PDF Strung Out on Archaeology: An Introduction to Archaeological Research by Laurie A Wilkie in History

Description

The Battle of Petersburg was the culmination of the Virginia Overland campaign; which pitted the Army of the Potomac; led by Ulysses S. Grant and George Gordon Meade; against Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. In spite of having outmaneuvered Lee; after three days of battle in which the Confederates at Petersburg were severely outnumbered; Union forces failed to take the city; and their final; futile attack on the fourth day only added to already staggering casualties. By holding Petersburg against great odds; the Confederacy arguably won its last great strategic victory of the Civil War.In The Battle of Petersburg; June 15–18; 1864; Sean Michael Chick takes an in-depth look at an important battle often overlooked by historians and offers a new perspective on why the Army of the Potomac’s leadership; from Grant down to his corps commanders; could not win a battle in which they held colossal advantages. He also discusses the battle’s wider context; including politics; memory; and battlefield preservation. Highlights include the role played by African American soldiers on the first day and a detailed retelling of the famed attack of the First Maine Heavy Artillery; which lost more men than any other Civil War regiment in a single battle. In addition; the book has a fresh and nuanced interpretation of the generalships of Grant; Meade; Lee; P. G. T. Beauregard; and William Farrar Smith during this critical battle.