The Last Citadel
Petersburg, June 1864 - April 1865
Published on 19. November 2014
Book
Hardback
504 pages
978-1-61121-212-9 (ISBN)
Description
This revised Sesquicentennial edition of Noah Andre Trudeau's The Last Citadel, which includes updated text, redrawn maps, and new material, is a ground-breaking study of the most extensive military operation of the Civil War-the investment of Petersburg, Virginia.
The Petersburg campaign began on June 9, 1864, and ended on April 3, 1865, when Federal troops at last entered the city. It was the longest and most costly siege ever to take place on North American soil, yet it has been overshadowed by other actions that occurred at the same time period, most notably Sherman's famous "March to the Sea," and Sheridan's celebrated Shenandoah Valley campaign. The ten-month Petersburg affair witnessed many more combat actions than the other two combined, and involved an average of 170,000 soldiers, not to mention thousands of civilians who were also caught up in the maelstrom. By its bloody end, the Petersburg campaign would add more than 70,000 casualties to the war's total.
Petersburg was the key to the war in the East. It lay astride five major railroad lines that in turn supplied the Confederate capital, Richmond. Were Petersburg to fall, these vital arteries would be severed, and Richmond doomed. With the same dogged determination that had seen him through the terrible Overland Campaign, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant fixed his sights on the capture of Petersburg. Grant's opponent, General Robert E. Lee, was equally determined that the "Cockade City" would not fall.
Trudeau crafts his dramatic and moving story largely through the words of the men and women who were there, including officers, common soldiers, and the residents of Petersburg. What emerges is an epic account rich in human incident and adventure. Based on exhaustive research into official records and unpublished memoirs, letters, and diaries, as well as published recollections and regimental histories, The Last Citadel also includes 23 maps and a choice selection of drawings by on-the-spot combat artists.
With The Last Citadel, the Petersburg campaign at last emerges from the shadows to take its rightful place among the unforgettable sagas of the Civil War.
The Petersburg campaign began on June 9, 1864, and ended on April 3, 1865, when Federal troops at last entered the city. It was the longest and most costly siege ever to take place on North American soil, yet it has been overshadowed by other actions that occurred at the same time period, most notably Sherman's famous "March to the Sea," and Sheridan's celebrated Shenandoah Valley campaign. The ten-month Petersburg affair witnessed many more combat actions than the other two combined, and involved an average of 170,000 soldiers, not to mention thousands of civilians who were also caught up in the maelstrom. By its bloody end, the Petersburg campaign would add more than 70,000 casualties to the war's total.
Petersburg was the key to the war in the East. It lay astride five major railroad lines that in turn supplied the Confederate capital, Richmond. Were Petersburg to fall, these vital arteries would be severed, and Richmond doomed. With the same dogged determination that had seen him through the terrible Overland Campaign, Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant fixed his sights on the capture of Petersburg. Grant's opponent, General Robert E. Lee, was equally determined that the "Cockade City" would not fall.
Trudeau crafts his dramatic and moving story largely through the words of the men and women who were there, including officers, common soldiers, and the residents of Petersburg. What emerges is an epic account rich in human incident and adventure. Based on exhaustive research into official records and unpublished memoirs, letters, and diaries, as well as published recollections and regimental histories, The Last Citadel also includes 23 maps and a choice selection of drawings by on-the-spot combat artists.
With The Last Citadel, the Petersburg campaign at last emerges from the shadows to take its rightful place among the unforgettable sagas of the Civil War.
Reviews / Votes
Another fine example of a masterly piece of historical accuracy. * Books Monthly 14/02/2015 *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
El Dorado Hills
United States
Illustrations
23 maps and 20 images
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-61121-212-9 (9781611212129)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
05/2022
1st Edition
Savas Publishing
from
€24.59
Available for download
Person
Noah Andre Trudeau is a history graduate of the State University of New York at Albany. His first book, Bloody Roads South, won the Civil War Round Table of New York's prestigious Fletcher Pratt Award, and enjoyed a cameo appearance in the hit web television series House of Cards. His fourth book, Like Men of War, a combat history of black troops in the Civil War, was honored with the Grady McWhiney Research Foundation's Jerry Coffey Memorial Book Prize. His other books include a best-selling history of the Battle of Gettysburg, Sherman's "March to the Sea," and a compact biography of Robert E. Lee.