tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-164710732012-02-02T14:06:07.487-08:00** Non-fiction Civil War book reviews, commentary, publishing news, author interviews, and profiles **Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.comBlogger10971100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-26260117021956677732012-02-01T10:36:00.000-08:002012-02-01T10:36:07.577-08:00

[ Lincoln and the Border States: Preserving the Union by William C. Harris (University Press of Kansas, 2011). Hardcover, map, photos, notes, index. Pages main/total:363/430. ISBN:978-0-7006-1804-0 $34.95 ] The conservative pro-slavery politicians and citizens of Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware are all too often presented in the literature as barely loyal obstacles in the way of

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-64600130420880595822012-01-30T12:24:00.000-08:002012-01-31T08:13:16.038-08:00

So far, university presses as a whole haven't been too aggressive in developing creative eBook plans for their catalogs and backlists.  Judging from this, and the pricing models that many have adopted for current releases, there appears to be significant fears of cannibalization of hardcover sales.  Out of print rarities, of which there are many, might be usefully revived through eBooks, but I

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-4162513097760122612012-01-29T20:54:00.000-08:002012-01-29T20:54:48.807-08:00

Clearly the intent of  The Battle of Pea Ridge: The Civil War Fight for the Ozarks cannot be to replace Shea & Hess's masterpiece, but I liked the author's synthetic Franklin work enough to want to read his perspective on Pea Ridge.

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-45681329269988410522012-01-27T11:00:00.000-08:002012-01-28T09:23:11.672-08:00

[ The Battle of White Sulphur Springs: Averell Fails to Secure West Virginia by Eric J. Wittenberg (The History Press, 2011). Softcover, maps, photos, notes, appendices, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:139/189. ISBN:978-1-60949-005-8  $21.99] Geo. S. Patton and W.W. Averell The U.S. cavalry raid that culminated in the August 26-27, 1863 Battle of White Sulphur Springs was conducted for

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-66903128536724191882012-01-24T08:38:00.000-08:002012-01-24T08:38:33.978-08:00

Donald Frazier is a professional historian and head of the Grady McWhiney Research Foundation. He has authored or edited Cottonclads!: The Battle of Galveston and the Defense of the Texas Coast, Blood & Treasure: Confederate Empire in the Southwest, and Love and War: The Civil War Letters and Medicinal Book of Augustus V. Ball, and he is currently at work on the third of a four volume history of

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-52741607768830213712012-01-23T12:15:00.000-08:002012-01-23T12:16:48.708-08:00

Arrivals: 1. The Massachusetts Andrew Sharpshooters: A Civil War History and Roster  by Alden C. Ellis, Jr. (McFarland, 2012). Everyone knows about Berdan's Sharpshooters, but I recall during my Peninsula Campaign order of battle research coming across several company-sized sharpshooter units that I'd never heard of before. The Andrew Sharpshooters from Massachusetts was one and now they have

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-57545439009248074432012-01-22T10:25:00.000-08:002012-01-22T13:53:29.619-08:00

As a corollary to an earlier post about book releases timed to Sesquicentennial battle anniversaries, it should also be mentioned that Blue & Gray magazine just released a new issue covering the February 1862 campaign against Forts Henry and Donelson, as well as later clashes at Dover, Tennessee.  The series of maps in it are superb, showing regiment and battery positions at various phases of the

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-19624744227742959262012-01-19T23:03:00.000-08:002012-01-20T08:41:28.305-08:00

[The Perfect Lion: The Life and Death of Confederate Artillerist John Pelham by Jerry H. Maxwell (University of Alabama Press, 2011). Hardcover, photos, maps, notes, bibliography, index. 440 pp. ISBN:9780817317355 $49.95] Civil War battery commanders are not often the subject of thick biographical tomes, but few would argue that John Pelham is undeserving of the honor. A handful of books trace

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-46595389196833838792012-01-17T19:05:00.000-08:002012-01-18T06:55:33.849-08:00

Obviously, attention surrounding the Civil War Sesquicentennial provides a good opportunity for publishers to schedule new campaign and battle history releases for their corresponding war year. I'll admit to being quite disappointed that no serious First Bull Run monograph, among other things, emerged last year, but let's see what 2012 might and might not bring. It would probably be unnecessary

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-49962222508432838792012-01-15T14:14:00.000-08:002012-01-15T18:01:54.288-08:00

[ Demon of the Lost Cause: Sherman and Civil War History by Wesley Moody (University of Missouri Press, 2011). Cloth, photos, notes, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:151/190. ISBN:978-0-8262-1945-9 $30] Although one can construct a strong argument for Nathan Bedford Forrest being the most controversial figure to emerge from the American Civil War, Wesley Moody's Demon of the Lost Cause

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-77172755467860348652012-01-11T08:25:00.000-08:002012-01-11T08:25:00.489-08:00

My list of favorite books from 2011 by category. I've also added a page tab for 2012 books that I am especially looking forward to reading.

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-85127860397652047212012-01-10T09:36:00.000-08:002012-01-10T09:36:58.306-08:00

Having commanded a foot battery, a horse battery, a heavy artillery regiment, and the II Corps artillery during the Civil War, distinguished army artillery school superintendent John C. Tidball was highly qualified to write a critique and history of the long arm of the Union. Edited by Lawrence M. Kaplan, Tidball's The Artillery Service in the War of the Rebellion, 1861-65 (Westholme, 2011) is a

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-73494513058392279132012-01-08T11:54:00.000-08:002012-01-09T09:55:29.898-08:00

...my review of this book is BY FAR my most frequently visited blog page.  I cut mish-mash Civil War county histories a lot of slack on this site and do have a high degree of affection for them in general, but I am always a bit disappointed that so many truly great books I feature here get search hit numbers negligible in comparison.

