In The Union Cavalry Comes of Age, award-winning cavalry historian Eric J. Wittenberg provides a long-overdue challenge to the persistent myths that have unfairly elevated the reputations of the Confederate cavalry's "cavaliers" and sets the record straight regarding the evolution of the Union cavalry corps. He highlights the careers of renowned Federal officers, including George Stoneman, William W. Averell, Alfred Pleasonton, John Buford, and Wesley Merritt, as well as such lesser-known characters as Col. Alfred Duffie, a French expatriate who hid an ugly secret. Wittenberg writes a lively, detailed account of a saber-slashing era in which men fought for duty, honor, and bragging rights. Indeed, a taunting note left behind by Confederate Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee on a raid at Hartwood Church, Virginia, in 1863 sparked Northern retaliation at the Battle of Kelly's Ford. The Federal cavalry then evolved during the trials of Stoneman's Raid, with their hard work culminating in the Battle of Brandy Station, where they nearly broke the unsuspecting Confederates in a fourteen-hour maelstrom that is considered the greatest cavalry battle ever fought in North America.A skillfully woven overview, this unforgettable story also depicts the strategic and administrative tasks that occupied officers and politicians as well as the day-to-day existence of the typical trooper in the field. The Union Cavalry Comes of Age shows that Northern troopers began turning the tide of the 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.

The Union Cavalry Comes of Age: Hartwood Church to Brandy Station, 1863

History

Wittenberg,Eric J

Americas

The History Press

After the ferocious fighting at Cold Harbor, Virginia, in June 1864, Union Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant ordered his cavalry, commanded by Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan, to distract the Confederate forces opposing the Army of the Potomac. Glory Enough for All chronicles the battle that resulted when Confederate cavalry pursued and caught their Federal foes at Trevilian Station, Virginia, perhaps the only truly decisive cavalry battle of the American Civil War. Eric J. Wittenberg tells the stories of the men who fought there, including eight Medal of Honor winners and one Confederate whose death at Trevilian Station made him the third of three brothers to die in the service of Company A of the Fourth Virginia Cavalry. He also addresses the little-known but critical cavalry battle at Samaria (Saint Mary's) Church on June 24, 1864, where Union Brig. Gen. David N. Gregg's division was nearly destroyed. The only modern strategic analysis of the battle, Glory Enough for All challenges prevailing interpretations of General Sheridan and of the Union cavalry. Wittenberg shows that the outcome of Trevilian Station ultimately prolonged Grant's efforts to end the Civil War.

Glory Enough for All: Sheridan's Second Raid and the Battle of Trevilian Station

Bison Books

After enlisting in the elite Sixth Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment of the Army of the Potomac, Frederick Newhall (1840--1898) quickly rose to company commander and eventually to provost marshal and assistant adjutant general at Cavalry Corps headquarters. There, riding alongside Major General Philip H. Sheridan -- the dynamic, inspirational bantam who led the Union cavalry to glory in 1864 and 1865 -- Newhall witnessed the inner workings of Union cavalry operations and many of the important events that spurred the end of the Civil War. A highly intelligent observer, he published the details of his experiences in 1866, before time could dull his memory. This new edition of Newhall's memoir, carefully edited by Eric J. Wittenberg, makes his revealing eyewitness account widely available once again. Newhall had both Sheridan's ear and confidence during the campaign from Petersburg to Appomattox in April 1865. He was sent by the general to convey information directly to Ulysses S. Grant and George Meade, and he was present with Sheridan during Lee's surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House. Loyal to the last, Newhall vigorously defended Sheridan's controversial relief of Major General G. K. Warren from command of the Fifth Corps after the Battle of Five Forks on April 1, 1865. Wittenberg has carefully transcribed and annotated Newhall's original text, adding maps, photographs, a preface, a biographical sketch of Newhall, an order of battle, and a selected bibliography. He also includes the text of a pamphlet that Warren printed defending himself and criticizing Sheridan, and Newhall's response to it. An enlightening insider's view of Union leadership during the Civil War's denouement, Wittenberg's excellent edition of Newhall's lively and descriptive commentary rescues an important and informative perspective from the vault of history.

