Customer Reviews

In the Trenches at Petersburg: Field Fortifications and Confederate Defeat (Civil War America)

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

I agree whole-heartedly with the other three reviewers in giving this work five stars. It is scholarly and breaks new ground on the battles around Petersburg or siege if you prefer. The author takes a rather unorthodox approach to the siege -- one stressing the fortifications and engineering on both sides during the siege. This approach explains a great deal as to why the siege progressed the way it did, and that after Meade's initial failure to seize Petersburg in Grant's surprise move from north of the James River, Lee's army was only going to be beaten by attrition and stretching them beyond their ability to defend their works.

Grant always possessed a superiority in numbers, but overall did not reach that point whereby the Confederates could not effectively man all their fortifications until April 2nd, immediately after the battle of Five Forks. At that point the Sixth Corps carried the Confederate works from West to East, effectively forcing Lee to abandon Petersburg.

One of the most interesting points made in this work is that the Federals were forced to extend their fortifications to the West with protection facing South as well as facing North against the Confederate lines defending Petersburg. The Union Army was constantly threatened by raids from the South and West, and each time Grant sent forces to the West to extend his lines, a battle ensued -- one that generally cost the Federals more casualties than the Confederates, but also forced the Confederates to progressively weaken their lines to meet the extended Federal threat of turning their western (right) flank.

The importance of fortifications came into being due to the armies remaining in close contact with each other. That was a new feature in the Virginia: after Grant attacked South in the Wilderness, from that point forward Grant remained in contact with Lee's army and forced Lee to react to his moves. Attacks were seldom successful against well-developed fortifications, and both sides attempted such attacks although Meade's attacks were larger and more costly. Towards the end, the soldiers on both sides refused to attack fortifications they felt were too strong, and even in his movements to lengthen his lines, Meade could not always depend on his soldiers. This contrasted markedly with the army's performance during Lee's retreat to Appomattox when both armies were in the open. Casualties were incurred and accepted without question by Federal soldiers while chasing Lee and attempting to bring the war to a close.

The only negative I have for this book concerns the maps. The work lacks a good overall map, and in spite of good efforts by the author to dovetail maps with his narrative, I found myself wanting more, and in some cases, more detailed maps showing troop movements in addition to just fortifications. For example, I was not able to see exactly how Mahone approached Warren in his counterattack during the 4th offensive.

I believe this work is destined to become a military classic, and it certainly belongs on the shelf of everyone interested in the military history of the Civil War. It presents information and action analysis not contained in the Official Record, and as such is a very great contribution to understanding how the Petersburg campaign went the way it did.

Highly recommended.

Earl J. Hess's "In the Trenches at Petersburg: Field Fortifications & Confederate Defeat" completes a trilogy begun with "Field Armies and Fortifications in the Civil War: The Eastern Campaigns, 1861-1864" and continued with "Trench Warfare under Grant & Lee: Field Fortifications in the Overland Campaign". Together with his "The Rifle-Musket in Civil War Combat: Reality and Myth", these books certainly place Hess in the forefront of military scholars who look at the "how" of battle and not just the traditional "what" and "who". The popular view of Civil War battle is more or less that everybody stood in long lines opposite one another and blazed away until there was no one left standing; Hess's work reveals a far more complex activity.

In the preface to his new book, Earl Hess remarks that "Petersburg was less of a siege than it was a traditional field campaign with some limited aspects of siege warfare." And he amply demonstrates thereafter that although field fortifications played a vital role (or multiple vital roles) in the Petersburg fighting, the campaign was much more than static trench warfare. In the past hundred years there have been only two general studies of the Petersburg Campaign published, Noah Andre Trudeau's "The Last Citadel" and John Horn's "The Petersburg Campaign", both works somewhat limited in their depth of scholarship, plus various separate works dealing with specific events during the overall campaign (most notably Richard J. Sommers's "Richmond Redeemed" and A. Wilson Greene's "Breaking the Backbone of the Rebellion"). Therefore, in the present volume Hess has undertaken to provide "a general history of the campaign to set the proper context for understanding fortifications and engineering operations". He has done an admirable job of crafting a one-volume general history of the Petersburg Campaign, although of course special attention is paid to the use of field fortifications within that campaign. Hess contends that such fortifications were not merely of defensive importance, allowing Lee to long hold out against superior numbers, but also that the rapid construction of field works served a vital offensive purpose as well, allowing Union troops to secure newly-won positions against threatened counterattacks. Although Grant's weary army stumbled badly in its initial efforts to seize Petersburg in June, 1864, in large part due to Confederate use of fortifications, within a couple months Union forces had begun to demonstrate a grasp of a strategy (Hess calls it "bite-and-hold") of making short movements to the left to extend the line in short stages, consolidating those advances by means of field fortifications, that would eventually lead to Lee's defeat and the destruction of the South's per-eminent field army. Hess presents a picture of the lengthy Petersburg Campaign as not being so much a long sequence of Confederate successes and Union failures as instead a series of steps that inexorably led to a great victory by the Union forces.

