Eric J. Wittenberg, Little Phil, 1st ed., Signed on Bookplate

Description

The late Eric Wittenberg wrote many fine books, but Little Phil: A Reassessment of the Civil War Leadership of Gen. Philip H. Sheridan shows him at his fearless best.

In this controversial book Wittenberg reassesses the war record of a man long considered one of the Union Army’s greatest generals. Phil Sheridan began the war as an infantry commander and initially knew little of the mounted service, and in his first effort as a cavalry commander with the Army of the Potomac in the spring of 1864, he gave a performance that Wittenberg argues has long been overrated. Later that year in the Shenandoah Valley, where Sheridan secured his legendary reputation, he benefited greatly from the tactical ability of his subordinates and from his huge manpower advantage over Jubal Early’s Confederates.

From his early days at West Point, Sheridan refused to play by the rules, and while he was ultimately rewarded for numerous acts of insubordination against his superiors throughout the war, he punished similar traits in his own officers. Further, in his combat reports and postwar writings, he often manipulated facts to show himself in the best possible light, successfully foisting his own version of events on the public and ensuring an exalted place in history.

“Wittenberg has challenged the accepted judgments about Sheridan’s generalship. He seeks to lead us to a different interpretation, and by doing so, has written a stimulating book that is well worth reading.” – Jeffry D. Wert, from his Foreword.

Near Fine. Signed bookplate.

Wittenberg, Eric J. LITTLE PHIL: A REASSESSMENT OF THE CIVIL WAR LEADERSHIP OF GEN. PHILIP H. SHERIDAN. Washington: Brassey’s, 2002. 1st ed., 250p., illustrations, maps.