The final year of the Civil War witnessed a profound transformation in the practice of modern warfare, a shift that produced unprecedented consequences for the soldiers fighting on the front lines. In The Army of the Potomac in the Overland and Petersburg Campaigns, Steven E. Sodergren examines the transition to trench warfare, the lengthy campaigns of attrition that resulted, and how these seemingly grim new realities affected the mindset and morale of Union soldiers.

List of maps and tables -- Acknowledgments -- A note on sources -- Introduction : Spring 1864 -- 1. "Some one will have to suffer" : the Overland Campaign, May 5-June 15, 1864 -- 2. "Perfectly brutalizing" : soldier responses to the Overland Campaign -- 3. "The men were becoming dangerous" : transitioning to Petersburg and the problem of morale -- 4. "A cut-up country" : union soldiers experience trench warfare at Petersburg -- 5. "Great is the shovel and spade" : adaptation to trench life -- 6. "Very good fare nowadays" : union soldiers respond to logistics and charitable organizations -- 7. "The warm, loving heart of peace" : mail and escapes from the front -- 8. "The goose hangs high" : perceptions of victory within the Army of the Potomac, June 1864-March 1865 --9. "Treason's going down" : perceptions of the enemy during the Petersburg Campaign -- Conclusion : Spring 1865 -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.