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Strike Them a Blow: Battle along the North Anna River, May 21-25, 1864 (Emerging Civil War Series) Kindle Edition

by Chris Mackowski (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 out of 5 stars 43 ratings
The Civil War historian and author of A Season of Slaughter continues his engaging account of the Overland Campaign in this vivid chronicle.

By May of 1864, Federal commander Ulysses S. Grant had resolved to destroy his Confederate adversaries through attrition if by no other means. Meanwhile, his Confederate counterpart, Robert E. Lee, looked for an opportunity to regain the offensive initiative. “We must strike them a blow,” he told his lieutenants.

But Grant’s war of attrition began to take its toll in a more insidious way. Both army commanders—exhausted and fighting off illness—began to feel the continuous, merciless grind of combat in very personal ways. Punch-drunk tired, they began to second-guess themselves, missing opportunities and making mistakes. As a result, along the banks of the North Anna River, commanders on both sides brought their armies to the brink of destruction without even knowing it.
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  1. Part of series
    Emerging Civil War
  2. Print length
    378 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Savas Beatie
  5. Publication date
    May 19, 2015
  6. File size
    85.9 MB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Battle along the North Anna River and anyone who is touring the battlefields of Virginia. . . . Mackowski should be praised for what he has accomplished here." - Gettysburg Chronicle

About the Author

Chris Mackowski, Ph.D., is the editor-in-chief and co-founder of the online resource Emerging Civil War. A writing professor in the Jandoli School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, NY, Chris is also historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the Spotsylvania battlefield in central Virginia. The series editor of the award-winning Emerging Civil War Series, he has authored or co-authored a dozen books on the Civil War, and his articles have appeared in major Civil War magazines.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00ZGOZNLQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Savas Beatie (May 19, 2015)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 19, 2015
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 85.9 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 378 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 out of 5 stars 43 ratings

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  1. Chris Mackowski

    Chris Mackowski

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    "It's in me and it gots to get out," legendary guitarist John Lee Hooker said of his music. Chris Mackowski says the same thing about his writing: "It's in me, and it gots to get out."

    Chris is a writing professor in the School of Communication at St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, NY, and historian-in-residence at Stevenson Ridge, a historic property on the Spotsylvania battlfield. He is also editor in chief of Emerging Civil War (www.emergingcivilwar.com). The author of more than a dozen books about the Civil War, Chris's writings have appeared in all the major Civil War magazines.

    Chris has worked as a historian with the National Park Service at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park and still gives tours of the area's four major Civil War battlefields (Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Wilderness, and Spotsylvania). He serves on the board of directors of the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, a preservation organization that focuses on saving endangered property associated with the four battlefields.

    Chris has an M.F.A. from Goddard College and a Ph.D. from Binghamton University.

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  2. Christopher Mackowski

    Christopher Mackowski

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4.6 out of 5 stars
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Top reviews from the United States

  • John B. Sinclair
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another Excellent Savas, Beatie and Emerging Civil War Book
    Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    As anyone who has read my reviews of other Emerging Civil War books, I am a huge fan of their format. In a concise but thorough manner, they give both the novice and aficionado needing a refresher an excellent 101 course on a particular battle, campaign or other Civil War topic. Author Chris Mackowski, and co-founder Kris White and Savas, Beatie publisher Ted Savas, deserve huge credit for revolutionizing Civil War books for this series. They still have a number of other areas to cover in the coming years in my humble opinion, including the trans-Mississippi, I hope.

    Strike Them a Blow is another particularly valuable book as it deals with a subject that has largely been ignored (except by Overland Campaign authority Gordon Rhea). As I will be going on a tour of North Anna in a few weeks, it was the proverbial no-brainer for me to pick up this book for my refresher. My attention never lagged and I felt it gave me a sufficiently full treatment so that I do not have to reread Rhea’s larger but more comprehensive book on the subject. After all – too many books to read and so little time. Photographs, illustrations and solid maps all add to an informative and fun reading experience.

    This was a time when Robert E. Lee was quite ill and did not have his full faculties to assist him in making the right choices and decisions. One wonders how differently North Anna might have turned out had Lee been at 100%.

