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Book Purchases: April 21 to May 5, 2006

Mary Alice Wills. The Confederate Blockade of Washington, D.C. 1861-1862. White Mane Publishing Company, January 1998.
As usual, I'm taking a chance by purchasing a White Mane book. They're known unfortunately for factual errors cropping up much more than your average Civil War publisher. With that said, there are good White Mane books out there. One that comes to mind immediately is Paul Taylor's book on the Battle of Chantilly. The Confederate blockade of Washington is a subject which I know very little about, so I'm looking forward to reading this one.

Charles M. Robinson III. Hurricane of Fire: The Union Assault on Fort Fisher. Naval Institute Press, May 1998.
I had initially believed this to be a book focusing on the amphibious assault on Fort Fisher from the Army perspective, but after reading the book jacket, it appears that Charles Robinson III gives us the naval view of the campaign.

Martin Hardwick Hall. Sibley's New Mexico Campaign. University of New Mexico Press, September 2000
In what is a bit of a theme in this edition of Book Purchases, I've purchased a book focusing on the Civil War in the southwest. This is another area of the Civil War of which I have very little knowledge. The book was first published in 1960, and this is a recent reprint edition. It looks like there is only one map, but I'm hoping this one gives me a good introduction to Sibley's Campaign.

Gary Livingston. Among the Best Men the South Could Boast, The Fall of Fort McAllister, December 13, 1864. Caisson Press, February 1, 1997.
As of today, I don't yet have this one in my possession. I know Fort McAllister, a guardian of Savannah, Georgia, fell near the end of Sherman's March to the Sea in December 1864. Other than that, this is another one I'm looking forward to reading the book to fill in a gap in my knowledge.

Jay Luvaas & Harold W. Nelson. The U.S. Army War College Guide to the Battles of Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg. South Mountain Press, 1988.
I'm quite familiar with the two battles covered in this version of the U.S. Army War College Guide series of books, but I wanted to pick this one up to further complete my collection of these books. I own copies on Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and Antietam at this point, and I'll eventually get the others as well.

Eric J. Wittenberg. The Union Cavalry Comes of Age: Hartwood Church to Brandy Station, 1863. Potomac Books; 1st edition, September 2003.
I'm involved with a group of computer game modders of Mad Minute Games' new Civil war game, Take Command 2nd Manassas. We call ourselves The SkunkWorks, and our first project is to create a mod featuring the Battle of Brandy Station. I was going to pick up Eric's book eventually anyway, but this project allowed me to justify the need to have it NOW.

Jack Friend. West Wind, Flood Tide: The Battle of Mobile Bay. Naval Institute Press, March 2004.
I picked this one up on Amazon recently, and the Battle of Mobile Bay is another area I've heard very little about other than Admiral Farragut's famous exclamation.

John McLellan Taylor. Bloody Valverde: A Civil War Battle on the Rio Grande. Univ of New Mexico Pr; 1st ed edition, October 1995.
I wanted to pick up the hardcover version of the book, but I've got to skimp somewhere, and this was one of those cases. With that said, the paperback version is fine as well. In any case, I need to learn more about the Civil War in the southwest, and this is another of those books I need to help make that happen.

John D. Billings. The History of the Tenth Massachusetts Battery of Light Artillery in the War of the Rebellion. Stan Clark Military Books; Reprint edition, April 1987.
I picked up this book and the one just below on eBay recently. As I mentioned several months ago, I've started to get into collecting regimentals and other unit histories. These two books were going for below market value on eBay so I snatched them up. Both units particiapted in the Petersburg Campaign as well, so the combination of pluses involved made these purchases two no-brainers.

Isaac Best. History of the 121st New York State Infantry. Stan Clark Military Books, July 1996.
I picked up this book and the one just above on eBay recently. As I mentioned several months ago, I've started to get into collecting regimentals and other unit histories. These two books were going for below market value on eBay so I snatched them up. Both units particiapted in the Petersburg Campaign as well, so the combination of pluses involved made these purchases two no-brainers.

Steven E. Woodworth. Nothing but Victory : The Army of the Tennessee, 1861-1865. Knopf, October 25, 2005.
I've heard both good and bad things about this one, but I've had my eye on it from the first time I heard of it. Being a native of Illinois, I identify more with The Army of the Tennessee than any other Civil War army. I was pleasantly surprised when I managed to pick a great copy of this up off of eBay for less than $10.

Don E. Alberts. The Battle of Glorieta: Union Victory in the West. Texas A&M University Press (July 2000).
This is the last book on the Civil War in the southwest that I picked up in time to appear in this edition of Book Purchases. Believe it or not, fellow blogger Drew Wagenhoffer and I, among others, were both bidding on this one on eBay. I had no idea what Drew's eBay handle was until he made me aware of the fact that I had outbid him for this one. I felt bad, but at least he's had the chance to read the book previously. I have not, and I hope to get a decent grasp on what happened at Glorietta by reading this one.

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