Between the end of May and the beginning of August 1864, Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and Gen. Robert E. Lee oversaw the transition between the Overland campaign—a remarkable saga of maneuvering and brutal combat—and what became a grueling siege of Petersburg that many months later compelled Confederates to abandon Richmond. Although many historians have marked Grant's crossing of the James River on June 12–15 as the close of the Overland campaign, this volume interprets the fighting from Cold Harbor on June 1–3 through the battle of the Crater on July 30 as the last phase of an operation that could have ended without a prolonged siege. The contributors assess the campaign from a variety of perspectives, examining strategy and tactics, the performances of key commanders on each side, the centrality of field fortifications, political repercussions in the United States and the Confederacy, the experiences of civilians caught in the path of the armies, and how the famous battle of the Crater has resonated in historical memory. As a group, the essays highlight the important connections between the home front and the battlefield, showing some of the ways in which military and nonmilitary affairs played off and influenced one another.

Contributors include Keith S. Bohannon, Stephen Cushman, M. Keith Harris, Robert E. L. Krick, Kevin M. Levin, Kathryn Shively Meier, Gordon C. Rhea, and Joan Waugh.

Tacoma, like most cities across the nation, has changed its appearance over time, creating many different urban landscapes. This phenomenon was apparent throughout the area as landowners, developers, community organizations, and government agencies all contributed to the city's growth and transformation. The changing landscape was further impacted by fires, earthquakes, and other acts of nature, resulting in a rich mosaic of old and new. The history of Vanishing Tacoma illustrates the city's past and present landscapes and honors the historic properties that still remain.

In 1873, the Northern Pacific Railroad selected the south shore of Commencement Bay as the terminus of its transcontinental line. Connected to, but independent of the railroad, the Tacoma Land Company created a city adjacent to the terminus. By the early years of the 20th century, downtown Tacoma was the place to go for a wide array of activities from retail shopping and government activity to entertainment. Streetcars, and then automobiles, contributed to the ever-changing vitality of people and place. After the late 1960s, when developers constructed a mall south of the central core, city planners created a new type of urban experience centered on amenities designed to lure tourists and Tacomans alike.

For more than 150 years, the activity on and around Commencement Bay-since the 1840s, when Charles Wilkes first named it, to the present day-has been a barometer for measuring Tacoma's maritime and industrial growth and development. Wilkes's early exploration assured the inclusion of Puget Sound within the boundaries of the United States following negotiations with Great Britain in 1846. Drawn to the deep waters of the south shore of the bay, the Northern Pacific Railroad established its transcontinental terminus here in 1873 and, in the process, created the city of Tacoma. In the early years, the waterfront was alive with the sights and sounds of commerce. The "longest wheat wharf in the world" lined the south shoreline, longshoremen handled cargo, the Mosquito Fleet carried people to and from the municipal dock, and the Puyallup River delta was transformed into the bustling Port of Tacoma.