I Will Sell Autographed Brand New Copies of "The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864" for $20.00

Amazon.com has my book, The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864 (Savas Beatie, 2015), on sale for $49.98 new, $42.91 used.  The price when published in 2015 was $32.95.

I will sell autographed copies for $20.00, and will ship media mail for free in the United States.  If you want a copy, just send a check or money order to John Horn at 16710 Oak Park Avenue, Tinley Park, IL 60477.  

I can accommodate paypal as well. Email me about that at johnedwardhorn@gmail.com

This is still the only book focused entirely on the desperate August 1864 fighting around Petersburg, when Grant fought Lee at the war's crisis. It is the revised edition of my book The Destruction of the Weldon Railroad: Deep Bottom, Globe Tavern, and Reams Station, August 14-25, 1864 (H. E. Howard, 1991). Just by attacking on August 14, Grant reminded Lee that he did not face Little Mac, Pope, Burnside, or Hooker.

Praise for The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864

Grant's Fourth Offensive at Petersburg...is excellently covered in John Horn's The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864.  This revised, expanded edition of his original 1991 book ranks as the foremost study of the Fourth Offensive.  It belongs in every Civil War Library.

--Richard J. Sommers, author of Richmond Redeemed: The Siege at Petersburg


A superior piece of Civil War Scholarship.

--Edwin C. Bearss, former Chief Historian of the National Park Service and award-winning author of The Petersburg Campaign: Volume I, The Eastern Front Battles and Volume II, The Western Front Battles


It's great to have John Horn's fine study of August 1864 combat actions (Richmond-Petersburg style) back in print....Utilizing manuscript and published sources, Horn untangles a complicated tale of plans gone awry and soldiers unexpectedly thrust into harm's way.  This new edition upgrades the maps and adds some fresh material.  Good battle detail, solid analysis, and strong characterizations make this a welcome addition to the Petersburg book shelf.

--Noah Andre Trudeau, author of The Last Citadel: Petersburg, June 1864-April 1865

In the course of writing my Civil War novels, there's always a book that proves especially resonant for a given subject.  This time, John Horn's The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864, drew me back again and again.  It was a true labor of love for Mr. Horn to write about three battles in which the rest of us, wrongly, have shown but little interest:  Second Deep Bottom, Globe Tavern and (Second) Reams Station.  His recently revised and expanded edition is, as my old drill sergeant used to say, "Mighty fine, mighty fine."

--Ralph Peters, Fox News commentator and award-winning author of Cain at Gettysburg, Hell or Richmond, and Valley of the Shadow in the Author's Note to his forthcoming novel, The Damned of Petersburg

I highly recommend this book to the student of the Petersburg Campaign....John Horn's new edition of The Siege of Petersburg excels at filling in the gap of what what many other histories of the last two years of the war have failed to do.

--Matthew Bartlett, Gettysburg Chronicle


In cases where I own both editions of a book, I like to give prospective readers information on the differences to help them decide if the second edition is worth it.  In this particular case, it absolutely is....interested readers will what is essentially a new book to buy on Grant's Fourth Offensive.  Horn's volume stands alongside Sommers on the Fifth, Newsome on the Sixth, and Greene on the Ninth.

--Brett Schulte, The Siege of Petersburg Online


This important scholarship is very readable and balanced, has insightful analysis and permits the serious student and the novice to realize what happened and why ....This reviewer strongly recommends this book and suggests that it become part of every enthusiast's library.

--David Marshall, amazon.com


SavasBeatie should be saluted for encouraging the author to revisit and update his book.  This is an excellent military study that anyone with an interest in the campaign or the war in Virginia will want.

--John Foskett, Civil War News


Everyone interested in the Civil War should read Horn's chapter 13 which is a model of how to examine the various levels of warfare and the ultimate meaning of this campaign.

--Edgar Raines, Goodreads

I hope the book is selling well: it is an excellent campaign history, full of clear explanation, dramatic stories, and incisive analysis.  I especially appreciated the summary chapter, where Horn gave evaluations of all the key players.

