Monday, May 2, 2011

Battle of Nashville

The Battle of Nashville
By Benson Bobrick
Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2010.

Bobrick gives a brief overview of the Civil War, including the succession of the Southern states and the incompetence of many of the Union generals and highlights General George H. Thomas, who actually won all of his battles during the Civil War. Thomas did things differently than a lot of the other generals, avoiding many of their mistakes and even thinking ahead of his time. Resisting pressure from General Grant to advance at Nashville before his troops were ready, Thomas raised a cavalry unit and trained new soldiers, certain that rushing things would cost them the battle; his patience and preparation paid off and his army was triumphant in a battle that proved to be a turning point in the war.

I'd never actually heard of General Thomas, but this was a very informative and interesting read, if slightly biased (the author clearly didn't like Generals Grant and Sherman).

AE

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