Booknotes IV (May '12)

New Arrivals:

1. Corinth 1862: Siege, Battle, Occupation by Timothy B. Smith (UP of Kansas, 2012).

My review will be posted this week.

2. Civil War Battlefield Orders Gone Awry: The Written Word and Its Consequences in 13 Engagements by Donald R. Jermann (McFarland, 2012).

With our transportation signage overkill and ready communications, it is easy to forget how difficult it was for mid-nineteenth century armies to get where they needed to be. Jermann looks at Civil War FUBARs at Ball's Bluff, Winchester, Mechanicsville/Gaines' Mill, Malvern Hill, 2nd Bull Run, 1862 Maryland Campaign, Perryville, Fredericksburg, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Spring Hill and Five Forks.

3. Promotion or the Bottom of the River: The Blue and Gray Naval Careers of Alexander F. Warley, South Carolinian by John M. Stickney (USC Press, 2012).

Warley commanded significant vessels at the beginning (CSS Manassas below New Orleans) and end (CSS Albemarle at Plymouth, NC) of his Confederate naval career. In between, he served at Charleston, Galveston, and Savannah, covering most of the major CSN naval stations. Love the title.