--Dr. John G. Selby, author of Virginians at War 

Sample Maps

Hampton Newsome drew the 22 maps for The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864.  Besides co-editing Civil War Talks with Dr. John Selby and me, Hampton is the author of Richmond Must Fall on Grant's Sixth Offensive at Petersburg, October 27, 1864,

Order Your Copy Now!

Another Good Early Review for Lee Besieged on the Anniversary of One of the Fights the Book Describes.

Booknotes gave Lee Besieged a good early review today.  It's June 23, the anniversary of the bite Mahone took out of the Vermont Brigade on this date in 1864.  For a glance at the review, please click the link above and when it appears on the redirect notice as well.

Finest Hours, Darkest Hours: How I Talk About "Lee Besieged: Grant's Second Petersburg Offensive, June 18-July 1, 1864"

When I talk about one of my books at a Civil War Round Table, I like to talk about a soldier from the round table's state, if possible.  I also like to approach the components of my forthcoming book from Savas Beatie, Lee Besieged: Grant's Second Petersburg Offensive, June 18-July 1, 1864, in that fashion, because each of those components possesses a challenging complexity for a 45 minute talk.  Those components are principally the battle of Jerusalem Plank Road and the Wilson-Kautz Raid.  Recently I added a refinement and approached the Wilson-Kautz Raid at Raleigh Civil War Round Table by discussing the raid in terms of "Barringer's Finest Hours." I plan to approach the battle of Jerusalem Plank Road in a similar fashion.

Brigadier General Rufus C. Barringer (Finest Hours) was the outstanding brigadier of the entire offensive.  He was ironically nicknamed "Aunt Nancy" because he was a martinet. He fought magnificently against infantry on the first day of the battle of Jerusalem Plank Road on June 21, then saved the Confederate horse artillery batteries at the battle of The Grove (aka Nottaway Court House, aka Black's and White's) on the second day of the Wilson-Kautz Raid on June 23.  His arrival at the battle of Staunton River Bridge persuaded the Federals to call it a day, and with 300 of the 2,000 men and mounts that he had begun the fighting with on June 21, hounded the bluecoats on their way to their disasters at Sappony Church and First Reams Station on June 28 and 29.

Rufus C. Barringer (Library of Congress)

I plan to approach the battle of Jerusalem Plank Road similarly, in terms of "Mahone's Finest Hours," when talking to Civil War Round Tables in the future. Mahone made his mark on June 22, when with three brigades he routed three divisions of the crack II Corps, taking four guns and around 1,700 prisoners.  On June 23, he took his whole division, all five brigades, and mauled VI Corps, seizing about 500 prisoners.  On June 29, he took two of his brigades and joined in trapping the Wilson-Kautz raiders at First Reams Station, capturing guns and prisoners.

William Mahone (National Archives)

Of course, one soldier's finest hour is often another soldier's darkest hour.  Just as Barringer and Mahone had their finest hours during Grant's Seccond Petersburg Offensive, so other soldiers had their darkest hours during the same period.

Brigadier General Francis C. Barlow (Darkest Hours) had a terrible time. On June 21, Barringer's cavalry brigade stopped Barlow's hard-fighting division within a mile of the Weldon Railroad, its objective. On June 22, Mahone's rout of Barlow's division became known as "Barlow's Skedaddle" even though it was army commander Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's impatience that caused the stampede.  In the following month, Barlow would lose his wife to disease and in August he would show how profoundly the experience of June 22 had affected him.  Ordered to proceed with two divisions to the Darbytown Road crossing of Bailey's Creek without guarding his left flank, he dispersed four of the six brigades at his disposal to do exactly that, leaving him with only two to attack at the designated point.  He used them successively and unsuccessfully.

Francis C. Barlow (Library of Congress)

Brigadier General James H. Wilson (Darkest Hours) led two divisions of cavalry raiders against the railroads emanating southward and southwestward from Richmond and Petersburg. On June 23 he wrecked his primary objective, Burkeville, junction of the Richmond & Danville and South Side railroads, but failed to put icing on the cake by destroying High Bridge on the South Side Rail Road or Staunton River Bridge on the Richmond & Danville. Things became worse when Maj. Gen. Wade Hampton's cavalry halted the Federal raiders at Sappony Church on June 28.  They became stull worse when Wilson led his troopers into a trap at Reams Station, where Confederate forces under Mahone and Maj. Gen. Fitzhugh Lee routed them on June 29, capturing all their guns and hundreds of prisoners.

