New Book Takes on the Civil War’s Wilderness Campaign of 1864

March 8, 2016, El Dorado Hills, CA – Savas Beatie recently announced the release of Dr. Bradley Gottfried’s new book, The Maps of the Wilderness: An Atlas of the Wilderness Campaign, May 2-7, 1864, the latest in their groundbreaking Military Atlas Series that takes a unique look at each of the key campaigns and battles of the Civil War.

This original presentation leads readers on a journey through the epic battle that proved to be the opening salvo in a prolonged fight that would not end until the Confederates surrendered at Appomattox in April 1865. The Wilderness Campaign has two unique characteristics. First, the battle was Ulysses S. Grant’s first against General Robert E. Lee. Second, the Wilderness fighting—prolonged, bloody, and inconclusive—is widely viewed as the most confusing action of the entire war. The dense thickets and deep smoke obscured much of what occurred during the two days of combat. Dr. Gottfried’s book cuts through the confusion to deliver a clear account of the horrendous struggle. The Maps of the Wilderness is a seminal work that, like the author’s earlier studies, belongs on the bookshelf of every serious and casual student of the Civil War—or in the hands of an avid enthusiast out walking the hallowed ground.

“‘It is impossible to conceive a field worse adapted to the movements of a grand army,’ wrote a Union officer about the Wilderness. For modern readers, though, Bradley Gottfried’s The Maps of the Wilderness makes this ‘dark, close wood’ immediately accessible and understandable. With clear prose and outstanding maps, this volume is a worthy successor to Gottfried’s other fine work,” said Chris Mackowski, Emerging Civil War Series editor and co-author of That Furious Struggle: Chancellorsville and the High Tide of the Confederacy.

Author Gottfried is pleased with the end result of his efforts. “I learn so much while researching and writing my map studies, and this was especially true of The Maps of the Wilderness,” said Dr. Gottfried. “My motivation in undertaking these projects is to help inform others of these pivotal events.”

About the Author: Dr. Bradley M. Gottfried holds a Ph.D. in Zoology from Miami University and is currently the President of the College of Southern Maryland. An avid Civil War historian, Dr. Gottfried serves as a board member of the Central Virginia Battlefield Trust and is the author of ten books, including four previous Savas Beatie Military Atlas titles (First Bull Run, Antietam, Gettysburg, and Bristoe Station/Mine Run). He is currently finalizing (with Theodore P. Savas) The Gettysburg Campaign Encyclopedia, and his next map study on the Fredericksburg Campaign.

About Savas Beatie LLC: Savas Beatie LLC is a leading military and general history publishing company. Read more about The Maps of the Wilderness, including excerpts from the book and an interview with the author: http://tinyurl.com/jeyoa3e .

Contact: Michele Sams, Savas Beatie LLC
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 916-941-6896, Fax: 916-941-6895