Between the end of May and the beginning of August 1864; Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Gen. Robert E. Lee oversaw the transition between the Overland campaign—a remarkable saga of maneuvering and brutal combat—and what became a grueling siege of Petersburg that many months later compelled Confederates to abandon Richmond. Although many historians have marked Grant's crossing of the James River on June 12–15 as the close of the Overland campaign; this volume interprets the fighting from Cold Harbor on June 1–3 through the battle of the Crater on July 30 as the last phase of an operation that could have ended without a prolonged siege. The contributors assess the campaign from a variety of perspectives; examining strategy and tactics; the performances of key commanders on each side; the centrality of field fortifications; political repercussions in the United States and the Confederacy; the experiences of civilians caught in the path of the armies; and how the famous battle of the Crater has resonated in historical memory. As a group; the essays highlight the important connections between the home front and the battlefield; showing some of the ways in which military and nonmilitary affairs played off and influenced one another.Contributors include Keith S. Bohannon; Stephen Cushman; M. Keith Harris; Robert E. L. Krick; Kevin M. Levin; Kathryn Shively Meier; Gordon C. Rhea; and Joan Waugh.
#2445323 in Books The University of North Carolina Press 2013-08-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.20 x 1.60 x 6.10l; 2.05 #File Name: 1469609738648 pages
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Big on research; Big in size; Big on PoliticsBy C. BradenBig book. Mostly about politics. It is NOT a book about the everyday guy and what his life was like outside the political sphere; so if you are looking for how Joe raised his wheat crop or divorce in New York or anything along that personal line this is not the book for you. If you want to know about the political parties; slavery; etc. this is your book8 of 20 people found the following review helpful. Content rich; yet tediousBy MozartnyThis book contains a wealth of information about Columbia County area (home of Martin van Buren) in the time of the Revolution and immediately after. In general; the book is a good though dry read. The author includes charts of statistical information that help summarize the material; but there are also line graphs that are nearly useless. The book is dense with facts about this important time in our history. Unfortunately; that leaves little room for insights into the very people discussed in the book.
