I'm looking forward to reading this book, hopefully before Xmas.

I read this book over the summer, and really enjoyed it. A very well written book, really brings the threat and camaraderie out. 

Finished "The Smoothbore Volley That Doomed the Confederacy: the death Of Stonewall Jackson and Other Chapters On The Army Of Northern Virginia" by Robert K. Krick.

The first chapter is about Stonewall and the unfortunate friendly fire incident.  Followimg chapters highlight other incidents in the history of the ANV.

The Army of Virginia's Most Notorious Court-Martial: Jackson vs. Garnett.
"If Longstreet...Says So, It Is Most Likely Not True": James Longstreet and the Second Day of Gettysburg.
Longstreet Versus McLaws - and Everyone Else - About Knoxville.

and several others.  I like Krick's books.  He evidently does not think well about Longstreet however.  These stories even before the tirades against Longstreet after the war.

Krick has listed 5 great books about the ANV and 2 bad ones (none of which I will list here.  He also has a good chapter on finding and using Confederate soldier records.

Quote from: kipt on 02 November 2022, 05:24:01 PMFinished "The Darkest Hour: Volume 2: The Japanese Offensive in the Indian Ocean 1942 - The Attack against Ceylon and the Eastern Fleet" by Michal A. Piegzik.  the title says it all.  Lots of pictures, maps, airplane colors, etc.

Very interesting.  I read Volume 1 some time ago.

I'm giving these 5 stars *****

The level of detail is incredible - If you want to know the name of every Japanese pilot/observer/radio operator who flew in each aircraft, what ordinance they carried and how many rounds of ammo they fired off on each mission during Operation C then these two volumes are for you!

Definitely worth getting - I can see a few extra things I can add into my campaign already!      

Finished "Visual Antietam, Vol. 1; Ezra Carman's Antietam through Maps And Pictures: Dawn To Dunker Church" by Ezra A. Carman & Brad Butkovich.  This is selected chapters of Carman's book on the whole campaign just focusing on Antietam.  Butkovich has taken chapters 13, 15 and 16, illustrated each page next to the writing with maps and pictures.  This is similar to the West Point atlas on the Civil War.

There are 3 volumes with the first focusing on the north with Hooker, the second on the center and the third on the stone bridge (Burnside's bridge) for the third.

I have the Carman volume which is extensive for the whole campaign whereas this is well focused and illustrative.

Finished "Visual Antietam, Vol. 2; Ezra Carman's Antietam Through Maps And Pictures: West woods To Bloody Lane" by Ezra A. Carman & Brad Butkovich.  this volume has chapters 17, 18 and 19.  He has include the OB's in each volume which is nice.

Working on volume 3.

The Last of Africa's Cold War Conflicts
AL Venter
ISBN 978 1 52677 298 5

Journalist write-up concentrating on Portuguese Guinea and the Guerrilla Insurgency.  While Vietnam was in progress, Venter, a South African, only dealt with wars in Africa and the middle east. This provides some background material on the Portuguese colonial withdrawal conflicts that get scant interest from the media, with a particular focus on the small sliver of land that was Portuguese Guinea.

Finished "Visual Antietam, Vol. 3 Ezra Carman's Antietam Through Maps And Pictures: The Middle Bridge To Hill's Counterattack" by Ezra A. Carman & Brad Butkovich.  This volume has chapters 20 and 21 from Carman's book.

What is amazing about the battle is how small units were.  Brigades of 250 men, regiments at 40 men.  South Mountain accounted for some of it as did the Confederate's straggling to go North (and some did not go as they had joined to protect the South, not invade the North.  However, Union units were also small and this is 1862.

To the Duoro, David J Blackmore


The story of Roberts, a light cavalryman of the 16th Lt Dragoons in the Napoleonic Wars.  I'm undecided about it.

3/4 of the way through the book before he gets to Portugal. Prior to that, we're in Regency James Bond territory, then we get to how Roberts brought the wine barges to Oporto.   

Where Cornwall gallops through his yarn, Blackmore (somewhat like Mallinson) meanders and indulges himself in horsey things.

Throughout we trip over all the Regency tropes - impending ruin, malevolent uncle, love at first sight with the mysterious Lady, aristocratic superior officer who looks down upon the lower class Roberts, and high born (nay Royal) patron. I think the source of my unease though, is the Mary Sue aspects of Roberts. Sees a woman - she's his. Tells a drunk not to drink - he's reformed. Bit of money trouble - someone conveniently dies and leaves him a fortune.