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-52458302535836901972012-01-07T07:47:00.000-08:002012-01-07T11:57:07.160-08:00

New Arrivals: 1. The 47th Indiana Volunteer Infantry: A Civil War History by David Williamson (McFarland, 2011). This is a massive and minutely detailed regimental history and roster of the 47th, which fought in western theater campaigns for Island No. 10, Helena, Vicksburg, Mobile, and post-war Texas. 2. The Press Covers the Invasion of Arkansas, 1862: Vol. 1 January-June by H.L. Hanna (

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-13042341909204243322012-01-06T09:29:00.000-08:002012-01-06T09:29:49.954-08:00

It was inevitable that the subject of environmental issues associated with the Civil War would emerge in the literature. Late 2010 saw Kelby Ouchley's Flora and Fauna of the Civil War: An Environmental Reference Guide (LSU), which I unfortunately never had the opportunity to read. This spring, University of Georgia Press will publish a pair of studies, Lisa Brady's War upon the Land: Military

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-90063265097242789352012-01-04T19:12:00.000-08:002012-01-04T19:12:04.714-08:00

[ Civil War Springfield by Larry Wood (The History Press, 2011).  Softcover, maps, photos, drawings, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:144/156.  ISBN:978-1-60949-308-0   $19.99] Though small in population, the Ozark town of Springfield was arguably the most important strategic point in southwest Missouri during the Civil War years. A few minor works have been published, but Larry Wood's

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-19861718592081019442012-01-03T17:46:00.000-08:002012-01-03T17:46:26.409-08:00

Richard McCaslin's biography of John S. "Rip" Ford has won the 2011 A.M. Pate, Jr. Award. Fighting Stock: John S. "Rip" Ford of Texas (TCU Press) is a very worthy winner. Why I think so is clear from my review.  Much thanks to the Fort Worth Civil War Roundtable for their continued and generous support of scholarly Trans-Mississippi publishing.

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-28497329827675598852012-01-02T18:32:00.000-08:002012-01-03T18:48:20.892-08:00

A while back (within two years, I believe it was an issue or two after the magazine came back from hiatus), there was a North & South article about some battles around Charleston. The author bio mentioned the writer was working on a history of the Department of the South. I lost my note on it.  Can anyone with back issues handy help me out with the author's name, school affiliation, etc.?  Thanks

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-25529761140440216812011-12-30T15:28:00.000-08:002011-12-30T15:28:33.925-08:00

[Soldiers of the Southern Cross: The Confederate Soldiers of Tallapoosa County, Alabama by William Gregory Wilson (Author, 2011 2nd ed.). Softcover, maps, photos, notes, appendices, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:165/318. ISBN:978-1-4507-4962-6 $35] Although Rousseau's Raid went through it in 1864, Tallapoosa County, Alabama did not host any major Civil War battles. In terms of military

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-17244327459632647062011-12-28T22:08:00.000-08:002011-12-28T22:10:00.916-08:00

Praeger, an imprint of library and school publisher ABC-CLIO, is not really known as a big time Civil War presence, but they have an avalanche of small and spendy titles scheduled for the first half of next year, grouped into two series. Battles and Leaders of the American Civil War: * Shiloh: Confederate High Tide in the Heartland by Steven E. Woodworth. * Antietam 1862 by T. Stephen Whitman. *

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-16813741176247649742011-12-26T21:40:00.000-08:002011-12-26T21:40:27.451-08:00

[ Worthy of the Cause for Which They Fight: The Civil War Diary of Brigadier General Daniel Harris Reynolds, 1861-1865 edited by Robert Patrick Bender (University of Arkansas Press, 2011). Softcover, photos, notes, bibliography, index. 333 pp. ISBN:9781557289711 $34.95 ] A native Ohioan and graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, Daniel H. Reynolds moved to Lake Village, Arkansas at the age of 26

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-25719264497429159042011-12-24T09:08:00.000-08:002011-12-24T09:08:15.155-08:00

I missed it the first time around, but the Summer 2011 issue of Arkansas Historical Quarterly was a Civil War themed special issue, with more promised throughout the Sesquicentennial. It might be worthwhile to periodically check the links I provide in the sidebar (a ways down). It's good bet that some of the other journals will be doing the same. And... Merry Christmas to all, and thanks to

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-71184003064227389172011-12-21T08:54:00.000-08:002011-12-21T08:54:44.043-08:00

New Arrivals: 1. Demon of the Lost Cause: Sherman and Civil War History by Wesley Moody (Univ of Missouri Pr, 2011). Moody explores how and why Sherman's reputation, north and south, has shifted over time and in what ways Sherman himself actively sought to shape how he would be remembered. 2. Trembling in the Balance: The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal During the Civil War by Timothy R. Snyder (

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-45585203512884294642011-12-19T11:44:00.000-08:002011-12-19T11:44:49.551-08:00

The Arkansas History Commission has just published Traveled through a Fine Country: The Journal of Captain Henry Brockman Company K, 10th Missouri Volunteer Infantry, C.S.A.. Description: "Captain Henry Brockman served in Company K, 10TH Missouri Volunteer Infantry, Confederate Army during the Civil War. In his journal, he describes in detail his daily activities, the many places he visited,

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-416177049513031592011-12-16T13:44:00.000-08:002011-12-24T09:01:33.860-08:00

***  CWBA Favorite Books of 2011  *** [ NOTE: As always, Fall 2010 titles may be included here as my reading backlog tends to build up substantially during this typically busy time for new releases. ] Battle/Campaign Histories: Trans-Mississippi Theater: Thunder Across the Swamp: The Fight for the Lower Mississippi, February-May 1863 by Donald S. Frazier (State House Pr). Western Theater:

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-79975490624600698942011-12-14T11:25:00.000-08:002011-12-14T11:25:15.337-08:00

