When General Robert E. Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia, the Confederacy was in crisis. Lee changed all that in a brilliant week-long campaign. On June 26, the Confederates struck, fighting two gruelling battles in two days: Mechanicsville and Gaine's Mill. Although there were heavy casualties, the ferocity of the Confederate assaults convinced McClellan that he was outnumbered. Unable to keep the Confederates at bay, the Union army was recalled to Washington. Despite losing a quarter of his men, Lee had saved Richmond, and inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Army of the Potomac.When General Robert E. Lee took command of the Army of Northern Virginia, the Confederacy was in crisis. General McClellan's Union army lay encamped less than ten miles from Richmond, and the Southerners were outnumbered and dispirited. Lee changed all that in a brilliant weeklong campaign. Stuart's reconnaissance in force, immortalised as his ride around McClellan's army, had revealed flaws in McClellan's dispositions. Lee used this intelligence well, and massed his outnumbered force against the Union right flank. On 26 June the Confederates struck, fighting two hard-fought and bloody battles in two days; Mechanicsville (26 June) and Gaine's Mill (27 June). Although the victories were won at a terrible human cost, the ferocity of the Confederate assaults convinced McClellan that he was outnumbered. He duly retreated towards his supply base on the James River. Lee's men pursued, and McClellan was forced to make a fighting retreat, stopping twice to delay his pursuers. Despite two more battles at Frayser's Farm (30 June) and Malvern Hill (1 July), he was unable to keep the Confederates at bay, and the Union army was recalled to Washington. Despite losing a quarter of his army in a week, Lee had saved Richmond, and inflicted a humiliating defeat on the Army of the Potomac. Although other victories would follow, Lee's battles in defence of the Confederate capital were crucial to the survival of the Southern cause, and won him the respect of the fighting men on both sides. Angus Konstam traces the course of this short and bloody campaign, the beginnings of Robert E. Lee's legendary reputation, and the origins of the battle-winning elan of the Army of Northern Virginia.

Seven Days Battles 1862: Lee's Defense Of Richmond (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

History

Konstam, Angus

Americas

Praeger Pub Text

On March 9, 1862 the world's first battle between two ironclad warships took place in the confined waters of Hampton Roads, Virginia. The previous day the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia, impervious to her enemy's guns, had sunk two Union warships. When she re-emerged from Norfolk to complete the destruction of the Union blockading squadron the USS Monitor steamed out to meet her. The four-hour duel that ensued was a stalemate, but the Virginia had failed to break the Northern blockade of the Southern ports. Nevertheless, the battle of Hampton Roads rendered wooden warships obsolete and transformed the face of naval warfare forever.During the winter of 1861-62, Confederate engineers adapted an old wooden steam frigate, the former USS Merrimac, turning her into a steam-powered ironclad warship, capable of withstanding the fire of any warship afloat. Overnight the CSS Virginia had rendered the old wooden fleets of the world obsolete. The Federal response to this Confederate initiative was to build their own ironclad based around a twin-gun revolving turret. The USS Monitor was completed in record time and sent south from New York to counteract the threat of the Confederate Virginia. The result was one of the strangest naval battles of all time - a well-matched clash between two technically different and revolutionary warships. Hampton Roads was one of the most important naval battles in history, ushering in a new age of naval warfare and warship design. With the South unable to break the blockade which was slowly starving the Confederacy, the battle proved a decisive turning point of the war, marking as it did the end of southern hopes of re-establishing links with the outside world.

Hampton Roads 1862: First Clash Of The Ironclads (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

Following the humiliating Northern defeat at the First Battle of Bull Run, General George B. McClellan took command of the Union Army of the Potomac. In the spring of 1862, having rebuilt his forces, the Little Napoleon devised a plan to end the war in a single campaign. Transporting his army by sea to the Virginia Peninsula, he would outflank Confederate forces and march unopposed on Richmond, the Southern capital. Excessive caution squandered the opportunity, however, and the Union lost its main chance to achieve an early end to the war.By the spring of 1862 most Americans had realised that the Civil War would not be brought to a conclusion without a major effort and a substantial financial and human cost. However, General George B. McClellan, the new commander of the Union Army of the Potomac, aimed to avoid a long war by capturing Richmond, the Confederate capital, in a single campaign. What followed was an operation which caught the Confederates off-guard and poised to capture the Confederate capital in a matter of weeks. This did not take account of General McClellan's excessive caution, however. Having executed the first part of his masterstroke and successfully transported the Army of the Potomac to the Virginia Peninsula, McClellan threw away his advantage - it took him almost two months to advance within sight of Richmond. The result was the bloody one-day battle of Fair Oaks, fought on 31 May 1862. The result was tactically indecisive, but the vicious Confederate attacks again unnerved McClellan and he called off any further advance on Richmond, despite the protests of Generals Hooker and Kearny who insisted the city was still vulnerable. The Union Army of the Potomac, and in particular its commander, lost confidence in their abilities as the campaign progressed. An unstoppable military force simply ran out of steam, surrendering the initiative to the enemy and squandering the chance to end the war.

