Radical Sacrifice

“No reader who picks up this book will want to put it down without finishing it. Although other authors have written about the case in the past, William Marvel has finally done justice for Fitz John Porter.”—Journal of America’s Military Past

“Thorough but eminently readable. . . . [A] great read for anyone who is a student of clear, well researched history.”—Civil War Book Review

“[Marvel’s] handling of Porter’s Civil War career reminds us of just how interwoven political considerations, military operations, and matters of personalities and interpersonal friction were during the conflict."—North Carolina Historical Review

“Marvel’s well-researched biography . . . serves as a sobering reminder of the political and personal rivalries that often marred the Union war effort from 1861 to 1865. “—New Mexico Historical Review

“Radical Sacrifice is an eloquently written defense of one of the most controversial figures in Civil War history. . . . [T]he book is to be commended for telling a lively story and doing so in a way that will inspire worthwhile debates on the meaning of political loyalty, civil-military relations, and wartime justice itself.”—The Journal of the Civil War Era

“From the opening of William Marvel’s book, the reader is drawn to Marvel’s collection of fascinating photographs. . . . These photos draw the reader into the narrative of the biography.”—The Southeastern Librarian

“This work is an excellent example of the conflict between truth and public perception of events.” —North Carolina Libraries

“Illuminating, insightful, and persuasive; the amount of detail is truly impressive, both in the descriptions of military operations and in the chronicling of the tortured path Porter had to travel to redemption.” — Ethan S. Rafuse, author of Manassas: A Battlefield Guide and editor of Corps Commanders in Blue: Union Major Generals in the Civil War

“William Marvel’s wonderfully crafted biography of Fitz John Porter presents a spirited tale of intrigue, prejudice, deception, and politics. Marvel’s close and skeptical reading of the sources along with a richly detailed account of the whole Porter controversy based on careful and meticulous research will please the most demanding students of Civil War history. This beautifully written and at times moving story deserves a wide readership.” — George C. Rable, author of Damn Yankees! Demonization and Defiance in the Confederate South