January 31, 2015. Here's an interview with a staff member at SavasBeatie, my publisher, about The Siege of Petersburg: The Battles for the Weldon Railroad August 1864, which has just been published.
- What got you interested in Petersburg
- How much attention do you give to the Second Deep Bottom
operation north of the James? In other words, what portion of the book is
dedicated to those events? I gave Second Deep Bottom 101 pages and 12
maps, Globe Tavern 96 pages and 5 maps, and Reams Station 60 pages and 5
maps. This book is better balanced than
its earlier edition, The Destruction of
the Weldon Railroad, because the new edition gives far greater and more
appropriate emphasis to Second Deep Bottom, particularly to August 14, the most
important day of the operation.
- Which sources did you find most useful in writing the
book? The Official Records,
including the correspondence, were by far the most important single source,
though I read them very critically. One
day I will have to write an essay called, “Lies, Damned Lies, Statistics and
Official Reports.” Officers of both
sides during the War of the Rebellion spent a lot of time covering their rears.
- Do you think the Confederates could have done more to keep
Warren’s corps from gaining a permanent foothold on the Weldon Railroad? Yes. As I explain in Chapter 8, August 20 was the
critical day of the fighting around Globe Tavern because the Confederates, by
failing to mount another attack, allowed the Federals to fortify.
- Which units and leaders do you think performed well during
the 4th offensive? Which performed poorly?
My opinions are all set forth in
Chapter 13. For example, Grant and Lee
both performed well in some respects and poorly in others. Rather than just summarize what is in Chapter
13, though, let me observe that this edition points out how important it was to
have an officer such as Maj. Gen. Andrew A. Humphreys as chief of staff of the
Army of the Potomac. He and Meade
saved the day for the Federals at Globe Tavern on August 19 by getting
reinforcements to Warren who were in condition to fight at the critical
time. Beauregard could have worked with
Lee in a similar fashion—the Louisianan had worked as a chief of staff with
Joseph Johnston at First Bull Run and with Albert Sidney Johnston at Shiloh—but
the relationship between Lee and Beauregard was much cooler than between
Beauregard and the Johnstons.
- If you had to pick one key to the Federal success, what
would it be, and why? As I explain in Chapter 13, the only
Federal success lay in tying down at Petersburg troops that were heading toward
Washington or could have been sent to help defend Atlanta. Severing the Weldon Railroad did not amount
to sufficient progress within the context of the Siege of Petersburg itself to
constitute success. Sufficient progress
within the context of the siege would have been capturing Richmond—that’s why
Grant and Meade pushed Warren so hard at Globe Tavern and were dissatisfied
with his victory there: he didn’t capture Petersburg and force the abandonment
of Richmond.
- Could Hancock have done anything differently to avoid
disaster at Ream’s Station? Yes, Hancock could have had Gibbon’s
division improve the fortifications and extend the slashings instead of
allowing Gibbon’s men to lie around all day on the eve of the battle.
- The Confederates used several odd mixtures of brigades
from different parent organizations during the August 18-21 attacks. Why did
this happen? Do you think it affected their offensive capabilities? The
Confederates found it easier to employ troops already in reserve or in
fortifications far from the Federals rather than take units out of the trenches
near the enemy. Mahone believed it
affected their offensive capabilities, but his performance on August 19 with
two brigades from Colquitt’s Division and one brigade from his own contradicted
his belief.
- What’s next? Do you
have any other books with a Petersburg slant earmarked for release in the
future? I am under contract with SavasBeatie to complete The Petersburg Regiment, 12th Virginia Infantry. Six of its ten companies haled from
Petersburg. I have already delivered the
manuscript. Thirty-one maps and eight
diagrams are undergoing revision. I must
scan in and deliver the illustrations.
George S. Bernard, who compiled and edited War Talks of Confederate Veterans, and whose second volume of War Talks I helped edit into Civil War Talks, The Further Reminiscences
of George S. Bernard and his Fellow Veterans, belonged to the 12th
Virginia Infantry. He was one of sixteen
men who joined the regiment more than once.
One day I would like
to revise The Petersburg Campaign to
include the perspectives of more individual soldiers and to include a map of
every significant action during the siege.
That will be a lot of maps.
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