James H. Wilson (National Archives)

General Meade had some of his darkest hours during the battle of Jerusalem Plank Road, June 21-24, 1864. He had the good idea of moving II and VI corps together but events intervened; VI Corps could not pull two of its three divisions out of the trenches until the evening of June 21.  It was not his fault but he moved II Corps largely along that day. II Corps failed to reach the Weldon Railroad and forfeited the element of surprise. Things got worse on June 22.  He lost patience and ordered II Corps to move independently of VI Corps, most of which did not wake up and eat till midday.  Mahone piled into the gap thus created and routed II Corps, taking about 1,700 prisoners.  On June 23, Meade as usual tolerated insubordination from one of his corps commanders.  This time it was not Warren but Wright, and as a result Mahone mauled a division of VI Corps and took about 500 prisoners.  These were some of Meade's darkest hours of the war.

George G. Meade  (Library of Congress)

Taking the above approaches to the two actions that take up most of Lee Besieged should permit composition of a 45-minute talk that will not overwhelm either my audience or me.  

I'm prepared to talk to any Civil War Round Table that asks me to appear before it, either by ZOOM or in person.  Click on Lee Besieged if you want to purchase a copy.

Shouldn't Those Who Insist on "P. G. T. Beauregard" Insist on "Hiram Ulysses Grant"?

G. T. "Gus" Beauregard (National Archives)

General Beauregard reportedly grew up as Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard.  As a young man at West Point, he altered that to Gustave Toutant Beauregard.  For the rest of his life, he signed himself “G. T. Beauregard.”  He appears as G. T. Beauregard in the Official Records.  He authored his many publications as G. T. Beauregard.  His friends called him “Gus.”

General Grant reportedly grew up as Hiram Ulysses Grant.  His political sponsor mistakenly signed Grant in at West Point as Ulysses Simpson Grant.  For the rest of his life, he signed himself “U. S. Grant.”  He appears as U. S. Grant in the Official Records.  He authored his publications as U. S. Grant.  His friends called him “Sam.” 

U. S. "Sam" Grant (Library of Congress)

Hiram disappeared as completely in Grant’s case as did Pierre in Beauregard’s case.  Why should Beauregard be treated any differently than Grant.  Both were great generals.  Each defeated the other once.  Grant defeated Beauregard at Shiloh (April 6-7, 1862).  Beauregard defeated Grant at Petersburg (June 15-18, 1864).

Those who tolerate “U. S. Grant” should tolerate “G. T. Beauregard” as well.

Give "Gus" his due!

Hampton Newsome, Pathfinder

A good time was had by all at the Chicago Civil War Round Table last night as Hampton Newsome gave a thorough and witty overview of his award-winning book, Gettysburg's Southern Front: Opportunity and Failure at Richmond (University Press of Kansas, 2022). 

Hampton has also authored the award-winning Richmond Must Fall: The Richmond-Petersburg Campaign, October 1864 (The Kent State University Press, 2013) and the award-winning The Fight for the Old North State: The Civil War in North Carolina, January-May 1864 (University Press of Kansas, 2020).

Hampton also co-edited Civil War Talks: Further Reminiscences of George S. Bernard & His Fellow Veterans (University of Virginia Press, 2013), one of the most important books on the siege of Richmond-Petersburg in the last hundred years.

Hampton is a pathfinder. He goes where no author of a booklength study has gone before: besieged Richmond and Petersburg in October 1864 (Richmond Must Fall), coastal North Carolina in January-May 1864 (The Fight for the Old North State), and now the York-James Peninsula in June-July 1864 (Gettysburg's Southern Front).

Read and enjoy! Get off the beaten track! Much of the Civil War remains unknown. Authors such as Hampton Newsome bringing these matters to light.

He is one of our most thoughtful, adventurous authors. I greatly admire his comprehensive, judicious work.

