Overview

Earl J.Hess's study of armies and fortifications turns to the 1864 Overland Campaign to cover battles from the Wilderness to Cold Harbor. Drawing on meticulous research in primary sources and careful examination of battlefields at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North Anna, Bermuda Hundred, and Cold Harbor, , Hess analyzes Union and Confederate movements and tactics and the new way Grant and Lee employed entrenchments in an evolving style of battle. Hess argues that Grant's relentless and pressing attacks kept the armies always within striking distance, compelling soldiers to dig in for protection. |Earl J.Hess's study of armies and fortifications turns to the 1864 Overland Campaign to cover battles from the Wilderness to Cold Harbor. Drawing on meticulous research in primary sources and careful examination of battlefields at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North Anna, Bermuda Hundred, and Cold Harbor, Hess analyzes Union and Confederate movements and tactics and the new way Grant and Lee employed entrenchments in an evolving style of battle. Hess argues that Grant's relentless and pressing attacks kept the armies always within striking distance, compelling soldiers to dig in for protection.

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9781469609942

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Hess's understanding of field fortifications is expertly conveyed, as are his explanations of why and how specific trenches were built. Maps and photographs add a visual layer to understanding the campaign. . . . Well-written and researched. -- Maryland Historical Magazine

A significant addition to the military history of the American Civil War and adds an important argument to a topic generally ignored by Civil War historians.-- Canadian Journal of History

A most important addition to the literature on this major campaign and [it] has certainly earned a place on the bookshelves of those fascinated by the Civil War and the men who fought. -- Virginia Magazine

The author covers familiar ground in writing about these battles, but does it in a brisk, informative way, offering his own analysis of command decisions and outcomes. . . . A valued resource.--H-Civil War Hess's understanding of field fortifications is expertly conveyed, as are his explanations of why and how specific trenches were built. Maps and photographs add a visual layer to understanding the campaign. . . . Well-written and researched.--Maryland Historical Magazine A significant addition to the military history of the American Civil War and adds an important argument to a topic generally ignored by Civil War historians.--Canadian Journal of History

Author Information

Earl J. Hess is associate professor of history at Lincoln Memorial University. He is author of many books on the Civil War, including, most recently, The Civil War in the West: Victory and Defeat from the Appalachians to the Mississippi.

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