    Another fine addition to the wonderful series of books being produced by Emerging Civil War and Savas, Beatie. Anyone interested in the North Anna campaign must read this book.
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  • NYH
    5.0 out of 5 stars I am glad I found this book to help guide me while visiting the North Anna Battlefield Park.
    Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2023
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    My great-grandfather was mortally wounded at the Jericho Mills Battle on May 23, 1864. When I first started studying about him, I found few references to the battle on the North Anna River. This book helped me better understand the particulars of that battle including the inverted V design and how Lee's illness was a factor in the outcome. The pictures were helpful also.
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  • Steven Peterson
    4.0 out of 5 stars A major battle that did not take place. . . .
    Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2016
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    This book focuses on one of the lesser known battles during Grant's campaign in 1864. The horrors of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania Court House battles had bloodied both the Union and Confederate forces. After the Spotsylvania battle, Grant began a move around Lee's forces. Momentarily, Lee was baffled by Grant's movement.

    Grant wished a stand up battle and used Winfield Scott Hancock's II Corps as bait for a trap. Well, it did not work. Finally, Lee understood that Grant had stolen a march on him. The two armies began converging around the North Anna River.

    Early on, the Confederates were roughly handled by the Army of the Potomac. But one of their engineers saw that the topography allowed a use of force to isolate and potentially devastate the Union forces. Lee was ill and was not himself and the opportunity faded as Grant came to understand the tactical problems of his position.

    Hence, no major battle occurred here as the two sides continued their movements. But this was an interesting stage in the Overland Campaign and is important to be aware of.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Coleman.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2018
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    Arrived in good condition.
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  • Matthew Bartlett
    5.0 out of 5 stars Mackowski Gives Us Another Excellent Work
    Reviewed in the United States on July 15, 2015
    The Emerging Civil War Series has been a pleasure to read since its inception and now, Chris Mackowski gives us the new installment Strike Them a Blow about the Battle along the North Anna River. While this book it not titled as a sequel, Strike Them a Blow follows the action of A Season of Slaughter which was about the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. The period of May in 1864 for the armies in the eastern theater of the war was grueling and this book adds to the toll which both armies of Lee and Grant took during that infamous month.

    Chris Mackowski is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Emerging Civil War. He is also the historian-in-reference at Stevenson Ridge which is part of the Spotsylvania battlefield. On top of all his work with the Emerging Civil War, he is a professor of journalism and mass communication at Saint Bonaventure University in western New York. Some of his other works in the Emerging Civil War Series are That Furious Struggle, Simply Murder, and The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson. He has also authored other books outside of the series: Chancellorsville’s Forgotten Front, The Dark, Close Wood and Seizing Destiny: The Army of the Potomac’s Valley Forge and the Civil War Winter that Saved the Union.

    One of the best things about the Emerging Civil War Series is the way in which they can be used to help tour the battlefield. After the narrative in every chapter, there are touring tips and this is incredibly useful in a battlefield such as along the North Anna River. Not only do the chapters help with the tour by sectionalizing parts of the days from May 21-25, but they also provide photographs of the commanders and the locations themselves with some excellent battle maps. After the guide within the narrative is over, there are a great number of appendices, six to be exact, which explain more about the battle and other aspects of the combat not deeply covered in the narrative. The best part of the narratives written by Mackowski was the humanity which he brought to the commanders, soldiers and the people of the battle. One such occasion was a human interest story about a woman who was so staunch in her opinion of Sherman never taking the field. She claimed that she knew the country better than anyone else and stated that no army could ever take it. Those small bits of humanity is what makes not only this book, but the Emerging Civil War Series quite excellent.

    I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Battle along the North Anna River and anyone who is touring the battlefields of Virginia. This book is essential to understanding what happened there and offers many tips and stops while you tour the field. In the myriad of battle tour guides throughout the Civil War world, Strike Them a Blow will give you the best tour and descriptions about this combat more than any other. Mackowski should be praised for what he has accomplished here.

    Matthew Bartlett - Gettysburg Chronicle
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  • emoryboy
    3.0 out of 5 stars Lee and Grant mistake each other's intentions.
    Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This entire series is interesting. I have visited the area where the fighting on the North Anna took place and can attest that this book is a useful guide. However, like the rest of the series this book suffers from careless copy editing. The black and white photos often seem superfluous because they don't seem to show much.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • tecumseh
    5.0 out of 5 stars Every chapter has started with fascinating english.
    Reviewed in Japan on April 26, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Especially, page 75 and 95, have these chaptes begun with extraordinally superb expressions. We could see these scene and hear voices.
    Emerging Civil War books are photos-rich, thin and handy. Professor Mackowski recommended that To the North Anna River by Gordon Rhea is a must read book, and Forward of this book has written by Mr. Rhea. Among the authors of Civil War, Ph. Mackowski would be as best as Mr. Michael Shaara, I think.
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  • Andrew W.
    3.0 out of 5 stars Nice book bought as a gift
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 27, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Bought as a gift, not watched myself. Nice quality book
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