III. James A. Morgan

James A. Morgan III served as a guide to the battlefield at Ball's Bluff, and his intimate familiarity with the ground made him dissatisfied with standard accounts of the battle. He has produced an extremely detailed account of the battle based on both extensive research of the literature and a careful survey of the site. In the text, he gives conflicting reports of events and attempts to resolve them into the most likely. In addition to the account of the battle, there is a very detailed guide to the site as it now exists for both walking and driving tours. Appendices include an annotated order of battle, a history of memorials, and a discussion of controversies to complex to be handled within the basic texts. Added to these are notes, a bibliography and an index. It is difficult for me to imagine a more authoritative work.

I have read another book: Brian Farwell's Ball's Bluff: A Small Battle and Its Long Shadow. That book is not as detailed or authoritative an account of the battle, but it is somewhat more readable for someone daunted by the very detail and complexity. As its subtitle implies, it includes more of the context of the battle, and is a good addition to an overall understanding of the larger implications.… (más)