Bombardment of Charleston 1863-1865

9781589800281

1589800281

"This heavily researched and insightful volume shines a bright light into a dark corner of Civil War history: the glaringly unnecessary pulverizing of civilian targets in Charleston, carried out solely to punish the city for instigating secession." --Richard N. CÙtÈ, author of Mary's World: Love, War, and Family Ties in Nineteenth-century Charleston"The Bombardment of Charleston: 1863-1865 vividly describes the Union army's terrible artillery war against Charleston, ëthe nursery of disunioní and ëthe cradle of the rebellion.í Phelps expertly fills a gap in the Civil War history of Charleston." --Robert N. Rosen, author of Confederate CharlestonThe Union armyís bombardment of Charleston lasted 545 days, a record not exceeded until the siege of Leningrad(St. Petersburg) during World War II. First-time author W. Chris Phelps uses letters, diaries, and other primary documents to describe life inside the target city. By referencing military archives, he also supports the widely held contemporary belief that the shelling was prolonged by the Northís desire for terror and revenge against the civilian population, and had no military purpose once the initial strategy had failed.The Bombardment of Charleston: 1863-1865 also discusses the unprecedented technological advances that allowed Union artillery to fire effectively from as many as five miles outside the city.