Book Analysis of Stephen W. Sears’ Landscape Turned Red

Stephen W. Sears’ Landscape Turned Red is an account of political and military plans. Especially General Robert E. Lee’s Maryland Campaign as well as the Battle of Antietam. Sears frames his work around the pending support of Great Britain and France to the Confederate cause due to cotton. Landscape Turned Red covers the battle of Antietam. It offers a vivid account of both armies, the soldiers and officers, and the bloody campaign. It analyzes the impact of Antietam on the Civil War as a whole. Sears' use of diaries, dispatches, and letters recreate the Battle of Antietam. You experience the battle not only from its leaders but also by its soldiers, both Union and Confederate. Sears attempts to examine the tactical moves of both Lee and General George McClellan. He also talks about the foolish decisions that troubled both the Federal and Confederate forces. Sears' use of traits, political pursuits, and tactical preferences, explain the thoughts of many. Some of these include President Lincoln, General Halleck and General McClellan, and their subordinates. Stephen Ward Sears is an American historian specializing in the American Civil War. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and an attendant to a journalism seminar at Radcliffe-Harvard. As an author he has concentrated on the military history of the American Civil War. Such as the battles and leaders of the Army of the Potomac. He was an editor for the Educational Department at American Heritage Publishing Company. American Heritage Publishing two of his ten books.
Sears’ thesis is the Union could have won the war faster. McClellan was an incompetent commander and to take the initiative to attack an defeat the Confederate army. The Army of Northern Virginia, under...

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...ents of the Battle of Antietam. Sears’s accessible style will make the book just as appealing to the general reader. The book is approachable and enjoyable. Landscape Turned Red is a little to long for me to enjoy it to the fullest without getting bored and tired of reading it. Anyone with any interest in this battle should examine this work.
Landscape Turned Red is well written. Sears does a good job of describing the battle especially with his use of quotes from those fighting in the battle. Although it was too lengthy for me to experience what Sears is writing about, in the amount of time, I would recommend this book to anyone. This book would be great for students, teachers, historians, and even the ‘average joe’. Sears did an excellent job of accomplishing his purpose to not only show you what the battle was like but also to examine those in the battle.