Dust Jacket Stories: "The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864"

The Siege of Petersburg:  The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864 (Savas Beatie, 2015) was the revised edition of my first book, The Petersburg Campaign:  The Destruction of the Weldon Railroad, Deep Bottom, Globe Tavern and Reams Station, August 14-25, 1864 (H. E. Howard, 1991). 

The Howard book was part of The Virginia Civil War Battles and Leaders Series. It had the generic dust jacket of the series, the book's title and the shield of the state of Virginia, both in gold on a white background.

Ted Savas, the publisher of the Savas Beatie book, deserves credit for the dust jacket on that edition. The image on the cover of the Savas Beatie book comes from a Keith Rocco painting, which depicted the charge of the 39th Illinois Veteran Volunteers ("Yates Phalanx") against Confederate fortifications near Fussell's Mill, around 10 miles southeast of Richmond, Virginia. The painting focused on Pvt. Henry Hardenbergh, the color bearer of the 39th. Wounded in the charge, which broke through the Confederate lines. he picked himself up and earned a Medal of Honor by capturing the colors of an Alabama regiment.

The book covered the battle of Fussell's Mill, but that is not what got the painting on the cover of the revised edition. What got the painting on the dust jacket was that Hardenbergh and part of his company (G, The Preacher's Company) had enlisted in the 39th in Tinley Park, Illinois, where I have my principal law office. 

There was also a significant coincidence. As the revised edition proceeded toward publication. Keith Rocco produced a painting of the 39th's charge for the Village of Tinley Park. As I recall, publisher Ted Savas encouraged me to approach Keith about obtaining the rights to the picture for the dust jacket of the revised edition. At the presentation of the painting to the village, a deal was struck and the rest is history.

My next book, Lee Besieged:  Grant's Second Petersburg Offensive, June 18-July 1, 1864, is in production at Savas Beatie and is due at the printer March 15, 2025.

Donald Richard Lauter, Rest In Peace

Monday I learned that my friend and fellow student of the Petersburg Siege died last March.  I had thought that might be the situation when my emails to him met with no response.  I searched the internet for an obituary but found none.  My Christmas card to Don prompted the lawyer handling his estate to write me a note.

Don was 77 when he died, about four years older than I.  He was a veteran, having served in the 101st Airborne Division.  He had been hospitalized intermittently with a heart problem for a few years before he died.  

I met Don at Petersburg National Battlefield Park in December 2015. I gave a little talk there after Christmas about my first book, republished by Savas Beatie that year as The Siege of Petersburg:  The Battles for the Weldon Railroad, August 1864.  After the talk Don introduced himself and led me out to his pickup truck, where he showed me a plaster wall and some bullets he had salvaged.

Arabella Barlow (findagrave.com)

Don was somewhat of a legend.  I had heard of him for years but it was only as I worked on my current book, Lee Besieged:  Grant's Second Petersburg Offensive, June 18-July 1, 1864, that I got to know him.  He was a researcher, an author, and an archaeologist, who was very unselfish with his knowledge.  As my book proceeded, he shared with me his research on maps of the area where the Federals and Confederates clashed during the period covered by my book; he sent me copies of articles he had written about Arabella Barlow, the wife of Brig. Gen. Francis Barlow, who figures prominently in Lee Besieged, and about the famous painter Winslow Homer, a friend and aide-de-camp to Frank Barlow; and he showed me the results of his battlefield digging, especially a Mississippi button that helped me place Harris' Mississippi Brigade on June 22, 1864, my book's critical day.

Prisoners from the Front (1866) Winslow Homer (Metropolitan Museum of Art) 

This picture depicts General Barlow confonting prisoners after the fight of June 21, 1864.  Homer reportedly posed the head of the scrawny Barlow on the more robust body of his subordinate, Brig. Gen. Nelson Miles

He gave me more bullets, too.  I didn't check the most recent batch carefully enough.  It contained a live round from 1864 (probably) or 1865 and of course the Transportation Safety Agency confiscated it from me as I boarded a plane for home at Richmond airport.

Ave atque vale, Don!  Hail and farewell!