The United States Army, rooted in the Continental Army of the late 1700s, tested in battle against domestic foes and  international forces, is now into its third century of existence. Hundreds of thousands of illustrations, photographs, paintings, and other graphics exist of uniforms, commanders, common soldiers, battlegrounds, and equipment/weaponry/vehicles/ships. Author D. M. Giangreco has mined these and selected a wonderful array of photographs and other visual media to illustrate his new book, United States Army: The Definitive Illustrated History.

1,400 to be precise.

In a stunning work which easily lives up to its name as the “definitive illustrated history,” Giangreco and his editors and publisher have created a book which is sure to be popular with anyone who has ever served in the U. S. Army, knows someone who did, or simply likes war stories and military history. The illustrations are lavish, frequent, and appropriate to tell the sweeping story of the everyday U.S. soldier in camp, on the march, or in combat. Here are photos of famous leaders, the warriors they c0mmanded, and the fields on which they served, and in some cases, bled and died.

Here are a few sample pages to give an idea of the general layout of the book, which is a must have for anyone interested in the Army.

The publisher, Sterling Publishing Co., gives this overview of the new book:

“Through glorious victories, devastating defeats, and incredible displays of bravery, award-winning author D.M. Giangreco immerses us in the thrilling history of the U.S. Army. From the defeat of British general Charles Cornwallis at Yorktown, to Antietam on the bloodiest day of the Civil War, to D-Day, the Tet Offensive, Operation Desert Sabre, and beyond, here is a matchless portrait of the world’s greatest democracy in wartime. Filled with more than 1,400 photographs and historic paintings, United States Army is a fitting testament to the valor and sacrifice of America’s ground troops.”

Among the illustrations are modern and historic uniforms, insignia, portraits, weapons, vehicles, equipment, maps, recruiting posters, and much more, including personalities and battle action.

The author, D. M. Giangreco, is a former editor of the U.S. Army’s professional journal, Military Review, as well as authoring numerous books. His impressive resume includes the Moncado Prize awarded by the Society for Military History.

Be warned.

You may find yourself immersed in this book and have a hard time putting it down. It’s quite lengthy, but incredibly interesting and satisfying, and deserves a prominent place on your book shelf or on the coffee table.

United States Army

D. M. Giangreco

Sterling Publishing

ISBN 978402791048

Hardcover and softcover, 528 pages, MSRP $24.95

Brad Butkovich is known in Civil War wagaming circles for a series of excellent scenario books for regimental-level gaming, with a strong focus on action in the Western Theater. His research skills and attention to detail are evident in those scenario books, as is his grasp of the military tactics and objectives of the commanders.

Based in Lilburn, Georgia, Brad has maintained a keen interest in Civil War events in his region, including the May 1864 Battle of Pickett’s Mill. The old battlefield has remained free from major development, and in recent years has been preserved and nicely interpreted, sparking renewed interest in this early fight between William T. Sherman’s Union forces and the Confederates of Joseph E. Johnston. More than 2,000 men died in what became one of Sherman’s rare severe defeats, one which he conveniently neglected to mention in his post-war memoirs. It was a stinging loss, one which largely has also been overlooked in most histories of the fighting in North Georgia other than a passing mention.

Brad has corrected this oversight in his new book, which thoroughly recounts the fighting which Union soldier and later author Ambrose Bierce, sickened at the carnage to Sherman’s blue-clad ranks, deemed as “the dead-line.”

This 207-page book is divided into 17 short chapters which set up the battle in its military context, examine the leaders and major personalities, recount the movements of the opposing forces to come to the encounter, and then present the battle situation and unfolding combat action. Butkovich then dives into the aftermath of the fighting and what the next steps were for Sherman, Johnston, and their key subordinates.  He then finishes with an interesting account of the postwar history of the main properties where the fighting occurred and the efforts to preserve the old battlefield as a memorial park so that future generations may ponder what happened there.

Among the many useful features of the book are the excellent maps, which are plentiful and well crafted. Drawing from his previous experience in creating his own maps for his wargaming efforts, Brad has included more than a dozen useful maps of various phases of the Battle of Pickett’s Mill.  All are well done and serve the dual purpose of helping illustrate the ebb and flow of battle and to serve as an inspiration for tabletop wargaming the various phases of the battle.

