In this original examination of Civil War leadership, W.J. Wood looks at the tactical and strategic problems faced by commanders by focusing on three decisive battles and the six generals involved in each one. The Charlotte Observer hailed the way Wood "has interwoven drama, anecdotes, humor and human glimpses of these commanders" and called the book "gripping". Wood analyzes the campaign at Cedar Mountain, directed by Stonewall Jackson and Nathaniel Banks; the battle of Chickamauga, commanded by Braxton Bragg and William Rosecrans; and the battle of Nashville, where John Bell Hood engaged opponent George H. Thomas -- deftly describing the art of war these men developed, an art that still provides paradigms for military leaders today.