Against this background of describing the overall campaign, Hess presents the details of how both Confederate and Union field fortifications were designed and built and their preservation into the modern era, and describes the practicalities of living and fighting in those entrenchments.

This is a first-rate work of military scholarship, worthy of a place on the bookshelves of almost any Civil War enthusiast, one of those too-rare books that provide a genuinely new understanding of the past.

Joined with "Field Armies and Fortifications in the Civil War: The Eastern Campaigns" and "Trench Warfare under Grant and Lee: Field Fortifications in the Overland Campaign", this book completes an extensive discussion of fortifications in the East. The series traces both the development and acceptance of "digging in" during the war. While these books are specific to the East, all armies shared many of the techniques and attitudes.
The Petersburg Campaign has very few general studies and only this book concentrates on fortifications. The author has created a first rate history of the campaign with the fortifications central to the story. In doing so, he has added a valuable and much needed book to our library. This book works on several levels: it completes the study of fortifications, it is a comprehensive history of the Petersburg Campaign and it is an excellent read. Earl J. Hess is one of our best authors, writing with a sure ability and full knowledge of the subject. He can make complex technical issues understandable without having to "dumb down" the discussion. His books are a joy to read as well as a source of information.
We start by covering the engineering abilities of the two armies and their approach to fortifications, cross the James River encounter the Confederates and stalemate. These fifty pages are a solid foundation for the balance of the book. Each decision comes after a decision of the events leading up to it, allowing the reader to fully understand the issues, options and reasons for this course of action. This approach makes the campaign both understandable and logical. Interspersed between these chapters are chapters on the fortifications. These chapters cover the building and maintaining of earthen forts. The strongest part is living conditions and how the armies tried to cope. This is some of the strongest writing on the Petersburg Campaign I have seen. The author is not inserting a couple of required chapters but making this part of the story. The result is a very strong dual history of military operations and fortifications.
Maps are very good, plentiful and illustrative of the text. As we get deeper into the military operations, the maps are closer together. I never had problems finding a map nor finding what I need on a map. The illustrations are excellent. For the most part, they are Nineteenth Century photographs of the fortifications taken shortly after the war. The well-placed illustrations have text telling us what we are looking at and what to look for. The footnotes are helpful, use excellent sources and correctly formatted.
Appendix 1 is a look at how the fortifications fared after the war, a short history of preservation or exploitation that resulted in the present parks. Appendix 2 is a technical discussion on the fortifications.
This is an excellent readable history of the Petersburg Campaign and a technical discussion of the fortifications. You should consider this when building or maintaining your Civil War library.

This is Hess' third book on the Eastern Theater, all involving analysis of the use and building of trenches, redoubts and forts during various segments of those eastern campaigns. Hess, who provides more detail on the construction of earthworks than anyone in Civil War literature does, provides an in-depth description of the type of forts and trenches for both Confederate and Union in this 9-month campaign. Starting virtually from the Confederate Howlett lines and the early but relatively weak Dimmock lines around Petersburg, Hess describes the development of the immense construction of trenches and redoubts, later numbering roughly 123 miles. He does this while describing each of Grant's campaigns to take Petersburg and Richmond. The obvious known, the battle of the crater and the late attempt by the Confederates to take Fort Steadman that ended in disaster for both sides, are superseded as Hess takes you further into the detailed on construction of all forts, works, and mining and countermining. What I like about the book are the extensive descriptions of construction, some of which will require a quick study of siege terminology. This includes how these complex works were built. He includes details on not only mining but also numerous countermining efforts. He also describes well the harsh conditions of living in these environs, such as bombproofs used for shelters. Another interesting detail is the unique description of the battlefield operations such as how 'covered ways' were provided developed to protect troops and wagons serving entrenchments and redoubts. The appendixes review the state of the earthworks immediately after the war based on testimony from the period. In addition, Hess discusses the construction of several forts, many that survive today as he discusses their construction with diagrams and pictures. The book is replete with historic photographs that demonstrate how complex these defensive works were for both sides. Hess borrows significantly from Wilson Green's very good book, "The Final Battles of the Petersburg Campaign: Breaking the Backbone of the Rebellion's", particularly maps. One critic notes that the book is more a micro view of Petersburg that does not provide in-depth analysis of what lead to the overall defeat. However, Hess does provide a brief discussion on the effect of Grant's constant stretching of his line west that not only severely tested Lee's manpower resources but also his engineering ability to maintain competent works. However, that detail is brief since the story is about the works, the campaign actions serving as a backdrop. The primary part of the book is 280 pages, the balance are appendices, references and index.

I have been a fan of Earl Hess' books since reading "Pea Ridge: Civil War Campaign of the West," co-written with William L. Shea, and released in 1997. I read his other books on field fortifications, "Field Armies and Fortifications," and "Trench Warfare Under Grant and Lee," both of which are near the top of my favorite Civil War titles. When I learned of Hess' third book on field fortifications, "In the Trenches of Petersburg: Field Fortifications and Confederate Defeat," I immediately reached out to Earl and asked for a review copy. The University of North Carolina Press sent me the book in March.

