I'm Baaaaaack!

Sorry, no game report this time.  I had knee surgery a week ago, which cancelled the usual game.  Our next game is set for June 4, so a game report will follow that.

In the meantime, I thought I'd start a series of posts that list my top 10 favorite books I own for each period.

So - I'll begin with my ACW book collection.   These are just the top 10 - not in any particular order:

Last Chance for Victory;  Rober E. Lee and the Gettysburg Campaign, by Scott Bowden & Bill Ward
(Fantastic book; this is on my list for regular re-reading).

Gettysburg, The Second Day by Harry Pfanz
(the 2nd day at Gettysburg is to me the most fascinating of the 3 days, full of what ifs and possibilities.  If you have this book, you don't need any other for this day)

Gettysburg, a Journey in Time by William Frassanito
(Fascinating study of battlefield photos and identifying their actual content and location....great stuff)

Antietam, The Photographic Legacy of America's Bloodiest Day, by William Frassanito
(as above - GREAT book).

Landscape Turned Red, The Battle of Antietam by Stephen Sears
(My first book on Antietam, and my most often returned to.   Its odd to me that Antietam has a tiny fraction of books written about it compared to Gettysburg)

Of Sabres and Carbines: The Emergence of the Federal Dragoon, by Laurence Schiller
(Brilliant pamphlet studying Federal cavalry development and tactics)

The Quest for Annihilation, The Role and Mechanics of Battle in the American Civil War, by Christopher Perello
(This book seems to have been written specifically for wargamers.  If this book doesn't grab you, you're probably not interested in the ACW)

The Union Cavalry Comes of Age, Hartwood Church to Brandy Station, 1863, by Eric Wittenberg.
(Wittenberg specializes in books covering ACW cavalry.  He is a great writer, and his books are meticulously researched.  I have a thing for ACW cavalry actions, and you can't go wrong with anything done by Wittenberg)

Grant Wins the War, Decision at Vicksburg, by James Arnold.
(Jim Arnold is a wargamer, and his books are universally well written and interesting.  This book covers the Vicksburg campaign in a clear way that makes you want to break out the figures)

No Better Place to Die, The Battle of Stones River, by Peter Cozzens.
(I bought this many years ago during a visit to the Stones River battlefield.   Great book, as I've come to expect from Cozzens.   Buy each and every one of his books, you won't be disappointed.)

That's it for today!   The knee is doing GREAT; as the surgeon said - I'm only limited by my pain threshold.  Recovery pain is a whole lot better than injury pain.