[Turmoil on the Rio Grande: The Territorial History of the Mesilla Valley, 1846-1865 by William S. Kiser (Texas A&M University Press, 2011). Cloth, 10 maps, photos, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:228/301. ISBN:978-1-60344-296-1 $35] According to historian Jerry D. Thompson, Mesilla, a New Mexican town located astride the most direct and favorable invasion route to

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-12363715420776627232011-12-11T20:15:00.000-08:002011-12-11T20:20:14.982-08:00

The 1861-62 Confederate "blockade" of the Potomac River has not been covered extensively in the literature, with the standard work from Mary Alice Wills now almost four decades old.  Robert H.C. Alton covers similar ground with his book Stratagem 1861: Early Civil War Battles and the Battle for the Potomac (Walsworth Publishing Co., 2011) with mixed results. The book itself is beautiful to

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-80484552247041672362011-12-10T09:04:00.000-08:002011-12-10T09:04:25.727-08:00

New Arrivals: 1. The Battle of First Bull Run - Manassas Campaign July 16-22, 1861 - An Illustrated Atlas and Battlefield Guide by Blaikie Hines (American Patriot Press, 2011). My first impressions of this book are positive. Differing from traditional atlas maps depicting historical terrain, the author instead takes modern satellite photos and superimposes troop positions and movements on them.

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-5345288424951621482011-12-08T20:43:00.000-08:002011-12-08T20:43:58.528-08:00

[ George Crook: From the Redwoods to Appomattox by Paul Magid (University of Oklahoma Press, 2011). Hardcover, 4 maps, photos, notes, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:356/417. ISBN:978-0-8061-4207-4  $39.95 ] Much has been written about General George Crook's career fighting western Indian tribes in the 1870s and 1880s (including his own autobiography), but Paul Magid's military biography

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-58065972651374971412011-12-08T13:06:00.000-08:002011-12-08T13:07:25.880-08:00

New Arrivals: 1. The Settlers' War: The Struggle for the Texas Frontier in the 1860s by Gregory Michno (Caxton Pr, 2011). The post-secession withdrawal of U.S. troops from the Lone Star State's northern and western borders, and their inadequate replacement with Texas and Confederate units, led to large scale Indian troubles for the region's settlers. The story has been told before in scholarly

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-34756767138365623062011-12-07T19:54:00.000-08:002011-12-07T19:54:07.502-08:00

It's been nearly three months since Dimitri's last post. With Civil War blogs coming and going in a flash this is no big deal in the overall scheme of things, but CWB is basically the granddaddy of us all and, with near daily postings for years on end, it has always been among the most consistently engrossing and contentious of blogs. The output has definitely slowed since last summer. I hope

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-88451387137964386512011-12-06T09:51:00.000-08:002011-12-06T09:53:26.600-08:00

Regular readers know that I rarely miss the opportunity to mention upcoming books dealing with the 1862-65 Dakota War. Next spring, University of Nebraska imprint Bison Books will publish the first book length treatment of the Battle of Birch Coulee. John Christgau's Birch Coulie: The Epic Battle of the Dakota War [not sure where that spelling of coulee comes from, even the cover art print takes

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-52519386766301142532011-12-05T10:15:00.000-08:002011-12-05T10:15:29.174-08:00

[ The Denbigh's Civilian Imports: Customs Records of a Civil War Blockade Runner between Mobile and Havana by J. Barto Arnold III (Institute of Nautical Archaeology, 2011). Softcover, map, figures, tables, notes, bibliography. 512 pp. ISBN:978-0-9795874-2-9  $40 ] Launched in 1860 by Laird, Sons & Co. in Birkenhead, England, the Denbigh was a low-profile, swift ocean steamer, perfect for running

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-88418061751154218432011-12-03T09:48:00.001-08:002011-12-03T10:00:36.217-08:00

Well, it's that time of the year again...when perennially inconsiderate neighbors don't pick up their leaves knowing the prevailing winds will land them on my lawn; but it is also time to reflect back on the year of publishing and recall my favorite reading experiences. Because October & November are such busy release months and I obviously cannot read all the new titles of interest from that

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-66207055557285134852011-12-02T14:23:00.000-08:002011-12-02T14:25:17.231-08:00

New Arrivals: 1. Price's Lost Campaign: The 1864 Invasion of Missouri by Mark A. Lause (U. of Missouri Pr, 2011). Glancing through the book, it appears that Lause has oddly chosen to end his raid history at Jefferson City. I will be curious to find out why. 2. Civil War Springfield by Larry Wood (The History Pr, 2011). Springfield, Missouri is deserving of a Civil War town study. Wood's book

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-74994276743638035702011-11-30T12:04:00.000-08:002011-11-30T12:29:11.542-08:00

[ The CSS Arkansas: A Confederate Ironclad on the Western Waters by Myron J. Smith, Jr. (McFarland 800-253-2187, 2011).  7 x 10 Softcover, 101 photos, 2 maps, notes, bibliography, index. Page main/total:306/360. ISBN:978-0-7864-4726-8  $45 ] The Confederate navy built and operated a large number of formidable ironclads during the Civil War. Unfortunately for them, these expensive fleets were

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-78765710372941313202011-11-28T15:07:00.000-08:002011-11-28T15:07:02.956-08:00

Most publishers request that reviews be held until release time [this one is scheduled for March, but I would bet it comes out a couple months early] so until then I thought I would post a little preview of Earl Hess's The Civil War in the West: Victory and Defeat from the Appalachians to the Mississippi (UNC Press, 2012). At its heart, The Civil War in the West is a theater level operational

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-28696040590603152472011-11-27T09:59:00.000-08:002011-11-27T09:59:39.375-08:00

For a long time, Kent State University Press has carried only one Civil War related series in their catalog, Lesley Gordon's Civil War in the North. However, the first volume from a new military focused series Civil War Soldiers and Strategies (edited by Brian Steel Wills) will be published in 2012. This inaugural study will be Hampton Newsome's Richmond Must Fall: The Richmond-Petersburg

