What are you currently reading ?

[kipt]

Finished "Long Gray Lines: The Southern Military School Tradition, 1839-1915" by Rod Andrew Jr.  I bought this book when visiting The Citadel in Charleston, SC.  Hoped for more on the different southern military schools and their involvement in the ACW.  There is some, but as the title infers, more about the long tradition of southern military schools.

Military discipline was thought by US educators to tame down young men and to give them a good grounding on being a God fearing citizen.  Southern schools at all times in the above years had uniforms, and military regimens such as drill and cadet ranks, particularly after the ACW, instilling the "Lost Cause" into the students.  Northern schools not so much of the drill, uniforms and studies of tactics.

The book references Black Southern military schools, but because of the southern racist feeling, most of these schools had no weapons for drill.

[paulr]

Finished "Fear God and Dread Nought Years of Power 1904-1914"
The Correspondence of Admiral of the Fleet Lord Fisher of Kilverstone

424 letters mainly from Fisher to a wide array of people, he was certainly very sure of his opinions and the writing style is definitely of a different age.

Interestingly many of the letters are labeled Private. Please burn. or similar

[kipt]

Finished "Learning War: The Evolution Of Fighting Doctrine In The U.S. Navy, 1898-1945" by Trent Hone.

Interesting chapters:
Prologue: Complex Adaptive Systems and Military Doctrine,
1. A Professional Officer Corps,
2. The Gunnery System,
3. Plans and Doctrine before World war I,
4. The Interwar Learning system,
5. Heuristics at Guadalcanal,
6. The CIC,
7. Victory in the Pacific,
Epilogue: The Cost of War.

Discusses the big gun theory before the war and how the Navy let officers experiment, particularly with the destroyers.  Good book.

[fsn]

The Northern Coalition against Napoleon, Patrik Björk, Helion
A new frontier! Not an area I'd really come across, but it has Swedes vs Russians in 1808, Finnish partisans and the promise (as yet unfulfilled) of the Royal Navy piling in.

[kipt]

Finished two more Osprey's "US Navy Destroyer Escorts Of World War II" by Mark Lardis and "US Navy Aircraft Carriers 1942-45" by Mark stile.

Both good.

[kipt]

Finished "The Journal of Military History" Vol. 89, No. 1.  Published 4 times a year,

Articles include:
News Has Been Secondary to Service: Joseph Daniels, William Sims, and the American Press in World War I.
Polycracy, Fascism, and the armed Forces: The Development of Italian Air-Naval Cooperation, 1919-1940.
Portable Surgical Hospitals in the Burma Campaign of World War II: Prototypes of Forward Combat Casual;tyu Care.
"For Conspicuous Gallantry": Bravery Awards to the Rhodesian Security Forces, c.1970-80.
But It Still goes On: Paul Fussell's The Great War and Modern Memory at 50.

And 97 pages of book reviews.

[kipt]

Finished "Sheridan: The Life and Wars of General Phil Sheridan" by Roy Morris. Jr.  Good biography from early life through his Indian wars.  He was in charge of the Texas border are after the ACW watching the french incursion into Mexico, with aid to the insurgents.

Talks about his "selective" following of orders, particularly with Grant, who did not seem to mind.

Interesting fellow.

[paulr]

Finished "The Ancient Mariners", Seafarers and Sea Fighters of the Mediterranean in Ancient Times Second Edition by Lionel Casson

An interesting read with good use of classical sources, ancient art, traditional, marine and experimental archeology. Published in 1991 so doesn't include some of the recent finds such as rams probably from the Battle of the Aegates

No prizes for guessing what my next project will be  

[kipt]

Finished "The Battle Of Wilson's Creek" by Edwin C. Bearss.  The book was published by the Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Foundation. Good description of the battle with regimental units identified.  OB at the end with unit numbers (which is unusual unfortunately).

Well done by the author.

[kipt]

Finished "Slaughter at the Chapel: The Battle of Ezra Church 1864" by Gary Ecelbarger.

Discusses Black Jack Logan, Union Corps commander who temporarily held the Army of Tennessee command after McPherson's death until replaced by O.O. Howard (from the Army of the Potomac).  Logan was a politician who became a great combat commander. (Next book to be read is the biography of Logan, also by Ecelbarger).  Sherman wanted a West Point trained officer who knew about logistics and reporting.

Anyway, the book goes into the tactical detail I really like about the ACW - down to regimental level.  Good maps and stirring action.  This battle was one during the Atlanta Campaign.

[kipt]

Finished "Black Jack Logan: An Extraordinary Life in Peace and War" by Gary Ecelbarger. Such an amazing person.  Excellent politician (for his mesmerizing speaking style, his ability to gather and keep support -more on this below). He could talk for hours and newspaper reporters always covered his speeches. He had jet black hair and a darker complexion; some people called him Indian like.

Prior to the war Logan was very supportive of the south and did not have a problem with slavery.  He was a Democrat. However, he was very patriotic and when the South seceded he offered his services to the Union.  He quickly went up the ranks and changed his views on slavery and ultimately became a Republican (after the war).

His men in the regiment he raised, the brigade and division he took over, and ultimately a corps were very attached to him and his style. When McPherson was killed during the Atlanta campaign, Logan, commander of the XV corps, being the senior general, took over the army for a short time.  Sherman, deciding that Logan, being more of a politician but a hard fighter, did not have the qualities to run several corps and place O.O. Howard in command of the army. Logan thought of resigning but ultimately after a furlough, stayed in the army and was employed in the East.

After the war he essentially became a radical republican after seeing the effects of slavery and was hard on the South.  His political life included a try for the Presidency, which ultimately failed.

Very interesting book about a very interesting man.  Highly recommended.

[paulr]

Finished "Operation Mercury - The Battle for Crete, 1941" by Tony Simpson
An interesting read with some different perspectives. Some of his views on the naval side are odd, to say the least, which for me casts doubt on some of his other perspectives. Some very interesting firsthand accounts of various incidents.

[kipt]

Finished The Journal of Military History, Vol. 89. No.2.
Articles include:

"Lest it be conquered by the wind": The Early Evolution of VOC Fortifications on Dutch Formosa (c. 1620-1650).
"Early Impressions are Lasting": Mess Attendants and Their Midshipmen at the U.S. Naval academy, 1845-1942.
Battle
Exhaustion and Manpower Conservation: Canadian Army "Human Salvage Operations" in Northwest Europe, 1944-45.

as well as a couple of others.

And as always,80 pages of book reviews.

[kipt]

Finished "Sherman: Memoirs" an autobiography in the Great Commander Series.  Long as he had a lot to say.  He spent quite a bit of time in California, near where I live (San Francisco Bay Area).

Recommended.

[kipt]

Finished "Air War Pacific: America's Air War Against Japan In East Asia And The Pacific 1941-1945; Chronology Part 1" by Eric Hammel.  As it says in the title, this is a chronology, not a narrative.

This is a listing, day by day, theater by theater, of what happened, by which organization of every day of the war.  Start date is December 7, 1941.  This Part 1 goes from the start date to December 31, 1943.

As pilots make Ace, their name and type of plane downed is listed.  What is amazing is the kill ratio against Japanese aircraft and how fast the numbers of American air units grow.  Even though the book is just a listing of events, it is interesting to me.  Long book, with 383 pages of day by day, and 178 pages of index.