by Darrell L. Collins
Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2019. Pp. vi, 240.
Illus., references, indices. $49.95 paper. ISBN: 1476675074
A Handbook on The Army of the Cumberland
Collins, author of a very good biography of Robert E. Rodes, adds to his earlier references on the Union’s Army of the Tennessee and Army of the Potomac, and the Confederacy’s Army of Northern Virginia, with a guide to the state of the Union Army of the Cumberland at various points in the Civil War, This book is largely compiled from documents in the Official Records, and consists of three parts.
The first part covers the official organization of the army at various dates, from its formation in 1862 through to the end of the war, covering all formations in army at various dates. The second part consists of statistics on manpower – totals, present, and absent – and artillery strength, and the third includes casualty figures. Although the date for the the three sets of statistics do not always coincide, this is still immensely useful information.
Collins includes two indices which are also of considerable use, the first on the various senior officers in the army, and the second on the individual units, down to batteries, which make tracking the movements of these officers and units relatively easy. The principal flaw in the work is the absence of one or more maps that would show where the army was at various times.
While hardly the sort of book one would want to curl up and spend some time perusing on a wintry evening (albeit that there are some who may), this is a very useful reference for those working in the history of the Army of the Cumberland.
Note: The Army of the Cumberland is also available in Several e-editions
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