The Civil Wars of General Joseph E. Johnston

“This is the book Richard McMurry was born to write. For 50 years, he has been one of the most incisive commentators on the Civil War in the Western Theater and the most forthright. In taking on the Confederacy’s most controversial commander, McMurry demonstrates his holistic grasp of a major commander’s duties, from logistics and supply to command relationships and a general’s responsibilities—and limitations—in a constitutional democracy. If the Confederacy ever had a chance of winning its independence, Joseph E. Johnston probably did more than any other man in uniform to lose it, and McMurry gives overwhelming evidence of why. This is a milestone Civil War biography.” ~William C. Davis, author of The Whartons’ War

“In this meticulously researched and thought-provoking study, McMurry argues that the most dangerous enemy the Confederacy faced was not the Federal army, but the discord within its own military high command. Central to this allegation is General Joseph E. Johnston, who led armies in both the Eastern and Western theaters. His relationship with Jefferson Davis, among others, was poisonous to any chance of a Confederate victory. In Volume I of a two-volume set, covering the years 1861–1863, McMurry provides convincing evidence that suggests this volatile situation had a great deal to do with dooming the Confederacy to failure.” ~Dr. Anne J. Bailey, author of The Chessboard of War

“McMurry’s conversational account of Joe Johnston and his role in the Civil War is built on decades of study and contemplation. Until now, his complexities and enigmas have never been fully explored or deeply explained even though the general was one of the war’s most significant uniformed Confederates, second perhaps only to Robert E. Lee in influence and importance to the war’s ultimate outcome. The Civil Wars of General Joseph E. Johnston will surely be viewed as the definitive book on the subject, and Richard McMurry’s magnum opus.” ~David A. Powell, author of the award-winning trilogy on The Chickamauga Campaign

“It is as though Richard McMurry spent years personally interviewing General Joseph E. Johnston, partly as critical historian and partly as understanding friend, and he is now emerging to share with all of us the results of his interaction. You may know the facts of Johnston’s life, but you won’t know Johnston until you read McMurry. This work stands as a stunning lifetime achievement from one of America’s foremost Civil War historians.” ~Larry J. Daniel, author of Conquered: Why the Army of Tennessee Failed

“Richard McMurry is a national treasure. His prose keeps us turning pages, and his analysis makes us see the conflict of the 1860s in ways we had never envisioned before. He is so convincing, we feel as though we must always have known it was true.” ~Steven E. Woodworth, author of Nothing but Victory