Cold Harbor to the Crater: The End of the Overland Campaign (Military Campaigns of the Civil War)

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. 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--jacket. Introduction / Gary W. Gallagher And Caroline E. Janney -- The Two Generals Who Resist Each Other: Perceptions Of Grant And Lee In The Summer Of 1864 / Gary W. Gallagher -- Repairing An Army: A Look At The New Troops In The Army Of Northern Virginia In May And June 1864 / Robert E. L. Krick -- I Told Him To Go On: Enduring Cold Harbor / Kathryn Shively Meier -- Breastworks Are Good Things To Have On Battlefields: Confederate Engineering Operations And Field Fortifications In The Overland Campaign / Keith S. Bohannon -- Francis Channing Barlow's Civil War / Joan Waugh -- Grant's Disengagement From Cold Harbor: June 12-13, 1864 / Gordon C. Rhea -- We Will Finish The War Here: Confederate Morale In The Petersburg Trenches, June And July 1864 / M. Keith Harris -- A War Thoroughfare: Confederate Civilians And The Siege Of Petersburg / Caroline E. Janney -- The Devil Himself Could Not Have Checked Them: Fighting With Black Soldiers At The Crater / Kevin M. Levin -- The Battle Of The Crater In Recent Fiction / Stephen Cushman. Edited By Gary W. Gallagher & Caroline E. Janney. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Cover -- Contents -- Introduction -- The Two Generals Who Resist Each Other: Perceptions of Grant and Lee in the Summer of 1864 -- Repairing an Army: A Look at the New Troops in the Army of Northern Virginia in May and June 1864 -- I Told Him to Go On: Enduring Cold Harbor -- Breastworks Are Good Things to Have on Battlefields: Confederate Engineering Operations and Field Fortifications in the Overland Campaign -- Francis Channing Barlow's Civil War -- Grant's Disengagement from Cold Harbor: June 12-13, 1864 -- We Will Finish the War Here: Confederate Morale in the Peters burg Trenches, June and July 1864 -- A War Thoroughfare: Confederate Civilians and the Siege of Petersburg -- The Devil Himself Could Not Have Checked Them: Fighting with Black Soldiers at the Crater -- The Battle of the Crater in Recent Fiction -- Bibliographic Essay -- Contributors -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- J -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W Between the end of May and the beginning of August 1864, Lt. Gen. U.S. Grant and Gen. R.E. Lee oversaw the transition between the Overland campaign and what became a gruelling, eight and a half month investment of Petersburg that eventually compelled Confederates to abandon Richmond. Although many historians have marked Grant's crossing of the James on June 12-15 as the close of the campaign, this volume, the tenth in the 'Military Campaigns of the Civil War' series, situates the fighting from Cold Harbor on June 1-3 through the battle of the Crater on July 30 as the last phase of the campaign. Together the ten essays examine strategy and tactics, the performances of key commanders on each side, the campaign's political repercussions, and the experiences of civilians caught in the path of the armies