“Explores the first phase of General William Tecumseh Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign in the summer of 1864 . . . Clear and concise” (The Civil War Monitor). Poised on the edge of Georgia for the first time in the war, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, newly elevated to command the Union’s western armies, eyed Atlanta covetously—the South’s last great untouched prize. “Get into the interior of the enemy’s country as far as you can, inflicting all the damage you can against their War resources,” his superior, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, ordered. But blocking the way was the Confederate Army of Tennessee, commanded by one of the Confederacy’s most defensive-minded generals, Joseph E. Johnston. All Johnston had to do, as Sherman moved through hostile territory, was slow the Federal advance long enough to find the perfect opportunity to strike. And so began the last great campaign in the West: Sherman’s long and bloody task. The acknowledged expert on all things related to the battle of Atlanta, historian Stephen Davis has lived in the area his entire life, and in A Long and Bloody Task, he tells the tale of the Atlanta campaign as only a native can. He brings his Southern sensibility to the Emerging Civil War Series, known for its engaging storytelling and accessible approach to history. “An operational level narrative and tour of the first two and a half months of the Atlanta Campaign . . . A fine overview of military events in North Georgia.” —Civil War Books and Authors