At the start of the American Civil War (1861), some of the most powerful torts in the country were located in the secessionist states, and many of these fell into Confederate hands. Although a handful of key sites remained in the Union, the remainder had to be won back through bombardment or assault. Forts such as Fort Sumter, Fort Morgan and Fort Pulaski formed the centerpiece in the struggle for control of the Confederate coastline. This book examines the stone forts that played a crucial ...

The American Civil War saw a massive development in the use of land and field fortifications. This book, the second in a sequence of four, studies the many forms of land and field fortifications used during the War Between the States. It considers some of the 70 land fortifications erected to defend Washington DC during the first few months of the war. It covers lunettes, advanced redoubts, rifle pits, redan lines, bomb-proof shelters, covered ways, and powder magazines among others. The ...

The Mississippi River, the second longest in the US, played a decisive role in the American Civil War. The Confederate fortifications were put to the test in the lengthy Federal campaign of 1862-63, aimed at cutting off the Rebel states of Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas and creating a blockade of this trade route. Vicksburg was a fortress city, known as the "Gibraltar of the Confederacy"; the initial Federal attack on May 19, 1863 failed to take the city, and a state of siege ensued, which ...

While the giant armies of the Union and the Confederacy were fighting over cities and strategic strongholds, a large number of warriors from both sides were fighting, smaller, more personal battles. Beginning with the violent struggle known as Bleeding Kansas armed bands of irregular fighters began to wage war in every corner of the United States. Many of the names of their commanders have become legendary: William Quantrill, Bloody Bill Anderson, and John S Mosby - The Grey Ghost. To their ...