"Seven Days Battles - Book Suggestions Please" Topic

Any offers on a good book for the Seven Days?

Enough detail on each action to make them interesting and a good strategic overview required.

'To the Gates of Richmond' by Stephen Sears. Excellent strategic campaign overview accompanied by detailed commentary on the major actions.

I'll second the Sears book. It's the only one I've read with enough information to be interesting for a gamer.

The Seven Days – The Emergence of Robert E. Lee by Clifford Dowdey is pretty darn good.

I second the Dowdy book as an excellent read. The author really pulls you in to the story. Dowdy is an unabashed Lee advocate though, so Sears might give a more balanced view.

This was the first Stephen Sears book I read, and perhaps is still my favorite by him. I thought he managed to make sense of what, for me, was a confusing series of actions. Very engagingly written as well.

Another vote for Sears.

I like them both.

I bought and listened to Sears' book on Audible. Its great to be able to paint and listen to some inspiration to get on with the painting at the same time!

Thanks for the advice guys.

I prefer to take both my whisky and history straight, so it looks like Sears will edge this one as I'm looking for an assessment of Lee/Lee's Staff work in this Campaign.

Yeah, Sears is no beguiled romantic of the Lost Cause, that's for sure. He's not a fan of Little Mac, either. Makes for a good read. :)

All four of his campaign treatments are highly recommended.

Well that's all good, I'm not a fan of McClellan either.

I'm just keen to follow up a point made in another book around the fact that the Seven Days saw armies that had trebled in size in a year and were then the two largest armies an American had ever commanded.

Consequently, Staff and Command work went to hell and it worked more against the Confederates than the Union as Lee was intent on attack to drive the AoP away from Richmond.

Just to say I've started on Sear's book and I'm really pleased with it.

I like his writing style which reminds me of Gordon Rhea, which is 'a good thing' as far as I'm concerned.

I've also purchased a copy of his "Controversies and Commanders", which having read a few snatches from the section on McClellan, looks like a sound buy as well.