American Civil War Fortifications (3),
Two other volumes on Civil War forts precede this volume. I do not have access to them, but this third volume is in and of itself a stand-alone historical document. Anyone interested in Civil War engineering, the war in the Western Theater and the various campaigns thereof, especially the siege of Vicksburg, will be thoroughly enthralled by this 64-page synopsis of those three general topics. An introduction details Gen. Winfield Scott’s “Anaconda Plan.” Though scoffed at early in the war, it proved to be just what was to take place as the war progressed, especially in the West where the Mississippi River had to be conquered before the South would be brought to its knees. Both the down-river campaign — New Madrid, Forts Henry and Donelson, Island No 10, etc. — and the up-river campaign — New Orleans and Port Hudson, Fort Pillow and Arkansas Post, etc. — are detailed. The meat of these treatises is the detailed descriptions of the construction of the fortifications and Confederate defenses along the Western waters. Accompanying the concise but descriptive text are numerous illustrations from various newspapers and other printed sources of the era and excellent color art renderings of some of the principal fortifications. These color illustrations are valuable interpretation tools showing construction techniques as well as bird’s-eye views of the forts. Particular emphasis is then given to the Vicksburg Campaign, the Confederate fortifications, the Union Army siege lines and life of the soldiers North and South during those 43 days (May 22-July 3, 1863) and to the actual siege operations, offensive and defensive. Two final chapters are of interest today from the preservation and visitation standpoint. What happened to all of those fortifications and field works that were built along the Western waterways, especially the Mississippi River? Are any remnants of those works visible today? Unfortunately many were either destroyed during the war or shortly thereafter. Man alone was not the only destroyer. As the rivers changed their courses or flooded, many field works were washed away. Others were destroyed following the war as “urban sprawl” or need of the land for farming, road construction, dams and other human uses gobbled up the breastworks, lunettes, redans and embrasures. Fortunately not all was lost. Remains of some of the fortifications or their reconstructions at such sites as Fort D at Cape Girardeau, Fort Donelson, Fort Pillow, Grand Gulf, Port Hudson and especially Vicksburg can still be seen today. These sites have become city, state or national parks. Interpretation markers and monuments attest to the long, hard labor expended to construct the fortifications and the battle strain and blood that were drained to defend or invest those works. Fortifications are not often covered in Civil War histories. This volume sheds light on other books about that region of Civil War operations. The immense engineering feats, much accomplished with impressed slave labor and assigned work parties from Confederate regiments, give the reader a new perspective on those desperate days of Confederate defense of the Western waterways. American Civil War Fortifications is a worthy addition to the Civil Warrior’s library and recommended reading for anyone who is interested in the Civil War in the Western Theater. Reviewer: Michael J. Winey, who has a BS in history and MS in history museum training, was a curator for more than 25 years and is retired from the U.S. Army Military History Institute in Carlisle, Pa. |
Illustrated by Adam Hook. Maps, glossary, bibliography, index, 64 pp., 2007. Osprey Publishing Ltd., c/o Random House Distribution Center, 400 Hahn Rd., Westminster, MD 21157, $16.95 plus shipping.