The Civil War on the River Lines of Virginia, 1862-1864: Decision on the Rappahannock and the Rapidan River
By David F. Trask
(June 2010 Civil War News)

Maps, notes, bibliography, index, 208 pp., 2009, University Press of America Inc., www.univpress.com, $33, softcover.

Having authored works on the Spanish-American and First World Wars, David Trask is no stranger to strategy and tactics. In this volume he examines the Civil War in the East and concentrates on the area in North-Central Virginia almost equidistant from the opposing capitals of Washington and Richmond.

The thesis Trask puts forth is the centrality of the four battles fought in this area (Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness and Spotsylvania) to the outcome of the conflict.

The geography of the river lines made them the only truly defensible positions for the Confederacy to halt a Union drive on Richmond. Lee’s retreat from that area south toward the capital after Spotsylvania in May 1864 effectively sealed the doom of the Southern cause.

Trask explains both sides’ overall strategies and then does a good job describing the strategic and tactical aspects of the four key battles. Numerous situational maps accompany the text; however, they are small and hand-drawn.

Notes at the end of the chapters show use of the Official Records and well-known primary and secondary sources. One noticeable omission is Daniel Sutherland’s Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville: The Dare Mark Campaign, which covered those campaigns with a somewhat similar thesis.

There is an interesting epilogue to the book in which Trask expands a bit on the idea of what might have happened if the Confederacy had sued for peace once the Federals breached the river lines. Even though this discussion is only conjecture, it would be intriguing to see the author expand upon it in a future publication.

At $33 the book is pricey for its length and soft-cover binding, as well as the hand-drawn maps and lack of illustrations. However, the writing style is good, and the strategic and tactical analysis well-reasoned. The assertion that the collapse of the river lines led to the collapse of the Confederacy, though, could use further exploration.

Reviewer: Kenneth D. Williams

Kenneth D. Williams is writing a book on the 11th Pennsylvania Volunteers and is doing doctoral level work in American history. He has worked as a park ranger at Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site.