Holding the Line on the River of Death: Union Mounted Forces

Holding the Line on the River of Death: Union Mounted Forces at Chickamauga, September 18, 1863

In 2014, Eric J. Wittenberg published â€œThe Devilâ€™s to Payâ€: John Buford at Gettysburg. A History and Walking Tour, an award-winning study of Union cavalry delaying actions at Gettysburg. Fast-forward four years to 2018 and Wittenbergâ€™s latest release, a companion Western Theater study entitled Holding the Line on the River of Death: Union Mounted Forces at Chickamauga, September 18, 1863.

This volume focuses on the two important delaying actions conducted by mounted Union soldiers at Reedâ€™s and Alexanderâ€™s bridges on the first day of Chickamauga. A cavalry brigade under Col. Robert H. G. Minty and Col. John T. Wilderâ€™s legendary â€œLightning Brigadeâ€ of mounted infantry made stout stands at a pair of chokepoints crossing Chickamauga Creek. Mintyâ€™s small cavalry brigade held off nearly ten times its number on September 18 by designing and implementing a textbook example of a delaying action. Their dramatic and outstanding efforts threw Confederate Gen. Braxton Braggâ€™s entire battle plan off its timetable by delaying his armyâ€™s advance for an entire day. That delay cost Braggâ€™s army the initiative at Chickamauga. Wittenberg brings his expertise with Civil War cavalry operations to bear with vivid and insightful descriptions of the fighting and places the actions in their full and proper historic context.

This thoroughly researched and well-written book includes three appendicesâ€”two orders of battle and a discussion of the historic context of some of the tactics employed by the Union mounted force on September 18, and an epilogue on how the War Department and National Park Service have remembered these events. It also includes a detailed walking and driving tour complete with the GPS coordinates, a trademark of Wittenbergâ€™s recent works. Complete with more than 60 photos and 15 maps by master cartographer Mark Anderson Moore, Holding the Line on the River of Death: Union Mounted Forces at Chickamauga, September 18, 1863 will be a welcome addition to the burgeoning Chickamauga historiography.
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Country USA
Brand Savas Beatie
Manufacturer Savas Beatie
Binding Hardcover
ReleaseDate 2018-12-14
UnitCount 1
Format Illustrated
EANs 9781611214307

Country	USA
Brand	Savas Beatie
Manufacturer	Savas Beatie
Binding	Hardcover
ReleaseDate	2018-12-14
UnitCount	1
Format	Illustrated
EANs	9781611214307

Holding the Line on the River of Death: Union Mounted Forces at Chickamauga, September 18, 1863

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