The American Civil War and the Wars of the Industrial Revolution (The History of Warfare)

The Civil War was the bloodiest in America's history, comprising 149 engagements of importance and 2200 skirmishes. The author narrates the history of the war and also describes how such factors as generalship, staff work, organization, intelligence and logistics affect the shape and decisions of the battlefield. He looks at the strengths, and weaknesses of the opposing sides - the North's industrial strength and the South's material shortages, for example - and the effect of new weapons on tactics. He explores the crucial role of the industrial revolution on the course of 19th-century warfare, first in the Crimean War, then in Prussia's wars with Austria and France, and most dramatically in the American Civil War.\*\* This Book Focuses On The Strategic And Operational Dimensions Of The Campaigns Of The Civil War, Showing How Such Factors As Generalship, Organization, Intelligence And Logistics Affected The Decisions Of The Battlefield. Introduction, War And Industrialization -- 1. The Crimean War, 1854-6 -- 2. The American Civil War: The War Takes Shape, 1861-2 -- 3. The American Civil War: The Year Of Trial And Hope, 1862-3 -- The American Civil War: Confederate Collapse, 1864-5 -- The German Wars Of Unification, 1864, 1866, 1870-71 -- Afterword. Brian Holden Reid ; General Editor, John Keegan. Series Statement On Jacket. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 218-219) And Index. The social and political changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution transformed everything from the balance of power between nations to arms manufacturing to battlefield tactics and strategy. Using three wars as examples -- most dramatically the American Civil War -- trace the development of land fighting and the effects of higher command during this period of tumultuous technological change. Unlike histories that downplay the connection between the outcome in the United States and the conflicts in Europe, this one reveals their interconnection. An illustrated brief history of the American Civil War