Third in a new series of campaign studies that take a different approach toward military history, this book explores this largely misunderstood battle through the use of 120 full-color maps, illustrating the complex tangle of combat's ebb and flow that makes Chickamauga one of the most confusing actions of the American Civil War.

From the first shots fired at Fort Sumter in 1861 to the final clashes on the Road to Appomattox in 1864, The Atlas of the Civil War reconstructs the battles of America's bloodiest war with unparalleled clarity and precision. Edited by Pulitzer Prize recipient James M. McPherson and written by America's leading military historians, this peerless reference charts the major campaigns and skirmishes of the Civil War. Each battle is meticulously plotted on one of 200 specially commissioned full-color maps. Timelines provide detailed, play-by-play maneuvers, and the accompanying text highlights the strategic aims and tactical considerations of the men in charge. Each of the battle, communications, and locator maps are cross-referenced to provide a comprehensive overview of the fighting as it swept across the country. With more than two hundred photographs and countless personal accounts that vividly describe the experiences of soldiers in the fields, The Atlas of the Civil War brings to life the human drama that pitted state against state and brother against brother.

Not far from Chattanooga in northern Georgia, the Confederacy won one of its most decisive battles at Chickamauga. This guide uses firsthand accounts to illustrate how this skirmish, only two days long, turned into the second-bloodiest battle of the Civil War with over 34,000 Union and Confederate soldiers killed, wounded, or captured. The U.S. Army War College Guides to Civil War Battles series was developed for “staff rides” on key battlefields by military professionals. Eyewitness accounts by battle participants make these guides invaluable resources for visitors to the national military parks and armchair strategists alike who want a greater understanding of five of the most devastating yet influential years in our nation’s history. This is an on-the-ground guide with explicit directions to points of interest and maps—illustrating the action and showing the details of troop position, roads, rivers, elevations, and tree lines as they were more than 150 years ago—that help bring the battle to life. In the field, these guides can be used to re-create each battle’s setting and proportions, giving the reader a sense of the tension and fear each soldier must have felt as he faced his enemy.

Written by Capt. J.C. McElroy shortly after the battle itself, read one of the closest first hand accounts of the largest Confederate victory during the war between the states. Hand drawn map by Capt. McElroy featured on the back cover!