February 2024 MBR The Civil War Shelf

The Civil War Shelf

Contrasts in Command: The Battle of Fair Oaks, May 31 - June 1, 1862
Victor Vignola
Savas Beatie LLC
www.savasbeatie.com
9781611216820, $34.95, HC, 288pp

https://www.amazon.com/Contrasts-Command-Battle-Fair-Oaks/dp/1611216826

Synopsis: A bloody two-day battle was fought on the doorstep of the Confede=
rate capital. It was the first major combat in the Eastern Theater since Bu=
ll Run/Manassas almost a year earlier, left more than 11,000 casualties in =
its wake, and cost the primary Southern field army its commander. The posse=
ssion of Richmond hung in its balance. Yet, almost nothing has been written=
 about the battle of Seven Pines/Fair Oaks -- not until the publication of =
Victor Vignola's "Contrasts in Command: The Battle of Fair Oaks, May 31 - J=
une 1, 1862", which focuses primarily on the Fair Oaks portion of the battl=
e, is a major contribution to the historiography of the war.

Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan marched his Army of the Potomac up the Virgin=
ia Peninsula during the early spring of 1862 and placed his inexperienced I=
V Corps at the tip of the spear south of the flood-prone Chickahominy River=
. McClellan's opponent Joe Johnston took the opportunity to strike and craf=
ted an overly complex attack plan for his Virginia army to crush the expose=
d corps. A series of bungled marches, piecemeal attacks, and a lack of asse=
rtive leadership doomed the Southern plan. One of the wounded late in the d=
ay on May 31 was Johnston, whose injury led to the appointment of Robert E.=
 Lee to take his place -- a decision that changed the course of the entire =
Civil War.

Vignola's use of primary and archival sources, many of which have never bee=
n used, helped craft a wholly original tactical and leadership study that d=
irectly challenges conventional accounts. His stunning reassessment has led=
 to renewed interest in Fair Oaks and the acquisition of a significant parc=
el of land by the American Battlefield Trust. It is no hyperbole to argue t=
hat "Contrasts in Command: The Battle of Fair Oaks, May 31 - June 1, 1862" =
may be one of the most important tactical studies ever published on the Ame=
rican Civil War.

Critique: Enhanced for the reader's benefit with the inclusion of three App=
endices, a six page Bibliography and a nine page Index, "Contrasts in Comma=
nd: The Battle of Fair Oaks, May 31 - June 1, 1862" is a seminal and ground=
-breaking study that is an essential, core addition to personal, profession=
al, community, and college/university library American Civil War collection=
s and supplemental curriculum studies lists. It should be noted for student=
s, academia, military history buffs, and non-specialist general readers wit=
h an interest in the subject that "Contrasts in Command" is also available =
in a digital books format (Kindle, $15.99).

Editorial Note: Historian Victor Vignola is a lifelong student of the Civil=
 War who has written articles for publication in North and South Magazine a=
nd other forums. He delivers historical programs, conducts tours, and regul=
arly visits various Civil War sites.

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