Army of the Potomac: McClellan's First Campaign

Thanks to Savas Beatie, I have a reading copy of this Volume 3 of the Army of the Potomac series. Weighing in at a healthy 708 pages (pre-index), it looks like a great read. I note a publication date of February now ... looks like a delay from December, which is what the online booksellers were listing.

Nice blurb from Ethan Rafuse. Seems to come from a review of Vol 2: "Like the first volume in this series, this study is distinguished by a research effort in primary sources that is impressive beyond words..." I think that sums it up in a nutshell. There is a "wow" factor on nearly every page of every volume if you are a deep reader and have gone through the underlying sources yourself. There are times when I will simply sit and read the bibliography and sources information for an hour or so.

Rafuse continues, "What seems beyond debate is that by the time Beatie is done with the landmark multi-volume study, he will not only have provided Civil Warriors with an incredible mass of information, but with plenty of food for thought - and fuel for debate - as well."

I'll probably start posting on this volume with the topic that ends it - the Battle of Williamsburg. That may be my contribution to debate since I have never seen the battle analyzed to my liking (on the micro or macro level) in any account of the ACW; it will be fun to see how Beatie manages a matter that has stumped generations of ACW writers.