Hey Bill, welcome to the club .... it is kind of interesting with the recommendations - I might defer that to others, however it sort of ends up being how much might you be playing solo? Peninsula (what with the Chickhominy River playing a pretty big role in some of the scenarios -and the AI isn't always up to managing that very well ... that wouldn't be a factor if you prefer playing solo hotseat, or PBEM [naturally]. There is a pretty wide variety whichever way you go.
Deference meaning - I have them all, but have not played them all ... and I prefer to really get into them to the point where I want to be fairly comfortable/familiar with the topic they're covering.
But also, more importantly than welcome to the club ... welcome to the Union side, sir.
~Steve
although I haven't achieved that yet. Registration for the final tournament of the year, Fight to the Finish, featuring the Franklin & Petersburg games will open in October and a worthwhile way to become involved and finish the year perhaps. 
