A Tempest of Iron and Lead

""Chris Mackowski offers a compelling overview of operations around Spotsylvania Court House in May 1864. From the opening clash on May 8, through the unspeakable horrors of the fight for the Mule Shoe on the 12th, to the final spasm of combat at the Harris Farm on the 19th, he assesses tactical movements and leadership on both sides and evokes the experience of soldiers in the ranks. His well-paced narrative will appeal to a wide audience.""--Gary W. Gallagher, John L. Nau III Professor of History Emeritus, University of Virginia ""The complexities of the monumental, 13-day battle of Spotsylvania Court House often baffle the closest students of the war--and even the soldiers who were there. This book is the one-stop antidote to befuddlement. Chris Mackowski combines deep knowledge of the ground, careful consideration of historic sources, and his considerable literary chops to give us a vivid, fast-paced, sure-footed narrative of the defining days of Grant and Lee's 1864 Overland Campaign.""--John Hennessy, retired chief historian, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, and author of Return to Bull Run ""Chris Mackowski combines an engaging writing style with an intimate knowledge of his subject to produce the first comprehensive account of the Spotsylvania Campaign in more than a generation. Deeply researched--unusually so for a relatively brief volume--A Tempest of Iron and Lead provides an outstanding summary of the second major engagement of the Overland Campaign and is sure to please readers new to the topic as well as more seasoned students of the Civil War. A fine piece of scholarship and literature. Highly recommended!""--A. Wilson Greene, former staff historian, Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park, and author of A Campaign of Giants ""The battle of Spotsylvania Court House brought the most sustained and some of the bloodiest fighting of the American Civil War. With outstanding descriptions of terrain, well-chosen quotations from officers and enlisted men, and a keen eye for revealing detail, Chris Mackowski presents a fast-paced narrative of a titanic clash between two great armies. A Tempest of Iron and Lead offers a critical analysis of the commanders and their subordinates, a perceptive assessment of tactics, and considerable attention to the common soldier experience of combat. Readers will learn a great deal from this sobering account of a battle that at times beggared description.""--George C. Rable, University of Alabama Emeritus, and author of Conflict of Command