“[Connelly’s] analysis of the geographical, economic, and psychological factors that molded Confederate strategy in the Tennessee Valley is a thoroughly original contribution, both in conception and information presented. . . . Without question, one of the best military studies of the war.”—Civil War History

“An impressive addition to the growing body of literature treating the neglected Confederate heartland. [Connelly’s] study is based largely on manuscripts, and from these he has obtained much informative detail and some provocative new insights. He does not hesitate to pass judgment on leaders high and low, and while his assessments are more often critical than favorable, he manifests a commendable sense of responsibility.”—Bell I. Wiley, Journal of Southern History