Thursday, May 24, 2012

Forthcoming: Petersburg Campaign Through The Eyes of Ed Bearrs


The Petersburg Campaign: The Eastern Front Battles, June - August 1864, Volume 1, Edwin C. Bearss Bryce A. Suderow, Savas Beatie, LLC, hardcover, 8 maps, bibliography, index, 488 pages., $34.95.


Volume One:  The wide-ranging and largely misunderstood series of operations around Petersburg, Virginia, were the longest and most extensive of the entire Civil War. Thefighting that began in early June 1864 when advance elements from the Union Army of the Potomac crossed the James River and botched a series of attacks against a thinly defended city would not end for nine long months. This important-many would say decisive-fighting is presented by legendary Civil War author Edwin C. Bearss in The Petersburg Campaign: The Eastern Front Battles, June - August 1864, the first in a ground-breaking two-volume compendium.Although commonly referred to as the "Siege of Petersburg," that city (as well as the Confederate capital at Richmond) was never fully isolated and the combat involved much more than static trench warfare. In fact, much of the wide-ranging fighting involved large-scale Union offensives designed to cut important roads and the five rail lines feeding Petersburg and Richmond. This volume of Bearss' study of these major battles includes:The Attack on Petersburg (June 9, 1864)The Second Assault on Petersburg (June 15 - 18, 1864)The Battle of the Jerusalem Plank Road (June 21 - 24, 1864)The Crater (July 30, 1864)The Battle of the Weldon Railroad (August 18 - 21, 1864)The Battle of Reams' Station (August 25, 1864)Accompanying these salient chapters are original maps by Civil War cartographer George Skoch, together with photos and illustrations. The result is a richer and deeper understanding of the major military episodes comprising the Petersburg Campaign.
                                                                                                      The Petersburg Campaign: The Western Front Battles, September 1864 - April 1865, Volume 2,  Edwin C. Bearss and Bryce A. Suderow, Savas Beatie, LLC, hardcover, 14 maps, 22 illustrations, 504 pp., $34.95.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
Volume Two includes these major battles: Peeble’s Farm (September 29 – October 1, 1864), Burgess Mills (October 27, 1864), Hatcher Run (February 5 – 7, 1865), Fort Stedman (March 25, 1865), Five Forks Campaign (March 29 – April 1, 1865), and The Sixth Corps Breaks Lee’s Petersburg Lines (April 2, 1865).  This volume of Bearss' study includes these major battles:- Peeble's Farm (September 29 - October 1, 1864)- Burgess Mills (October 27, 1864) - Hatcher Run (February 5 - 7, 1865)- Fort Stedman (March 25, 1865)- Five Forks Campaign (March 29 - April 1, 1865)- The Sixth Corps Breaks Lee's Petersburg Lines (April 2, 1865)  Accompanying these salient chapters are original maps by Civil War cartographer Steven Stanley, together with photos and illustrations. The result is a richer and deeper understanding of the major military episodes comprising the Petersburg Campaign.

Edwin C. Bearss is a world-renowned military historian, author, and tour guide known for his work on the American Civil War and World War II. Ed, a former WWII Marine wounded in the Pacific Theater, served as Chief Historian of the National Park Service from 1981 to 1994 and is the author of dozens of books and articles. He discovered and helped raise the Union warship USS Cairo, which is on display at Vicksburg National Military Park.Bryce A. Suderow is a Civil War writer and researcher living in Washington, D.C. He received his B.A. at Knox College and earned a Masters in American History at Sonoma State University. His Masters' Thesis, Thunder in Arcadia Valley, was published in 1985 (Univ. of Missouri). Bryce has also published many articles in a number of Civil War periodicals and is recognized as one of the finest archival researchers working today.

1 comment:

TPS said...

Thanks so much for mentioning this important new book. We appreciate it. Although late (we had to find a new cartographer at the last minute, and it has something like 25 original maps), all is done, final checks are being made, and it goes to the printer very soon. Volume 2 will follow, and not too far behind.