Very early in the book, Hess made an assertion that struck me. In essence, Hess makes a strong case that the actions around Petersburg were not a traditional siege, but a series of nine offensive actions with some siege components. With that theory well supported, Hess provides a tremendous amount of detail on the elaborate field fortifications that were built east, and south, of Petersburg, and north of the James River, facing Richmond. These fortifications represent the most elaborate field works of any Civil War battlefield. Not only does the author provide these elaborate details, he also provides extensive information on the construction of the fortifications, and what it was like for the soldiers living in the trenches.

I highly recommend this book for any serious student of the American Civil War. It is entertaining and enlightening.

I had the opportunity to interview Dr. Hess. The interview, and my complete review on "In the Trenches at Petersburg," can be found on my blog ThisMightyScourge [dot] com. To access the interview click on the "interviews" category in the right menu bar.

Michael Noirot
This Mighty Scourge blog
Saint Louis, Missouri
July 1, 2010

"In The Trenches At Petersburg" is another interesting title by Earl Hess. As the title implied, the book's focus is on the fortifications built by the North and South during the siege of Petersburg from June 1864 to April 1865.

Among the topics covered include:

1. Events leading up to the Petersburg siege.
2. 9 Union offensives the book centers around.
3. How the North and South built, maintained, and extended fortifications during the siege.
4. Often miserable lives soldiers on both sides endured.
5. Description of the several battles fought during the Petersburg siege.
6. Description of the several forts built in the area.
7. Lee's attack on Fort Stedman and subsequent retreat eventually leading to Appomattox.

Ending the book are two appendices containing useful information and drawings of the many fortifications.

A great book for anyone wanting to know more about the Petersburg fortifications.

Recommended.

IN THE TRENCHES AT PETERSBURG: FIELD FORTIFICATIONS AND CONFEDERATE DEFEAT
EARL J. HESS
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS, 2009
HARDCOVER, $45.00, 480 PAGES, MAPS, PHOTOGRAPHS, APPENDICES, NOTES, BIBLIOGRAPHY, INDEX


The Richmond-Petersburg Campaign was a series of engagements around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864 to0 March 25, 1865, during the War Between the States. Although it is more popularly known as the Siege of Petersburg, it wasn't a classic siege, in which a city is usually surrounded and all supply lines are cut off, nor was it strictly limited to actions against Petersburg. The campaign was nine months of trench warfare in which Union forces of Lt. General Ulysses S. Grant assaulted Petersburg unsuccessfully and then constructed trench lines that eventually extended over from the eastern outskirts of Richmond, Virginia, to around the eastern and southern outskirts of Petersburg. Petersburg was crucial to the supply of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and the Confederate capital of Richmond. Numerous raids were conducted and engagements fought in attempts to cut off the railroad supply lines through Petersburg to Richmond, and many of these caused the lengthening of the trench lines, overloading dwindling Confederate resources. Lee finally yielded to the overwhelming pressure-the point at which supply lines were finally cut and a true siege would have begun-and abandoned both cities in April, 1865, leading to his retreat and surrender in the Appomattox Campaign. The siege of Petersburg foreshadowed the trench warfare that would be common in World War I, earning it a prominent position in military history. It also featured the largest concentration of African-American troops employed in the war, who suffered heavy casualties at such engagements as the Battle of the Crater and Chaffin's Farm. When you think of any aspect of the Petersburg Campaign, Earl J. Hess is clearly the expert military historian in regard to this subject. The importance of Petersburg during the War Between the States was greatly illuminated and better understood by reading this book. This book coupled with his previous book entitled TRENCH WARFARE UNDER GRANT AND LEE: FIELD FORTIFICATIONS IN THE OVERLAND CAMPAIGN, adds a new dimension and understanding to the engagements fought, the soldiers who fought them, as well as the officers who led them. With the 150th Anniversary of the War Between the States coming in 2011, Lee J. Hess's unique perspective brings new insights as well as a wealth of new information in this meticulously researched book. A welcome addition to the library of any serious student of the War Between the States.


Lt. Colonel Robert A. Lynn, Florida Guard
Orlando, Florida

I have been studying the Civil War since the 70's and in my opinion this is the best book written on Petersburg. I highly recommend this book! It shows that it was not a static campaign but one in which Grant was constantly shifiting troops to try to seize Petersburg. Highly recommended!

This is for Civil War nerds. . . An analysis of the fortifications at Petersburg. This battle probably marked the high water mark in the Civil War for trench fighting. The battle lasted from June, 1864 to the first of April, 1865. Both Union and Confederate forces developed sophisticated entrenchments and other fortifications to defend their lines. The book's analysis of these fortifications is well detailed. Appendices provide great depth of information on key forts and other defensive positions.

One issue: I wish that the author had defined various techniques of fortification in some detail. You have to get a sense of a gabion or a fascine or whatever from context, but this will make reading this difficult for nonspecialists. The book takes a chronological perspective. One organizing feature is the nine offensives carried out by the Union forces. There is a fine discussion of the technical side of digging the mine that led to the battle at the Crater.

The miserable life of soldiers in the trenches (especially on the Confederate side) is well told.

For those interested in this rather specialized subject, a nice resource. . . .