David A. Powell

PowellMugshot-smDavid A. Powell is a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute (1983) with a BA in history. He has published numerous articles in various magazines, and more than fifteen historical simulations of different battles.

For the past decade, David’s focus has been on the epic battle of Chickamauga, and he is nationally recognized for his tours of that important battlefield. The result of that study are the volumes, The Maps of Chickamauga (2009), Failure in the Saddle (2010), and the three volumes of a Chickamauga trilogy. The Chickamauga Campaign: A Mad Irregular Battle was published in 2014, The Chickamauga Campaign: Glory or the Grave appeared in 2015; and the final volume, The Chickamauga Campaign: Barren Victory, was published in 2016.

David and his wife Anne live and work in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. He is Vice President of Airsped, Inc., a specialized delivery firm.

Publications:

Books

The Maps of Chickamauga. An Atlas of the Chickamauga Campaign, Including the Tullahoma Operations, June 22- September 23, 1863 (Savas Beatie, 2009)

Failure in the Saddle: Nathan Bedford Forrest, Joseph Wheeler, and the Confederate Cavalry in the Chickamauga Campaign (Savas Beatie, 2010)

The Chickamauga Campaign. A Mad Irregular Battle: From the Crossing of the Tennessee River Through the Second Day, August 22-September 19, 1863 (Savas Beatie, 2014)

The Chickamauga Campaign. Glory or the Grave: The Breakthrough, the Union Collapse, and the Defense of Horseshoe Ridge, September 20, 1863 (Savas Beatie, 2015)

The Chickamauga Campaign. Barren Victory: The Retreat into Chattanooga, The Confederate Pursuit, and the Aftermath of the Battle, September 21 to October 20, 1863 (Savas Beatie, 2016)

Battle Above the Clouds: Lifting the Siege of Chattanooga and the Battle of Lookout Mountain, October 16-November 24, 1863 (Savas Beatie, 2017)

Decisions at Chickamauga: The Twenty-Four Critical Decisions that Defined the Battle (University of Tennessee Press, 2018)

Union Command Failure in the Shenandoah Valley: Major General Franz Sigel and the War in the Valley of Virginia, May 1864 (Savas-Beatie, 2019)

All Hell Can’t Stop Them: The Battles for Chattanooga – Missionary Ridge and Ringgold, November 24-27, 1863 (Savas Beatie, 2019)

Impulse of Victory: Ulysses S. Grant at Chattanooga (Southern Illinois University Press, 2020)

Tullahoma: The Forgotten Campaign that Changed the Course of the Civil War, June 23—July 4, 1863 (Savas Beatie, 2020) co-authored with Eric Wittenberg.

Decisions at Shiloh: The Twenty-Two Critical Decisions at Shiloh (University of Tennessee Press, 2022)

Essays:

David A. Powell, “Negley at Horseshoe Ridge,” In Steven E. Woodworth, Ed. The Chickamauga Campaign. Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Press, 2010.

David A. Powell, “Nathan Bedford Forrest at Chickamauga,” In Evan C. Jones and Wiley Sword, eds., Gateway to the Confederacy. Louisiana State University Press, 2014.

David A. Powell, “The Army of the Cumberland and the Spirit of Innovation in 1863,” In Evan C. Jones and Wiley Sword, eds., Gateway to the Confederacy. Louisiana State University Press, 2014.

Magazine Articles:

David A. Powell, “Stuart’s Ride: Lee, Stuart, and the Confederate Cavalry in the Gettysburg Campaign.” Gettysburg Magazine, Issue No. 20. (January, 1999) pp. 27-43.

David A. Powell, “A Reconnaissance Gone Awry:  Captain Samuel R. Johnston’s Fateful Trip to Little Round Top.” Gettysburg Magazine, Issue No. 23. (June, 2000) pp. 88-99.

David A. Powell, “Advance to Disaster: Sickles, Longstreet, and July 2nd, 1863.” Gettysburg Magazine, Issue No. 28 (January, 2003). pp. 40-48.

David A. Powell, “the Battles for Horseshoe Ridge.” North & South Magazine, Vol. 8, No, 2 (March, 2005). pp. 48-58.

David A. Powell, “Citizen Soldier: John Beatty and His Brigade at Chickamauga.” North & South Magazine, Vol. 10, No. 1 (May, 2007). pp. 58-67.

David A. Powell, “Failure in the Saddle: Forrest at Chickamauga.” North & South Magazine, Vol. 13, No. 2 (July, 2011). pp. 34-45.