Engineers at Vicksburg

[Forrest]

Bearss was the flag bearer for sure! Anyone who loves the Campaign should have both works. In my mind, Grabau's work is simply a distillation of Bearss' work. And when I say distillation, I mean not to take away from anyone! I love both those guys!

I haven't read Bearss' 3-volume set. If Grabau had written a book on the 1862 siege, I would gladly pay $200 for it, using Bearss' 'Rebel Victory at Vicksburg' book to fact-check.

I'm really curious how 'Rebel Victory…' differs from the 3-volume set in terms of writing style and sources. As a researcher, I'm very grateful to Bearss - he includes more detail than is needed, often putting me to sleep with long quotes from correspondence regarding ship movement, but he also includes thorough references at the end of each chapter, and I use those to get even more detail, after of course brewing a pot of extra-strong coffee.

Maybe I'm weird, but I love reading Grabau's book - the geography is amazing and gives me a picture of the area that you don't get from reading any other books on Vicksburg.

 

[firesidetartan]

Very neat! Thanks for the info. I will be reading these. That reminds me, have you seen a book listed on amazon, I think called "Engineering Victory" about Vicksburg, been out in print for awhile. Wondering if you knew if this book was any good or not? Looks like mainly from the Federal engineers viewpoint? But I can't tell for sure from just the amazon ad.

It is a fantastic book. Should be in every history of Vicksburg library.

 

[Johnny Shafto]

Very neat! Thanks for the info. I will be reading these. That reminds me, have you seen a book listed on amazon, I think called "Engineering Victory" about Vicksburg, been out in print for awhile. Wondering if you knew if this book was any good or not? Looks like mainly from the Federal engineers viewpoint? But I can't tell for sure from just the amazon ad.

Listing on en

Very neat! Thanks for the info. I will be reading these. That reminds me, have you seen a book listed on amazon, I think called "Engineering Victory" about Vicksburg, been out in print for awhile. Wondering if you knew if this book was any good or not? Looks like mainly from the Federal engineers viewpoint? But I can't tell for sure from just the amazon ad.

Listing on eBay has a reasonable description.

 

[Championhilz]

Very neat! Thanks for the info. I will be reading these. That reminds me, have you seen a book listed on amazon, I think called "Engineering Victory" about Vicksburg, been out in print for awhile. Wondering if you knew if this book was any good or not? Looks like mainly from the Federal engineers viewpoint? But I can't tell for sure from just the amazon ad.

Here's a link to the review I did of Engineering Victory for the Civil War Book Review: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2409&context=cwbr

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Here's a link to the review I did of Engineering Victory for the Civil War Book Review: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2409&context=cwbr

Great review.

Now I have to read this book.

 

[tony_gunter]

Grabau was a very big guy, physically. In my mind's eye, he reminded me of a retired NFL linebacker. But his intellectual capacity was like a laser and just as large and potent as a linebacker! He didn't suffer idiots! I found that out when I asked him a question about Steel Bayou Expidition! He chewed me out unmercifully! But what was very neat about Grabau was that he calmed down, realized how Forest-Gumpish I was, and am, and took me aside and explained to me the answer to my query. He was so smart and well-enough adjusted that he apparently felt guilty. After his public speech, and after his public flogging of me, I'll never forget him grabbing me later and giving me a personal dissertation regarding my very stupid question, and apologizing to me in the process. He was a mental giant, and that's no joke! . His work ought to be put in a time capsule. It is on par with the Ancient Greek writers who told of the wars between Athens and Sparta!

I met Grabau in ... 2004? 2005? 2006? Somewhere in there. He wasn't young enough to appear to be a big guy any more.

Wish he had poured some research into the Battle of Raymond. He knew Ed Bearss was way off the mark, but didn't understand much beyond that. His "temperature inversion" was some serious Deus Ex Machina horse manure.

 

[Bradley]

I just wanted to ditto the praise for Solonick's Engineering Victory book. I wrote a paper (unpublished) on slave impressment and labor specific to Vicksburg's fortifications and referenced it frequently.