The first book of a trilogy dealing with field fortifications in the Eastern theater of the American Civil War, Hess gives a close examination of the process by which the contending forces became habituated to the need for quick entrenchment, climaxing in this book with the abortive Mine Run campaign, where the Army of Norther Virginia was able to checkmate the Army of the Potomac with their entrenching ability. Other useful sections focus on the respective races to fortify the capitals of Richmond and Washington, not to mention the proper by-the-book reduction of Battery Wagner in Charleston. It might also be noted that this work is greatly enhanced by the author's examination of the surviving field works. ( )