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BOOK REVIEWS65 at the Wilderness and Spotsylvania, a critical accomplishment that helped fulfill the general in chief's broader strategic vision. Peter S. Carmichael Western Carolina University Sherman's Horsemen: Union Cavalry Operations in the Atlanta Campaign. By David Evans. (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1996. Pp. xxxvi, 645. $40.00.) "Definitive" is a superlative that is often overused when discussing the merits of a newly released book. Nonetheless, David Evans's recent work, Sherman 's Horsemen: Union Cavalry Operations in the Atlanta Campaign, can indeed be touted as the most exhaustive and detailed examination of this subject that will likely be produced. The depth and scope of the author's research is truly impressive ; and, perhaps more importantly, the book is well-written and engaging in its narrative style. Evans has combed the archives of over sixty institutions to amass an unprecedented amount of primary accounts of the cavalry raids that were undertaken during Sherman's Atlanta campaign. The book is replete with richly textured anecdotes that provide the reader with an unusual glimpse ofCivil War cavalry life and underscore the intense drama of this campaign. As the author explains, General Sherman wished to seize Atlanta without having to resort to a protracted siege. In order to accomplish this task, he was determined to isolate the Rebel city by launching daring cavalry raids against the Confederate infrastructure that supplied the stronghold. Consequently, the Union cavalry tore up railroad tracks, leveled factories, destroyed crops, and confiscated livestock. Such wanton destruction did not go unopposed as gifted Confederate cavalry leaders such as Alfred Iverson, Red Jackson, and the redoubtable Joe Wheeler attempted to check the Federal horsemen's progress. It is to the lasting credit of these Confederate generals that Sherman's overall objectives were never quite realized. At one point, in late July, Rebel cavalry under Iverson were able to force the surrender of Maj. Gen. George Stoneman and over four hundred Federals at Sunshine Church, north of Macon. As a result , the Confederates terminated a Union attempt to free prisoners held at Andersonville. Rather ironically, these would-be liberators found themselves inmates at the hated Southern prison camp. Evans points out that many of the maladies suffered by the Union cavalry during theAtlanta campaign were the result of Sherman's lack ofunderstanding and appreciation for the proper use ofthe mounted arm. The author takes note of the fact that Sherman had never served with cavalry in the field and, therefore, could not grasp the idea that, to be successful, horse soldiers needed to work in close conjunction with the rest ofthe army. Instead oflaunching Ughtning cavalry 66CIVIL WAR HISTORY strikes that were quickly followed by heavy infantry assaults, Sherman ordered his vulnerable horsemen to raid deep behind enemy lines, away from any possible support. This is not to say that Evans denigrates Sherman's abilities as a strategist. According to the author, the famed general's talents for orchestrating masterful campaigns remain untarnished. Instead, Evan's faults Sherman for being an "indifferent tactician" (478). He also claims that the general failed to appreciate the tenacity of his enemy and their remarkable ability to repair damaged railroads that continued to supply Atlanta. In the end, Sherman was forced to send his infantry to cut the rail links, thus forcing the surrender of the city. To enhance this engrossing narrative, Evans has included over twenty maps and nearly forty illustrations of key participants in the campaign. While some may debate the author's conclusions, few will be able to call into question Evan's vast research and methodology. This book will be savored by readers interested in cavalry operations during the Civil War and the Atlanta campaign of 1 864. David D. Dkon Slippery Rock University The Darkest Days ofthe War: The Battles ofluka and Corinth. By Peter Cozzens. (Chapel Hill: University of North Carohna Press, 1997. Pp. xvi, 390. $39.95.) Peter Cozzens, a foreign service officer with the U.S. Department of State, has made a name for himself as the author of several detailed tactical studies of battles in the western theater of the Civil War. His work on Stones River, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga are among the best campaign...

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