BUILDING THE PERFECT ARMY

As an annual victim of fantasy hockey drafts, I found “Building the Perfect Army” [Vol. 8, No. 3] insightful, entertaining, and a terrific way to make the Civil War interesting for a wider audience. In short, an innovative take on the usual “best of” lists. Here’s a team selected by someone who would have picked last in every round: army commander, Samuel Curtis; corps commander, Andrew A. Humphreys; division commander, Emory Upton; artillery commander, Stephen D. Lee; cavalry commander, Wesley Merritt; fighting regiment, the 20th Massachusetts Infantry; utility picks, Robert P. Parrott (superintendent of the West Point Iron and Cannon Foundry) and Jay Cooke (financier). This team has “smarts” with diverse skills, backed up by iron and the money to buy it.  Of course, I have no doubt your panel of judges could poke several holes in this analysis.

 John Foskett
Via email

The fantasy army article was really a lot of fun. I found myself nodding to a few choices and shaking my head at others.

Richard Grossman
Via Twitter

Because of the favorable attention Ulysses S. Grant has received recently—as well as the criticism of Robert E. Lee—it’s not shocking to see that Grant was selected before Lee by the historians picking their armies in the fall issue. But it’s a head-scratcher that George G. Meade was selected in the first round while Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson are second-round picks. I see that the historian who selected Meade is writing a biography on him so perhaps this explains the baffling pick. But I was also surprised to see that George Armstrong Custer was selected over Nathan Bedford Forrest and Jo Shelby as a cavalry commander, and that one historian selected generals only on the Union side. Given the North’s huge manpower and materiel advantages over the South, the war would have been much shorter if they also had the better generals.

James M. Newberry
McLean, Virginia

One of my favorite magazines is The Civil War Monitor. In the latest issue they did a “mock draft” by five historians who chose their “team” of Civil War commanders. A fascinating read! This is the type of history that teaches people while also making it accessible. Well done!

Patrick Henderson
Via Twitter

KUDOS

Another great issue! I love being able to flip through the magazine’s digital edition before getting my copy in the mail! I really enjoyed the wonderful photo of the 4th U.S. Colored Artillery on guard duty in Columbus, Kentucky [“In Focus: The Sable Arm in Kentucky,” Vol. 8, No. 3].

Jim Ambs
Via Facebook

Ed. Thanks for the kind words, Jim. Not all of our subscribers know that they’re eligible to access the magazine’s digital edition for free. If you’d like to know how, email me at [email protected].

GETTYSBURG

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed your most recent special issue, Gettysburg. What an interesting read! The visuals are stunning—I loved the images and graphics. Keep up the good work!

Toni Swift
Via email

Ed. Thanks, Toni! Folks can purchase a copy of their own at civilwarmonitor.com/gettysburg.