First published 1991
The gracious Virginia town of Petersburg transforms into a battlefield as Union and Confederate forces settle into what will become the Civil War's longest siege. For nearly ten months, soldiers and civilians endure the grinding warfare that will determine the fate of the Confederacy. The once elegant Southern community finds itself labeled "the last bulwark of the Confederacy" as both armies recognize that Petersburg's fall will signal the war's end. Through the eyes of those who lived this prolonged drama, the story unfolds across 292 days of mounting tension. Artillery bombardments shake the town's foundations while underground mines threaten to explode beneath defensive lines. As supplies dwindle and hope fades, the people of Petersburg face the reality that their city has become the stage for the war's final act.
Genres: american-civil-war, american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: historical-setting, war
Setting: Petersburg, Virginia
Period: Civil War
514 pages · Paperback · Louisiana State Univ Pr