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-52106210841285067272011-11-26T09:47:00.000-08:002011-11-30T08:54:01.115-08:00

In May 2012, University of Missouri Press will publish Louis Gerteis's The Civil War in Missouri: A Military History.  It is highly unfortunate that the overwhelming amount of amateur and scholarly Missouri guerrilla war publications have obscured the state's significant (and, to me, endlessly fascinating) conventional war experience.  Before now, no one has attempted an all encompassing

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-91727507246432440722011-11-23T20:35:00.000-08:002011-11-23T20:36:01.531-08:00

George Henry Thomas: As True As Steel by Brian Steel Wills (Univ Pr of Kansas, 2012) is currently scheduled for a March release.  After a long hiatus, Thomas bios have been sprouting up all over the place.  I didn't bother with Bobrick or Broadwater, and Christopher Einolf's book, while generally well regarded, didn't have the detail I was looking for. With this one (600 pages), and the Corinth

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-43680256343873061172011-11-23T10:13:00.000-08:002011-12-19T08:04:06.752-08:00

In glancing through the catalogs listed below, one book stood out as particularly appealing in terms of my own personal interests. For Civil War naval history students, a pathbreaking study by Maurice Melton will be released during the spring 2012 publishing season. The Best Station of Them All: The Savannah Squadron, 1861-1865 (Univ of Ala Pr, August) is a big book at 632 pages, with a cringe

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-53598423423250459022011-11-23T09:50:00.000-08:002011-11-23T09:50:08.743-08:00

A number of the university presses have their Spring-Summer '12 catalogs available for viewing online. So far, you can see or download LSU, Mercer, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Alabama, and North Carolina.  Scroll down the sidebar to the University Press Profiles for links to each press' main page.

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-44881097740036939982011-11-21T16:04:00.000-08:002011-11-21T16:04:58.546-08:00

New Arrivals:   1. The Civil War in South Carolina: Selections from the South Carolina Historical Magazine edited by Lawrence S. Rowland and Stephen G. Hoffius (Home House Pr, 2011). A well selected compilation of over 40 articles from the SCHS's scholarly journal, the book's 607 pages cover a variety of wartime subjects (at least half are military in nature) across all areas of the state.  2

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-46829433859471707052011-11-20T12:33:00.000-08:002011-11-20T12:33:36.784-08:00

At last, a major work concerning the 1862 "Siege" of Corinth is in the offing. Although from the title, Corinth 1862: Siege, Battle, Occupation (Univ Pr of Kansas, May 2012), it certainly looks like Smith is going for a broader look, 472 pages should afford enough space for a decent history of the siege operation.

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-61550444123090686412011-11-20T10:08:00.000-08:002011-11-20T10:10:05.894-08:00

New Arrivals: 1. Tried Men and True, or Union Life in Dixie by Thomas Jefferson Cypert, edited by Margaret M. Storey (Univ of Ala Press, 2011). East Tennessee unionists get all the press, but adherents to the old flag were present all over the state. Cypert, an officer in the 2nd Tennessee Mounted Infantry (US), penned this memoir (published here for the first time) to defend the actions of

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-32190260761620595512011-11-18T11:47:00.000-08:002011-11-18T11:47:19.794-08:00

[ A Unionist in East Tennessee: Captain William K. Byrd and the Mysterious Raid of 1861 by Marvin Byrd (The History Press, 2011). Softcover, map, illustrations, appendices, notes, index. Pages main/total:158/192. ISBN:978-1-60949-245-8 $21.99 ] During the first months of the Civil War, with Confederate general Felix K. Zollicoffer pursuing a generally conciliatory policy in East Tennessee,

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-44600100235781743982011-11-16T19:39:00.000-08:002011-11-16T19:39:54.410-08:00

Dominated by old and/or amateurish works, the Civil War in the Indian Territory possesses on the whole one of the most deficient bodies of literature in Civil War historiography, so I was surprised and delighted to find that the next issue of Blue & Gray Magazine will tackle the battles of Chusto-Talasah (Caving Banks), Chustenahlah, Bayou Manard, Old Fort Wayne, Cabin Creek, Devil's Backbone,

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-45004803609734268872011-11-15T10:17:00.000-08:002011-11-15T10:17:12.456-08:00

New Arrivals: 1. CSS Alabama vs USS Kearsarge: Cherbourg 1864 by Mark Lardas (Osprey, 2011). Vol. 40 in Osprey's Duel series. 2. Gettysburg's Forgotten Cavalry Actions: Farnsworth's Charge, South Cavalry Field, and the Battle of Fairfield, July 3, 1863 by Eric J. Wittenberg (Savas Beatie, 2011). This is a newly revised and updated edition. In addition to the main text discussions of the

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-76300089345844640282011-11-13T14:06:00.000-08:002011-11-13T14:06:39.833-08:00

[Thunder Across the Swamp: The Fight for the Lower Mississippi, February-May 1863 by Donald S. Frazier (State House Press, 2011). Cloth, 56 maps, 123 photos, 75 illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:559/630. ISBN:978-193333744-9 $59.95] Not completely neglected, the Civil War in southwest Louisiana has received some fine coverage in the literature, from Christopher Pena's

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-4582258519053068072011-11-10T17:59:00.000-08:002011-11-10T17:59:02.259-08:00

South Carolina Historical Magazine, the SC Historical Society's peer reviewed journal, apparently has published many Civil War related articles over the years, enough that only a selection of these can fill a new 600+ page book. Edited by Lawrence S Rowland and Stephen G Hoffius, The Civil War in South Carolina (Home House Press, 2011) boasts that  "Some of the finest articles exploring the

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-86256880762189521492011-11-08T08:17:00.000-08:002011-11-08T08:17:54.864-08:00

