Earl J.Hess's study of armies and fortifications turns to the 1864
Overland Campaign to cover battles from the Wilderness to Cold
Harbor. Drawing on meticulous research in primary sources and
careful examination of battlefields at the Wilderness,
Spotsylvania, North Anna, Bermuda Hundred, and Cold Harbor, , Hess
analyzes Union and Confederate movements and tactics and the new
way Grant and Lee employed entrenchments in an evolving style of
battle. Hess argues that Grant's relentless and pressing attacks
kept the armies always within striking distance, compelling
soldiers to dig in for protection.