The Battle of Peach Tree Creek

    Some call the Civil War the last “gentleman’s war” in history; a fight waged by men of honor for a cause they believed in. The southern leaders; Lee, Beauregard, and Longstreet; are remembered fondly by their people, even though they lost the war. They’re remembered because they were willing to sacrifice themselves for their homeland, despite the odds being against them from the start. They also have a reputation for bravery; while the North had trouble raising an army, there were few Southern men unwilling to fight.

    Robert Jenkins’ book portrays the Battle of Peach Tree Creek (part of Sherman’s Atlanta campaign) as a kind of a “last stand.” It illustrates the more positive aspects of the Southerner’s mentality during the war, and how they knew they’d lose, but they’d all rather go down fighting than surrender. In an earlier book titled What The Yankees Did To Us, Sherman’s tactics are portrayed as cruel and gratuitous; he laid waste to Atlanta in order to make a name for himself, not because it was necessary.

    What amazes me is that the Union officers were borderline incompetent. In one battle, the Wisconsin regiments were hit by their own cannons and had to retreat. Of course the Confederates had no cannon left, so they wouldn’t have that problem. The Yankees would eventually overwhelm them, but it wasn’t through bravery or strategy; it was simply from having more men. The Confederates had a shortage of men, ammunition, metal, and food, but the Union army wasn’t doing well either. Keep in mind that thousands of them died from food poisoning, malaria, typhoid, and typhus, while the biggest cause of death for the Confederates was getting shot at.

    Peach Tree Creek was only one of many battles in the war, but this book goes into detail of what went on and the people in there. Sherman was encircling Atlanta and the Confederate defenses were no longer any good. General Hood had no choice but to go on attack mode, and charge the invaders. Previously the Union army had to storm fort after fort, but now that changed; the Confederates were coming out of the fort and attacking head-on. Hand-to-hand fighting ensued, and the Union troops were no match for them. If it weren’t for the huge Northern waves, I bet the South might’ve won.

    I don’t want to give too much away, but this book is a bit depressing. I couldn’t help but feel bad for the Confederates, portrayed positively, not like trend in most books to make them slavery-loving savages. These men were fighting for their own freedom, from what they perceived as Northern tyranny. Even after the war, Lee kept his honor in the way he negotiated the surrender; all he asked was that there be no reprisals, his men be allowed to keep their horses and weapons, and that his men be fed. He ended his days as head of a college, loved by the people around him. General Grant, on the other hand, became the worst US president, lost all his money, and died of jaw cancer, ending his life in disgrace.