American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

Audio books aren't cheating if you read them out loud.

How about if you just lip synch to them?

..................

..and when you are in a traffic jam on a warm day, crank the volume up and the windows down and watch the stares you can get [:)]

Lt Gen Bob Breen
Commanding XIX Corps, AoS
"Defenders of the Right"

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by dmallory</i>
My single favorite book on the entire war has been "Battle Cry of Freedom," by James McPherson.

My favorite author is Stephen Sears but, to my knowledge, he has not written a book on the entire war.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

As a one-volume history of *any* war (era), in its combination of depth, complexity, scope and readability, McPherson's book is unsurpassed in my opinion.

I read five books by Sears and while they're certainly all above average, for me some are outstanding while others are just OK. I thoroughly enjoyed his biography of Little Mac, with the single caveat that, after reading it, you can't stand the man any more, if you ever could, because after several hundred pages his combination of pretended modesty, extreme hyperbole and flat lie becomes so utterly predictable and unbearable. (Truth is, it makes one wonder why Lincoln, having had his share of McClellan, appointed him again.)

"Chancellorsville" and "Gettysburg" are truly good books which have a compelling narrative while still going into enough detail to make the battles come to life. They should be read in succession, because the one really picks up the story where the other left it, and you can't really understand Gettysburg without Chancellorsville anyway.

On the other hand, I found "Landscape Turned Red" (on Antietam) and "To the Gates of Richmond" (on the Peninsula campaign) a bit dull. There's just way too much detail in the style of this regiment did this and then that regiment did that and then another regiment did another damned thing when in fact their experiences in a certain assault were pretty much all the same. One or two examples would have sufficed to make the battle experience more palpable. The general picture, the narrative, on the other hand, gets pretty much lost there for me. I especially recall that on I believe near 100 pages (I have the book at home, not here) I lost all comprehension for what actually happened in the series of Federal assaults on Jackson's position at Antietam, from East Woods to Bloody Lane, reading about it broken down into a series of individual regimental or, at best, brigade actions. That the maps in these two books are rather poor (they have positions and ground cover, but no elevation lines) is no help either.

But then I believe these two were his earlier books? Then he has certainly improved since then.

Gen. Walter, USA
<i>The Blue Blitz</i>
AoS

Alan, Ya gotts love the River City!

Maj.Gen. Mike Smith
Smith's Brigade
Smith's Division
Carroll's Corps
Army of Georgia
[url="http://convolutedmuse.blogspot.com//"]Convoluted Muse[/url]

"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their money, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them (around the banks), will deprive the people of their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered."
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), US Founding Father

I think Bruce Catton was my favorite Civil War author, but I read his books a long time ago, when I was in high school. I don't know how they would stack up today. My favorite Civil War book is probably Coddington's The Gettysburg Campaign. Gettysburg is my favorite battle, and in my opinion no one has written a book on Gettysburg that is its equal, including Stephen Sears. For tactical insight, Pfanz'z books are great, particularly Gettysburg: The Second Day (which is a misnomer because it deals exclusively with the events on Longstreet's front and ignores the actions involving Ewell's Corps.) I enjoyed Joseph Priest's book on Antietam as well, but have read some commentary that indicates Priest might play fast and loose with his sources.

MG Mike Mihalik
1/III/AoMiss/CSA

Regarding books on the ACW and Gettysburg in particular, Coddington's "Gettysburg Campaign" is very good, but Stackpole's "They met at Gettysburg" is also very good and easily accessed for non-military people as well. Stackpole has a very good one on Chancellorsville too, "Chancellorsville - Lee's Greatest Battle". When it comes to a good book describing the entire war, I would recommend Dupuy & Dupuy "The Compact History of the Civil War", Hawthorne Books, NY 1961. Gives a very good picture of the entire war on land.

Gen Lars W
Army of the Cumberland
USA

Gentlemen,

In the way of update: I'm continuing to read the book. I have now come across a single sentence with 151 words!


Your humble servant,
Gen 'Dee Dubya' Mallory

David W. Mallory
ACW - General, Chief of the Armies, Confederate States of America & Cabinet Member
CCC - Sergeant, Georgia Volunteers, Southern Regional Deaprtment, Colonial American Army