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Summary:
The determination with which the Confederate garrison of Port Hudson, Louisiana, held out--for seven weeks, fewer than 5,000 Confederate troops fended off almost 30,000 Yankees--makes it one of the most interesting campaigns of the Civil War. It was, in fact, the longest siege in U.S. military history. Edward Cunningham tells for the first time the complete story of the Union operation against this Confederate stronghold on the Lower Mississippi.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
A Disappointing Treatment of the Port Hudson Campaign
Customer Rating:
This treatment of the campaign for Port Hudson is of value only as an overview and as an example of the impact of the "Lost Cause" on battle history. As an operational history, the lack of maps is a serious deficiency. In addition, the "Lost Cause" approach adopted by Cunningham obscures understanding of what happened at Port Hudson. For example, he writes that the Confederates cheerfully enjoyed meals featuring mule, rat, and dog and coolly throwing lit grenades back at their attackers, while the Federals were firing on white flags, stealing cotton, looting the countryside, and looking to whiskey for courage. Banks' tactics are faulted by Cunningham, as if no Confederate general ever ordered frontal attacks on an entrenched enemy. The author's claim to a Confederate victory of sorts on the basis of casualties is specious. The Confederate loss was not about 900 men, it was the entire garrison, about 5000, nearly the same as the Federal loss, not to mention strategic control of the Mississippi.
Vicksburg having fallen
Customer Rating:
Vicksburg having fallen, Port Hudson surrendered. A line like this exists in every history of the Civil War, the Vicksburg Campaign or history of the Western Theater. You read it, understand the Mississippi River is open to Northern traffic and continue reading. This is the extant of Port Hudson's history and covers most of the current interest in this campaign. Edward Cunningham wrote this for his Master's under the direction of T. Harry Williams. This was first published in 1963 and is the only Cunningham book published during his lifetime. Having read his book on Shiloh, I wanted to read this too.
They are two different books. Not only in subject but also in writing style and publishing house. While the Shiloh book is superior, this is not a bad book and well worth reading. In common with all books on obscure campaigns and battle, the reader is unfamiliar with many of the people and unsure of the landscape. The book does a good job introducing the major participants and tries to describe the landscape. The general lack of detailed maps hampers and in time, defeats all attempts to describe the landscape. This becomes a major distraction and detracts from what is a fine detailed description of the campaign.
The Port Hudson Campaign is one of Union mismanagement as N. P. Banks blunders his way through the siege. This is a bloody campaign consisting of two major attacks and days of digging and sniping. The author does an excellent job of describing these actions and the mechanics of siege warfare. Being a port, the Navy plays a significant role in the campaign and we gain a good understanding of the abilities and limits of ships.
This is not an easy or a fun read. However, it is a good detailed history of a bloody and forgotten campaign. It is worth the time and money to gain an understanding of what the Civil War was like outside of the major armies.
Nice Introduction to the Siege of Port Hudson
Customer Rating:
Anyone who has a decent understanding of the war knows about the Vicksburg Campaign. However, not as many know about a simultaneous Siege happening to the south in Louisiana at Port Hudson. General Nathaniel Banks and his Army of the Gulf (XIX Corps) besieged 6,000-odd men under Confederate Major General Franklin Gardner from May 23-July 9, 1863. After these 48 days, the Confederates surrendered, not because they were defeated, but because Vicksburg had fallen and they now had no hope of a rescue. Cunningham's book is a good introduction to this topic except for one important detail: maps. There are only two maps. One shows the larger area of operations along the Mississippi River from Cairo, IL to New Orleans. The other shows the siege lines in such a zoomed out map that I had trouble reading everything. This makes for a difficult time while following along. I pulled out my Official Records Atlas several times during my reading. The Order of Battle is slightly above average, with no strengths but with regimental commanders listed. Cunningham has adequate notes and a solid bibliography. The book was originally published in 1963, so that might explain the lack of maps. I enjoyed Cunningham's delivery. It was smooth and kept me interested throughout. However, he tended to make some grandiose claims from time to time regarding the ability of the Confederates to break the Siege. If you read it, you'll know what I'm talking about. This is a solid introduction to the Campaign, but it is by no means definitive. I would recommend the two-volume The Guns of Port Hudson by David C. Edmonds for that label. The books are not cheap and they're difficult to find, but judging by the second volume (which I own), they are worth it.
174 pp., 2 maps
The Port Hudson Campaign, 1862-1863
Customer Rating:
The siege of Port Hudson, a Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River a few hundred miles downriver from Vicksburg, is the longest siege in American history. Although often overshadowed by the story of Vicksburg, the author of "The Port Hudson Campaign, 1862-1863" tells the story of Port Hudson in such intresting detail that it parallels the Vicksburg siege. He vividly describes the two fatal major assaults of May 27 and June 14 by the Federals to storm the Confererate fortress. Both assaults, poorly planned and executed by the Federal generals, resulted in a large number of Federal casualties with only minor losses to the Confederates. The author also reveals a threat of mutiny by a number of the Federal troops against their generals near the end of the siege. Although the Confederates surrendered Port Hudson upon learning that Vicksburg had fallen, the author suggests that in terms of casualties, the Confederates won, "Union combat losses ran around 5,000 as against about 700 Confederates". The only negative comment about this book is that on occassion it is difficult to follow the flow of battle action due to the long listing of regements and companys on both sides involved in the action. This, however, does not prevent the reader from enjoying the book. Overall, a well written book on Civil War action and a must have book to complete any Civil War history library.
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