Member Review "Glory Enough for All" by Eric Wittenberg

[zburkett]

"Glory Enough For All" is the story of the largest all cavalry battle ever fought in North America, Trevilian Station. This vitally important but little known battle took place in June, 1864 and may have extended the war by months. The book is a well written, carefully researched military history and that understates what makes this an outstanding read to the point of absurdity. Wittenberg is a story teller. At every step of the campaign, and it was a long hard campaign, the personal story of someone who was there is brought in to give the feel of what really happened. The soldier who committed suicide in front of his officer because he was too tired to go on. How were captured wounded treated? The Confederate soldier who had dinner with a local family and got sick on the fried onions. The Confederate and Union soldier who go into a running gun battle and then met years later and had dinner. The officer who was captured because he was on a borrowed horse with a civilian saddle. All the little stories that make you feel like you were there.

The best known participants are Sheridan and Custer against Hampton and Fitz Lee with Grant and Lee directing from afar. This is a must read for any Custer scholar because of the detail of Custer's actions of June 11. Drawn from Custer's letters and other first hand accounts you learn how he preformed in the heat of a hard fought battle where there were enough survivors to tell the story.

The detail of what the horses went through will be disturbing for any horse lover, but the reader gets the full brunt of a war fought with horses. Wittenberg also goes into considerable detail of what the local civilians suffered with a major campaign and battle being fought around them. It is this attention to the stories that are often left out that make this book outstanding. I give it my highest recommendation.

 

[Eric Wittenberg]

That's very kind of you--thank you for the kind words. And I'm glad that you liked the book.

My approach to writing history has always been to allow the soldiers to tell their own stories in their own words whenever and wherever possible, and that's precisely what I did in that book. I can't tell their stories better than they do, so I prefer to let them do it themselves.

 

[Bee]

Drawn from Custer's letters and other first hand accounts you learn how he preformed in the heat of a hard fought battle where there were enough survivors to tell the story.

I have this and several other Eric Wittenberg books. They really introduced me to effective use of primary source, and I have been addicted to this writing style ever since.

 

[Legion Para]

 

[zburkett]

Thanks Legion

 

[MaryDee]

I have it and found it, like all of Eric's books, a fascinating read!

 

[Michael W.]

I have spent the last 10 years focusing primarily on the Naval aspect of the war. But starting last year I read The Devil's to Pay by Mr. Wittenberg, and I have this sinking feeling I'm going to get sucked into Cavalry operations. This obsession just never ends...

 

[JOHN42768]

I have spent the last 10 years focusing primarily on the Naval aspect of the war. But starting last year I read The Devil's to Pay by Mr. Wittenberg, and I have this sinking feeling I'm going to get sucked into Cavalry operations. This obsession just never ends...

No different then eating one potato chip. It just doesn't happen.

 

[zburkett]

Mr. Wittenberg, As promised I just posted this review to Amazon but it is in my wife's name. She is the Amazon buyer in the family so she shows up as the certified buyer. Z

 

[Eric Wittenberg]

Mr. Wittenberg, As promised I just posted this review to Amazon but it is in my wife's name. She is the Amazon buyer in the family so she shows up as the certified buyer. Z

Thank you! I appreciate it.