Fair Oaks 1862: Mcclellan's Peninsula Campaign (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

<p>Labelled a splendid little war by Senator John Hay, the Spanish American War was a peculiar yet pivotal event in America's history, provoked as much by the press as by political pressures. Here, aided by superbly detailed maps and artwork, the author deals with the clashes at Las Guasimas and El Caney, the capture of San Juan Hill, and the naval battle and siege of Santiago. The war was to mark the end of Spanish sovereignty the Americas and the establishment of the United States of America as a world power.</p>
<p>The background to the Spanish American war lay in the Cuban insurrection of 1895-1898 and the cruelty with which it was suppressed by Cuba's Spanish overlords. The spark which ignited the rising tension into open war was the destruction on 15 February 1898 of the USS Maine with the loss of 260 men, the result of a mysterious explosion in Havana harbour. A naval court of inquiry blamed Spain and the US declared war on 25 April. Angus Konstam's eminently readable study guides us through the clashes at the 'Bloody Ford', the defence of El Caney, and the charge of the Teddy Roosevelt's 'Rough Riders' up Kettle Hill - an event that has entered US military mythology. The naval battle and siege of Santiago are also looked at by the author. The whole Cuban operation was characterised by appalling command and control, and poor reconnaissance: it cost the Americans over 1,500 killed and wounded, but it effectively decided the outcome of the war. Spain saw the end of her dominion in the 'New World', and America drew its first blood as an emerging world power.</p>

San Juan Hill 1898: America's Emergence As A World Power (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

By the Spring of 1781, the American Revolutionary War had dragged on for almost six years and the outcome still hung in the balance. When the British commander Lord Cornwallis launched his invasion of North Carolina in early 1781, his objective was to destroy General Nathaniel Greene's American army. At Guilford Courthouse on March 15, 1781 the two armies met. In a desperately hard-fought battle the small but professional British army succeeded in fighting its way through three separate lines of American troops - but at a dreadful cost. Cornwallis lost over a quarter of his command. When news of the this Pyrrhic victory reached Britain, a politician remarked; Another such victory would ruin the British army.In the Spring of 1781, the American Revolutionary War had dragged on for almost six years, and neither side had gained a decisive advantage. When the British commander Lord Cornwallis launched his invasion of North Carolina in early 1781, his objective was to destroy General Nathaniel Greene's army, not to capture territory. Greene fell back before him into Virginia, and his force grew daily as militia flocked to the colours, and a revitalised American army took the offensive. At Guilford Courthouse on 15 March 1781 the two armies met. In a see-saw battle, victory seemed to be within the American grasp, but the British held off a fierce counterattack by American infantry and cavalry, forcing Greene to concede the field. It was a British victory but at a terrible cost - Cornwallis lost over a quarter of his command. When news of the 'victory' reached Britain, a politician remarked; 'Another such victory would ruin the British army'. The battle led to the recapture of the Carolinas by Greene, and set in motion a chain of events that would culminate in the surrender of Cornwallis and his army at Yorktown seven months later.

Guilford Courthouse 1781: Lord Cornwallis's Ruinous Victory (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

In the latter part of the sixteenth century, Spain was the major international power and her leader, King Phillip II, pledged to conquer the Protestant heretics in England. He envisioned a two-pronged attack. He would send his Invincible Armada of 125 ships into the English Channel where it would link up with the Duke of Parma. The Armada would ferry the Duke's soldiers across the straight of Dover and these troops would march on London, seize the Queen, and proceed to conquer the entire country. Over 400 years have passed since this momentous expedition sailed and failed, but its fascination and significance remain undiminished.In the late summer of 1588, Philip II's Spanish fleet of 130 ships fought their way up the English Channel, heading for a rendezvous with the Spanish Army waiting for them at Calais. Although the English fleet failed to stop or even seriously damage the Spanish fleet as they sailed along the English coast, they were able to prevent them from linking up with their army. During a bitterly fought series of battles off Calais and Gravelines the Spanish were forced to abandon their amphibious invasion of England, and had no option but to return home to Spain. Forced out into the North Sea by the British, the Spanish were forced, by strong winds, to sail around Britain and Ireland in order to return home. The voyage was a nightmare, severe weather and faulty navigation caused the wrecking of many of the Spanish ships along the British and Irish coasts. This combined with the lack of supplies caused King Philip to lose around a third of his fleet and half his men, thus forcing him to abandon all hopes of crushing the reformation. This detailed account of the battles fought gives an insight into why the Armada failed. The many questions surrounding the campaign are addressed. Just how dangerous was the Spanish threat? Were the English really superior in ships and gunnery? And what would have happened if the Spanish had succeeded?

