Petersburg 1864-65, the Longest Siege
This is another offering in Osprey’s Campaign Series (No. 208) and maintains the same tradition as previous books, being a highly polished and succinct rendition of the campaign at Petersburg, Va. Ron Field presents the various actions in the city’s environs, including the opening phases involving the crossing of the James River, breakthrough in the Dimmock Line, First Weldon Railroad, the cavalry raids and First Deep Bottom. He does this after a discussion of the opposing commanders,their armies and their campaign strategies, which are standard fare in all of the Osprey campaign series books. Perhaps the most developed action in this short volume is the Battle of the Crater. Since that episode is best known for the novelty of the mine, Field provides an excellent description of its construction as well as the strained relationship between Gens. Ambrose Burnside and George Meade that contributed to the failure of the assault after the mine was detonated. Lesser-known subordinates share the blame in the actual implementation of the plan of attack. While the book is certainly not as exhaustive in its treatment as other detailed works on this battle, there is enough here to satisfy the general reader and to provide a good summary for the more experienced buff. Field then discusses in short, quick fashion the subsequent operations around Petersburg, including Globe Tavern and Reams’ Station, the “Beefsteak Raid,” Peebles Farm, Boydton Plank Road, Hatcher’s Run, the Weldon Railroad Raid, Fort Stedman and Five Forks. As in the opening phases of the campaign, only the facts are presented. He concludes with the fall of the city and a brief discussion of the battlefield today. While Field provides some stops for tourists visiting the battlefield, he fails to specifically mention Pamplin Park in his discussion of the development of the Petersburg National Battlefield. The stops, unfortunately, are not linked to any contemporary map to help visitors locate them. The book’s highlights are detailed color maps, in this case depicting the Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road, the Wilson and Kautz Cavalry Raid, attack on Fort Stedman and Five Forks. They are excellent, but I longed for more, which is understandable considering the quality of what is offered. The color map of the defenses of Petersburg is a valuable addition. Osprey’s detailed maps, on the whole, have the advantage of standing alone with their captions describing the sequence of events. The reader does not have to continually refer to portions of the text to refresh his or her recollection while reviewing them. Petersburg 1864-65, the Longest Siege is yet another welcome addition to the Osprey Campaign Series, fitting in quite nicely with its known reputation for quality work. Reviewer: Frank Piatek Frank Piatek graduated from Geneva College with a B.A. in history. He received his J.D. from Duquesne University in 1972. He is a member of several reenactment groups and past president of the Mahoning Valley Civil War Round Table.
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Illustrated by Peter Dennis. Maps, color plates, bibliography, order of battle, index, softcover, 96 pp., 2009. Osprey Publishing Ltd., c/o Random House Distribution Center, 400 Hahn Rd., Westminster, MD 21157, $19.95 plus shipping.