American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

I have been very impressed with the books I have been reading about Civil War battle and campaigns lately. Each of the following four books has been instrumental in helping me understand why things happened the way they did.

No Quarter-Richard Slotkin-The Crater

Champion's Hill: Decisive Battle of the Vicksburg Campaign-Timothy Smith

Fields of Blood: The Prairie Grove Campaign- William Shea

Mountains Touched with Fire-Wiley Sword-the Chattanooga Campaign

I have found each of these books fascinating, and I am sure there are many more just a good. Used to be Brette Schulte would give in-depth book reviews in this forum. That was why I got the Champion's Hill book by Smith. Hope one day he will resume.

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MG Mike Mihalik
Forrest's Cavalry Corps
AoWest/CSA

I have also read many, many good books on the ACW, but wanted to point out 3 that really stand out in my mind.
The Peter Cozzens Tennessee campaign trilogy.
No Better Place to Die - The Battle of Stones River
This Terrible Sound - The Battle of Chickamauga
The Shipwreck of Their Hopes - The Battles for Chattanooga

You will come away from these books with a good understanding of the battles. Cozzens chronicles in detail the campaign from the view at the top of command level, drilling all the way down to the experience of the private soldier. I also enjoy his exploration of command personalities and how that affects events.

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Lt. Mark Davis
Army of the Potomac

Finished This Terrible Sounds back in January and I have to agree that it is one of the best Civil War books I have read. The level of detail in unsurpassed. I have never read anything like it. It is an account of the huge battle of Chickamagua down to the regiment level. Because the battle was fought largely as actions by individual brigades, with some level of division level coordination, this level of detail makes sense.

Cozzens book on Chickamauga is good but for even more level of detail see recently published "THE MAPS OF CHICKAMAUGA: An Atlas of the Chickamauga Campaign, Including the Tullahoma Operations, June 22 - September 23, 1863" by David Powell which is simply amazing:

http://www.amazon.com/MAPS-CHICKAMAUGA- ... -1-catcorr

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Major General Aleksander Krolikowski
Commander 2nd Infantry Division,
XV Corps, Army of the Tennessee

I started back in the '50s with the Bruce Catton books. They are still great reads and good history. I reread them every so often. It is always fun to get together with old friends.
Jim Gleason LG 3-3-I AoP

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Jim Gleason LTG
LTG 3-3-II AoP

Gentlemen,
My first book experiences with the Civil War were the Bruce Catton series and a Matthew Brady paperback
of photographs when I was a pre-teen.
Since I have enjoyed and own Shelby Footes 3 Vol narrative, several of Stephen W Sears books, McPhereson's
Battle Cry of Freedom, the accompanying book to Ken Burns Civil War, Lee's Lieutenants, the West Point Atlas
to the Civil War, Trudeau's Gettysburg, Mark Adkin's Gettysburg Companion (along with his Waterloo Companion),
Ulysses S. Grant's memoirs, National Geographics Eyewitness to the Civil War, and NG's Atlas of the Civil War.
I recently purchased and was overwhelmed by the quality of the Echoes of Glory series by the Editors of Time Life Books, Arms and Equipment of the Union, Arms and Equipment of the Confederacy and Civil War Battle Atlas.
The actual photographs of uniforms, weapons, flags, accoutrements of daily life of actual soldiers many times accompanied by their photographs, not merely illustrations, many well known officers along with rank and file
were amazing and don't know how I missed these gems. This has led me to order the 28 volume Time Life Civil War series, published in the '80's. I have also reordered Don Troiani's Regiments and Uniforms of the Civil War Don Troiani's Civil War (paintings of battles and my favorite Civil War artist) I had a new puppy and left these volumes
on the floor one night and they were shredded the next morning. My fault and certainly worth replacing, they are a must have for any Civil War library.