The Passing of the Armies

by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain

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Written by one of the Union army's most celebrated officers, The Passing of the Armies offers a remarkable first-hand account of the final campaign of the Army of the Potomac. In his gripping memoir, first published in 1915, General Joshua Lawrence

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5 reviews
The first chapter is pretty tedious. Once he gets into the details of his role in the Appomattox campaign, he excels. Decent info on the battle experience of the two regiments of his brigade, and of course the V Corps.. I don't believe there are excessive mention of other soldiers except in the chapter about the last review at DC, as stated by one reviewer. This book shows more realism about the actual conditions of combat, than any other book that I ever read. He describes some gory details of battle, like tying off the vein of an injured soldier like it is a common place event, which it may have been.

He does quote Shakespeare, which I really like. Chamberlain is an excellent writer from the late 1800's, and I like his light sarcasm. show more Actually humorous at times. Not thrilled with the formatting of the book though, no index and not enough maps. show less
The only problem I had with the books were the immense number of details. Every person of importance is named for each battle and the review at the end of the war. Each battle is in detail, though not as meticulous detail as I have heard some reports are.

This is a readable account by one of the best beloved generals of the Civil War, Joshua Chamberlain, whose existence went into virtual obscurity upon is death until he was rediscovered decades later. It is his personal account for the last few weeks of the Civil War.
This is a brief but thrilling account of Chamberlain's stand on Little Round Top at the Battle of Gettysburg. It is a very quick and informative read, an important primary source for those interested in Civil War history.
Sorry to disagree with the previous reviewer, but this book is not about Gettysburg. Chamberlain wrote a series of books about the Civil War. This is the last in the series. It covers the battl Five Forks, the surrender of Lee's army, and the final reviews of the armies. It is a remarkably moving and beautiful book. Chamberlan assisted Grant when he and Lee met at Appomatox He also arranged for the ceremony in which the rebel army surrenderred their arms. Chamberlain made a lot of history and lived to write about it. This book is a must for any Civil War buff. It brought tears to my eyes more than once.

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16+ Works 917 Members

Some Editions

McPherson, James M. (Introduction)
Sauers, Richard A. (Introduction)

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Common Knowledge

Canonical title
The Passing of the Armies
Alternate titles
The Passing of the Armies : An Account of the Final Campaign of the Army of the Potomac, Based upon Personal Reminiscences of the Fifth Army Corps
Original publication date
1915
People/Characters
Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Important events
American Civil War
First words
It was a dreamy camp along the lines investing Petersburg in the winter following the "all-summer" campaign of 1864,-that never-to-be-forgotten, most dismal of years.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)This army will live on, so long as soul shall answer soul, so long as that flag watches with its stars over fields of mighty memory, so long as in its red lines a regenerated people reads the character of its birthright, and in its field of white God's covenant with man.

Classifications

Genres
History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir
DDC/MDS
973.738History & geographyHistory of North AmericaUnited StatesCivil War Era (1857-1865)Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865)Campaign of 1865
LCC
E477.67 .C44History of the United StatesUnited StatesCivil War period, 1861-1865The Civil War, 1861-1865
BISAC

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541
Popularity
55,279
Reviews
4
Rating
(4.00)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
19
UPCs
1
ASINs
17