Battles of New Hope Church, The
In the late spring of 1864, Union general William T. Sherman made his way toward Atlanta in what would become infamous as his March to the Sea. Northwest of the city, in Paulding County, Sherman's advance was halted for the first time when he found himself enveloped in unbroken wilderness, face to face with Joseph Johnston's Army of Tennessee. The two armies engaged in a series of intense battles in the area, which the soldiers would begin calling the "Hell Hole."  Harrowing details bring to life the conflicts at New Hope Church, Pickett's Mill, and Dallas in this thorough study of Georgia warfare during the Atlanta Campaign. More than a dozen chapters offer explanations on the battle strategies employed and describe the conditions faced by the soldiers, with letters, memoirs, and diary entries providing firsthand accounts of their horrific experiences. Maps depict the position of the brigades during battle while images include portraits of the men in uniform and illustrations of combat. Written in the present tense, this history captures the intensity of war. Civil War enthusiast Russell W. Blount, Jr., is a senior vice president with Surety Land Title, Inc. After earning his B.S. in history from the University of South Alabama, he taught the subject at the high-school level. Blount is involved in such organizations as the Civil War Preservation Trust, Historic Mobile Preservation Society, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. He also serves on the board of directors for the Kiwanis Club of Fort Conde. He resides in Mobile, Alabama.