Sand, science, and the Civil War : sedimentary geology and combat

Author/Creator:

Hippensteel, Scott, 1969- author

Publication/Creation:

Athens : The University of Georgia Press, [2023]

Format:

Book

More Details

Additional/Related Title Information

Full Title:

Sand, science, and the Civil War : sedimentary geology and combat / Scott Hippensteel

Series Titles:

Uncivil wars
Uncivil wars.

Variant Titles:

Sedimentary geology and combat

Subjects/Genre

Subjects:

Military geology
Landscapes--United States--History--19th century
Sediments (Geology)--United States--History--19th century
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Campaigns
United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865--Environmental aspects
United States--Strategic aspects
Southern States--Strategic aspects

Description/Summary

Table of Contents:

Part I. Sedimentary Geology and Warfare -- Sediments and Conflict -- The Coevolution of Military and Geological Sciences -- Killing at Range: Artillery and Geomorphology -- Geology and Protection: Fortifications -- Part II. Hard Rocks and High Ground: The Piedmont and Valley and Ridge -- Durable Rocks and Defensive Stands -- Killer Carbonates -- Battling in the Basins -- Sedimentary Geology and Logistics -- Part III. Soft Rocks and Shovels: Conflict on the Coastal Plain -- A River Runs Through It: Flowing Water and Dissected Terrain -- Burnside and the Bluffs -- Sediments and Morale -- Part IV. Muddy Meanders of the Mississippi -- Geology of the Father of Waters -- The Vicksburg Campaign: Grant Does More with Loess -- Part V. To Take the Coasts -- Protecting the Shoreline -- The Education of Quincy Gillmore -- The Strength of Sand -- Gibraltar of the South -- Part VI. The Legacy of Sedimentary Geology and the Civil War -- Sedimentary Geology as a Tool for History -- The Fate of the Fortifications -- Lessons Learned for Future Conflict.

Bibliography:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Summary:

"The influence of sedimentary geology on the strategy, combat, and tactics of the American Civil War is a subject that has been neglected by military historians. Sedimentary geology influenced everything from the nature of the landscape (flat vs. rolling terrain) to the effectiveness of the weapons (a single grain of sand can render a rifle-musket as useless as a club). Sand, Science, and the Civil War investigates the role of sedimentary geology on the campaigns and battles of the Civil War on multiple scales, with a special emphasis on the fighting along the coastlines. At the start of the Civil War the massive brick citadels guarding key coastal harbors and shipyards were thought to be invulnerable to artillery attack. The Union bombardment of Savannah's key defensive fortification, Fort Pulaski, demonstrated the vulnerability of this type of fortress to the new rifled-artillery available to the Union - Fort Pulaski surrendered within a day. When the Union later tried to capture the temporary sand fortifications of Battery Wagner (protecting Charleston) and Fort Fisher (protecting Wilmington) they employed similar tactics, but with disastrous results. The value of sand in defensive positions vastly minimized the Federal advantage in artillery, making these coastal strongpoints especially costly to capture. Sand, Science, and the Civil War explores the way sediments and sedimentary rocks influenced the fighting in all theaters of war, and how the geology was exploited by both sides during the five years of conflict"--

Language:

English

Physical Type/Description:

345 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

Additional Identifiers

Catalog ID (MMSID):

9937751028302486

ISBN:

9780820363530
0820363537
9780820363523
0820363529

OCLC Number:

1347373998

Barcode:

010003536620