Título: Engineering in the Confederate Heartland
Autor: Larry J. Daniel
Sinopse: While engineers played a critical role in the performance of both the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War, few historians have examined their experiences or impact. Larry J. Daniel’s Engineering in the Confederate Heartland fills a gap in that historiography by analyzing the accomplishments of these individuals working for the Confederacy in the vast region between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River, commonly referred to as the Western Theater. Though few in number, the members of the western engineer corps were vital in implementing Confederate strategy and tactics.
Most Confederate engineers possessed little to no military training, transitioning from the civilian tasks of water drainage, railroad construction, and land surveys to overseeing highly technical war-related projects. Their goal was simple in mission but complex in implementation: utilize their specialized skills to defeat, or at least slow, the Union juggernaut. The geographical diversity of the Heartland further complicated their charge. The expansive area featured elevations reaching over six thousand feet, sandstone bluffs cut by running valleys on the Cumberland Plateau, the Nashville basin’s thick cedar glades and rolling farmland, and the wind-blown silt soil of the Loess Plains of the Mississippi Valley. Regardless of the topography, engineers encountered persistent flooding in all sectors.
Daniel’s study challenges the long-held thesis that the area lacked adept professionals. Engineers’ expertise and labor, especially in the construction of small bridges and the laying of pontoons, often proved pivotal. Lacking sophisticated equipment and technical instruments, they nonetheless achieved numerous successes: the Union army never breached the defenses at Vicksburg or Atlanta, and by late 1864, the Army of Tennessee boasted a pontoon train sufficient to span the Tennessee River. Daniel uncovers these and other essential contributions to the war effort made by the Confederacy’s western engineers.
Contexto da obra
Como livro em inglês, esta obra costuma ganhar também uma camada própria de interesse editorial e linguístico. “Engineering in the Confederate Heartland”, de Larry J. Daniel, publicado pela editora LSU Press, em 2022 e com 222 páginas, integra a categoria Livros em Inglês. Por isso, o interesse da obra tende a se ampliar quando o leitor considera também a relação com a língua em que ela circula.
Editora: LSU Press
Páginas: 222
Ano: 2022-09-14
Edição:
Linguagem: en
ISBN: 0807177857
ISBN13: 9780807177853
Sobre a editora
Os livros da editora LSU Press convidam a uma imersão em histórias que exploram profundamente contextos históricos, culturais e sociais, muitas vezes ancorados no Sul dos Estados Unidos e suas complexidades. A leitura revela personagens marcantes e narrativas que transitam entre o drama vivido, como em relatos de guerra, e a crônica social, com atenção a conflitos raciais e identitários. O tom varia do humor irônico e absurdo à seriedade investigativa, oferecendo um ritmo que pode ser tanto reflexivo quanto envolvente, com uma linguagem acessível e, por vezes, detalhada. O catálogo sugere uma predileção por obras que dialogam com o passado para iluminar questões contemporâneas, com ênfase em experiências humanas reais e ficcionais.
