12th VA: The Petersburg Regiment in the Civil War: A History of the 12th Virginia Infantry from John Brown’s Hanging to Appomattox, 1859-1865

Unit: 12th Virginia

Unit Affiliation: (Mahone/Weisiger), Mahone, III

Title: The Petersburg Regiment in the Civil War: A History of the 12th Virginia Infantry from John Brown’s Hanging to Appomattox, 1859-1865

Author: John Horn

SOPO’s Take: John Horn, author/editor of multiple books on both the Siege of Petersburg as well as the 12th Virginia, has delivered an excellent unit history. The 12 Virginia’s war started slowly in Norfolk and elsewhere in Southside Virginia.  Then they participated in their first big battle at Seven Pines, an uneven performance, before seeing action for the rest of the war with Mahone’s Brigade in the Army of Northern Virginia., seeing action at 2nd Manassas, Crampton’s Gap, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, the Overland Campaign, and finally Petersburg and Appomattox.  The regiment and its brigade did not have a stellar reputation…until the Siege of Petersburg changed all of that.  Mahone had worked as a surveyor prior to the war for a railroad in the area, and knew the ground intimately.  Partly as a result, Mahone’s Division was often used as Lee’s shock troops in the battles near Petersburg. Horn utilizes a lot of first person accounts, both from well-known members like George Bernard of “War Talks” fame, as well as many others, including some who were wounded and/or died in battle.  While this is very much a traditional military history account of the 12th, Horn also looks at a lot of social data in this account.  He also has excellent maps for some often forgotten battles, especially at Petersburg and during the Appomattox Campaign.  You can clearly see where the 12th Virginia was located on each and every one.  Many, many regimental histories lack this crucial information. The advance praise is a who’s who of Siege of Petersburg authors, including Ed Bearss, Gordon Rhea, the late, great Richard J. Sommers, William Glenn Robinson, and Noah Andre Trudeau. This is an excellent book and one anyone interested in the Siege of Petersburg will want to own.

Book Summary/Review:

SOPO Siege of Petersburg Book Notes:

Publisher: Savas Beatie

Publication Date: 2019

ISBN-13: 978-1-61121-436-9

Links to Read/Buy:

1. The Petersburg Regiment in the Civil War: A History of the 12th Virginia Infantry from John Brown’s Hanging to Appomattox, 1859-1865 (Google Books)
2. The Petersburg Regiment in the Civil War: A History of the 12th Virginia Infantry from John Brown’s Hanging to Appomattox, 1859-1865 (Amazon.com)