The Armada Campaign 1588: The Great Enterprise Against England (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

Europe

By 1525 France had turned its attention to the conquering of the rich Italian Duchy of Milan, opposed or assisted at varying times by Italian states, with both sides calling upon the support of Swiss, German and Italian mercenaries. In these campaigns France's toughest adversary was the Spanish army, and when the thrones of Spain and Austria were combined in 1519, it altered the whole nature of the Italian Wars. In the titanic clash at Pavia, the French were smashed by the Imperial army, King Francis I captured, and the cream of his nobility slaughtered.By 1525, France had been campaigning in Italy for over 30 years. Her original intention, in 1494, had been to enforce her claim to the kingdom of Naples, but by the turn of the century her attention had focused on the more accessible and richer Duchy of Milan. The French armies were opposed or assisted at varying times by Italian states - either individual states or alliances - with both sides calling upon the support of Swiss, German and Italian mercenaries. In these campaigns France's toughest adversary was the Spanish army, and when the thrones of Spain and Austria were combined in 1519, it altered the whole nature of the Italian wars. The Hispano-Imperial victory at Pavia in 1525 was not only the product of this union, but also the most decisive battle of the Italian wars. In a titanic clash the French were smashed by the Imperial army, King Francis I captured, and the cream of his nobility slaughtered. A military cataclysm on a scale France had not seen since Agincourt, it swung the balance of power in western Europe towards the Empire of Charles V. Hailed as the first modern battle, Pavia saw the demise of the traditionally armed man-at-arms and the rise of hand held firearms. Angus Konstam examines this important action and the campaign that led to it.

Pavia 1525: The Climax of the Italian Wars (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

For much of the 16th century the Mediterranean was a battleground between Christians and Muslims. In August 1571, an Ottoman fleet of some 235 galleys encountered the slightly smaller Christian fleet of the Holy League. In a five hour melee the Christians inflicted a decisive defeat on the Turks. Lepanto was the last great galley fight of all time and one of the most decisive naval battles in history.For much of the 16th century the Mediterranean was a battleground between Christians and Muslims. A decisive battle between two large galley fleets was expected to decide the fate of the entire Mediterranean basin. In August 1571, an Ottoman fleet of some 235 galleys encountered the slightly smaller Christian fleet of the Holy League. In a five hour melee the Christians inflicted a decisive defeat on the Turks. Lepanto was the last great galley fight of all time and one of the most decisive naval battles in history. This book details the course of one of the most crucial military campaigns of the Renaissance.

Lepanto 1571: The Greatest Naval Battle of the Renaissance (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

Book by Elliot-Wright, Philipp J. C., Dunstan, Simon

Other Battles (Praeger Illustrated Military History Series)

Dunstan, Simon

Millar, Simon

Elliot-Wright, Philipp

Military

Poltava marked the demise of Sweden as a European great power and the rise of Russia. In 1707, the seemingly invincible Charles XII led his army deep into Russia. It was to prove his undoing - the long march eroded the fighting strength of the invaders; a vital supply convoy was lost; and the winter of 1708/9 was the worst in living memory. Drawing upon primary source material previously unseen in the west, Angus Konstam recounts these events, looking in particular at how this battle led to the destruction of the Swedish Army.Poltava marked the demise of Sweden as a European great power and the rise of Russia. In 1707, the seemingly invincible Charles XII led his army deep into Russia. It was to prove his undoing - the long march eroded the fighting strength of the invaders; a vital supply convoy was lost; and the winter of 1708/9 was the worst in living memory. Although the great Northern War was to drag on for another twelve years, after 1709 Sweden was isolated and on the strategic defensive. Within a year both Saxony-Poland and Denmark would rejoin the anti-Swedish cause, and the capture of Vyborg to the north of St. Petersburg and Riga to the south would ensure the safety of Tsar Peter's fledgling European capital - all results of the battle. In this Osprey Campaign title Angus Konstam recounts the events leading up to Poltava and looks in particular at how this battle led to the destruction of the Swedish Army. As part of his investigation both armies and their commanders are examined carefully. Fluency in Russian allowed author Angus Konstam to visit the country regularly and gain access to primary source material previously unseen in the west: hard work which has made this account of Poltava stand out.

Poltava 1709: Russia Comes of Age (Praeger Illustrated Military History)

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