ePub Rhode Island and the Civil War:: Voices From the Ocean State (Civil War Series) by Robert Grandchamp in History

Description

Winner; 2014; The Douglas Southall Freeman Award The wide-ranging and largely ignored operations around Petersburg; Virginia; were the longest and most extensive of the entire Civil War. The fighting began in June of 1864; when advance elements from the Union Army of the Potomac crossed the James River and botched a series of attacks against a thinly defended city. The fighting ended nine long months later in the first days of April of 1865. In Volume I of The Petersburg Campaign; legendary historian Edwin C. Bearss detailed the first six major engagements on the “Eastern Front;” from the initial attack on the city on June 9 through the Second Battle of Ream’s Station on August 25; 1864. In Volume II; Bearss turns his attention and pen to the final half-dozen large-scale combats in The Petersburg Campaign: The Western Front Battles; September 1864 – April 1865. Although commonly referred to as the “Siege of Petersburg;” the city (as well as the Confederate capital at Richmond) was never fully isolated and the combat involved much more than static trench warfare. In fact; much of the wide-ranging fighting involved massive multi-corps Union offensives designed to cut important roads and rail lines feeding Petersburg and Richmond. This second installment includes these major battles: - Peebles’ Farm (September 29 – October 1; 1864) - Burgess Mill (October 27; 1864) - Hatcher’s Run (February 5 – 7; 1865) - Fort Stedman (March 25; 1865) - Five Forks Campaign (March 29 – April 1; 1865) - The Sixth Corps Breaks Lee’s Petersburg Lines (April 2; 1865) Accompanying these salient chapters are two dozen original maps by Civil War cartographer George Skoch; coupled with photos and illustrations. Taken together; these two volumes present the most comprehensive and thorough understanding of the major military episodes comprising the fascinating 'Petersburg Campaign'.