All in all, this is an excellent addition to the historiography of the warfare in North Georgia and William T. Sherman’s movements toward Atlanta in the spring of 1863.

Brad Butkovich’s The Battle of Pickett’s Mill: Along the Dead-Line is a product of The History Press and is part of their popular Civil War Sesquicentennial  Series. The annotated,indexed book retails for $21.99 but can often be found at a lower price deeply discounted on amazon.com. It’s well worth the investment and should be a “must have” for anyone interested in the Atlanta and North Georgia military operations.

The Confederate Soldiers Home in Richmond was established after the Civil War through the efforts of the Robert E. Lee Camp #1 of the Sons of Confederate Veterans and others, including a letter of endorsement from an ailing ex-president U. S. Grant. According to the society’s website, “On April 18, 1883 a group of concerned Confederate Veterans met in Richmond, Virginia, to form the Camp Lee Soldiers’ Home (also called Confederate Soldiers’ Home, Confederate Veterans Soldiers’ Home, R. E. Lee Camp Soldiers’ Home, Lee Camp Soldiers’ Home, or Old Soldiers’ Home) as a benevolent society to aid their needy former comrades. The Robert E. Lee Camp, No. 1, Confederate Veterans was incorporated March 13, 1884. In the year that followed, the camp raised funds and acquired land in Western Richmond for a home. The Home opened on January 1, 1885, and it was located in the corner of Grove Ave. and the Boulevard in Richmond, Virginia. Plagued by financial difficulties, they sought money from the state. In 1886, the General Assembly authorized a small annual appropriation which was increased in 1892 in return for the deed to the property. The home was under the Dept. of Public Welfare until it closed in 1941, upon the death of the last resident.”

Here are some more photos of the diorama, which is located in one of the two surviving buildings, the Confederate War Memorial Chapel (also known as the Pelham Chapel). The other building is the Robinson Building. The rest of the old soldiers home is gone, and now the Virginia Fine Arts Museum and the Virginia Historical Society sit on the old site.

Hundreds of soldiers lived and died here. The cottages were built with public and private donations. One cottage of particular interest to me was the General William Smith Memorial Cottage, funded by two of Extra Billy Smith’s surviving children.

The chapel (to the left) hosted hundreds of funerals of Confederate veterans in the early 1900s.

A modern view by Bobby Edwards of the meticulously maintained Confederate War Memorial Chapel in Richmond, Virginia.

The Robinson House is depicted in miniature in the center of this photograph (it’s the 3-story white building with the observation cupola.

Ed McKie has graciously allowed the Johnny Reb Gaming Society to publish here on our website his new rules for miniature wargames for the American Civil War (ACW) period.  He maintains a support site which has more details on these new rules. It is a Yahoo site http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/GiveThemtheColdSteel/ where quick play sheets and game counters can be found.

Give Them the Cold Steel is an interesting addition to the pantheon of published rules for ACW wargaming, and are worth a look, especially since Ed has provided them as a FREE service to the wargaming community.

Here are the rules and supporting files:

• Give Them the Cold Steel rules
• ACW Event Cards 2
• Disorder, retire, and other markers
• Casualty markers

Please try out these rules when you get a chance, and report your likes and dislikes by adding comments to this blog post. Feel free to suggest any improvements or house rules, or any after-action reports!

Thanks Ed for your generous contribution to the JRGS and our CHARGE! website!

I attended the Friday night sessions of the 2013 Cold Wars miniature wargaming convention in Lancaster, Pa. The above photo is a section of a 25mm game of the Battle of Groveton, presented by Ohio gamemaster Jim Kopchak. The fighting resulted in a Union victory when the Rebel commanders retired. Jim used his own home-grown set of rules, Civil War Commander II.

Another shot of Jim’s 25mm layout. Jim’s rules include a unique “capture the flag” system of determining victory points. When a unit ir eliminated, that player who lost the unit must give 1 or 2 flags (depending upon the unit) to his opponent as trophies of war.

Here are more photos of Jim’s game, as well as Regimental Fire & Fury games by Lowell Hamilton and Rich Hasenauer, and a skirmish game by John Michael Priest.

