by Sean Michael Chick
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.
About the Author
Sean Michael Chick
has a master’s degree in history from Southeastern Louisiana University.
ISBN 978-1612347127, Potomac Books, © 2015, Hardcover, 480
pages, Photographs & Illustrations, Maps, Order of Battle, End Notes,
Bibliography & Index. $39.95. To purchase a copy of this book
click HERE.
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