Long out of print and often rather expensive to find in fine condition on the secondary market, the best history of the Battle of Carnifex Ferry has been reissued by Quarrier Press with a new introduction by author Terry Lowry. September Blood is an essential element to the West Virginia Civil War bookshelf.  I've never read Lowry's contributions to the H.E. Howard unit history series, but Last

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-71348820218958180362011-11-06T09:20:00.000-08:002011-11-06T09:20:48.353-08:00

Like many other unpublished Civil War nuts I suspect, I always have book ideas swirling around in my head on neglected subjects that never actually get off the ground. One of my favorites is a history of the first year of the war in Kentucky, roughly from Sumter through Johnston's retreat from Bowling Green. However, knowing that my not doing a project is no loss to Civil War scholarship, I'm

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-26264727179151210682011-11-03T11:56:00.000-07:002011-11-03T11:56:47.716-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. The Denbigh's Civilian Imports: Customs Records of a Civil War Blockade Runner between Mobile and Havana by J. Barto Arnold III (Inst. of Nautical Archaeology, 2011). This is a massive reference book containing invoices and customs forms from the blockade runner Denbigh into Mobile.  Beyond allowing researchers to track what civilians imported through the blockade, the book

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-52903413227427307962011-10-28T12:56:00.000-07:002011-10-28T12:56:49.036-07:00

[Second Manassas: Longstreet's Attack and the Struggle for Chinn Ridge by Scott C. Patchan (Potomac Books, 2011). Hardcover, 11 maps, photos, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. Page main/total:146/205. ISBN:978-1-59797-687-9  $26.95] Book length treatments of portions of Civil War battles are typically the purview of Gettysburg scholars and enthusiasts. However, with Second Manassas, Scott

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-62729036950061749372011-10-26T20:30:00.000-07:002011-10-26T20:30:29.392-07:00

New Arrival:  Lincoln and the Triumph of the Nation: Constitutional Conflict in the American Civil War by Mark Neely (UNC Press, 2011). I am around 100 pages into this book and liking it. Neely examines the usual issues -- secession, habeas corpus, emancipation, conscription, etc. -- but a major part of what makes his book unusual is the in depth look at the northern pamphlets published during

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-66914990105155365322011-10-24T10:28:00.000-07:002011-10-24T10:28:37.146-07:00

Joseph O. Shelby's "Great Raid" has been the subject of one book length account, Mark Scott's thesis The Fifth Season (Two Trails, 2001). Directed at a general audience as part of Osprey Publishing's Raid series, Sean McLachlan's Ride Around Missouri: Shelby's Great Raid 1863 (2011) is another summary account. Coming in at 80 illustration-filled pages, the book is a typical Osprey offering in

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-14305792415929201112011-10-21T14:16:00.000-07:002011-10-21T14:16:39.305-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. A Generation at War: The Civil War Era in a Northern Community by Nicole Etcheson (UP of Kansas, 2011).  Regular readers might recall that I have a high opinion of Etcheson's earlier "Bleeding Kansas" book. This new effort centers around the impact of the Civil War on the Putnam County, Indiana home front, but it also examines the much broader period of societal change 1850-

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-40319182811782957452011-10-19T20:39:00.000-07:002011-10-19T20:39:42.298-07:00

I've been wondering what increasingly prolific historian Earl Hess has next on his plate. Unfortunately for me, it is not his history of Burnside's East Tennessee campaign (please let that be next). Instead, next spring we'll get The Civil War in the West: Victory and Defeat from the Appalachians to the Mississippi (UNC Press, March 2012). That's a pretty massive subject to tackle from one side,

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-45155893719415454282011-10-17T14:22:00.000-07:002011-10-17T14:22:03.288-07:00

A trio of Ball's Bluff histories were published in the 1990s -- Byron Farwell's Ball's Bluff: A Small Battle and Its Long Shadow (1990), William Howard's The Battle of Ball's Bluff: The "Leesburg Affair," October 21, 1861 (1994), and Kim Holien's Battle of Ball's Bluff (1995) -- but a definitive study would not appear until the next decade, when James A. Morgan III burst on the scene in 2004.

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-87943793746104902622011-10-16T18:12:00.000-07:002011-10-16T18:12:06.456-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. The 11th Missouri Volunteer Infantry in the Civil War: A History and Roster by David W. Belcher (McFarland, 2011). 2. Dear Sallie ...: The Letters of Confederate Private James Jewel, Echols Light Artillery, Oglethorpe County, Georgia edited by Gary L. Doster (Angle Valley Pr, 2011). The overwhelming majority of published Confederate letters (or regimental histories for

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-51798985855482820982011-10-15T20:30:00.000-07:002011-10-15T20:35:00.997-07:00

The supposed influence of Baron Jomini's classics of military theory on Civil War generals is a subject often raised in books, but generally not with much substance or useful context. Lately, UNC Press has published a few works -- like those of Wayne Hsieh and Earl Hess -- attempting to explain some aspect or another of the how and why of Civil War battlefields, and Carol Reardon's upcoming study

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-52337988821122551272011-10-12T20:11:00.000-07:002011-10-12T20:11:56.582-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. Stratagem 1861: Early Civil War Tactics and the Battle for the Potomac by Robert H.C. Alton (Walsworth Pub Co, 2011). Chock full of photos, maps and drawings of all kinds, this is a smart looking new study of the Confederate attempt to block Potomac River traffic through the erection of batteries along its southern bank. 2. Ride Around Missouri: Shelby's Great Raid 1863

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-52131233603678267532011-10-10T20:30:00.000-07:002011-10-10T20:30:03.005-07:00

[Confederate "Tales of the War" Part 2 edited by Michael E. Banasik (Camp Pope Publishing). Softcover, 5 maps, illustrations, notes, appendices, bibliography, index. 244 Pp. ISBN:978-1-929919-36-9 $17.95] Between 1885 and 1887, the St. Louis newspaper Missouri Republican published a series of 94 wartime reminiscences, both Union and Confederate. Michael Banasik has collected these pieces for

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-64594716829971050812011-10-09T14:19:00.000-07:002011-10-09T14:19:49.975-07:00

Receiving a 630-page book in the mail yesterday brought to mind a recent LSUP blog posting [here] by Rand Dotson, the press's editor in charge of acquisitions. It's an interesting post dealing with conflicting issues between author and publisher priorities, things like page length, notes, and titles.

