Stephen R. Wise

A graphic recreation of the battle made famous by the movie Glory

6 x 9, 324 pages
cloth, ISBN 0-87249-985-5, $34.95t

ABOUT THE BOOK

The summer of 1863 witnessed three massive campaigns that sharply affected the Civil War's outcome—Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Charleston. In Gate of Hell Stephen Wise vividly recreates the last, including the Battle for Battery Wagner in which the 54th Massachusetts and Red Cross founder Clara Barton distinguished themselves. Wise contends that the significance of the campaign extends beyond the outcome, arguing that an understanding of the strategy used at Charleston is vital to understanding the very nature of the Civil War.

Wise follows the day-to-day action of the two-month assault, from its beginning as a joint army-navy operation, through the destruction of Battery Wagner and Fort Sumter, to the final days when Confederate mines and barriers prevented Union forces from entering Charleston. He chronicles life in the trenches as well as the siege warfare and military engineering pursued by both North and South. Describing the campaign as a major testing ground for African-American troops, he attributes the admirable performance of the 54th Massachusetts to Lincoln's expansion of African-American recruitment. Wise also profiles the leaders whose skill, and in some cases foolish theatrics, determined the course of the campaign.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen R. Wise. , a historian who lives in Beaufort, South Carolina, is director of the Parris Island Marine Corps Museum and author of Lifeline of the Confederacy: Blockade Running During the Civil War.

REVIEWS

"Of great importance to the study of field fortification, artillery usage, engineering, ironclad warships, coastal warfare, African-American studies, and Charlestonian studies.... Impeccable."—William C. Davis, author of Jefferson Davis: The Man and His Hour

"A truly 'integrated' account of an important but neglected campaign of the Civil War. The conspicuous involvement of the 54th Massachusetts only enhances its importance to historians and the reading public."—Greg Urwin, Historical Editor, Northern Banner

ALSO BY THE AUTHOR

Lifeline of the Confederacy