avoids the annoying habit of Civil War historians who name their chapters after a quote from primary sources. Unfortunately, though, he names them after the month during which the chapter's events occur. Is it asking too much to be able to look at the table of contents in one of these campaign books and actually have chapter names describe what the chapter is about?
Using details to make the book readable and the events understandable, it's a tremendous adventure story told with depth and vision.
I am not finished yet but the detail that goes into Castel's book is incredible. Anecdotes from Generals down to Privates. Examines the flaws of each commander in the opening rounds. Plus Davis and Johnstons animosity for each other is included. I am enjoying it and was planning on reading it in sections that went along with the historic timeline of 150 years ago. I could not help myself, I kept reading past the current time period and am now into May.
Albert Castel, through tremendously thorough research of war records, letters, diaries, newspapers, and government documents has written what I would call the definitive work on the events leading up to the the fall of Atlanta in September, 1864. The subject has been addressed dozens of times by amateur and professional historians and if they had access to the resources Castel used, they did not use them. Although this work is almost 20 years old, no one has come close to its quality. A recent book by Ron Buell, War Like a Thunderbolt (2009), is very well done, but it is at best an outline of the battles leading up to the fall of Atlanta - Buell's focus is mainly on he actual burning of Atlanta, but he does an excellent job with the Battle of Jonesboro and the Union flanking movement that ended the conflict. His book is easy reading and quite entertaining, along with bringing out some facts not covered by Castel. Some will take exception to many of the conclusions of Decision in the West, depending on how they wish to see the actions of various persons, particularly the main players - Sherman, McPherson, Thomas, Johnston, Davis, Bragg, and Hood. Castel plays fairly with all these persons but he does not fail to point our their shortcomings, particularly those of Sherman. Readers who don't accept the notion of Sherman as a strategic genius will find Castel's conclusions comforting. As a balanced and professional historian, Castel provides counter-point essays at the end of the book on the issues of Sherman's generalship, because second guessing in war is a tricky business. As for the battle analysis, the book provides details of the movememts of brigades and divisions as well as the larger groups such as corps and army groups. Resources from the Confederate point of view were more limited than for the Union side, but Castel does a masterful job of getting into the head of Joe Johnston and his Confederate soldiers in the trenches. Johnston is treated more than fairly, and while history and southerners have often given him a bad rap for his strategy in the Atlantic Campaign, Castel points out the realities of his situation and provides a more favorable review of this intelligent but cautious Confederte general. The book is not generally available anymore, but it may be found in some libraries and is available in used form through . If you are a student of the Civil War in Georgia, and have not read this book, I highly recommend it, it will alter you view of that conflict and elevate the bravery of all involved, north and south, to the standards we Americans expect from our armed forces.
I am over 3/4 of the way through this book, in the month of August, 1864. I far prefer War Like the Thunderbolt, which is more objective. This book, while comprehensively researched and written in a direct, lively, easy to read style, is hopelessly negative toward Sherman. In a nutshell, he believes that Sherman prevailed only because of the incompetence of Johnson and Hood. When Sherman attacked, he should have held. When he held his position, he should have attacked. Monday morning quarterbacking at its worst. For me, the principal military take away from the Civil War was that, given the status of armaments at that point in history, assaults against fortified positions were usually unsuccessful, regardless of which side was on the offense. Castel tirelessly attempts to flog Sherman with this idea, giving only scant recognition to the "fog of war". It is ironic that, despite him having the benefit of hindsight, Sherman appears to have grasped this far better than does Castel. Castel also seems to overlook the fact that Confederate soldiers were Americans. Sherman's goal was not to kill as many Americans (Union and Confederate) as he could, it was to win the war as quickly and efficiently as he could. In this, he was undeniably successful. Which is another irony. One of Castel's strengths is that he does a masterful job of placing this campaign in the context of the overall struggle between the North and the South, by jumping from his narrative about the campaign to Grant's struggles in Virginia and to the Presidential Campaign of 1864 yet, in evaluating Sherman's performance, he seems to lose sight of the forest for the trees.