Brassey's book of sieges - William Seymour

The historical emphasis on battle as opposed to siege has long diminished the human face of war, ignoring the anonymous thousands who scurry to the relative safety of a citadel only to find themselves caught in a web of enforced service, starvation and disease. Since the walls of Jericho came tumbling down and the Greeks outwitted their Trojan rivals with a wooden horse, sieges have played an important part in man's struggle to outdo fellow man. William Seymour provides an absorbing and vivid account of sieges in history from Acre in the 12th century to the impeccable defence of Khe Sanh by the United States Marines in the 20th. In all, seventeen sieges are described in detail, including Constantinople (1453), Malta (1565), Vicksburg (1863), Tobruk (1941) and Leningrad (1944). Extra chapters cover the mechanics of a siege and notes for visitors to the sites today. The dramatic military and human stories recounted within are complemented by a concise analysis of the development of siege warfare, assisted by specially commissioned maps and drawings illustrating the techniques of each era.