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—a remarkable saga of maneuvring, digging, and brutal combat—and what became a grueling, eight and one-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 batt ... More

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—a remarkable saga of maneuvring, digging, and brutal combat—and what became a grueling, eight and one-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. As with all titles in the series, this one seeks to highlight the important connections between the home front and the battlefield, examining some of the ways in which military affairs, civilian experiences, and politics played off one another.