We Are in for It!: The First Battle of Kernstown March 23, 1862

by Gary L. Ecelbarger

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1572490535
• ISBN13: 9781572490536
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: White Mane Publishing Company
• Length: 392 Pages
• Weight: 1.78 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Battle Study!

"We Are In For It" is one of the best battle-level studies I've ever read. Ecelbarger obviously knows this often unappreciated battle well. He places First Kernstown in context with events both several months prior and after the battle, and effortlessly provides a highly readable account of the ebb and flow of the battle. Troop movements are provided in detail, in some cases right down to the company level. Great source material from participants is interwoven into the narrative, giving the reader a great feel for the battle. The great jewels of this book are the maps - twenty of them! They are superbly done and allow for a wondefully easy time in following the action. This is a must read for anyone interested in Jackson's Valley Campaign.

Excellent Small Battle book

Writing a readable book is not an easy task, writing a readable book about history is harder. Even harder is writing a readable book about an obscure historical event. Making the event real, immediate and understandable is an accomplishment that should be recognized. Mr. Ecelbarger manages to do this in a very real way. This book succeeds on many levels, first it is well written, instructive and a pleasure to read. The central battle is not an isolated event but carefully placed within the fabric of the war, campaign and the local area. We understand what leads the armies to this particular place and why each side is making incorrect assessments. The aftermath is very well done giving us a balanced view of where the battle took the war and those that fought it. This little battle continued to reverberate for many years as participants attempted to justify there actions that day. The Jackson/Garnett controversy starts here but continues to our day. The charges, counter charges, defense and string pulling make a fascinating read. That Jackson managed to keep from losing and Garnett was never able to emerge from under the cloud the charges cast says much about the system and the men. Most of all this is a battle book and it delivers a battle! The maps are plentiful and excellent! You will not get lost on the field and you will understand where things are. This is one of the strongest points of the book. The battle narration and the maps allow the reader to keep up and stay in position. I have never been to the field and read little about the battle but with them, I understood what was going on and never got lost. Another major item is personalizing the men fighting the battle. It is hard to do this in a big battle when the participants have star power. Their are some stars on this field but the majority are just ordinary people participating in an extraordinary event. The author does an excellent job in telling us about them and what happed to them later. I always like this in small battle histories and it is well done and interesting. Overall, this is an excellent book, well worth the money, an enjoyable read and a learning experience.

A superb battle monograph and more

To the average Civil War student, the First Battle of Kernstown appears a hopeless, lopsided engagement where Jackson's forces never had a chance. That is how I had long viewed the engagement based on summaries of the battle. Gary Ecelbarger's book reveals a far different reality. Despite the disparity in numbers, Jackson's attack was not simple folly that was easily and predictably repulsed. This was a desperate fight that was a surprisingly close affair. The author presents a refreshingly balanced view of the campaign from both the CSA and Union perspective. By comparison, otherwise fine works such as Tanner's "Stonewall in the Valley" are understandably focused on Jackson's army. In particular, Ecelbarger's account of the Winter Romney Campaign presents the Union side of the story from Brig. Gen. Lander's position, making it an appropriate companion to Tanner's work. The author has done an outstanding job of tying together the phases of the battle and explaining a confused fight. Participants such as Tyler and Shields (and even Jackson!) had sought to obscure the truth and had been disappointingly successful. Mr. Ecelbarger has peeled back the curtain using the accounts of participants to reveal Tyler's disastrous attack in column, the presence of multiple stonewalls as key features in the battle, as well as explaining the confusion over Garnett's whereabouts. Shields claims of a master deception are soundly refuted, and Kimball is given his proper credit (and blame with respect to Sandy Ridge.) While the author's conclusions about the impact of Kernstown appear sound, there is one point that is not well supported. Shields is blamed for the vast over estimation/exaggeration of CSA numbers. While on the surface this is true, it is also clear that Kimball, Banks and others in a position to know differently were similarly deceived, and they most likely influenced the wounded Shields perception after the battle. The reality of the confusion is revealed by Banks' initial concern that he was being sent to his death pursuing the defeated foe! It should also be noted that for such a small force, Jackson was fielding a rather large compliment of artillery (over twice the norm, and more guns than the Union had present.) The battle map detail is some of the best I've seen-nineteen maps covering all phases of the battle at battalion level, and with important details such as the location of stonewalls. The scale is adjusted as appropriate to show large or small movements. The topographical effect could be enhanced, but this is a minor quibble. One thing lacking is a sufficient campaign scale map. Another commendable feature: Mr. Ecelbarger's examination of the true strength of Union forces at Kernstown--far fewer than most believe. I wish more authors would go into such detail explaining how many soldiers were actually on the field from each unit in given engagements.

We are in for it!

A useful study of a battle that doesn't get enough attention. The author states in his introduction that he feels the battle has been misinterpreted, but he never clearly gives his thesis. That's a minor glitch in an overall vivid portrayal of the events. As a student of the 27th Virginia I was excited to learn about their heroic performance here. The battle recreated in microcosm some of the war's larger tactical themes, giving a pretty clear view of the new power of the defense, illustrating the screening role of cavalry, and making very plain the fact that attacking in column should stay in Napoleon's grave where it belonged, so even scholars not especially interested in the Valley Campaign will find something of interest in this study.

An excellant account of Stonewall Jackson's only defeat.

Gary Ecelbarger, a well known speaker and tour guide in the Northern Virginia area, has produced one of the finest battle histories published in the last decade. Ecelbarger's research, both meticulous and voluminous, tears away much of the myth surrounding Jackson's defeat at Kernstown. Ecelbarger is unsparing in his criticism of Jackson's handling of the battle, but still retains his objectivity. One welcome aspect of "We Are In For It" is its even-handed treatment of the Federal side, something that many other 1862 Valley Campaign books neglect. All told, this is a superlative effort by a rising young Civil War historian.Rod Gainer, Kernstown Battlefield Association