American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

Now into Shelby Foote's Volume II Fredricksburg to Meridan. Books have been on my shelf since High School ! [:o)]

Previously skimmed Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War ~ Newt Gingrich's book. [xx(]


Colonel McDonald
3rd Brigade, 2nd Div, XVI Corps Artillary
Army of the Tennessee

<font color="beige"><b>Currently reading 'The New Annals of the Civil War' edited by Cozzens and Girardi, a collection of first person narratives along the lines of those in 'Battles and Leaders of the Civil War'.

I concur that Grants memoirs and Battle Cry of Freedom as well as Lee's Lt's are on my top 3 list.</b></font id="beige">

<center> <font color="beige"><b>General R.A.'Bob'Weir

</b></font id="beige"><font color="green"><b><font size="4">CSA Eastern Theater Commander</b></font id="size4"></font id="green">

<b>ACWGC Cabinet Member</b> </center>

Regarding "Lee's Lieutenants", I am about 200 pages into vol. 1 now and I sure enjoy it. Especially the command problems of the 1861 armies become so palpable in the first part. And Johnston (and basically everybody else too) haggling about seniority ... quite funny too.

Gen. Walter, USA
<i>The Blue Blitz</i>
3/2/VIII AoS
West Point Class of '01
[url="http://www.home.datacomm.ch/dierk.walter/2VIIIAoS/persrecord.htm"][/url]
"... and keep moving on."

Regarding the Newt Gingrich and William R. Forstchen trilogy, it is outstanding! If you haven't read them, pick up used copies at Amazon. At least try Gettysburg. Though it is alternate history, I think they captured the main characters as well as anybody major historian has.

Another excellent alternaitve history is by Peter Tsouras. The title is Gettysburg; An Alternate History

It was a very fun read

It's just like shooting squirrels, only these squirrels have guns

Curently on Chapter 10 of 'Shock Troops of the Confederacy - The Sharpshooter Battalions of the Army of Northern Virginia' by Fred L. Ray.

So far a very interesting book on an unusual and unheralded subject.

Lt General Malcolm Hunt
2nd Bde
Granite Infantry Div.
III Corps
AoG
CSA

Just finished for the second time a little book of Civil War fiction called THE BAREFOOT BRIGADE by Douglas C. Jones. The story follows a group of ordinary Confedreate soldiers through out the war. The story is told completely from the point of view of the ordinary foot soldier. Well written and gives a real insight into the lives and thoughts and emotions of the common soldier. Highly reccommended.


Brig. Gen. Tom Moore CSA
1st(Moore's)Brigade
2nd Div.,III Corp
Army of the Mississippi

I am currently reading a most excellent book, "No Quarter", by Richard Slotkin, about the Battle of the Crater. The tactical detail is on a par with Harry Pfanz's Gettysburg books, and I have seen no better analysis of the personalities involved in a battle. I strongly recommend it.

MG Mike Mihalik
1/III/AoMiss/CSA

<i>Lee's Lieutenants </i>is of course the classic study of Civil War organization, command & control. Volume III tends to be overlooked, perhaps because it comes at the end of about 2000 pages. There's a great deal to be learned, however, about a period in which the ANV was arguably at its most professional, despite continuous losses to casualties. No myths made in '64 and '65, though, just intense combat, and the development of field entrenchment techniques that continued to be improved into the early 20th century.

Gen. Matt Perrenod
<i>The Blue Ghost</i>
Superintendent, Union Military Academy
1st Brigade, 2nd Division, VIII Corps, Army of the Shenandoah
UMA Class of '01

And speaking of classics, I recently had occasion to reread Stephen Crane's <i>The Red Badge of Courage</i>. One wonders what Crane might have produced if he hadn't died at 30. His work was immensely popular among veterans, who like the current counterparts, had difficulty speaking of their combat experiences.

Gen. Matt Perrenod
<i>The Blue Ghost</i>
Superintendent, Union Military Academy
1st Brigade, 2nd Division, VIII Corps, Army of the Shenandoah
UMA Class of '01

I am almost finished with the first volume of "The Long Arm of Lee", by Jennings C Wise, published around 1915. I especially recommend this book to folks interested in the artillery during the Civil War. Wise, who graduated from VMI in 1902, had access to a lot of veterans in the preparation of this work, but so far anecdotes have been few. Most of the book deals with the organization of the artillery at various times and how theory and organization impacted deployment on the battlefield. The book reflects the bickering among Confederates even fifty years after the war, as Wise is defensive of Lee and Pendleton. I wish he would have gotten into battery composition more, but he did offer insight into the logistical concerns of ammunition, horses and equipment for the ANV.

MG Mike Mihalik
1/III/AoMiss/CSA

I am now reading "Twilight at Little Round Top". It makes for an interesting read, especially since the Longstreet had the slows arguement. I am convinced it was the "General Lee could do no wrong" and "damn Longstreet is a Republican issues"

I think Longstreet was a great general, except for the misadventues in Knoxville.

Captain Elkin
1/3/VIII/AoS

It's just like shooting squirrels, only these squirrels have guns