Sean Michael Chick and John Schmutz provide readers with a detailed, somewhat revisionist account of the Union attempt to capture Petersburg/Jerusalem Plank Road, and the Crater from June 19-July 31, 1864. It is also worthy of note that “Unparalleled Horror” is the second in a series of five volumes on the Petersburg operation, which will provide readers with a strong introduction to the war’s longest and most complex campaign. The Battle of Jerusalem Plank Road and the Crater's intense clash marked a missed Union opportunity, and prolonging the Civil War with dramatic consequences.
After the early Union outbreaks on the Petersburg front were unsuccessful, another strategy began. From the description: "On June 20, Grant ordered George Meade to swing out to the west and cut off the railroads leading to Petersburg, while he unleashed his cavalry on Robert E. Lee’s communications. The Federals suffered a stunning defeat at Jerusalem Plank Road, and Confederate horsemen ravaged Grant’s cavalry. Grant settled for a siege while still searching for a chance to strike." Besides two chapters on the Battle for Jerusalem Plank Road, and three chapters on the Crater, a chapter is also devoted to the July 21-27 fighting at Deep Bottom.
Another fine publication in the Emerging Civil War Series that continues the series high standards of scholarship As with the majority 0f titles in the Emerging Civil War Series by Savas Beatie, this slim volume is designed principally as an introduction to a battle or campaign and are designed for readers and students who are not necessarily specialists in the vast Civil War literature. It offers readers a well-written yet not overly detailed summary of the campaign/battle, explores and places the event in proper historical context, and then presents the readers with extras in the form of appendices. In ECW volumes, these appendices offer vignettes of people, battlefield tour information, order of battle, information on post-war commemorative monuments, etc. This standardized organization of the series ensures that both unfamiliar with historical events and even well-read students of the war will find the books and appendices interesting and informative.
A random sample of the titles of some of the ten chapters will give the reader a pretty good idea of that can be found in these pages.
“The Battle for Jerusalem Plank Road, June 20-22, 1864”.
“The Crater Assault, July 30, 1864”.
“Mahone’s Counterattack, July 30, 1864”.
“The Crater Retaken and Its Aftermath, JulyJuly30-31, 1864”.
Using a variety of scholarly approaches, the chapters cover a broad range of topics, as can be seen from this sample of the contents.
The book tells the story with some detail in its short scope. It gives the reader a feel for the complexity of the situation and for the many participants. The book fulfills the goal of the ECW series in offering a good account of the battle and its issues for non-specialists. In places it becomes confusing, not primarily through the fault of the writing but rather through the complexity of the events and maneuvering it recounts. Readers coming to this book unprepared may find it heavy going. A positive highlight of Unparallel Horror are the numerous images that are located throughout the narrative for the convenience of the reader.
This title includes ten maps by cartographer Hal Jespersen, which not only enhance the text but cover all of the major battles covered in this tome. The five Appendices to the book are useful and help in the understanding of the text. The Appendices include a driving tour for those visiting the Battlefield. The book includes an Order of Battle for the Army of Northern Virginia and for the two Union armies: the Army of the Potomac and the Army of Northern Virginia as well as a Suggested Reading and About the Authors. For those readers who wish to read footnotes, they can be found on an Emerging Civil War Series website.
This riveting story explores the yearlong confrontation between the Civil War’s two premier generals, Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E, Lee, focusing not only on the performance of each commander and their subordinate generals, but on the experience of the soldiers. Packed with new information and interpretations, this book is a must for students of the Overland and Petersburg campaigns. The actions and decisions of name of book turned the final eleven months of the Civil War into the most decisive period of the conflict.
The prologue and subsequent ten chapters describe the overall battle action and participant stories nicely. Timothy Ross Talbott wrote an interesting and excellent Foreword that helps readers understand what to expect as well as the various officers, who made the decisions during the fighting. The text is crisp, clear, and well organized. The chapters are amply supplied with detail, anecdotes, and period quotations, along with well-captioned illustrations.
This is a good addition to the literature of the Campaign of ’64. Chick’s battle pieces are well written, fresh look at the start of the Petersburg Campaign, clear, enthralling, and illuminating for readers as well as providing attention to one of the overlooked battles of the Civil War. This monograph related strengths are the good maps utilized by the author throughout and the detailed understanding of how the battle unfolded between June 19 and July 31st, 1864. Another strength is the fine analysis and writing of Charles Knight on William Mahone that explains the significant contribution of the Confederate general in the fighting at the Crater and analyzing the aftermath, and its legacy. The tome’s weakness is that it does not contain footnotes, an index or a bibliography.
Chick has a passion for his subject and just as clearly a well-researched and firm grasp on his story. This title concerns Grant’s attempt to take Petersburg, Virginia. Chick and Schmutz, have written a readable, clear, well organized, hard to put down, highly informative, accessible, and a deeply researched narrative. Buffs will consider it a valuable resource that provides an accurate account of the early Petersburg Campaign. This book fulfills its purpose of giving interested readers an introductory understanding of an important Civil War campaign.
This title concerns Grant’s attempt to take Petersburg, Virginia. Chick and Schmutz, have written a readable, clear, well organized, hard to put down, highly informative, accessible, and a deeply researched narrative.
Once again, the Emerging Civil War Series hits it out of the park with this 192-page volume. I highly recommend this book to students/buffs who wish to gain a deeper understanding of these battles.
Sean Michael Chick graduated from the University of New Orleans and from Southeastern Louisiana University with a Master of Arts in History. He currently works in New Orleans as a tour guide. He is the author of Grant’s Left Hook: The Bermuda Hundred Campaign, Dreams of Victory: P.G.T. Beauregard in the Civil War, A Grand Opening Squandered: The Battle for Petersburg, and The Shiloh Campaign, 1862: Battle for the Heartland.
John F. Schmutz is a veteran of the U.S. Army and holds degrees from Canisius College, the University of Notre Dame Law School, and George Washington Law School. His books include The Battle of the Crater: A Complete History, two volumes on “The Bloody Fifth,” The 5th Texas Infantry Regiment, Hood’s Texas Brigade Army of Northern Virginia, and The “Immortal Six Hundred” and the Failure of the Civil War POW Exchange Process. A native of Oneida, New York, he currently lives with his wife in San Antonio, Texas.
