This is the first English-language general bibliography on military fortifications. It deals with the history of fortifications from the earliest times to the present throughout the world. Design, construction, and maintenance of all types of fortifications are noted, from permanent to temporary, from earthworks to fortifications of wood and stone. Although the work mainly cites English-language sources, numerous useful foreign-language publications are noted as well. Materials included range from books and pamphlets to essays, periodicals, book chapters, dissertations, and videos. After the frontmatter, which provides an overview of the subject, the volume consists of six major sections: general works are cited first, followed by chapters on fortifications in the Eastern Hemisphere, Europe, the Pacific, the Western Hemisphere, and specific topics. Each entry contains an annotation which notes the work's content, assesses its usefulness, and notes any unique features. Access to the contents of the volume is augmented through an author index and a subject index. This bibliography should prove invaluable to scholars and researchers concerned with military history, and the place of fortifications in warfare.

Despite the flood of books on articles on virtually every aspect of the American Civil War that has inundated the reading public since Lee's surrender at Appomattox, many gaps still remain, including the activities of engineer forces on both sides. As in any modern war, building and repairing the sinews of war - roads, bridges, railways - are vital functions that lack the glamour of armies clashing in battle and so tend to be underreported by historians. "Dear Friends at Home..." is an important primary source that sheds light on Union engineering activities as well as the viewpoint of a volunteer Engineer who served as a sergeant and company-grade officer. Such volunteers supported operations just as the regular Army Engineers, from constructing pontoon bridges under fire to building field fortifications for siege operations. His letters and diaries convey his reactions to the extreme conditions of wartime, from the rigors of combat to the boredom of camp life. They also present the views of a stalwart and unflinching supporter of the Union cause who saw slavery and its overthrow as a key component of the struggle against the Confederacy. "Dear Friends at Home..." is a document of keen interest for its insights into the thoughts and feelings of an engineer at war and descriptions of Civil War combat engineering.

Union forces in the Civil War needed far more Engineers than the Regular Army could furnish. Volunteer Engineers, who entered the Army for wartime service only, supported operations just as did the regulars. Their contributions ranged from constructing pontoon bridges under fire to building field fortifications for siege operations. Thomas Owen's letters and diary reveal the life and duties of a volunteer Engineer who served as a sergeant and company-grade officer. These writings convey his reactions to the extreme conditions of wartime, from the rigors of combat to the boredom of camp life. For their insights into the thoughts and feelings of an Engineer at war and descriptions of Civil War combat engineering, they should still interest those of us who serve as Army Engineers. Paul Taylor Colonel, Corps of Engineers Chief of Staff