Controversies & Commanders

Dispatches from the Army of the Potomac

Stephen W. Sears

• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9780544391239
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: American Civil War History
• Index: History

An in-depth look at the Union force that went up against Robert E.Lee, from "a master storyteller and leading Civil War historian" ( Kirkus Reviews ). From an award-winning military historian and the bestselling author of Gettysburg, this is a wide-ranging collection of essays about the Army of the Potomac, delving into such topics as Professor Lowe's reconnaissance balloons; the court-martial of Fitz John Porter; the Lost Order at Antietam; press coverage of the war; the looting of Fredericksburg; the Mud March; the roles of volunteers, conscripts, bounty jumpers, and foreign soldiers; the notorious Gen. Dan Sickles, who shot his wife's lover outside the White House; and two generals who were much maligned: McClellan (justifiably) and Hooker (not so justifiably). This lively book follows the Army of the Potomac throughout the war, from 1861 to 1865, painting a remarkable portrait of the key incidents and personalities that influenced the course of our nation's greatest cataclysm.

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Preface
• Little Mac and the Historians
• The Ordeal of General Stone
• The Court-Martial of Fitz John Porter
• September Crisis
• Last Words on the Lost Order
• The Revolt of the Generals
• In Defense of Fighting Joe
• Dan Sickles, Political General
• Raid on Richmond
• Gouverneur Kemble Warren and Little Phil
• Index
• About the Author
• Connect with HMH
• Footnotes