Landscape Turned Red : The Battle of Antietam

[b:Landscape Turned Red: Battle of Antietam 1281587 Landscape Turned Red Battle of Antietam Stephen W. Sears https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1387653302s/1281587.jpg 668010] is without a doubt the best single-volume history of the battle of Antietam. Sears is a good writer and historian, and he brings the battle to life with emotion and close attention to detail. The book tells the story of a lost opportunity. An intelligence coup gave General George McClellan the opportunity to use the superb tool he had created, The Army of the Potomac, to destroy Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and quite possibly bring the war to an early end. However, he dithered and gave Lee time to put his army in a strong defensive position behind Antietam creek. This pretty much guaranteed a very bloody day for all concerned. McClellan still could have decisively defeated the Confederate forces, albeit at a greater cost than if he had acted quickly, if he had been willing to commit his army to a general attack. He had a 2 to 1 advantage in numbers and his army was better equipped and in better condition. Instead he committed his forces piecemeal, permitting the defenders to hold them off and make their escape bloodied but unbroken the next day. The war continued for another three years. Opportunity lost.I would say this book is a must read for students of American history, and if one wants to write a story that includes that bloody day, this book should be constantly at hand.