Book series progress updates

Given the quality, depth, and floor joist-groaning weight of the final product, no one can possibly quibble with Scott Hartwig for taking more than a decade to finish the second installment of his monumental two-volume history of the 1862 Maryland Campaign. On the other hand, there are others (such as Tim Smith with his recently completed five-book Vicksburg Campaign series) who have managed to complete similarly massive projects in a remarkably short period of time. That got me thinking about the current situation with a few other big projects that remain unfinished.

Of course, the first volume in David Powell's highly anticipated Atlanta Campaign series has already arrived (see here), but I recently sent out some CWBA e-couriers to politely solicit updates from a few authors of follow-up titles that have been in the works for a number of years now.

When asked about the fifth and final volume of his expanded "Louisiana Quadrille" (the most recent series title, Tempest over Texas: The Fall and Winter Campaigns of 1863–1864, having been released in 2020), Don Frazier responded that he was prioritizing another publishing project and that the eagerly awaited fifth installment was still in mental "outline" form. I don't know if that means the research is all finished and don't have a projected completion date.

A. Wilson Greene, author of A Campaign of Giants - The Battle for Petersburg, Volume 1: From the Crossing of the James to the Crater (2018), responded immediately that the second volume in his Petersburg series (I believe it is a planned trilogy) will be in UNC Press's Spring '25 catalog, with a targeted pub date somewhere in the February to April range. He goes on to say that the manuscript is currently in final editing, with page proofs arriving soon. I gave a highly positive review to Volume 1 and am looking forward to the second installment.

Like Campaign of Giants, River of Death - The Chickamauga Campaign, Volume 1: The Fall of Chattanooga, the first half of William Glenn Robertson's two-part operational history of the Chickamauga Campaign, was published back in 2018. When asked about V2, Robertson responded with the following:

"I am currently working on Chapter 15, out of a projected 15, plus possibly an epilogue, so the end is in sight. I hope to finish the manuscript by the end of September of this year, although the completion date might extend into October. Maps and photos are yet to be finalized. The University of North Carolina Press has been most gracious in sticking with me over such a long period of time. They will choose the publication date, but I am hoping for their spring list."

So it sounds like it will be a while yet before we get the Frazier book, but if things go smoothly we might be able to read both the Greene and Robertson titles as early as next spring.