To Hell or Richmond: The 1862 Peninsula Campaign
by Doug Crenshaw and Drew Gruber
Savas Beatie, 2023
150 images, 10 maps, 192 pp
ISBN: 978-1-61121-523-6
Click here to order
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About the Book:
In the spring of 1862, George McClellan and his massive army were slowly making their way up the Virginia Peninsula. Their goal: Capture the Confederate capital and end the rebellion. “To Hell or Richmond,” one Federal artillery unit vowed, sewing the words onto their flag.
The outnumbered and outgunned Confederates under generals “Prince John” Magruder and Joseph E. Johnston kept pulling back, drawing McClellan away from his base at Fort Monroe and further up the peninsula—exactly the direction McClellan wanted to go. But if they could draw him just far enough, and out of position, they hoped to attack and defeat him.
As McClellan approached the very gates of Richmond, a great battle brewed. Could the Confederates save their capital and, with it, their young nation? Could the Federals win the war with a single fatal blow?
In To Hell or Richmond: The 1862 Peninsula Campaign, Doug Crenshaw and Drew Gruber follow the armies on their trek up the peninsula. The stakes grew enormous, surprises awaited, and the soldiers themselves had only two possible destinations in mind.
The Aftermath of Battle is part of the Emerging Civil War Series, offering compelling, easy-to-read overviews of some of the Civil War’s most important stories. The masterful storytelling is richly enhanced with hundreds of photos and illustrations.
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The Aftermath of Battle also includes:
- Appendix A: The Virginia Peninsula: Before 1862 by Drew Gruber
- Appendix B: “The Potomac Will Be Effectively Closed”: The Confederate Potomac Blockade by Rob Orrison
- Appendix C: The Battle of Hampton Roads: March 8–9, 1862 by Mark Wilcox
- Appendix D: A Perfect Gibraltar by Doug Crenshaw
- Appendix E: A Battlefield Lost: Seven Pines by Doug Crenshaw
- Order of Battle
- Suggested Reading
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Read More about the Book:
- Emerging Civil War guest author Paula Tarnapol Whitacre wrote “To Hell or Richmond”-By Way of Alexandria on January 15, 2024.
- Doug Crenshaw wrote a blog post about writing the book for Emerging Civil War, The “Emerging Civil War Series” Series: To Hell or Richmond: The 1862 Peninsula Campaign on June 8, 2023.
- Drew Gruber and Doug Crenshaw joined Chris Mackowski to discuss To Hell or Richmond: The 1862 Peninsula Campaign on the Emerging Civil War podcast on May 24, 2023.
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About the Authors:
Doug Crenshaw is an Emerging Civil War Series author who has written a number of books on the Civil War in Richmond, including Richmond Shall Not Be Given Up: The Seven Days’ Battles, a prequel to To Hell or Richmond: The 1862 Peninsula Campaign. His other works include The Battle of Glendale, Fort Harrison and the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm and Embattled Capital, co-authored with Bert Dunkerly. Doug is a volunteer for the Richmond National Battlefield Park, a past president of the Richmond Civil War Roundtable and a board member of the Richmond Battlefields Association. Drew Gruber is the executive director of Civil War Trails and the interim director of the Williamsburg Battlefield Association.