Lowell Hamilton presented a game based upon the 1864 Battle of Atlanta using the popular Regimental Fire & Fury rules set, which he helped develop and then refine through many playtests.

Crowds for the convention were good, although bad weather, including heavy snow and high winds, in places along the Atlantic in the northeastern US made travel difficult for several gamers.

Another photo of Jim Kopchak’s Groveton game at Cold Wars. Jim is a member of the Northeastern Ohio Wargaming Society (NOWS).

Rich Hasenauer’s Regimental Fire & Fury Game was well attended, and everyone seemed to be having a very good time. Rich not only puts on a great game, but he also makes it entertaining and educational for his players.

Rich is the author of Fire & Fury, as well as Regimental Fire & Fury and other rules sets. He is based in Columbia, Maryland.

John Michael Priest is a Maryland-based high school teacher and the author of several popular books on Antietam, South Mountain, and Gettysburg. He has over the years developed a set of rules for playing wargames with 54mm “toy soldiers.” His games are always a lot of fun and easy to grasp.

Some more of John’s gaming figures. Many gamers got their start as children by playing with similar toy soldiers.

And now, here are a few random non-Civil War wargames…

Osprey Publishing has issued two new books that may be of interest to wargamers and WWII history buffs. The first is Sicily 1943: The Debut of Allied Joint Operations, which examines the Allied attack on the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, an operation code-named “Operation Husky.”  Lavishly illustrated with Osprey’s normal high quality full color, custom paintings, this book is a sweeping overview of the initial Allied landings, the drive inward, and the patterns developed and tested in Sicily which later bore fruit in similar operations on the Italian mainland at places such as Salerno and Anzio Beach.

Written by American aerospace analyst Steven J. Zaloga with illustrations by British artist Howard Gerrard, this is a worthy addition to the line-up of Osprey’s Campaign Series (this is Volume 251 in this popular series). Several easy-to-comprehend maps spice up the text and provide a useful reference to the events being described in the text. Zaloga’s writing style is informative and interesting, and he covers the most important aspect of the Allied invasion in sufficient depth so as to give the reader a solid understanding of the basic movements, the strategy, leaders, equipment, and terrain involved with the attack and defense of Sicily. Gerrard’s slick and well composed paintings and selection of other illustrations and photographs are among the major highlights of the book. The reader will come away with a broad understanding of Operation Husky and its importance in the overall Allied strategy in the Mediterranean.

Sicily 1943 went on sale in January 2013, with a suggested price of $24.95. It is paperback, with 96 pages including the index.

The second book is a rules supplement for wargamers who use the Bolt Action rules set. Armies of the United States is more than just a book of army lists, far more. Almost every page features several full-color photographs of some excellent WWII miniatures — figures, armament, vehicles, tanks, etc. are all here. There are also several excellent dioramas and vignettes which give the gamers some interesting “eye candy” to help them with setting up their own gaming tables.

Author Massimo Torriani and a team of gamers, painters, historians, researchers, playtesters, and other support staff have collaborated in creating a book that has much wider appeal than just the folks who use the Bolt Action rules. General WWII gamers will appreciate the army lists and composition and the background information on the equipment, artillery, tanks, and vehicles. WWII buffs will find much of value in here as well.

I have long been fascinated by the Plains Indians Wars. As a child in the 1960s, my interest stems from my early Christmas presents of Fort Apache and Fort Cheyenne, which provided hours and hours of entertainment for me and my friends. We set up forts, rolled or threw marbles at the plastic warriors and cavalrymen, and pretended to burn down or defend the forts and outbuildings.

Fast forward to adulthood, and I continue to be interested in western topics, having read most books in print on the Custer fight. Eric S. Johnson has added a grim new reality to those childhood days of “killing” toy soldiers and plastic Native Americans with marbles or dice. He has compiled the true cost of the long-forgotten battles, engagements, and skirmishes of the post-Civil War era, a time when bullets, arrows, and hand weapons dealt death and destruction to thousands of men, women, and children across the Great Plains. Johnson has diligently searched through all of the key records, and some of the more obscures ones as well, to compile a listing of the known white and black military casualties of the Indians Wars, a challenging task to be sure. Compiled and presented in chronological order, this thick book is a listing of the dates and places of engagement, and the names of those killed or wounded by the warring tribesmen. From the famous (George Armstrong Custer and his brothers) to the long-forgotten single men killed in totally obscure skirmishes, Johnson presents them all. He includes photos of the gravesites of some of the more prominent officers, and he presents lists of burial sites and brief bios for the slain officers in an appendix, as well as a listing of all enlisted men killed and the known citizens slain in direct support of military operations.

