American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

Santa brought me the 3 volume set "The Civil War" by Shelby Foote, maybe I can increase my understanding of this epic struggle.

MG D. Groce
AoP
V Corps
2nd Division
"Into the breach"

Excellent read. Just don't believe every detail. [:)]

Gen. Walter, USA
<i>The Blue Blitz</i>
USA CoA-elect
[url="http://www.home.datacomm.ch/dierk.walter/2VIIIAoS/persrecord.htm"][/url]
<i>"... and keep moving on."</i>

Dierk: You are begging the question. What details do you dispute? Or are there too many to mention.

MG Drex Ringbloom,
Cdr, 2nd Div "Corcoran's Legion", VIII Corps
Army of the Shenandoah

I've been reading it for awhile now - Shelby is a great author- but had this problem about promising a bibliography, but then never did one. That never was that big of an issue with me, as it is all about Oral history with some well known anecdotes thrown in - he has an incredible way of building up the drama of a situation - and if you have ever seen him on the Ken Burns' documentary - he wrote like he spoke, in many cases including the same or similar vernacular styles.

He has his clear favorites as well as gooses. I am to about Feb 1865 - and have very much enjoyed the journey.

I wish that it would be practical to get the (I think) Allan Nevins' set here -but I guess I will wait on that one ... I'd also love to get my hands on an unabridged set of Sandberg's Lincoln bio.

That being said I was about to blank on what I had gotten (CW related... but it sort of slowly is coming back).

Aside from my rear end handed to me in a non-club game (again...) I got the documentary about Franklin, a cd of the OR (want to get a set of the Naval records as well eventually)...and a couple of compilation books.



LtC Stephen Trauth
XVI Corps 1st Division 6th Brigade (divisional artillery)
AoT

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Drex</i>
What details do you dispute?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

It's been nearly ten years since I read the books, so other than my recollection of my general impression back then that occasionally Foote sacrificed accuracy in detail for the sake of a convincing general narrative I can offer no tangible proof for my statement. The one thing I did seem to recall is that Foote asserted erroneously that Buford's cavalry had repeaters at Gettysburg. But I can't find verse and chapter now, so probably I am mistaken and read that entirely elsewhere.

Hence, I recant. [B)]

Gen. Walter, USA
<i>The Blue Blitz</i>
USA CoA-elect
[url="http://www.home.datacomm.ch/dierk.walter/2VIIIAoS/persrecord.htm"][/url]
<i>"... and keep moving on."</i>

I remember seeing Foote on TV admit that his lack of footnotes was because others had already written in detail on the events he wrote about and there was no need to add to them. However we all know that there are many contentious issues in the Civil War and Foote didn't try to resolve any of them. I think his narrative is an excellent introduction to the Civil War but I wouldn't want to go further than that.

MG Drex Ringbloom,
Cdr, 2nd Div "Corcoran's Legion", VIII Corps
Army of the Shenandoah

I recieved Campaign Chickamauga, and promptly got trounced in a short non-club game. Ouch.

As for Foote, I've been using him to get a picture of the entire war. After I read Volume 1, I read books about each of the major campaigns that took place during that time frame (Bull Run, Shiloh, Peninsula, 2nd Bull Run, Antietam, and Iuka/Corinth). That way, when I read the campaign books, its kind of like rereading it, so I can retain it better while going into more detail. It really helps me keep things in perspective too, especially when considering the war's length.

Maj. Dylan McCartney
IV Brigade/ I Division
XIV Corps
Army of the Cumberland
Union Army

With Foote- you have to keep in mind that he was a novelist and not a historian, and made no apologies about it; with that in mind you are not going to get the same style of book as written by an academic.

At any rate he also has a novel on Shiloh -and some of the chapters have been turned into their own books by publishers wanting to make an extra buck on his name - specifically -Stars in their Courses is the chapter on Gettysburg taken out of the trilogy (I think there was maybe one more - possibly on Vicksburg). However Shiloh was written before the trilogy. There is another book out there called Chicakamauga which I think was stories that he had edited.

Finally Confederates in the Attic has a chapter where the author (David Horowitz I think) interviewed Foote about his trilogy -or about the Civil War in general.

If you are interested in Foote you might also find some of those interesting as well.


Edited: -er I forgot the 'no' in front of "apologies" -um, oops... [:I]


LtC Stephen Trauth
XVI Corps 1st Division 6th Brigade (divisional artillery)
AoT

I brought the set a few years ago and found them to be a great read - can't comment of accuracy as, although I like to think that I am well read on the subject, I have not studied the period in close detail - to busy killing yanks[:D]

Brig Gen Cam McOmish
Commander Western Theater
Confederate States of America

Foote's trilogy helped spark my interest in the Civil War. Although not perfect it is a fine read that I have undertaken three times over the years. Enjoy.

Lt.General Dale Lastowicka
XIX Corps, AOS

On Foote and details: Actually I found it now. Vol. II, p. 465:

"Buford's two brigades were formidable in their own right, being equipped with the new seven-shot Spencer carbine, which enabled a handy trooper to get off twenty rounds a minute, as compared to his muzzle-loading adversary, who would be doing well to get off four in the same span."

Gen. Walter, USA
<i>The Blue Blitz</i>
USA CoA-elect
[url="http://www.home.datacomm.ch/dierk.walter/2VIIIAoS/persrecord.htm"][/url]
<i>"... and keep moving on."</i>

Right on Dierk. Buford had single shot breechloading carbines. Sears said that even these single shots could outshoot the muzzle loaders so perhaps Foote jumped to the conclusion from his sources that Spensers were used. Still, it was sloppy history but doesn't detract from the narrative.

MG Drex Ringbloom,
Cdr, 2nd Div "Corcoran's Legion", VIII Corps
Army of the Shenandoah