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-24321795831016146972011-10-08T12:38:00.001-07:002011-10-08T12:38:39.484-07:00

New Arrival: * Thunder Across the Swamp: The Fight for the Lower Mississippi, February-May 1863 by Donald S. Frazier (State House Press, 2011).  My copy arrived today. It is indeed a massive red cloth hardcover, its length exceeding 600 pages. The volume is abundantly illustrated and its 56 maps are a great mix of tactical, operational, and strategic scales (although those with weaker vision

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-74253828639683518182011-10-07T08:02:00.000-07:002011-10-07T08:02:08.611-07:00

Don Frazier's Thunder Across the Swamp: The Fight for the Lower Mississippi, February-May 1863 is out now (the pre-orders have shipped). A good history of Nathaniel Banks's Bayou Teche campaign doesn't exist, and, given the quality of his previous work, I have high hopes that Frazier will deliver the goods here. On a product description note, the length of Thunder has increased substantially

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-18316567177662883052011-10-04T13:27:00.000-07:002011-10-04T13:27:25.705-07:00

[Stuarts Tarheels: James B. Gordon and His North Carolina Cavalry in the Civil War, 2nd Ed. by Chris J. Hartley (McFarland 800-253-2187, 2011).   Hardcover, maps, illustrations, notes, roster, appendices, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:250/445. ISBN:978-0-7864-6364-0  $55] Even if widely admired personally and professionally by wartime colleagues and superiors, accomplished Civil War

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-2430214871105388902011-10-03T09:16:00.000-07:002011-10-03T09:16:39.439-07:00

Offhand, I can only think of one book length published unit history detailing service in the 1862-65 Dakota War, Kurt Bergemann's Bracketts Battalion: Minnesota Cavalry in the Civil War and Dakota War (1996, rep. in 2004 by Minn. Hist. Society Press). However, next year we should see Michael Eggleston's The 10th Minnesota Volunteers, 1862-1865: A History of Action in the Sioux Uprising and the

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-41842913527646897832011-10-01T14:10:00.000-07:002011-10-02T21:40:29.865-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. Abraham and Mary Lincoln by Kenneth J. Winkle (SIUP, 2011). 2. Lincoln and the Civil War by Michael Burlingame (SIUP, 2011). Two more volumes from So. Illinois's Concise Lincoln Library. 3. Lincoln in His Own Time: A Biographical Chronicle of His Life, Drawn from Recollections, Interviews, and Memoirs by Family, Friends, and Associates ed. by Harold K. Bush, Jr. (Univ of

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-22664762173400113482011-09-28T14:00:00.000-07:002011-09-28T14:00:28.655-07:00

[Savannah, Immortal City: Volume I - Civil War Savannah by Barry Sheehy & Cindy Wallace with Vaughnette Goode-Walker (Emerald Book Company, 2011). Cloth, maps, photos, drawings, appendices, notes, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:438/520.  ISBN:978-1-934572-70-2   $44.95] Author Barry Sheehy's Civil War Savannah project initially had as its object the documentation of military sites in

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-33988142219752574892011-09-26T20:17:00.000-07:002011-09-26T20:17:53.100-07:00

New Arrivals: 1.   Turmoil on the Rio Grande: The Territorial History of the Mesilla Valley, 1846-1865 by William S. Kiser (TAMU Press, 2011). The region experienced much in the way of conflict during the mid-19th century, from battles and boundary disputes between the U.S. and Mexico through a Confederate invasion during the Civil War. 2.  Confederate "Tales of the War" in the

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-63047179928171513992011-09-25T14:10:00.000-07:002011-09-25T14:10:22.163-07:00

[ An Iowa Soldier Writes Home: The Civil War Letters of Union Private Daniel J. Parvin by Philip A. Hubbart (Carolina Academic Press, 2011). Softcover, maps, notes, illustrations, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:181/196. ISBN:978-1-59460-978-7  $25] Over the years, a fairly standard format for publishing edited Civil War letter collections has emerged and been accepted. With some

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-27340341893329151542011-09-21T07:49:00.000-07:002011-09-21T07:49:00.555-07:00

I'll take editor Kent Masterson Brown's word for it that memoirs written by the officers and men of John Hunt Morgan’s various Confederate cavalry commands are rare. Given that, the publication of One of Morgan's Men: Memoirs of Lieutenant John M. Porter of the Ninth Kentucky Cavalry (University Press of Kentucky, 2011) is significant news for students of Confederate mounted operations in the

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-87975741154192570172011-09-20T12:51:00.000-07:002011-09-20T12:51:39.213-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. Lincoln and the Border States: Preserving the Union by William C. Harris (UP of Kansas, 2011). I'm happy that Kansas sent me a review copy of this one. The Civil War in the border states (esp. Missouri and Kentucky) is my primary interest and I've had my eye on Harris's book for a long time. There have been some good studies released recently, including a nice look at civil

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-12358010535886889982011-09-08T12:25:00.000-07:002011-09-20T13:49:12.667-07:00

I've been informed that Camp Pope Publishing's  Confederate "Tales of the War", Part 2 is at the printer and will be available soon. You can read my review of Part One here. Edited by Michael Banasik, I believe it will be Volume VIII of the excellent "Unwritten Chapters of the Civil War West of the River" series. From the Publisher: "The 1862 portion of these “Tales of the War” covers in

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-27137435977770808672011-09-05T10:23:00.000-07:002011-09-05T10:23:01.891-07:00