He also presents information on the various medals of honor issued during the wars. This book is a very useful reference for anyone interested in reading about the human toll of the conquering of the West, and gives a brief glimpse at the names of those whose lives ended prematurely and violently. A companion book on the Indians would, of course, be much more difficult to compile, but this work stands alone for its sheer volume of data and names. It, however, is a reminder that the pleasure our generation took in the 60s and 70s in shooting marbles at Custer’s beleaguered men or a fort’s outgunned garrison or a wagon train of under-armed civilians had in real life gruesome results. Johnson has aptly brought the memories of the fallen to a 21st century audience.

Our friends at Osprey Publishing have issued two new Civil War-related titles which may be of interest to the wargaming community. The first of these, Avenging Angel, another title by long-time Osprey writer Ron Field, covers the infamous 1859 raid on Harper’s Ferry by abolitionist firebrand John Brown and his misguided followers. The attack culminated in the deaths of several townspeople, as well as most of the raiders (either on site or later via execution). This is  Number 36 of Osprey’s “Raid” series, and like the rest it is lavishly illustrated. In this case, the artists are Allan Gilliland, Johnny Schumate, and Mark Stacey. Their work is up to the normal high standards of Osprey publications.

From the Osprey website:

About this book

The Harpers Ferry raid confirmed for many Southerners the existence of a widespread Northern plot against slavery. In fact, Brown had raised funds for his raid from Northern abolitionists. To arm the slaves, he ordered one thousand pikes from a Connecticut manufacturer. Letters to Governor Wise betrayed the mixed feelings people held for Brown. For some, he was simply insane and should not be hanged. For others, he was a martyr to the cause of abolition, and his quick trial and execution reflected the fear and arrogance of the Virginia slave-owning aristocracy. Many Northerners condemned Brown’s actions but thought him right in his conviction that slavery had to end. John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry and his subsequent execution further polarized North and South and made a solution of the slavery issue central to the national debate which ultimately led to Civil War in 1861.

Contents

Introduction

Origins

Initial Strategy

The Plan

The Raid

Analysis

Conclusion

Further Reading

Paperback; November 2012; 80 pages; ISBN: 9781849087575

The second new Osprey title is Ulysses S. Grant, a short and concise biography by Mark Lardas. It offers a good introductory overview of the life and decisions of the Union Army’s most famous general, the man whose strategies eventually brought down Robert E. Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia, a task his many predecessors failed to do in previous campaigns and battles. Adam Hook, whose work illustrates numerous other Osprey books, crafted the artwork in this volume.

From the Osprey website:

About this book

Ulysses Grant was his country’s greatest general since George Washington. Like Washington, Grant’s battlefield performance was the only factor standing between the United States continuing as one, indivisible nation. Grant was the keystone of Union victory, a man whose removal would have resulted in the Union cause crumbling into defeat – and the United States dissolving into a collection of competing sovereign states. It was not always so clear cut. An early military career had ended with his resignation for alleged drunkenness, while in civilian life a number of his business ventures foundered leading to the nickname “Useless” Grant. However, victory had its rewards and in March 1864 Grant was promoted to lieutenant-general, the only United States Army officer except for George Washington and Winfield Scott to achieve that rank. By the end of the war Grant would become the United States Army’s first full general since Washington.

Contents

Introduction

The early years

The military life

Opposing commanders

The hour of destiny

Inside the mind

When war is done

A life in words

Bibliography

Index

Paperback; November 2012; 64 pages; ISBN: 9781849087339

Both of these new books reflect the usual Osprey attention to detail in the illustrations and full-color drawings, and are interesting introductory primers on John Brown’s Raid and Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. Printed on glossy, coated-two side enamel paper using four-color offset lithography, these are a worthwhile addition to any wargamer’s library of background reference information. They, by their nature, are not exhaustive treatises, but they cover the basic points in a fashion that is both easy to read and visually appealing with the frequency of illustrations. They are available from most leading on-line retailers of wargame supplies, as well as on amazon.com and directly from the publisher’s website.

