Osprey releases five new ACW titles

Osprey Publishing has long been a staple of the wargaming industry, as well as the general military history community. The company has long been noted for its consistently high-quality combination of original commissioned paintings and map graphics, succinct and accurate text, profuse illustrations, and incredibly diverse array of topics from all periods of world military history.

The latest group of offerings concerning Civil War topics does not disappoint. Each of the most recent five books in Osprey’s catalogue are of the usual high standard we have come to expect from this global publisher.

Osprey’s Campaign Series is arguably the company’s most popular grouping of titles. Mark Lardas’s Nashville 1864 is #314 in the long string of interesting books in the Campaign Series. Adam Hook, long a key part of the Osprey team of illustrators, provides his usual excellence in interpreting battle action through his detailed paintings. Steve Moon likewise capably illustrates the first volume on Gettysburg, title #374 in the series. Author Timothy J. Orr is no stranger to Osprey readers. Both books check in at 96 pages apiece, making them long enough for the reader to get a good grasp of the respective campaign while not getting bogged down into details. Useful bibliographies provide source material for those readers wishing to explore the topics in more depth.

Each book provides an outline of some of the key fighting that led up to the titular battle. For example, the above illustration shows the description of the battle in the ravine at Decatur, Alabama. Similar pages cover other aspects of the lead-up to the Battle of Nashville. My own great-great-grandfather, Pvt. John D. Sisson, fought at Nashville in the 51st Ohio Volunteer Infantry, so this book is of particular personal interest. My late mother knew him quite well when she was a girl; her stories of him are still vivid.

This map of the action on July 1, 1863, on the first day of the fighting at Gettysburg neatly shows the relative positions of the opposing forces, key terrain features, and tactical situations the commanders faced.

Ian MacGregor’s interesting little book, U.S. Civil War Battle by Battle, exceeded my expectations. From the size and dimensions, I was surprised by the amount of useful text that accompanies his battle maps. This is an excellent overview of some of the Civil War’s best-known battles, with a few more obscure ones tucked in. The author includes more than 30 battles, including examples from the Eastern Theater, Western Theater, Trans-Mississippi Theater, and the Old Southwest. Each battle has a series of full-color illustrations to accompany the verbiage. At 128 pages, this is an easy-to-read, well-illustrated booklet that would make a great gift for folks just starting to learn about Civil War history or who desire a broad overview of battles they may not know much about.

Sharpshooters grew in importance as the Civil War progressed over its four-year course. The Union army began raising specialized regiments of sharpshooters, the most famous of which was Berdan’s Sharpshooters. Colonel Hiram Berdan hand-selected marksmen after public tryouts. The men that he deemed as the finest shots to volunteer became part of the 1st and 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters. They were noted for their distinctive green uniforms, said to better blend in with their surroundings than the traditional dark blue coats and light blue trousers. Andrews’ Sharpshooters from Massachusetts and other designated units also received praise for their contributions to battlefield success at Gettysburg and elsewhere. Similarly, Blackford’s Sharpshooters and other Confederate skilled riflemen also became famous for their skills.

Martin Pegler’s Sharpshooting Rifles of the American Civil War: Colt, Sharps, Spencer, and Whitworth and Gary Yee’s Union Sharpshooter Versus Confederate Sharpshooter (Volume 41 of the Combat Series) nicely dovetail with one another. Together, they provide a complementary overview of the typical sharpshooter, his tactics, and his rifle of choice.

Osprey’s latest Civil War book released

Osprey Publishing has released its latest book in its popular Campaign series, this one covering the 1864 Nashville Campaign. Private John D. Sisson, my great-great-grandfather on my mother’s side, fought on the Union side in this campaign as a 15-year-old musician-turned-rifleman for the 51st Ohio Volunteer Infantry. He carried the memories of the marching and fighting until his death in 1937, making him one of the last veterans from the battle of Nashville in the Buckeye State. My late mother relayed some of these stories to me, so the Nashville Campaign has always been of interest.

The new Osprey book, titled Nashville 1864: From the Tennessee to the Cumberland, is the product of author Mark Lardas and long-time Osprey illustrator Adam Hook. This is Campaign 314 from the ongoing series and is representative of the high quality that we have come to expect from the series. Accurate and concise prose, profuse illustrations, Hook’s excellent full-color maps and custom paintings, and a fine graphics layout make this as appealing as any Osprey title (perhaps more so for me with my personal connection to Nashville and Franklin).

New Gettysburg regimental-level scenario book!

Talented wargame scenario designer Brad Butkovich is among the upper echelon of today’s generation of Civil War regimental-level wargamers. The Georgia-based Butkovich is well known to Charge! readers from his previous series of excellent scenario books, mostly based upon battles in the Western Theater.

Now, Brad has produced an interesting new booklet covering various actions at the July 1-3, 1863, battle of Gettysburg. It’s an area of keen personal interest to me! Some of you may recall a two-volume set, Enduring Valor: Gettysburg in Miniature, which I wrote for my friend and graphic designer Ivor Janci more than a decade ago. They have long been out of print, so Brad’s fresh look at the battle is much appreciated and timely.

