Victors in Blue: How Union Generals Fought the Confederates, Battled Each Other, and Won the Civil War Hardcover – 30 November 2011

The author's excellent book on the Atlanta Campaign drew me to this volume, his most recent work and what I take to be a capstone to his distinguished career as a historian. I didn't find that it quite lived up to what I saw as its promise, as an overview of Union generalship written to the same standard as Decision in the West, mainly because the analysis here didn't prove quite as compelling. This is nevertheless one of the best such overviews I have found, and I highly recommend it.(To take one example of why this is an interesting read: Castel convinced me that General Rosecrans has been unfairly maligned, laid the blame for this low reputation at General Grant, and yet managed not to demonize Grant in the process. This speaks to the author's willingness to rethink received wisdom, his idea for telling detail, and his unwillingness to divide his subject into the simple binary of the elect and the damned. The result is nearly always insightful.)

I am an amateur historian who spends most of his time on the Civil War. I so thoroughly enjoyed Castel and Simpson's book (my Alma Mater also being Arizona State '74) that a review is required. The history is informative while being readable and does not weigh itself down in endless recounting of the names of each division, regiment and platoon engaged in the battles. Anyone wishing to understand the undercurrents that revolved around the Union Generals during this heralded conflict will much appreciate this writing. I particularly enjoyed their witty and insightful remarks which end most of the chapters, as being fair and balanced appraisals. Their appraisal of Rosecrans should awaken in amateurs a motivation to find our more and decide if they are correct. It is my belief that each of the Union generals brought something good and bad to the battlefield and we should look for balance not blame. I could only wish that Castel and Simpson would write another book on the illfated commanders in grey. I learned a great deal about the union commanders personalities, motivations, distrusts and deceitfulness by comrades in arms and that alone is well worth your time and money.

I am one of those amateur Civil War readers that appreciates the current trend toward more even handed, fact based writing. Mr. Castel's book is that. I just now finished the book which leaves me feeling I had a good conversation with a very knowledgeable friend. The missing fifth star is probably unfair on my part, given only because I don't like Rosecrans as much as he does.