Author and wargaming expert Rich Hasenauer, a member of the HMGS Legion of Honor, has produced the first in what we at the Johnny Reb Gaming Society hope will be a long series of fantastic, full-color scenario books for his popular rules set, Regimental Fire & Fury.  If the quality of this first offering is a hint of what is to come, we are in for a real treat as this series progresses through the war.

Regimental Fire & Fury Civil War Battles Scenarios, Volume 1: 1861-1862 is a welcome addition to my library of scenario books for regimental-level ACW gaming. Rich presents 11 different battles, some of which have multiple scenarios to depict portions of the larger fighting on a manageable scale. These range in chronological order from Big Bethel in 1861 to Prairie Grove in 1862, and represent both the Eastern and Western Theaters of the war. He also presents some optional rules which the gamer may incorporate into these scenarios, or into any other RFF game. The most interesting of these is his take on deploying and using skirmish lines in an RFF game, as well as the use of extended lines and twilight/night game turns. These are elements which have evolved from the wider usage of RFF and extensive playtesting among a variety of gaming groups.

As with the original Regimental Fire & Fury rules book, this new supplement is printed on glossy coated-two side enamel paper, enabling crisp reproduction of the photographs, maps, and images. The images show several of Rich’s fantastic miniature wargames in progress, and help visualize how to layout the gaming table for each scenario. Having retired in 2011, he now has more time to devote to his hobbies, and with more than 2,000 copies of RFF sold, he has a devoted following who will look forward to his continued efforts in the years to come.

The above list of scenarios is extensive and nicely represents the variety of actions in the first two years of the Civil War, giving the wargamer plenty of options to choose from. Each scenario presents a brief synopsis of the historical background for the battle, the terrain and its impact on the wargame, any special scenario-specific considerations, a complete order of battle listing units and their ratings for the game, and victory conditions.

These scenarios are adaptable and usable for many different wargaming rules sets. For example, a JR I, II or III gamer can convert the RF&F scenarios to JR by “reverse engineering” the JR to RF&F article which Lowell Hamilton wrote. This conversion appeared in Charge! magazine and can also be downloaded from the Regimental Fire & Fury Support website.

Here is a typical layout for a scenario in Rich’s new book, in this case the Western Theater 1862 Battle of Elkhorn Tavern. Note the excellent map, which exemplifies the quality of this publication. Elkhorn Tavern looks to be a very interesting scenario to try out.

Regimental Fire & Fury, as well as this new scenario book, can be obtain directly from Rich at:

Fire and Fury Games

P.O. Box 6998

Columbia, Maryland 21045

or visit his website at www.fireandfurygames.com

Rich, my congratulations on a job very well done! We look forward to future volumes in this series!

John Mayer of Buildings in Turmoil will have this impressive model of the Klingle Farm available for sale as an unpainted kit at the 2012 Fall-In wargaming convention in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The farm was just across the road a short distance from the Scherfy farm. It was recently restored to its original appearance. John will also have some other new items available at the show which he is not announcing at this time.
For more information on John’s entire line of 10mm Gettysburg buildings, visit his website for Buildings in Turmoil.

So You Think You Know Antietam?: The Stories Behind America’s Bloodiest Day

By James and Suzanne Gindlesperger

Administered by the National Park Service, the Antietam National Battlefield contains nearly 100 monuments, each with its own story. So You Think You Know Antietam? honors those who took part in this darkest of days in our nation’s history by telling the stories behind the monuments.

§ Who designed the monuments and what do the symbols represent?

§ Why are no Confederate soldiers buried in the national cemetery?

§ What connection did Clara Barton have with the battle?

§ Who was Johnny Cook and what did he do?

So You Think You Know Antietam? answers the above questions and more. Readers will learn some of the lesser known stories about Antietam and the human side of war through poignant vignettes that reveal the ironies and tragedies not normally found in typical guidebooks. Featuring close to 300 color photos, 10 color-coded chapters and maps, and GPS coordinates of all monument locations, So You Think You Know Antietam? is a well-organized, attractive book meant to enrich the reader’s experience.

Available wherever books are sold or at http://www.blairpub.com.

