In this book ,as you read, you can't help but keep looking at your watch. A minute by minute account of the famous charge.You feel as if you are in the ranks on both sides in that bloody attack and stalwart defense on Cemetery Ridge. THIS BOOK IS A CLASSIC TO COMPARE WITH GEORGE STEWART'S BOOK ON PICKETT'S CHARGE. Amust read for all GETTYSBURG BUFFS.

John Michael Priest has once again displayed the literary art to which he seems born. This book is so utterly enthralling, it is almost like reading a novel. Even the veteran of many Gettysburg book readings will hinge on the story of Pickett's charge as told by Priest. His use of numerous primary sources lends to his telling of the story by the participants themselves. Each individual story then coalesces into a coherent and understandable analysis of how the charge developed and died. Priest gives both Confederate and Union impressions an equal treatment, creating a full veiw of the action. His writing brings out the horror, sadness, terror, pride, honor and exhultation felt by those actually present on that fateful day. Previous knowledge of the battle or Pickett's action is not needed to enjoy this work. Priest follows the action closely, developing it enough for the beginner or simply curious to understand. For those with a background in Civil War history, even Pickett's charge, the personal accounts still make the account a worthwhile read.

If you are researching the Civil War, especially the practice of medicine and surgery during the Civil War, this is an invaluable source. This is a personal journal of a Civil War surgeon. As such it is told in his own words. The reader is regaled with day to day details of the surgeon's life.

I "fought" (and won :) the battle of Antietam in junior high as part of my American history class so this battle has always been particularly interesting to me. It is a shame that it is usually lost among some of the more famous battles of the Civil War (like nearby Gettysburg) in most histories becase it wasn't stratigically important. It was the bloodiest single day of the war and this book brings home the true horror of battle and the incredible heroism of the combatants in a very well researched, hour by hour account of the fighting. This book is put together from the individual accounts of the soldiers on the ground placed into the framework of the overall battle. In reading this book I was constantly amazed at the bravery and stamina exhibited by the farmboys and shop clerks on both sides throughout the course of the battle. This isn't a casual read. The author is long on detail and lets the accounts of the soldiers provide the drama. Oh, and if you are ever out in western Maryland go see the battlefield (and take this book). There is no development out there and the area isn't much changed from 150 years ago. If you see it after reading this book I can guarentee that you will get chills up your spine looking out over the cornfield and realizing that you could walk its length by only stepping on the bodies of the fallen.

I am not an expert on the Civil War much less on the battle of Antietam but as a read about the substance of battle for the muscat-holding soldier in any Civil War engagement, Priest's book is about as good as is available. The wealth of primary sources-letters, diaries,newspaper articles,anything that illuminates this battle from the viewpoint of the average soldier, is brought into his examination. The result is a compilation of incidents that gives essence to the terror and, in modern view, numbing bravery of the action's soldiers were ordered to undertake as a matter of course-not as something only asked under extraordinary circumstances. The reader must ponder the nature of the glue that bound men to do things that any sane person would find impossible-yet the impossible was normally asked and just as normally undertaken. Antietem: A Soldier's Battle should be read by any person unfamiliar with the Civil War as the first book they read because it will give the reader a grasp of the nature of the conflict from the receiving end of muscat volleys and cannonballs in full sight bouncing along the ground ready to shatter any living creature in its path. I had not encountered any book from any period of history that cast any light on the subject of animals in war-specifically the horses that pulled the artillery or provided transport for officers. Again, Priest's book was very illuminating in these dark corners of often forgotten history. Read this book-you will not regret it.

This book is a "must read" for the serious Civil War buff interested in Antietam. Priest gives you the battle from the perspective of those who fought it, in the actual chronology of the battle. The many maps are some of the most detailed I have ever seen of the battlefield - you can locate within a few feet where a particular company stood at a particular time. In addition, Priest simply tells what happened - again, in great detail. He thankfully does not editorialize or moralize (unlike Sears in "Landscape Turned Red: The Battle of Antietam"). This book ranks up there with "Battles and Leaders of the Civil War" by Johnson and Buel as one of the truly great, unbiased works about Antietam. ... Priest has also written a book on the few days preceeding Antietam, called, "Before Antietam: The Battle for South Mountain" - another gem!

I had heard a lot of good buzz about this book and Priest's fine writing style. I was let down, frankly. I found his prose fairly choppy throughout. And I think he focused on the micro at the expense of the bigger picture. Oh, and terrible, useless maps!

Very worth while. Interesting, well written. Spend some time here.

Those of us who have enjoyed Priest's other works on Antietam and the Wilderness will find this book comparable.

Advantages: meticulous, hour-by-hour study from a soldier's eye view--- once again, thoroughly researched bringing to light many unpublished materials from diaries, letters, etc. This book differs from others in that it covers a number of little-known cavalry skirmishes that preceeded the battles on South Mountain. Also has some very interesting accounts of marches through Maryland towns and gives a civilians' perspective.

Weaknesses: detailed maps once again are in Priest's hand-drawn style. The events described in the text can be hard to follow because the maps are dominated by terrain features, while military units and road names can be difficult to see. The book also ends much too abruptly-- there is no summary chapter that gives an overview of the events and personalities described in the book.

This said, the book is therefore NOT recommended fo! ! r readers who are new to the subjects at hand. On the other hand, dedicated students of the Civil War and those interested in studying military tactics will find it to be an outstanding contribution to the field.

This book has the destinction of being BANNED by the National Park Service from being sold by Eastern National book stores in their visitor centers because it is unreliable. Let the buyer beware.

My opinion is that you will not like this book if you are not VERY interested in the Civil War. I liked it. But, I warn you that it is FULL of LITTLE details about the battle. If that's what you are looking for, get it. What is hard to grasp in this book is the "big picture." This is partially due to the poor maps provided. If you can, you make use of other maps, so that you don't just get a whole bunch of tiny details. You need a big map of the whole general area with the place and road names. And, it would be nice to have maps that showed troop movement. If it were not for this lack of maps and the "big picture" part of the battle, I would have given it 5 stars. Another thing. This book does not have too much about the generals and what kind of people they were. It concentrates more on the rank and file dirty-work soldiers.