Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The Civil War was the first conflict in world history to employ a large number and a variety of different types of landmines. A handful of Confederates pioneered in the development of contact-activated mines by adding a sensitive percussion fuse to artillery shells and burying them in front of fortifications, at watering places, and along roads and pathways during the conflict. Some mines also were rigged to explode by electricity. But Confederate hopes for the landmine were never realized. While the technology worked, the landmine failed to provide ay tactical benefits. Federal troops quickly learned how to deal with them, often using Confederate prisoners to dig them up. The torpedoes, as they were commonly called in the 1860s, merely angered and embittered the Unionists rather than demoralized or stopped them. Some of these mines killed Southern civilians, including women and children, and many remained in the ground for decades to come. Despite the tragic consequences, Confederate operatives worked out the first doctrine of landmine use in global history and implemented that doctrine in the 1860s. The key elements of the doctrine resurfaced in European warfare during the Second World War and in the conflicts associated with the Cold War.
Synopsis
The Civil War was the first conflict in world history to employ a large number and a variety of different types of landmines. A small handful of Confederates pioneered the development of artillery shells, burying them in front of fortifications, at watering places, and along roads. Despite Confederate hopes, these explosives were quickly turned against them. While the technology worked, the landmines failed to provide any tactical benefits. Federal troops quickly learned how to deal with them, often using Confederate prisoners to dig them up. The torpedoes, as they were commonly called in the 1860s, merely angered and embittered the Unionists. Some of these mines killed Southern civilians, including women and children, and many remained in the ground for decades to come. Despite the tragic consequences, Confederate operatives worked out the first doctrine of landmine use in global history and implemented that doctrine in the 1860s. In this expansive account of 19th century explosives Hess touches on not only the technical and tactical aspects of the Civil War torpedo, but the morality and doctrines that shaped international conflicts ranging from World War II to the Cold war. Through intensive research in archival institutions, published primary sources, and technical literature, Hess has create the comprehensive account of Civil War era landmine warfare.
Synopsis
Civil War Torpedoes, recounts the use of 19th century torpedoes, from their inception through their legacy. A small handful of Confederates pioneered the usage of mines, or torpedoes as they were commonly called in the 1860s, burying them them in front of fortifications and along roads. Confederate plans for these explosives were quickly turned against them. Federal troops learned how to deal with them, often using Confederate prisoners to dig them up. Confederate operatives created the first doctrine of landmine use in global history, implementing it in the 1860s. In this expansive account of 19th century explosives Hess touches on not only the technical and tactical aspects of the Civil War torpedo, but the morality and doctrines that shaped international conflicts ranging from World War II through the Cold war. Through intensive research in archival institutions, published primary sources, and technical literature, Hess has created the comprehensive account of Civil War era landmine warfare.
Synopsis
Civil War Torpedoes and the Global Development of Landmine Warfare recounts the use of landmines in the American Civil War from their predecessors before 1861through their legacy in the post-Cold War era. A handful of Confederates pioneered the use of torpedoes, as landmines were commonly called in the 1860s, burying them in front of fortifications, along roads, and as booby traps. Federal troops quickly learned how to deal with them, often using Confederate prisoners to dig them up. The first doctrine of landmine use in global history appeared during the Civil War. Hess discusses not only the technical and tactical aspects of the Civil War torpedo, but the morality and doctrine that surrounded this weapon in ways that illuminate how modern landmines have shaped international conflicts to our own time. Through intensive research in archival institutions, published primary sources, and technical literature, Hess has created the definitive account of Civil War era landmine warfare within its global context.
Synopsis
Civil War Torpedoes examines the history of landmine development and use in the Civil War and beyond. The author organizes his scholarship around technology, and morality. Hess uses multiple archival sources to tell a compelling narrative that considers the moral stigma most contemporaries attached to this new weapon of war.