What do you think?
Rate this book
The Knoxville Campaign: Burnside and Longstreet in East Tennessee
“Hess’s account of the understudied Knoxville Campaign sheds new light on the generalship of James Longstreet and Ambrose Burnside, as well as such lesser players as Micah Jenkins and Orlando Poe. Both scholars and general readers should welcome it. The scholarship is sound, the research, superb, the writing, excellent.” —Steven E. Woodworth, author of Decision in the The Civil War in the West
In the fall and winter of 1863, Union General Ambrose Burnside and Confederate General James Longstreet vied for control of the city of Knoxville and with it the railroad that linked the Confederacy east and west. The generals and their men competed, too, for the hearts and minds of the people of East Tennessee. Often overshadowed by the fighting at Chickamauga and Chattanooga, this important campaign has never received a full scholarly treatment. In this landmark book, award-winning historian Earl J. Hess fills a gap in Civil War scholarship—a timely contribution that coincides with and commemorates the sesquicentennial of the Civil War
The East Tennessee campaign was an important part of the war in the West. It brought the conflict to Knoxville in a devastating way, forcing the Union defenders to endure two weeks of siege in worsening winter conditions. The besieging Confederates suffered equally from supply shortages, while the civilian population was caught in the middle and the town itself suffered widespread destruction. The campaign culminated in the famed attack on Fort Sanders early on the morning of November 29, 1863. The bloody repulse of Longstreet’s veterans that morning contributed significantly to the unraveling of Confederate hopes in the Western theater of operations.
Hess’s compelling account is filled with numerous maps and images that enhance the reader’s understanding of this vital campaign that tested the heart of East Tennessee. The author’s narrative and analysis will appeal to a broad audience, including general readers, seasoned scholars, and new students of Tennessee and Civil War history. The Knoxville Campaign will thoroughly reorient our view of the war as it played out in the mountains and valleys of East Tennessee.
EARL J. HESS is Stewart W. McClelland Distinguished Professor in Humanities and an associate professor of history at Lincoln Memorial University. He is the author of nearly twenty books, including The Civil War in the West—Victory and Defeat from the Appalachians to the Mississippi and Lincoln Memorial University and the Shaping of Appalachia.
In the fall and winter of 1863, Union General Ambrose Burnside and Confederate General James Longstreet vied for control of the city of Knoxville and with it the railroad that linked the Confederacy east and west. The generals and their men competed, too, for the hearts and minds of the people of East Tennessee. Often overshadowed by the fighting at Chickamauga and Chattanooga, this important campaign has never received a full scholarly treatment. In this landmark book, award-winning historian Earl J. Hess fills a gap in Civil War scholarship—a timely contribution that coincides with and commemorates the sesquicentennial of the Civil War
The East Tennessee campaign was an important part of the war in the West. It brought the conflict to Knoxville in a devastating way, forcing the Union defenders to endure two weeks of siege in worsening winter conditions. The besieging Confederates suffered equally from supply shortages, while the civilian population was caught in the middle and the town itself suffered widespread destruction. The campaign culminated in the famed attack on Fort Sanders early on the morning of November 29, 1863. The bloody repulse of Longstreet’s veterans that morning contributed significantly to the unraveling of Confederate hopes in the Western theater of operations.
Hess’s compelling account is filled with numerous maps and images that enhance the reader’s understanding of this vital campaign that tested the heart of East Tennessee. The author’s narrative and analysis will appeal to a broad audience, including general readers, seasoned scholars, and new students of Tennessee and Civil War history. The Knoxville Campaign will thoroughly reorient our view of the war as it played out in the mountains and valleys of East Tennessee.
EARL J. HESS is Stewart W. McClelland Distinguished Professor in Humanities and an associate professor of history at Lincoln Memorial University. He is the author of nearly twenty books, including The Civil War in the West—Victory and Defeat from the Appalachians to the Mississippi and Lincoln Memorial University and the Shaping of Appalachia.
424 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
4 people are currently reading
71 people want to read
About the author
Earl J. Hess
51 books28 followersEarl J. Hess is Stewart W. McClelland Chair in History at Lincoln Memorial University and the author of numerous books on the Civil War.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
May 20, 2019
Hess' work here is unencumbered by vast amounts of detail; it is instead succinct and clear. The maps are solid and the analysis is fair. Anecdotes are used well. I did knock off a star because there was very little on the capture of Knoxville. In particular I wanted to know about the surrender at Cumberland Gap.
July 4, 2020
A fairly thorough study of the campaign in East Tennessee in late 1863. Burnside moves to seize Knoxville. Bragg sends Longstreet from Chattanooga to Knoxville where he nominally besieges the city, makes one unsuccessful assault, and moves away when Grant sends a relief force following the Battle of Chattanooga. The book covers events into early 1864 when Longstreet finally returns to Virginia and most of the Union army leaves the Knoxville area for the Atlanta Campaign. Earl Hess is a pretty reliable author.
Recommended to Civil War buffs.
P.S. I reading a digital edition of this book and the maps did not scale well when I zoomed in for larger text size.
Recommended to Civil War buffs.
P.S. I reading a digital edition of this book and the maps did not scale well when I zoomed in for larger text size.
August 29, 2018
Very detailed historical research of Knoxville’s importance during the Civil War. Amazing stories of valor, tenacity, horror & ingenuity. A few structures & landmarks still exist here.
November 28, 2025
Another nice piece of writing by Earl Hess, covering Longstreet's East Tennessee campaign. Hess does a nice job covering the full campaign and discussing its impacts and implications.
March 25, 2013
This is a very good review of the Knoxville Campagin and in the tradition of the best "battle books" about the Civil War, it focuses on the extended conditions around the campagin at hand but really is at its best when concerned with the small details of battle—the way troops are moved, the pithy choices faces and made by commanders, the weather, the lay of the land. Earl Hess' command of the material at hand and his ability as a writer are both first-rate and he's contributed a very useful—and readble—book to Civil War history here.
March 3, 2013
Excellent book on a little studied campaign. Hess has included a section at the end detailing the Civil War sites that still remain around Knoxville. This book is therefore not only an excellent work of military history, but also of use when planning battlefield tours or staff rides in the area.
November 18, 2022
Well written and researched. This is the best book on this campaign.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews