Research Catalog

Title

The Union cavalry comes of age : Hartwood Church to Brandy Station, 1863 / Eric J. Wittenberg ; foreword by Edward G. Longacre.

Author

Wittenberg, Eric J., 1961-

Publication

Washington, D.C. : Brassey's, [2003], ©2003.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xvii, 390 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps; 24 cm

Summary

"In The Union Cavalry Comes of Age, cavalry historian Eric J. Wittenberg debunks the persistent myths that have elevated the reputations of the Confederate "cavaliers" over their Union counterparts. In so doing, he sets the record straight on the evolution of the Army of the Potomac's cavalry, showing that the consolidation during the winter of 1863 of numerous scattered Federal units into a single corps, 10,000 strong, transformed the Union troopers in the east into a force to be reckoned with." "This study chronicles the numerous challenges that occupied officers and politicians, as well as the harrowing existence of the troopers in the field. The Union Cavalry Comes of Age shows that the Northern cavalry began helping to turn the tide of war much earlier than is generally acknowledged and became the largest, best-mounted, and best-equipped force of horse soldiers the world had ever seen. Remarkable in its depth of research and analysis, it is a major contribution to our understanding of the role of cavalry in the Civil War."--BOOK JACKET.

Subjects

• United States > Army > Cavalry > History > Civil War, 1861-1865
• United States > History > Civil War, 1861-1865 > Cavalry operations

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. 360-380) and index.

Contents

1. Formation of the Cavalry Corps: Army of the Potomac, February 1863 -- 2. A Restless Winter: The Battle of Hartwood Church -- 3. St. Patrick's Day Melee: The Battle of Kelly's Ford -- 4. Stuck in the Mud: Prelude to Chancellorsville -- 5. Two Costly Charges: The Cavalry at Chancellorsville -- 6. The Element of Surprise Is Lost: A False Start for Stoneman's Raid -- 7. The Bursting Shell: Stoneman's Raid Finally Begins -- 8. Brandy Station: Buford's Morning Fight for the Guns at St. James Church -- 9. Brandy Station: Climax on Fleetwood Hill -- App. 1. The Army of the Potomac's Cavalry Forces under Command of Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside -- App. 2. Order of Battle: The Battle of Kelly's Ford -- App. 3. Order of Battle: Stoneman's Raid -- App. 4. Order of Battle: The Fight in Alsop's Field -- App. 5. Order of Battle: The Battle of Brandy Station.

ISBN

• 1574884425 (hardcover : alk. paper)
• 1574886509 (pbk. : alk. paper)

LCCN

2003001876

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries