A Campaign of Giants: The Battle for Petersburg, Volume One, From the Crossing of the James to the Crater
By: A. Wilson Greene

Grinding, bloody, and ultimately decisive, the Petersburg Campaign was the Civil War's longest and among its most complex.  Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee squared off for more than nine months in their struggle for Petersburg, the key to the Confederate capital at Richmond.  Here A. Wilson Greene opens his sweeping three-volume history of the Petersburg Campaign, taking readers from Grant's crossing of the James in mid-June 1864 to the fateful Battle of the Crater on July 30.  With new perspectives on operational and tactical choices by commanders, the experiences of common soldiers and civilians, and the significant role of the United States Colored Troops in the fighting, this book offers essential reading for all those interested in the history of the Civil War.