Maps of the Wilderness

'The Maps of the Wilderness: An Atlas of the Wilderness Campaign, May 2-7, 1864' continues Bradley M. Gottfried's efforts to study and illustrate the major campaigns of the Civil War's Eastern Theater. This is his fifth book in the ongoing Savas Beatie Military Atlas Series. The previous four were 'The Maps of Gettysburg' (2007), 'The Maps of First Bull Run' (2009), 'The Maps of Antietam' (2012), and 'The Maps of the Bristoe Station and Mine Run Campaigns' (2013). This latest magisterial work breaks down the entire campaign (and all related operational manoeuvres) into 24 map sets or "action-sections' enriched with 120 original full-page colour maps. These spectacular cartographic creations bore down to the regimental and battery level. The Maps of the Wilderness includes an assessment of the winter of 1863-1864, the planning for the campaign, the crossing of the Rapidan River, and two days of bloody combat and the day of watchful stalemate thereafter. At least one and as many as eight maps accompany each "action-section." Opposite each map is a full facing page of detailed footnoted text describing the units, personalities, movements, and combat (including quotes from eyewitnesses) depicted on the accompanying map, all of which make the story of the first large-scale combat of 1864 come alive. Each cartographic snapshot also serves to unlock everything ever written on the subject. This detailed coverage also includes an order of battle, interview with the author, bibliography, and an index. This original presentation leads readers on a journey through the epic battle that would prove to be the opening salvo in a prolonged fight that would not end until the Confederates surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865. The Wilderness Campaign has two unique characteristics. First, although he did not command the Army of the Potomac, the battle was Ulysses S. Grant's first against General Robert E. Lee. Second, the Wilderness fighting prolonged, bloody, and inconclusive is widely viewed as the most confusing action of the entire war. The dense thickets and deep smoke obscured much of what occurred during the two days of combat. Gottfried's book cuts through the confusion to deliver a clear account of the horrendous struggle. Perfect for the easy chair or for walking hallowed ground, The Maps of the Wilderness' is a seminal work that, like his earlier studies, belongs on the bookshelf of every serious and casual student of the Civil War, or in the hands of an avid enthusiast out walking the Hallowed Ground. 120 full-colour maps

“"If you like your ACW, then I say - get thee to a bookstore immediately!"”

At a time when many military history books provide only a small number of maps, often of indifferent quality or poor reproductions of nineteenth century engravings, it is a real pleasure to peruse such high quality, attractive, detailed maps that have been drawn specifically for the book....will be an invaluable aid to further serious research. Readers interested in the American Civil War will certainly want to check other volumes in this series. Miniature Wargames - Arthur Harman If you like your ACW, then I say - get thee to a bookstore immediately! Wargames, Soldiers, and Strategy

Dr. Bradley M. Gottfried holds a Ph.D. in Zoology from Miami University. He has worked in higher education for more than three decades as a faculty member and administrator. He is currently President of the College of Southern Maryland. An avid Civil War historian, Dr. Gottfried is the author of nine books, including: The Battle of Gettysburg: A Guided Tour (1998); Stopping Pickett: The History of the Philadelphia Brigade (1999); Brigades of Gettysburg (2002); Roads to Gettysburg (2002); and Kearny's Own: The History of the First New Jersey Brigade (2005). He is currently working with Theodore P. Savas on a Gettysburg Campaign Encyclopedia.

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