Hess holds the Stewart W. McClelland Chair in History at LMU, where he has taught since 1989. Hess has been a student of Civil War history since he was a teenager, growing up in rural Missouri. He completed his B.A. and M.A. degrees in history at Southeast Missouri State University. His Ph.D. in American Studies, with a concentration in history, was awarded by Purdue University in 1986. He has taught at a number of institutions, including the University of Georgia, Texas Tech University, and the University of Arkansas. He is the author of more than a dozen books on Civil War military history, the latest of which is Into the Crater – The Mine Attack at Petersburg. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 2002.
Its wider value further enhanced through situating its topic within the long history of international landmine development, this impressive study rightfully assumes its place as the new standard history of what proved to be the most controversial weapon and mode of warfare that emerged during the American Civil War. Highly recommended.-- Civil War Books and Authors Earl Hess continues to produce masterful studies in Civil War history that challenge decades of presumed scholarly wisdom. This book looks at the expansion of landmine technology and tactics during the sectional conflict, the campaigns in which subterranean mines were employed, and the colorful personalities involved in weapons development. Hess's work is a triumph of diligent and focused scholarship. -- Christopher S. Stowe, Professor of Military History, Marine Corps University--Christopher S. Stowe, Professor of Military History, Marine Corps University An important study that helps remedy the general neglect of mines and torpedoes. Significant both for the American Civil War and for our more general understanding of the process of technological innovation in the nineteenth century.--Jeremy Black, author of Technology and War Professor Hess has produced yet another exciting book on an understudied aspect of Civil War military history. He examines the history of Civil War land mines and places them within the larger context of nineteenth-century military history. With his analysis of the tactics, technology, and moral ramifications of the use of land mines, Professor Hess has created the definitive book on the subject.--Kyle S. Sinsi, professor of history at The Citadel, author of Sacred Debts: State Civil War Claims and American Federalism