Jeff Patrick is the NPS librarian at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield. His Civil War publications include his editing of Thomas Wise Durham's memoir Three Years With Wallace's Zouaves and Fighting for Liberty and Right, the diary of William B. Miller that he co-edited with Robert Willey. His latest book, and the subject to be covered here, is Campaign for Wilson's Creek: The Fight for Missouri

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-15028720992174115322011-09-02T00:35:00.000-07:002011-09-02T00:37:10.723-07:00

[ Dakota Dawn: The Decisive First Week of the Sioux Uprising, August 17-24, 1862 by Gregory F. Michno (Savas Beatie, 2011). Hardcover, 19 maps, photos, notes, appendix, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:429/473. ISBN:978-1-932714-99-9 $32.95 ] The 1862 Great Sioux Uprising in Minnesota is second only to King Philip's War in the scale of white American civilian deaths, yet it has been

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-22205746976044643012011-08-31T20:27:00.000-07:002011-08-31T20:29:27.353-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. General Braxton Bragg, C.S.A. by Samuel J. Martin (McFarland, 2011). 2. A Soldier's Story of His Regiment (61st Georgia) and Incidentally of the Lawton- Gordon-Evans Brigade Army of Northern Virginia by George W. Nichols, ed. by Robert E.L. Krick (Univ of Ala Press, 2011). The newest volume from the press's Seeing the Elephant, an Alabama series that reprints classic memoirs

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-72752480962516771032011-08-29T08:44:00.000-07:002011-08-29T08:45:38.887-07:00

Brett Schulte's excellent The Siege of Petersburg Online - Beyond the Crater site has made available for a nominal fee his transcriptions of Confederate Inspection Reports and Union Ordnance Returns.  I've seen the images of these microfilm rolls that NARA has made available for direct purchase and they are horrendously difficult to read so Brett's work should be appreciated by those interested

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-50601455469386664042011-08-25T11:26:00.000-07:002011-08-25T14:32:31.269-07:00

The release date of my most anticipated military study of the year, Thunder Across the Swamp: The Fight for the Lower Mississippi, February-May 1863, has been pushed back to the end of September. The Sable Arm blogger James Price has a book coming out soon, The Battle of New Market Heights: Freedom Will Be Theirs by the Sword. Anyone who made it through Richmond Redeemed wanting to read more

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-69186054756684791212011-08-21T13:53:00.000-07:002011-08-24T18:49:42.826-07:00

[ New Mexico and the Civil War by Walter Earl Pittman (The History Press, 2011). Softcover, maps, photos, index. 127 pp. ISBN:978-1-60949-137-6 $19.99 ] New Mexico and the Civil War is one of the better volumes from The History Press's body of concise campaign and battle histories. Author Walter Pittman is a retired academic historian but his overview of the failed 1861-62 Confederate campaign

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-85043723926641030082011-08-18T21:20:00.000-07:002011-08-18T21:20:59.167-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. The CSS Arkansas: A Confederate Ironclad on the Western Waters by Myron J. Smith, Jr. (McFarland, 2011). Smith recounts in his typical level of detail the impressive highs and lows of the Arkansas's short career. 2. New Mexico and the Civil War by Walter E. Pittman (The History Press, 2011). This work is primarily composed of a brief summary of Sibley's 1861-62 campaign,

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-66640035242785921742011-08-16T12:16:00.000-07:002011-08-16T12:17:21.753-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. Always In The Middle Of The Battle: Edward Kiniry and the 1st Illinois Light Artillery Battery D by David Edward Wall (Xlibris, 2011). Wall explores the battery's Civil War service through the writings of Kiniry and others. In addition to the narrative, the volume is well stocked with maps and the author also provides a battery roster and OB info for the unit at appropriate

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-60579768841054313962011-08-14T20:45:00.000-07:002011-08-14T20:47:14.237-07:00

Gregory Michno has authored or co-authored at least eight books and many more articles dealing with the Indian conflicts in the West. His most recent publication, Dakota Dawn: The Decisive First Week of the Sioux Uprising, August 17-24, 1862 (Savas Beatie, 2011) is a fascinating moment by moment recounting of events, and he's kindly agreed to answer a few questions about it for CWBA. DW: You’

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-53620737863666041022011-08-11T13:17:00.000-07:002011-08-11T13:17:40.058-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. George Crook: From the Redwoods to Appomattox by Paul Magid (Univ of Okla Pr, 2011). Magid's book takes an in depth look at Crook's less heralded early military career, beginning in the Far West in California, Oregon, and Washington Territory and moving on through the Civil War years in West Virginia, western theater service with the Army of the Cumberland, and with Union

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-49172712488285994122011-08-09T18:53:00.000-07:002011-08-09T18:53:26.831-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. Dakota Dawn: The Decisive First Week of the Sioux Uprising, August 17-24, 1862 by Gregory F. Michno (Savas Beatie, 2011). For quite a while, I've been hoping to find a book detailing the Great Sioux Uprising fighting at places like Redwood Ferry, New Ulm, and Fort Ridgely, and it looks like this one fits the bill. I hope to have an author Q&A with Michno posted in the near

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-82827938750812290102011-08-08T00:00:00.000-07:002011-08-08T08:08:00.898-07:00

[Shooting Soldiers: Civil War Medical Photography By R.B. Bontecou by Stanley B. Burns, M.D. (Burns Archive Press, 2011) 6 x 6.75 hardcover, 150 illustrations. 168 pp. ISBN:978-1-936002-05-6 $50] During and after the Civil War, medical photography was recognized as a useful means of documenting the appearance, diagnosis, and treatment of war wounds. In these images, the partially clothed soldier

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-9246718139530186682011-08-06T22:41:00.000-07:002011-08-06T22:42:31.073-07:00

Recently, University of Tennessee Press has reissued a pair of classic unit organization and map studies associated with the Shiloh and Chickamauga-Chattanooga battlefield parks, authored by Civil War veterans David Reed and Henry Boynton. Next up will be John S. Kountz's Record of the Organizations Engaged in the Campaign, Siege, and Defense of Vicksburg.

