Mackowski's New Book, 'Chancellorsville:Crossroads of Fire,' Published

Chris Mackowski, associate professor of journalism and mass communication at St. Bonaventure University, has published a new book on the Civil War battle of Chancellorsville.

“Chancellorsville: Crossroads of Fire” recounts the events of the May 1863 battle, frequently cited as Confederate commander Robert E. Lee’s “greatest victory” because the Southern army overcame odds of nearly three to one. The book also serves as a tour guide for the battlefield.

“There’s a lot that’s been written about the battle over the years, but not much has been written about the battlefield,” Mackowski says. “It was really a treat to be able to take readers behind the scenes and recount the history of the battlefield.”

The book is designed so that readers can get an overview of the battlefield in a quick, easy-to-understand narrative, Mackowski explains. The book contains dozens of historical and contemporary photos and several original maps. “The books is something someone can pick up and read in an evening,” he says. “We wanted to create something that was really reader-friendly.”

Published by Thomas Publications, “Chancellorsville: Crossroads of Fire” is Mackowski’s third book in a series commissioned by the National Park Service. Previous volumes include “The Last Days of Stonewall Jackson” and “The Dark, Close Wood: The Wilderness, Ellwood, and the Battle that Redefined Both.”

For the past seven years, Mackowski has worked at Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park in central Virginia, the national park that includes the Chancellorsville battlefield, where he gives tours and interpretive programs. He has also written extensively about the war for Civil War Times, America’s Civil War, and Blue & Gray magazine.

Copies of Mackowski’s books are available locally at the St. Bonaventure University Bookstore and from Amazon.com.

Mackowski has taught at St. Bonaventure for 11 years.