TOCWOC – A Civil War Blog

Greene, A. Wilson. A Campaign of Giants–The Battle for Petersburg, Volume 1: From the Crossing of the James to the Crater. (University of North Carolina Press: June 2018). 728 pages, 34 maps, notes, bibliography, index.  ISBN: 978-1-4696-3857-7. $45.00 (Cloth) With A Campaign of Giants–The Battle for Petersburg, Volume 1: From the Crossing of the James […]

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Editor’s Note: This review first appeared yesterday at The Siege of Petersburg Online and has been cross-posted here. Price, James S. The Battle of First Deep Bottom. (The History Press: September 2014). 160 pages, illustrations, over 35 images, 3 maps, notes, bibliography, index. ISBN: 978-1-60949-541-1 $19.99 (Paperback). Benjamin F. Naylor of the 183rd Pennsylvania asked, […]

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Conclusion and Assessment The Union bridgehead was removed during the overnight of July 28-29. Grant , searching for some justification for the miserable performance, noted that they had drawn five Confederate divisions north of the river. It made no difference as the mine explosion led to nothing but a bloody fiasco. The promise of operations […]

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July 28th On the morning of the 28th the situation remained unchanged. The Federal line extended along the Long Bridge Road with Hancock’s II Corps on the left and Sheridan’s cavalry on the right. The troopers had experienced only a short little skirmish with the 10th and 50th Georgia the previous day and were itching […]

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July 27 (0800-2400) Once across the river Hancock assembled his forces behind “a belt of timber “in Strawberry Plains. At dawn First and Third Divisions threw out skirmishers across the Malvern Hill road. On the right MG Greshom Mott deployed the 99th and 110th Pennsylvania with the 40th New York extending the line as flankers […]

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July 27th (2400-0800) While Foster conducted his isolated fight to preserve the bridgehead Hancock began his move. His orders were to cross the Appomattox at dark and proceed to Deep Bottom. After crossing that river he was to travel by side roads “so that the cavalry, which was crossing at Broadway Landing, might have an […]

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July 25-26th Kershaw responding to Lee’s call for aggressive action increased the pressure on the Union bridgehead. As a result the opposing sides conducted a series of back and forth forays for control of the batteries and road network. On the 25th a position gained and held by the 11th Maine was turned over to […]

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