Trisina Dickerson, Sales & Marrketing Intern

John F. Blair, Publisher

1406 Plaza Drive

Winston-Salem, NC 27103

800-222-9796

2012 marks the 150th anniversary of the Second Battle of Manassas, one of a series of bloody engagements in the summer of 1862 in which the fortunes of the Civil War briefly swung in the Confederates’ favor. Here, as in the first battle in 1861, the Rebels triumphed convincingly.

Now, a portion of the battlefield is threatened by a proposed Washington outerbelt. While it is clear that the traffic in the DC metro area is horrendous (as I have found out painfully many times this summer, including a 4-hour delay coming through DC after my Florida vacation in June), locating an interstate on a battlefield does not make sense if there are other alternatives on less historic ground.

Stewart Schwartz is a descendant of famed Confederate horse artillerist, John Pelham, known as the Boy Major. He fought at both battles at Manassas, and now his descendant is fighting another battle. Schwartz is the Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, a lobbying group which is trying to spread the word of the threatened battlefield and help develop other plans. Click here to visit his website and here to sign a petition to protest the planned route.
Stewart writes, “Please see the joint press release below explaining the significant concerns of preservation groups about the proposed highway at Manassas.  This is shaping up to be the biggest battle to protect Manassas since the Disney fight in 1994.

The joint comments on the draft Section 106 Historic Preservation agreement are attached along with VDOT’s letter and the draft agreement with the National Park Service that we find to be significantly flawed.  Attorneys at the Southern Environmental Law Center and National Trust for Historic Preservation played a key role in drafting our response.”

Stewart Schwartz can be reached at stewart@smartergrowth.net.

Osprey has launched a new series of books in August 2012 which are self-contained wargame rules, replete with typically impressive Osprey artwork for which the company is famed, as well as well-designed scenarios and playing aids. The first two of these small books, 64 pages in length, are the works of veteran gamers Daniel Mersey and Paul Eaglestone, and are sure to provide a popular foundation for expanding the series further.

Eaglestone”s A World Aflame: Interwar Wargame Rules 1918-39 offers the gamer a chance to use a single, cohesive set of rules for those series of conflicts set between World War I and World War II. Players can wargame the bloody Irish War of Independence, the many civil wars in China, the Spanish Civil War (no special rules for Ernest Hemingway!), and other confrontations of note.

To read more about the game mechanisms, click here. To order a deeply discounted copy from amazon.com, click here.

The second book in the new Osprey Wargames series  of self-contained rules sets is Daniel Mersey’s Dux Bellorum: Arthurian Wargaming Rules AD367-793. This fascinating new rules set enables the gamer to become a warlord in the Dark Ages from the middle of the 4th century to the end of the 8th century, a time fraught with legendary heroes such as King Arthur and Sir Galahad. Players may be Roman officers, or any of a number of charismatic leaders of warring tribes such as the Picts, Saxons, Irish, British, etc. Again, the artwork is compelling and interesting to the Dark Ages gamer.

The new Osprey rules book is currently discounted on amazon.com.

The third new publication by Osprey is a decided departure from the new wargames series. Fallujah: Iraq 2004 covers the bitter, and often confused fighting in Iraq, a controversial war to be sure in both Britain and the USA. Osprey has chosen to provide a gaming resource for this period, although one wonders if the wounds are too fresh for some people.  This game is a supplement to the Force on Force 7 series.

Here is a description of the new title from Osprey’s website:

“Operations Vigilant Resolve and Phantom Fury – the operations to take and hold the city of Fallujah in the face of determined insurgent resistance – were amongst the most dangerous and controversial carried out by the Coalition forces during Operation Iraqi Freedom. These two battles of Fallujah saw some of the heaviest urban combat faced by regular troops in modern times and, even though much of the civilian populace had fled, the enemy was well-armed, well-prepared and driven by a fanatical resolve. With the scenarios and information presented in Fallujah, the latest Force on Force companion, wargamers will find themselves thrown into the narrow, twisting streets of the city, forced to negotiate IEDs, snipers, barricades, and a multinational insurgent force.”

Checking on at $24.95 and 142 pages, this book is nicely illustrated and contains Fog of War cards, scenario maps, orders of battle, and a historical background.

