“I was quite impressed with the battle maps of this volume in this volume of the Casemate Illustrated series. So much so, I went poking around to find out who this Gottfried fellow was -- prolific American Civil War author who has created a number of [Civil War titles.]” – Historical Miniatures Gaming Society In the spring of 1864, many in the North, including President Lincoln, were growing frustrated. Although Lincoln’s armies were achieving success on the battlefields, the gruesome toll was becoming increasingly unacceptable. The president needed a general who would finally put an end to the war. He found him in Ulysses S. Grant, who would close out the conflict a little more than a year after his appointment. Determined to destroy Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, Grant bulked up the Army of the Potomac with the addition of Burnside’s IX Corps, swelling the army’s numbers to nearly 120,000. The campaigns of 1862 and 1863 had inflicted heavy losses on Lee’s army, including some of his most talented commanders, among them “Stonewall” Jackson. In the spring of 1864, Lee’s army was more scattered than Meade’s, but the Army of Northern Virginia was not only capable but also deeply familiar with the Virginia terrain. Grant planned several offensives involving attacks against Richmond, Atlanta, and the Shenandoah Valley. In the north, the Army of the Potomac would strike hard at Lee, while the Union Army of the James would head inland toward Richmond to cut supply lines and then join with Meade’s army. On May 3, 1864, the Army of the Potomac headed for the Wilderness to open the Spring Campaign. The next six weeks saw the most brutal fighting of the entire war. Repeatedly, Grant brought Lee into battle—notably at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North Anna, and Cold Harbor—yet each time Grant was frustrated in his efforts to destroy the Army of Northern Virginia. Finally, unable to capture Richmond, Grant reached the James River where his forces built a long bridge to facilitate its crossing to attack Petersburg. While Grant had failed to destroy Lee’s army or capture Richmond, the relentless pressure of the campaign effectively sealed the fate of the Confederacy. “I was quite impressed with the battle maps of this volume in this volume of the Casemate Illustrated series. So much so, I went poking around to find out who this Gottfried fellow was -- prolific American Civil War author who has created a number of [Civil War titles.]” Historical Miniatures Gaming Society “Gottfried’s story is helped by a high standard of publishing, clear maps and good illustrations, some contemporary photographs, and some modern showing scenes of the fighting.” Army Rumour Service “Bradley Gottfried’s addition to the Casemate Illustrated series is a must-have for any historian or enthusiast’s collection. It is a robust and comprehensive read for both beginners and more advanced Civil War buffs. […] Bradley Gottfried’s The Overland Campaign for Richmond does an astounding job at being a gateway drug for those who wish to begin understanding one of the most critical campaigns of the Civil War.” Emerging Civil War Bradley M. Gottfried served as a college educator for over 40 years before he retired in 2017. After receiving his doctorate, he was a full-time faculty member for 11 years and then entered the administrator ranks, rising to the position of president, serving for 17 years in this position at two colleges. His interest in the Civil War began when he was a youngster in the Philadelphia area. He has written 19 books on the Civil War, including a number on Gettysburg and map studies of various campaigns. A resident of the Chambersburg/Gettysburg, Pennsylvania area, Brad is an Antietam Licensed Battlefield Guide and a Gettysburg Licensed Town Guide.