Here is the table of contents for this book, which may be the first in a series (let’s all hope!). Brad’s research is compelling and accurate, and his take on how to break up the battlefield into bite-sized scenarios is of strong interest to Civil War gamers everywhere. The scenarios are adaptable for almost every major regimental-level rules set. They are designed for 15mm gaming, but of course can be modified for other figure scales.  Brad also presents data for rules based upon 10-minute, 15-minute, and 20-minute time intervals per turn.

Two new Civil War books from Osprey

The good folks at Osprey continue to pump out new books with regularity, including titles focused on the American Civil War. Clayton James Donnell is the author of a new book entitled Shenandoah Valley 1862, an excellent entry-level treatise on Stonewall Jackson’s brilliant operations in the Valley in the spring of 1862. Other than a loss to Nathan Kimball early in the campaign at Kernstown, Jackson confounded a myriad of Union commanders and eventually cleared most of the Valley for the Confederate cause. Connell gives a sweeping overview of the movements, the battles, and the strategic and tactical implications of the fighting. Augmented with Adam Hook’s usual fine illustrations and maps and an array of period photographs and illustrations, this book is a useful addition to the Osprey lineup.

Long-time author and historian Ron Field is back with his latest work for Osprey, Lincoln’s 90-day Volunteers 1861.  This is a concise account of how the states responded to President Abraham Lincoln’s call for 75,000 volunteers for three months to put down the rebellion, a seemingly easy task at the time. Field uses period newspapers, letters, diaries, and other first-person accounts to describe the response, the numbers of men, their armament and uniforms, and their early days as soldiers. As with Donnell’s book, Adam Hook has provided original graphics with some excellent plates of the early war uniforms (often gray for many of the Union fledgling regiments, which created some confusion at Manassas/Bull Run).

Here are a few photos of selected pages from the two new books, which are great additions to the ever growing Osprey lineup.

Massive new U.S. Army photo book is a winner!

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.

Wargamer Brad Butkovich issues new history of the Battle of Pickett’s Mills

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.

Two new ACW books from Osprey

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.

Excellent new scenario book for Regimental Fire & Fury ACW gaming!

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.

New Osprey Civil War book – Ride Around Missouri: Shelby’s Great Raid 1863

Osprey Publishing has issued Volume 25 of their “Raid” series, this one entitled Ride Around Missouri: Shelby’s Great Raid 1863. Written by former archaeologist and now full-time writer Sean McLachlan, the book covers a daring raid into Missouri by the Confederate Iron Brigade cavalry under famed leader Jo Shelby. Shelby, a devout pro-secessionist, had fought and killed Kansas “Jayhawkers” before the Civil War, and had served in some of the earliest battles in the Trans-Mississippi Theater. He had never forgot his passion for Missouri, however, and itched at a chance to lead a raid into the state to liberate it from Yankee rule. Governor-in-exile Thomas Reynolds and other Confederate officials were titular only, because the state had never seceded from the Union, and Federal troops maintained firm control over most of the state. Shelby hoped to change that.

In July 1863, the war news was discouraging for most Southerners — Vicksburg had surrendered; the Mississippi River was under Federal control; Robert E. Lee had lost a major battle in Pennsylvania at Gettysburg; and none of the border states had joined the Confederacy. Federals pushed deep in Arkansas and seized Little Rock. Shelby launched his raid to disrupt the oncoming Yankees. After several small engagements, Shelby managed to break through pursuing Federals and ride back into the Confederacy.

McLachlan gives a thorough overview of the strategic situation, the troops involved in the raid, some insight into Jo Shelby’s personality and previous experience, and the Northern (and Southern) reaction to the daring incursion. Lavishly illustrated, like all Osprey books, Ride Around Missouri includes an array of vintage period photographs, original maps commissioned for the book, bird’s-eye views, first-person accounts drawn from primary sources, and the usual excellent color illustrations of men, uniforms, equipment, and events.

The book is 80 pages, including the index and bibliography. It’s a useful addition to your wargaming or Civil War library. It is available at leading hobby retailers, book dealers, and on the Internet direct from Osprey or via amazon.com.

Ride Around Missouri: Shelby’s Great Raid 1863

Sean McLachlan

Osprey Publishing, October 2011

ISBN 978-1-84908-429-1

New book: The History Buff’s Guide to the Civil War

Comedian and talk show host David Letterman popularized the concept of “Top Ten Lists,” an often humorous and satiric look at current events or newsworthy people. Veteran author and Iowa educator Thomas R. Flagel used a similar concept (without the humor or satire, of course!) to present an overview of the American Civil War in his new book, The History Buff’s Guide to the Civil War (2010, Cumberland House). It is now available from amazon.com and other leading book retailers.

He breaks the war down into six major chunks — Antebellum, Politics, Military Life, The Home Front, In Retrospect, and Pursuing the War. Each chapter is then subdivided in a series of Top Ten lists based upon the author’s personal rankings; for example Chapter 1, Antebellum contains the sections “Top Ten Causes of the Civil War,” “Top Ten States with the Highest Percentage of Slaves,” Top Ten Events of Slave Life,” “Top Ten Abolitionists,” and “Top Ten Fire-Eaters.”  Each list is annotated and Flagel’s commentary on each section gives an overview of the topic. The footnotes are extensive and useful to the history buff who wishes to dive much deeper into the particular subject.