With Sheridan in the Final Campaign Against Lee

Newhall, Frederick C.

Louisiana State Univ Pr

During the Civil War, James Harvey Kidd fought alongside General George Armstrong Custer as a member of the 6th Michigan Cavalry―the Wolverines. After the war, Kidd served as brigadier general in the Michigan National Guard and, upon returning to his civilian career as a newspaperman, published two newspapers in his hometown. Eric J. Wittenberg presents many of this newspaperman’s captivating writings in their original form. Kidd wrote eloquently about his Civil War experiences, especially his service with Custer. His speech given at the dedication of the Custer monument in Monroe, Michigan is particularly important, as it provides readers with one of the first revisionist views of the tragedy that befell Custer at Little Big Horn. Much like Wittenberg’s first book of Kidd’s writings, this latest collection offers insightful, articulate, and entertaining commentary on what it was like to serve in the Civil War and with “the boy general.”

At Custer's Side: Civil War Writing on James Harvey Kidd

The Kent State University Press

Award-winning historian Eric J. Wittenberg has written a comprehensive sudy of the critical actions on Brinkerhoff's Ridge and East Cavalry Field, fought on July 2 and 3, 1863. In these actions, Union Brig. Gen. David M. Gregg's Second Cavalry Division fought two protracted and important actions along the Union right flank. The fight for Brinkerhoff's Ridge, although relatively small in numbers, prevented the legendary Stonewall Brigade from participating in the Confederate assaults on Culp's Hill, perhaps tipping the balance in the struggle for the hill. Wittenberg presents a new and controversial theory for why Maj. Gen. JEB Stuart's Confederate cavalry appeared on Cress Ridge on East Cavalry Field on the afternoon of July 3, 1863. After a long and bloody dismounted fight, Brig. Gen. George Armstrong Custer's Michigan Cavalry Brigade helped to repulse a massed mounted charge by three brigades of Southern horsemen, securing the Union right flank, and helping to clinch the Northern victory at Gettysburg. Wittenberg weaves the stories of soldiers together with a keen understanding of the terrain and presents a compelling story that features six fine maps by John C. Heiser and forty illustrations. The book also includes a driving tour guide of the Brinkerhoff's Ridge and East Cavalry Field battlefields that includes an additional twenty photographs of modern-day views of these sites. This book is a must for all Gettysburg and cavalry buffs. Volume One of the Discovering Civil War America series.

Protecting the Flank: The Battles for Brinkerhoff's Ridge and East Cavalry Field, Battle of Gettysburg (The Discovering Civil War America Series)

Ironclad Publishing

This Civil War sourcebook organizes the crucial details of the war in an inventive format designed to enhance the reader's knowledge base and big-picture understanding of key events and outcomes. The war's causes, political and economic issues, important personalities, campaigns and battles are examined. Nearly 200 reader challenges stimulate reviews of critical moments, with suggested further reading. Photographs and maps have been carefully selected to supplement the topic being explored.

Civil War Q&A: A Knowledge Challenge Handbook

Klein, Lloyd W.

McFarland

The Army of the Potomac s mounted units suffered early in the Civil War at the hands of the horsemen of the South. However, by 1863, the Federal cavalry had evolved into a fighting machine. Despite the numerous challenges occupying officers and politicians, as well as the harrowing existence of troopers in the field, the Northern cavalry helped turn the tide of war much earlier than is generally acknowledged. It became the largest, best-mounted, and best-equipped force of horse soldiers the world had ever seen. Further, the 1863 consolidation of numerous scattered Federal units created a force to be reckoned with a single corps ten thousand strong. Award-winning cavalry historian Eric J. Wittenberg chronicles this story, debunking persistent myths that have elevated the Confederate cavaliers over their Union counterparts."

History Press Library Editions

Just before dawn on June 9, 1863, Union soldiers materialized from a thick fog near the banks of Virginia's Rappahannock River to ambush sleeping Confederates. The ensuing struggle, which lasted throughout the day, was to be known as the Battle of Brandy Station--the largest cavalry battle ever fought on North American soil. Meticulously captured by historian Eric J. Wittenberg, these events marked a major turning point in the Civil War: the waning era of Confederate cavalry dominance in the East gave way to a confident and powerful Union mounted arm. This fascinating volume features a GPS guided tour of the battlefield with illustrations and maps by master cartographer Steven Stanley.