On the other hand, Blackmore catches the "feel" of the 16th Lt Dragoons, using real persons in the narrative where possible.

There is a second book, and I'm not sure. To the Duoro didn't catch my breath like Sharpe's Eagle but I think the series has possibilities.

Be interested to hear from anyone else who has read the book.

 

In a similar vein, I read C.S.Forester's Death to the French in the summer. Terrific stuff, but I was surprised at how brutal it was, especially compared to his Hornblower books.

Electronic copies available from here, if anyone's interested.

Finished "The Royal Navy 1793-1815" by Gregory Fremont-Barnes.  this is an Osprey Battle Orders book and I thought very well done.  Many OB's, but one sided unfortunately - only the Brits shown.

Still a good Osprey.

Finished Vol86, No. 3 of The Journal of Military History.

Articles in this volume include:
The First Invasion of Georgia and the Myth pf West Power, 1656-1684.  This is Georgia the future US state.
The Russian Baltic Fleet in the Seven Years War.
Logistics of U.S. Grant's 1863 Mississippi Campaign: From the Amphibious Landing at Bruinsburg to the Siege of Vicksburg.
Operation Q: Churchill and Fisher's Invasion of Germany, 1915?
and others.

In addition 83 pages of book reviews (including a review of Nicolas Murry & Chris Pringle's books, "Napoleon Absent" and "The Coalition Crumbles" by Frederick Schneid which is generally very favorable), 10 pages of military articles in various journals and a list of doctoral dissertations.

The Journal is published 4 times a year.

Finished the Gettysburg Magazine, July 2022 Issue 67.

Articles are:
"Coming On Like Devils Incarnate": The Florida Brigade and the Gettysburg Campaign.
"By Our Guns to the Last": The 20th Indiana and the Struggle for Rose's Woods.
Pickett's Charge - "A Perfect Storm of Heat": Never before Used Data Allows for Heat Index Estimate during Fateful attack.
"The Sight f Blood Never Again Affected Me".
Feeding the Army pf Northern Virginia during the Gettysburg Campaign.

And a couple of others.  Published twice a year and always has great articles.

Quote from: kipt on 14 December 2022, 05:44:35 PMIn addition 83 pages of book reviews (including a review of Nicolas Murry & Chris Pringle's books, "Napoleon Absent" and "The Coalition Crumbles" by Frederick Schneid which is generally very favorable)

Thanks for the nod, Kip!

Myself, been reading Stephen W. Sears's classic "Chancellorsville", which has helped me get my head around this very complicated and very important ACW battle. Enjoyed the insights into the personalities, the different challenges Hooker and Lee faced, and how they shaped and handled their very different armies.

Hmmm ... better in some ways/different from the Mugnai volume.

These volumes have made me think differently about the Ottoman army. 

Unit Organisation: yeah, but no but.
Uniforms: Meh. Some dominant colours but ... not really.
Army composition: "Hey mate! It's me. What you doing on Thursday? Bring the lads. "

My mistake. I thought the Ottoman army would conform to other Napoleonic standards. OK, there were the Nizam-I-Cedid, but that was a small force and not long lived.

This volume draws on illustrations and observations from the C18, and I'm now thinking to abandon the "modern" Napoleonic organisation, and to look back to something more akin to a feudal army. This is quite liberating.

The book has 16 chapters, in 180 pages. Very colourful with a multitude of drawings illustrating the frankly bewildering variety of troops. For me, there is a very useful chapter of unit standards, but I have given up on trying to decide how many men comprised an Orta (battalion).I did pick up the suggestion that Janissaries fought as small circular groups in checkerboard formation. Interesting, but that was from 1732.
     
This book, like the Mugnai one are frustratingly lacking in the details I want, and I now think that I should stop applying C19 standards to a C17 army. The book would benefit from an index and a glossary. I don't know my kapikulu ocaklari from my kouloughlis and find it a bit irritating to go back through the text to find out what the difference.

All in all, a good if ultimately frustrating read. A bit pricey at £45. I wouldn't have paid the same amount for a volume on a better known army, but IMHO worthwhile for the subject.