Defeating Lee: A History of the Second Corps, Army of the Potomac

Acknowledgments

Ack now ledgm ents Thewritingofthisbookhasbroughtmanypleasures,butnoneasgreatas theopportunitytothankthemanyindividualswhohavehelpedtobring the project to completion. My colleagues at Stillman College, especially the members of the “Domed Stadium Committee”—R. L. Guffin, Mary Jane Krotzer, and Mark McCormick—have provided much encouragement . I am particularly grateful to Dabney Gray for his humor and willingness to listen. At Indiana University Press, Robert Sloan and Sarah Wyatt Swanson have guided me through the publication process. They have taken a great amount of time to answer my many questions and to keep the project on schedule. Carol Kennedy has greatly improved the manuscript through her copyediting. The many “this is confusing” and “checkthespelling”queriesstrewnacrossthepagesforcedmetotighten the writing and saved me from numerous embarrassing mistakes. Lawrence Kohl championed this book from its beginnings many years ago as a dissertation at the University of Alabama. Professor Kohl always set the bar high. He encouraged me soon after I had entered the graduate program to think about publishing my work. The thought seemed daunting. But Professor Kohl taught me—as well as his other graduate students—how to research and write. The task was not always easy, and burned through many of his differently colored editing pens. His belief in this project never wavered, even when mine sometimes did. More important, Professor Kohl taught me how to be a mentor. He always took my questions seriously, and generously gave me much of his time. Professor Kohl encouraged and inspired and, when necessary, xv xvi acknowledgments prodded. I only hope that I might pass on to my students some of the many lessons learned. George Rable read through the manuscript many times, and providedinvaluableadvicetoimprovethefocus .HiscommentthatIshould “recast” this and that paragraph and sentence made the text much more readable. I marvel that Professor Rable so readily gave of his time while maintaining his remarkable pace of scholarship. As a fellow Cleveland Brownsfan,ProfessorRablesometimestoldmethateditingchapterson the Second Corps beatlistening tothe footballgames. Thatmightbeso, at least over the past several seasons, but I appreciate the expertise that he provided. I also thank Howard Jones, Richard Megraw, and Harold Selesky, who read through early versions of the manuscript. The depth of knowledge and willingness to help of the staff at different repositories struck me often while I conducted research. At the United States Army Military History Institute, Richard Sommers supplied a steady stream of manuscripts, including many that I otherwise might have overlooked. His command of the material, and the Civil War in general, is remarkable. Donald Pfanz generously allowed me access to the treasure trove of materials located at the Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park. He also took time from his busy days to talk with me about the Second Corps and its campaigns. Chris Calkins at the Petersburg National Military Park pulled a range of documents for me. He also shared his extensive knowledge on the “dark days” of the Second Corps outside Petersburg during the summer of 1864. Ted Alexander at Antietam National Military Park and the staff at Gettysburg National Military Park graciously allowed me access to a wide range of material when I was on a sometimes too-tight schedule. The love and support of my parents, Joan and Larry Kreiser, has always been unflagging. Recognizing that, as a child, I had an interest in the Civil War, they went out of their way to take me and my siblings —Catherine, Christopher, and Patrick—on family trips to many of the battlefields. I would be lucky to even come close to emulating their example with my family. My wife’s parents, Pat and Ray Browne, always provided encouragement. Ray passed away during the fall of 2009, but he would be delighted, and very proud, that this book finally has gone to print. acknowledgments xvii My wife, Alicia, means everything to me. Sharing a life with someone else is easy when the times are good. But Alicia has encouraged me and stood by me when the times were hard. More than anyone else, her faith in me has seen this work through. My daughters, Julia Rae and Anna Catherine, were not even yet born when I began my research on the Second Corps. They have been, and always will be, two of the greatest joys of my life. ...