After three years of bloody combat with no clear victor in the Virginia theater, President Abraham Lincoln turned to Ulysses S. Grant and promoted him to general-in-chief during the winter of 1863-64. Grant immediately went to work planning a comprehensive strategy to bring an end to the war. He hungered to remain with the Western armies, but realized his place was in Washington. Unwilling to be stuck in an office, Grant joined George Meade's Army of the Potomac. His presence complicated Meade's ability to direct his army, but Grant promised to stay out of his way and give only strategic directives. This arrangement lasted through the Wilderness Campaign, the first action in what is now referred to as the "Overland Campaign."
The Maps of Spotsylvania through Cold Harbor breaks down the entire operation into thirty-five map sets or "action sections" enriched with 134 detailed full-page color maps. These cartographic originals bore down to the regimental and battery level and include the march to and from the battlefields and virtually every significant event in between. At least two, and as many as ten maps accompany each map set. Keyed to each piece of cartography is a full facing page of detailed footnoted text describing the units, personalities, movements, and combat (including quotes from eyewitnesses) depicted on the accompanying map, all of which make the Spotsylvania story come alive.
This unique presentation allows readers to easily and quickly find a map and text on any portion of the campaign, from the march to Spotsylvania Court House to Cold Harbor. Serious students of the battle will appreciate the extensive and authoritative endnotes and complete order of battle. Everyone will want to take the book along on trips to these battlefields.