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-78141156665282902972011-08-05T00:18:00.000-07:002011-08-05T00:18:00.594-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. Stuarts Tarheels: James B. Gordon and His North Carolina Cavalry in the Civil War, 2nd Ed. by Chris J. Hartley (McFarland, 2011). I am not familiar with the first edition of this unit history, but the publisher description implies that the extensively detailed roster included with the new book was not present before. New source material was also incorporated into the 2nd

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-72198267685675025712011-08-04T07:37:00.000-07:002011-08-04T07:37:25.160-07:00

[The Great Heart of the Republic: St. Louis and the Cultural Civil War by Adam Arenson (Harvard University Press, 2011) Hardcover, maps, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index. Pages main/total:227/347. ISBN:9780674052888 $35] As Cairo, Illinois can attest, being located at the confluence of a pair of iconic western rivers does not necessarily confer greatness. Geography always plays a part,

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-27168174142622796562011-08-02T13:04:00.000-07:002011-08-03T11:06:13.649-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. A Little Short of Boats: The Civil War Battles of Ball's Bluff and Edwards Ferry, October 21 - 22, 1861 by James A. Morgan III  (Savas Beatie, 2011). Originally published by Ironclad in 2004, this book became one of my favorite small battle studies, and the new edition (beyond the obvious physical improvement from paperback to hardcover) promises to make a great book even

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-13395107960803001922011-08-01T12:33:00.000-07:002011-08-01T12:33:29.284-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. Shooting Soldiers: Civil War Medical Photography By R.B. Bontecou by Stanley B. Burns, M.D. (Burns Archive Press, 2011). The Burns Archive Press is publishing a series featuring the pioneering medical photography of Dr. Reed B. Bontecou. Shooting Soldiers is Vol. 1 and it provides 150 images (103 of which are posed portraits of soldiers and their wounds, both before and after

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-25883337696733206712011-07-29T09:53:00.000-07:002011-07-29T09:53:32.546-07:00

[Of Duty Well and Faithfully Done: A History of the Regular Army in the Civil War by Clayton R. Newell and Charles R. Shrader (University of Nebraska Press, 2011). Hardcover, 30 illustrations, 1 map, 44 tables, 3 charts, appendix. 424 pp. ISBN:978-0-8032-1910-6  $75] Clayton Newell and Charles Shrader's thick tome Of Duty Well and Faithfully Done is not a narrative history of the United State

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-1908346541851178492011-07-26T14:00:00.000-07:002011-07-26T16:55:36.559-07:00

[Violent Encounters: Interviews on Western Massacres by Deborah and Jon Lawrence (University of Oklahoma Press, 2011). Cloth, maps, notes, bibliography, index. 271 Pages. ISBN:978-0-8061-4126-8 $34.95] Typically, scholarly compilations of historical views on a variety of subjects under a common theme involve a series of essays, but the editors of Violent Encounters, Deborah and Jon Lawrence,

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-44740100572278159392011-07-25T20:19:00.000-07:002011-07-25T20:20:01.205-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. Acadian General Alfred Mouton and the Civil War by William Arceneaux (Center for La Studies, 1981). According to the publisher, "this revised and expanded edition also incorporates the most recent findings in Acadian and Civil War history, as well as new materials from the National Archives and various Louisiana depositories. Also included in the second edition are the muster

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-5239733255539268592011-07-21T14:22:00.000-07:002011-07-21T14:22:12.716-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. The Great Heart of the Republic: St. Louis and the Cultural Civil War by Adam Arenson (Harvard Univ Pr, 2011). I liked Louis Gerteis's Civil War St. Louis, and, while both books appear superficially similar in their focus on society and politics, Arenson's new study takes a broader and more long term view at the importance of St. Louis to 19th century cultural change in

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-29949046810381979342011-07-19T15:24:00.000-07:002011-07-19T15:24:17.466-07:00

According to Civil War in the desert Southwest expert Jerry D. Thompson, of the half dozen or so published diaries and journals from the 1861-62 Confederate invasion of New Mexico and Arizona, only Morgan Merrick's covers the summer 1861 occupation of the Mesilla Valley by John R. Baylor's 2nd Texas Mounted Rifles. His 77-page journal [originally titled "Notes And Sketches of Campaigns In New

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-39982628644495834312011-07-17T17:53:00.000-07:002011-07-17T23:26:12.623-07:00

At this time, the only history of Jo Shelby's 1863 "Great Raid" published in book form is Mark Scott's  The Fifth Season (Two Trails Pub., 2001). However, Sean McLachlan's Ride Around Missouri - Shelby's Great Raid 1863 is expected to have an October release. A short work [the standard 80 pages] from Osprey's Raid series, not much more than an overview treatment can be expected.

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-68553147944182401562011-07-16T14:54:00.000-07:002011-07-17T17:58:01.858-07:00

New Arrivals: 1. Savannah, Immortal City: Volume I - Civil War Savannah by Barry Sheehy & Cindy Wallace with Vaughnette Goode-Walker (Emerald Book Co., 2011). A heavy oversize volume (first of a four volume set) bound in red cloth and full of maps, photos, and other illustrations, this glossy text and visual history of Savannah during the war is full of architecture lore interspersed with

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16471073.post-2807155957405838592011-07-11T16:18:00.000-07:002011-07-11T16:18:52.243-07:00

I'll always have a soft spot for Martin Hardwick Hall's Sibley's New Mexico Campaign (University of Texas Press, 1960). It was the first serious study I read (albeit over three decades after its release) about a campaign fought west of the Mississippi and I've been hooked ever since. Though relatively brief by today's standards, it's coverage of the desert campaign from inception through the

Drew@CWBAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00018056113264346047noreply@blogger.com2