Forward to Richmond - Maybe

An 1862 Civil War editorial cartoon, “Masterly Inactivity,” shows two giant generals relaxing in rocking chairs, eyeing each other with telescopes across the Potomac River, while tiny soldiers on the banks have a snowball fight with cannonballs. In Virginia, it’s the first six months of the war in a nutshell.

With Forward to Richmond, author Brian K. Burton examines the minds and actions of Union Gen. George McClellan and Confederate Gen. Joe Johnston and their wariness during the first half of 1862. Both leaders, focused on protecting Washington and Richmond, respectively, spent much of their time keeping the status quo. Add in egos and politics, and the inaction of the first months of 1862 comes into focus. That’s not to say there weren’t battles—Gaines’s Mill and Malvern Hill were big and bloody—but without the results that gave one side an advantage.

One of the book’s strengths is that it takes us beyond troop movements and strategies to show that burned bridges, floods, miscommunication, hunger, and fatigue were just as likely to influence outcomes as fighting—things that West Point textbooks probably never considered. This shines a light on the chaos of war and helps explain why early 1862 was such a careful dance. And maps throughout the book provide much‑needed visual aids for understanding how battles unfolded and who was involved.

Readers may find the sheer number of actors, movements, and locations overwhelming, especially with no clear results to clarify things. Burton’s writing is generally straightforward, but he sometimes reaches too far with his vocabulary. Words like celerity and manumission creep in.

One can think of Forward to Richmond as a school‑of‑hard‑knocks lesson. Rocking‑chair commanders were finished. Victory would require no mercy.

I received an advance reading copy from NetGalley.