Booknotes: Three Cheers for the Chesapeake!

New Arrival:
• Three Cheers for the Chesapeake!: History of the 4th Maryland Light Artillery Battery in the Civil War by Rick Richter (Schiffer Mil Hist, 2017).

Three Cheers for the Chesapeake! is a heavily illustrated roster-history of the Confederate 4th Maryland Light Artillery ("Chesapeake Artillery") battery. Detailing the unit's service in the eastern theater with the Army of Northern Virginia, the narrative history portion of the book runs 120 pages. There are also numerous appendices (looking at numbers & losses, armaments, myths, desertions, and more) and a well-researched roster of the 145 men that served with the unit.

From the description: "Illustrated with previously unpublished photos, letters, documents, and diary entries, the untold story of the Chesapeake Artillery comes to light. Comprised chiefly of men who lived near the shores of its namesake bay, the Chesapeake Artillery was the last Confederate battery organized from the state of Maryland. It was also by far the smallest, with barely more than half the average enrollment of other Maryland batteries in the Confederate army. Despite its size, the unit was frequently cited for its bravery and efficiency, including by Stonewall Jackson."