Civil War Goats and Scapegoats

by H. Donald Winkler

Civil War Goats and Scapegoats looks at the good, the bad, and the ugly among the politicians and generals in the Civil War, North and South. Organized into three parts - the eastern theater, the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1581826311
• ISBN13: 9781581826319
• Release Date: April 2008
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing
• Length: 378 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Civil War controversies examined

"Civil War Goats and Scapegoats" is a highly readable, even-handed book that does an admirable job in defending generals who have been maligned unfairly and censuring those who committed major blunders. It's well researched and amply illustrated, hard hitting but fair, and includes clear descriptions of military terms and Civil War military organizations as well as interesting anecdotes on the pre- and post-War lives of many of the commanders. The book is recommended for anyone - novice or serious student - interested in the Civil War. Three scapegoats defended passionately by Winkler are J.E.B. Stuart, often criticized for his controversial performance at Gettysburg ("He was following Lee's orders, and he provided Lee with substantial cavalry assistance, which Lee misused," Winkler wrote); Charles P. Stone, a Union general vilified by the Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War (or JCCW, of which the author is repeatedly critical) for his defeat at Ball's Bluff; and Henry Wirz, the commandant of Andersonville, the infamous camp in Georgia for Union prisoners of war. Winkler is equally passionate in blaming generals for incompetent performances, including Stonewall Jackson for his "chronic tardiness" in the Seven Days' battles (though, as he notes, Jackson was ill); Ulysses S. Grant for his suicidal attack at Cold Harbor; and Grant and William T. Sherman, then one of the former's division commanders, for being "completely and shamefully surprised" at Shiloh. In the book's most provocative passage, Winkler wonders whether Jackson's mortal wounding by his own troops at Chancellorsville might have been an intentional act. Also interesting is Winkler's assertion that George McClellan, in addition to being undone in the Seven Days' battles by his notorious cautiousness, also was undermined by political intrigue leading up to those battles, with Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and the JCCW chairman, Sen. Ben Wade, as the chief culprits.