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No BetterPlace to Die: THE BATTLE OF STONES RIVER (Civil War Trilogy)
written by Peter Cozzens
Studio : University of Illinois Press
by University of Illinois Press
Publisher : University of Illinois Press
Released : 1991-07-01
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780252062292
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 18 reviews)
List Price : $18.95
Our Price : $12.19
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Good depiction of an important Civil War battle in the West |
Abraham Lincoln always held a special place for General William Rosecrans because of his victory at the Battle of Murfreesboro (or Stone's River). This was a narrow thing, with the forces of Braxton Bragg coming very close to victory. But the star-crossed Confederate general ended up withdrawing, leaving Rosecrans' Union forces to claim victory by holding the field of battle.
Lincoln's gratitude is understandable, given the disaster at Fredericksburg and Grant's and Sherman's lack of success at Vicksburg. Rosecrans' victory was a rare bright spot at this time.
But how much of a bright spot, really, was it? That is why the story of this battle is important.
This is the story of two armies each planning the same first move in battle--an attack on the other side's right wing. Bragg was lucky to get in the first blow. His forces rolled up much of Rosecrans' right. The stubborn resistance of Sheridan and others slowed the onslaught. By the end of the day, lines were stabilized and Rosecrans had held--but just barely.
Bragg expected the Union forces to withdraw--but they did not. The Union generals met that evening to decide what to do and Rosecrans ultimately made the call to hold his position.
The next day, Bragg ordered a sanguinary attack and it was beaten off with heavy casualties. His withdrawal from the field followed.
This is a straightforward description of the battle. It may not be the best written account of a battle, but it moves the story along nicely and provides ample detail to get a sense of what was happening and what was at stake. All in all, worth reading. . . .
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Thorough but dry |
The battle of Murfreesboro (Stones River) is one of the most important neglected battles of the American Civil War - or one of the most neglected important battles, if you like. The battlefield is also a good illustration of the challenges of battlefield preservation, since large parts of it are preserved while other parts are buried underneath urban and suburban sprawl. A good history and a good battlefield guide would be welcome.
Unfortunately, "No Better Place to Die" is not that book. In fact, I'd say that it's really more of an example of how *not* to write military history. Almost all of the book is a descriptive, blow by blow account of the battle, often at the regimental and brigade level. This means that Cozzens does not provide a sufficiently frequent birds-eye view of the battle to supplement the action on the ground and to explain the choices people were making. His prose style is also pretty dry, though quotations from diaries help liven it up considerably.
The book also does not have enough maps. Especially in a blow-by-blow book, an abundance of well-designed maps showing the action are essential and would really help tell the story.
Despite its weaknesses, I managed to read the book to the end, largely because I was in Murfreesboro at the time. If you are physically there, the first chapter is good for setting the stage. In fact, Cozzens would have done better to write the other chapters more like the first. Moreover, if you are in town, you can get a sense of the battlefield without maps (and you'll have the park service maps after all). The book is also helpful because you will meet some characters whose monuments you might see around town.
I haven't read any of the other books available on the battle, so it may be true (as some other reviewers claim) that this one is the best available. But you'll probably note that most of the reviewers talk about the battle, not the book. It's a disappointment. |
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Detailed study of a crucial yet neglected battle |
Few major battles of the Civil War have been more neglected than Stones River. It was among the bloodiest battles of the war, and started a ripple effect that would end with the defeat of the South, yet there are less than half a dozen books on it, and only the most devoted students of the war know much of anything about it. Peter Cozzens' book, `No Better Place to Die', is perhaps the best single book detailing and explaining the significance of this nearly forgotten battle.
December of 1862 had been a very bad month for the Union. General Burnsides and the Army of the Potomac had been horribly defeated at the Battle of Fredericksburg, and Grant and Sherman had been stopped cold in their attempt to take Vicksburg. The Union badly needed a victory, and another defeat could have been disastrous. Stones River was fought between the Union's Army of the Cumberland and the Confederate's Army of Tennessee over three days; from New Years Eve 1862 till January 2, 1863. Though the battle was considered by many to be a tactical draw, and both sides claimed victory, General Bragg and his Army of Tennessee retreated, conceding middle Tennessee to The Army of the Cumberland and the Union, and setting the stage for opening up the back door to the heart of the Confederacy. Though many today have forgotten the significance of this battle, its importance was not lost on President Lincoln, who after the battle wrote to General Rosecrans, commander of the Union forces at Stones River, "I can never forget whilst I remember anything, that... you gave us a hard-earned victory, which had there been a defeat instead, the Nation could scarcely have lived over."
Cozzens is no great wordsmith, but his research is meticulous and his detail is exacting. `No Better Place to Die' is not so dry as the previous book of his that I have read, perhaps because though detailed, it is still a short book (just over 200 pages), and because he uses many interesting quotes from participants in the battle that add the color that his own words lack. It is, in my opinion, the best, clearest, and most detailed book on this important battle, and anyone who wants to seriously study the Civil War and understand how it was won in the western theater can ill afford to miss it.
Theo Logos
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A great book on an ignored battle |
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Like the book this review will be brief. As usual Mr. Cozzens writes an excellent book, and although some have complained that this book lacks narrative style, it's simply not true, I found this book to be highly entertaining. It gives by far the best account of the bloody fighting around the Stones River, far superior to McDonough's book which is the only other modern account of this battle. My only contentions are this, A) Stones River was a draw, it was also a strategic draw. Rosecrans was whipped psychologically, why else would he have allowed Bragg's heavily outnumbered army remain in it's position at Tullahoma for six months afterwards without challenging it? Like at Shiloh the Confederates had acheived tactical surprise, a surprise which Rosecrans never recovered from. In fact as Larry J. Daniels states in his excellent book "Days of Glory", the Army of the Cumberland was lucky to have survived Stones River. A glorious Union victory it was not, ROsecrans didn't pursue, the strategic situation hardly changed at all, and Rosecrans nearly lost his job for dilly dallying so long and displaying a McClellanesque style of generalship. And finally B) the book is too short. I wanted more, lots more. If Cozzens could write a huge book on Chickamauga, why not a huge book on my favorite battle Stones River? SO what, it's still a great book and highly recommended. |
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A Solid Study |
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Mr. Cozzens was educated in the law and it shows in his writing. The explanation of the battle is very solid, detailed, and to the point. There isn't a lot of color or background in any of his work, but it is first rate solid history! His research is rock solid and for all it's detail it does make for an enjoyable read. |
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