I have been away from the wargaming scene all spring and summer as I focus on an expanded role within the company I work for, as well as getting a couple of  Civil War book manuscripts ready for the publishers. Here are few photographs of some past games I hosted, starting with a couple of shots of the award-winning South Mountain game I presented at the HMGS-East 2002 Fall-In convention in Gettysburg, Pa.

I recently received a copy of Winston Groom’s latest book, Shiloh 1862. Groom has utilized new sources to weave a highly readable account of the bloody battle fought 150 years ago this spring.

The publisher will give away 3 free books to Charge! readers. Here’s what you can do to earn a free book. Simply comment (below) on what you believe the best and worst generalship was in the battle. Who did well; who did poorly? What decisions were lame (or brilliant). I will randomly select the three winners from all of the comments left on this blog entry within 1 week.

And now, here is some more information on Shiloh 1862…

WASHINGTON (Feb., 2012)—The Civil War saw some of the most bitter battles fought by American soldiers. According to Winston Groom, distinguished Civil War historian and author of the best-selling “Forrest Gump,” one battle set the stage for those to come. In his new book SHILOH, 1862 (National Geographic Books; ISBN 978-1-4262-0874-4; on-sale date: March 20, 2012; $30 hardcover), Groom gives a masterful account of the Battle of Shiloh, fought by 100,000 soldiers in the wilderness of southern Tennessee, which marked a violent crossroads in the Civil War.

The Battle of Shiloh began on April 6, 1862, when Confederate troops led by Albert Sidney Johnston launched a bold, surprise attack on a Union stronghold under the leadership of Gen. Ulysses S. Grant to gain control of the Mississippi River Valley. With improved weaponry, a decades-long buildup of hatred, and many untrained soldiers who had never fought in war before, the battle turned into a shocking tragedy for both sides. “It was so bloody and destructive that in many cases soldiers writing home could simply not find words to describe it,” writes Groom. In a single day, more casualties resulted in Shiloh than all previous wars combined, including the American Revolution. After two days of combat, Grant was able to bring his Union troops to a victory, but nearly 24,000 soldiers had lost their lives, and the American people knew the war they thought was ending was only beginning.

In SHILOH, 1862 Groom deftly crafts a dramatic narrative of the battle from beginning to end. Key characters are highlighted as he places their personal history in the context of the battle. Stories are woven together from a number of memoirs and diaries, including 9-year-old Elsie Duncan’s, whose home became a safe house for soldiers. Personal accounts from famed journalist Henry Morton Stanley and author Ambrose Bierce are also included, providing a thorough look at the battle through a variety of perspectives.

Groom’s ability to bring context and meaning to this important battle 150 years later is evident throughout the book. Each epic moment is thoroughly detailed, giving readers an in-depth look into two days of chaos, disorder and bloodletting. Historian Otto Eisenschiml, an early chronicler of the battle, said even though “Gettysburg was bigger; Vicksburg was more decisive, Antietam even more bloody,” Shiloh was “the most dramatic battle fought on American soil.”

“For those who endured it, Shiloh was more than a dream; it was a living nightmare that no one could forget. The sheer magnitude of the butchery staggered the imagination. In one sense, the battle had settled nothing except to keep the coffin makers busy,” writes Groom. “But the significance of Shiloh was not so much that the Rebel army failed to subdue Grant, or that Grant resisted it, than it was to impress on the nation — both nations — that there was never going to be some neat and exquisite military maneuver that would end the war — or even come close to ending the war.”
With its comprehensive maps, photographs and epic storytelling that highlights the major personalities, politics and mind-set of the day, SHILOH, 1862 is a compelling look at a battle that changed the course of the Civil War and American history.

About the Author

Winston Groom is the author of 15 previous books, including “Vicksburg, 1863”; “Forrest Gump”; which is now celebrating its 25^th anniversary; and (with Duncan Spencer) “Conversations with the Enemy,” a Pulitzer Prize finalist. In 2011, Groom received the Harper Lee Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer of the Year. A graduate of the University of Alabama, he lives in Point Clear, Ala., with his wife and daughter.

For more information on Shiloh 1862:

http://shop.nationalgeographic.com/ngs/product/books/culture%2C-history-and-religion/history/shiloh—1862