Citation

Williams CL. J. Am. Hist. 2013; 100(1): 213-214.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Organization of American Historians)

DOI

10.1093/jahist/jat121

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Interest in the Battle of the Crater has become something of a cottage industry recently. Books on the July 30, 1864, clash between the Union army of the Potomac and the Confederate army of northern Virginia on the outskirts of Petersburg, Virginia, have appeared from a diverse assortment of "historians," ranging from Richard Slotkin to Newt Gingrich. The massive explosion (which created the crater and was intended to break Confederate defenses) and the subsequent disastrous Union assault mark two of the most spectacular and tragic moments of the Civil War.