Booknotes: Campaign for Wilson's Creek, Updated Edition

New Arrival:
• Campaign for Wilson's Creek: The Fight for Missouri Begins, Updated Edition
  by Jeffrey L. Patrick (State House Pr, 2018).

Originally published in 2011 as part of McWhiney Foundation Press's Civil War Campaigns and Commanders series, Jeff Patrick's Campaign for Wilson's Creek: The Fight for Missouri Begins presents audiences of all backgrounds an excellent overview history of the topic. I would still recommend as the best entry point for new readers. For some time now, McWhiney History Education Group has been publishing new titles, including this one, through their State House Press imprint.

In Campaign for Wilson's Creek: The Fight for Missouri Begins, Updated Edition Patrick "tells the fascinating story of high-stakes military gambles, aggressive leadership, and lost opportunities. Campaign for Wilson's Creek is a tale of unique military units, untried but determined commanders, colorful volunteers, and professional soldiers. The first major campaign of the Civil War to take place west of the Mississippi River guaranteed that Missourians would be engaged in a long, cruel civil war within the larger, national struggle."

At first glance, both editions (2011 and 2018) appear identical beyond the new cover art and copyright page (the latter has a 2018 date, though the book was released in 2019 within the last month). I emailed the publisher and asked if they could offer any information about changes between editions. The response from them indicated that "updated edition" primarily refers to the new book conforming to an updated style guide, with content additions/alterations much less significant.