The Battle of Brandy Station: North America's Largest Cavalry Battle

Little Phil: A Reassessment of the Civil War Leadership of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan

Unlike Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Gen. William T. Sherman, whose controversial Civil War-era reputations persist today, Maj. Gen. Philip H. Sheridan has been largely untouched by controversy. In Little Phil, historian Eric J. Wittenberg reassesses the war record of a man long considered one of the Union Army’s greatest generals. From his earliest days at West Point, Phil Sheridan refused to play by the rules. He was fortunate to receive merely a suspension, rather than expulsion, when as a cadet he charged a superior officer with a bayonet. Although he achieved fame as a cavalryman late in the Civil War, Sheridan actually began the conflict as an infantry commander and initially knew little of the mounted service. In his first effort as a cavalry commander with the Army of the Potomac in the spring of 1864, he gave a performance that Wittenberg argues has long been overrated. Later that year in the Shenandoah Valley, where Sheridan secured his legendary reputation, he benefited greatly from the tactical ability of his subordinates and from his huge manpower advantage against the beleaguered Confederate troops of Lt. Gen. Jubal Early. Sheridan was ultimately rewarded for numerous acts of insubordination against his superiors throughout the war, while he punished similar traits in his own officers. Further, in his combat reports and postwar writings, he often manipulated facts to show himself in the best possible light, ensuring an exalted place in history. Thus, Sheridan successfully foisted his own version of history on the American public. This controversial new study challenges the existing literature on Phil Sheridan and adds valuable insight to our understanding of this famous, but altogether fallible, warrior.

Literature & Fiction

Dramas & Plays

POTOMAC BOOKS

In The Union Cavalry Comes of Age, award-winning cavalry historian Eric J. Wittenberg provides a long-overdue challenge to the persistent myths that have unfairly elevated the reputations of the Confederate cavalry’s “cavaliers” and sets the record straight regarding the evolution of the Union cavalry corps. He highlights the careers of renowned Federal officers, including George Stoneman, William W. Averell, Alfred Pleasonton, John Buford, and Wesley Merritt, as well as such lesser-known characters as Col. Alfred Duffie, a French expatriate who hid an ugly secret. Wittenberg writes a lively, detailed account of a saber-slashing era in which men fought for duty, honor, and bragging rights. Indeed, a taunting note left behind by Confederate Brig. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee on a raid at Hartwood Church, Virginia, in 1863 sparked Northern retaliation at the Battle of Kelly’s Ford. The Federal cavalry then evolved during the trials of Stoneman’s Raid, with their hard work culminating in the Battle of Brandy Station, where they nearly broke the unsuspecting Confederates in a fourteen-hour maelstrom that is considered the greatest cavalry battle ever fought in North America. A skillfully woven overview, this unforgettable story also depicts the strategic and administrative tasks that occupied officers and politicians as well as the day-to-day existence of the typical trooper in the field. The Union Cavalry Comes of Age shows that Northern troopers began turning the tide of the 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.

The Union Cavalry Comes Of Age: Hartwood Church to Brandy Station, 1863

Potomac Books Inc.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Wittenberg,Eric J. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Wittenberg,Eric J

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Wittenberg,Eric J. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Union Cavalry Comes of Age: Hartwood Church to Brandy Station, 1863

Glory Enough for All: Sheridan's Second Raid and the Battle of Trevilian Station

With Sheridan in the Final Campaign Against Lee

At Custer's Side: Civil War Writing on James Harvey Kidd

Protecting the Flank: The Battles for Brinkerhoff's Ridge and East Cavalry Field, Battle of Gettysburg (The Discovering Civil War America Series)

Civil War Q&A: A Knowledge Challenge Handbook

The Union Cavalry Comes of Age: Hartwood Church to Brandy Station, 1863

The Battle of Brandy Station: North America's Largest Cavalry Battle

Little Phil: A Reassessment of the Civil War Leadership of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan

The Union Cavalry Comes Of Age: Hartwood Church to Brandy Station, 1863