Strange Battles of the Civil War

Strange Battles of the Civil War is an anecdotal look at engagements during the Civil War that have unique or unusual aspects. Arranged chronologically from the beginning of the conflict through its conclusion, these battles include victories against overwhelming odds, lost or misdirected orders that affected the outcomes of battles, action without orders that led to stunning results, battles with wholly unexpected political results, the "acoustic shadow" phenomenon that prevented commanders in the field from responding to nearby actions, unusual participants, unique or novel animals or equipment in battle, extremely low - and unbelievably high - casualties, and peculiar objectives. Relatively little attention is given to logistics. Instead, the focus is on the human-interest factors in these accounts.