War and Ruin is the best, most concise history of Sherman's grand march from Atlanta to Savannah. The author clearly demostrates that hte fear of Sherman was more devastating to Southern morale than were the general's deeds. Sherman may have made good on his promise to 'make Georgia howl,' but he did not wage total war in the conventional sense. ... Read morethis innovative book proves Sherman was not so original—or cruel—after all, and that in war the threat of violence can be just as effective as actual destruction in subduing the enemy.
W. Todd Groce, executive director, Georgia Historical Society, author of Mountain Rebels Noted historian Anne Bailey's new book provides scholars and general readers alike with excellent insight into the changing nature of the Civil War and Sherman's major role in it. This slim volume puts to lie, yet again, the Lost Cause view of sherman. This is a book that deserves a wide reading.
John F. Marszalek, Mississippi State University This book is a clearly written and concise study of the March to the Sea and Sherman's capture of the city of Savannah at the end of December 1864. The book is liberally illustrated and there are three maps. Bailey provides a solid overview of Sherman's remarkable campaign. She points out that there was nothing that the Confederacy could do to stop Sherman, and further points out that while the March to the Sea was war on a grand scale, it was not total war as defined by Twentieth Century standards. She also points out that Sherman waged a more aggressive form of total war on the Indians in the years of the Civil War, but that history has instead focused on the March to the Sea since it brought the misery of war to Georgia for the first time. Bailey's different take on these events makes this book worth owning.
Eric J. Wittenberg
Civil War News
Professor Bailey's book makes a great case: Sherman may not have invented hard war, but he waged it ruthlessly and then promoted it more flamboyantly than any other American soldier. No wonder his name still curls lips here in Georgia.
Stephen Davis, book reivew editor of Blue & Gray magazine, author of Atlanta Will Fall Show Less