In the study of field fortifications in the Civil War that began with Field Armies and Fortifications in the Civil War, Hess turns to the 1864 Overland campaign to cover battles from the Wilderness to Cold Harbor. Drawing on meticulous research in primary sources and careful examination of trench remnants at the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North Anna, Cold Harbor, and Bermuda Hundred, Hess describes Union and Confederate earthworks and how Grant and Lee used them in this new era of field entrenchments. .

Engineer assets in the Overland Campaign -- The Wilderness -- Spotsylvania, May 8-11 -- The Mule Shoe Salient at Spotsylvania, May 12 -- Spotsylvania, May 13-20 -- Bermuda Hundred -- North Anna -- Cold Harbor, May 27-June 2 -- Attack and siege--Cold Harbor, June 3-7 -- Holding the trenches at Cold Harbor, June 7-12 -- Conclusion -- Appendix: The design and construction of field fortifications in the Overland Campaign.