Comparison Of Initiative During The 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign

Comparison Of Initiative During The 1864 Virginia Overland Campaign
Author: Major Jeffrey S. Shadburn
Publisher: Pickle Partners Publishing
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2014-08-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1782896317

This study is an analysis of the competing initiative displayed between Generals Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee during Grant’s 1864 Overland Campaign in Virginia. It begins with Lincoln’s appointing Grant as Lieutenant General and General in Chief of all Union armies on March 9, 1864, and concludes with the failure of Grant’s June 18 assault at Petersburg, Virginia. Grant and Lee’s campaign intentions are analyzed, their means are compared, and their armies’ actions are described and analyzed to determine that Lee displayed greater initiative than Grant. Lee demonstrated superior initiative during the campaign because he forced Grant to deviate from his plans and attack formidable defensive positions, and because he held the final initiative. Each of Grant’s flanking movements was an attempt to gain the initiative, followed by the destruction of Lee’s army. Each time Grant moved, Lee seized the initiative and barred Grant’s progress. Grant came closest to achieving his desired objective when he crossed the James River and attacked Petersburg. The attack failed because Grant’s senior commanders failed to sustain the Federal initiative.

Trench Warfare under Grant and Lee

Trench Warfare under Grant and Lee
Author: Earl J. Hess
Publisher: Univ of North Carolina Press
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2011-04-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0807882380

Earl J.Hess's study of armies and fortifications turns to the 1864 Overland Campaign to cover battles from the Wilderness to Cold Harbor. Drawing on meticulous research in primary sources and careful examination of battlefields at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North Anna, Bermuda Hundred, and Cold Harbor, , Hess analyzes Union and Confederate movements and tactics and the new way Grant and Lee employed entrenchments in an evolving style of battle. Hess argues that Grant's relentless and pressing attacks kept the armies always within striking distance, compelling soldiers to dig in for protection.

And Keep Moving On

And Keep Moving On
Author: Mark Grimsley
Publisher: U of Nebraska Press
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2005-03-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780803271197

When campaigning began anew after the winter of 1863-64, the Battle of Wilderness seemed merely a reprise of earlier struggles, but Grant changed the pattern by refusing to withdraw and instead attacked again and again throughout the summer of 1864. This is the story of the 1864 Virginia campaign.

Lee's Army during the Overland Campaign

Lee's Army during the Overland Campaign
Author: Alfred C. Young III
Publisher: LSU Press
Total Pages: 446
Release: 2013-05-06
Genre: History
ISBN: 0807151726

The initial confrontation between Union general Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate general Robert E. Lee in Virginia during the Overland Campaign has not until recently received the same degree of scrutiny as other Civil War battles. The first round of combat between the two renowned generals spanned about six weeks in May and early June 1864. The major skirmishes—Wilderness, Spotsylvania, and Cold Harbor—rivaled any other key engagement in the war. While the strength and casualties in Grant's army remain uncontested, historians know much less about Lee's army. Nonetheless, the prevailing narrative depicts Confederates as outstripped nearly two to one, and portrays Grant suffering losses at a rate nearly double that of Lee. As a result, most Civil War scholars contend that the campaign proved a clear numerical victory for Lee but a tactical triumph for Grant. Questions about the power of Lee's army stem mainly from poor record keeping by the Confederates as well as an inordinate number of missing or lost battle reports. The complexity of the Overland Campaign, which consisted of several smaller engagements in addition to the three main clashes, led to considerable historic uncertainty regarding Lee's army. Significant doubts persist about the army's capability at the commencement of the drive, the amount of reinforcements received, and the total of casualties sustained during the entire campaign and at each of the major battles. In Lee's Army during the Overland Campaign, Alfred C. Young III addresses this deficiency by providing for the first time accurate information regarding the Confederate side throughout the conflict. The results challenge prevailing assumptions, showing clearly that Lee's army stood far larger in strength and size and suffered considerably higher casualties than previously believed.