{"product_id":"the-longest-siege-9781476684116","title":"The Longest Siege","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e   During the Civil War, control of the Mississippi River was hotly contested by both the Union and Confederate armies. By late 1862, the South held only a 110-mile stretch of this vital waterway. Determined to defend this critical span, the Confederacy built two fortresses to defend it--Vicksburg on the north end, Port Hudson on the south.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e   Drawing on the letters and memoirs of soldiers and officers on both sides, this book chronicles the brutal struggle for Port Hudson, Louisiana, beginning with Admiral Farragut''s costly naval attack by the Union fleet, through the furious infantry assaults ordered by General Nathaniel Banks--including the first charge made by black troops in the Civil War--and finally to the 48-day siege itself. Among the most tragic campaigns of the war, it is recognized by historians as the longest siege in American military history.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcknowledgments\tix\u003cbr\u003ePreface\t1\u003cbr\u003eChapter One: Changes in Commands\t7\u003cbr\u003eChapter Two: A Natural Stronghold\t22\u003cbr\u003eChapter Three: \"The Very Earth Trembled\"\t34\u003cbr\u003eChapter Four: \"The Enemy Are Coming\"\t48\u003cbr\u003eChapter Five: A Miserable Loss\t60\u003cbr\u003eChapter Six: \"Death Was Always with Us\"\t76\u003cbr\u003eChapter Seven: \"This Day of Blood\"\t94\u003cbr\u003eChapter Eight: Unspeakably Dreadful Days\t107\u003cbr\u003eChapter Nine: The Whisky Charge\t119\u003cbr\u003eChapter Ten: Submission\t132 \u003cbr\u003eEpilogue\t145\u003cbr\u003eAppendix A. The Port Hudson Garrison: Organizations Paroled at Port Hudson, July 10, 1863\t157\u003cbr\u003eAppendix B. Organization of the Union Troops at Port Hudson (Nineteenth Army Corps), as of May 31, 1863, Major \u003cbr\u003eGeneral Nathaniel P. Banks, Commanding\t159\u003cbr\u003eChapter Notes\t163 \u003cbr\u003eBibliography\t175\u003cbr\u003eIndex\t181","brand":"McFarland \u0026 Co Inc","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51040488030551,"sku":"9781476684116","price":23.74,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781476684116.jpg?v=1750946906","url":"https:\/\/bookcurl.com\/products\/the-longest-siege-9781476684116","provider":"Book Curl","version":"1.0","type":"link"}