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).

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.

Two new WWII books from Osprey Publishing

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.

 

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.

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

American Civil War Fortifications (Volume 3; The Mississippi and River Forts)

The American Civil War was one of the first “modern” wars, with aerial reconnaissance, torpedoes, land mines, submarines, repeating or rapid fire weapons, entrenchments, mass transit using railroads, and other innovations. One thing that was timeless was the usage of heavy fortifications, particularly along the coasts and river ports. These fortresses were often targets of attacks from both land and water.

Lots of new titles from Osprey!

Prolific military publisher Osprey recently has released a number of new titles for the World War II buff. Many of these are of utility to the WWII miniature wargamer.