Book Description

Profiles of unsung American battlefield commanders—from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War. “A pleasure to read” (Raymond E. Franck, Brig. Gen., USAF, retired). History plays tricks sometimes. During the course of America’s experience, it has enshrined an exceptional few military leaders in our collective consciousness as “great,” while ignoring others often equally as deserving. For example, few of the thousands who pass by the traffic square between Fifth Avenue and Broadway in Manhattan realize that it houses the tomb of one of America’s best military commanders—William Worth—a hero in not one but two of the nation’s wars. Similarly, the Civil War general who never lost a battle and who many military historians believe fought one of the two most perfect battles in history was not Grant, Sherman, Lee, or Jackson; it was Thomas—who never extolled his own cause, but in all likelihood saved his nation’s. At the same time, conflicts themselves have often disappeared from consciousness, the public forgetting the fights the country waged against the Barbary Pirates, the British in 1812, and against the Seminoles and Apaches. In the Shadows of Victory describes the heroics and command acumen of twenty-five superb military leaders whose sacrifice and skill have often been neglected—from the War of Independence through the Mexican War and Civil War, and during numerous Native American conflicts. As such, it provides a fascinating tour through early American military history and the various martial challenges the young nation faced during its first century of existence. “Well written . . . reading about these officers’ achievements is an enjoyable experience.” —The Journal of America’s Military Past