Friday, February 24, 2012

2012 a Year for Western Theater Books or how I am going to be in the poor house.


Looking through a number of the University Press Catalogs recently it has occured to me that I'm going to be a very poor man soon. Several important books are about to come out that will contribute greatly to the study of the Western Theater and the Army of Tennessee. A few of the choice ones are:

George Henry Thomas: As True as Steel by Brian Steel Wills
Dr. Wills has been working on this one for sometime and weighting in at 600 pages this is sure to be the definitive Thomas biography. I'm really looking forward to this one. Plus I can justify reading it since it ties into my current work on Hood's Georgia and Tennessee Campaign. Look for this one in the next few weeks.

Corinth 1862: Siege, Battle, and Occupation by Timothy B. Smith
Another one I'm looking forward to. Before Chattanooga, Before Vicksburg, there was Corinth. Sitting on the Backbone of the Confederacy, the Memphis and Charleston Railroad the loss of this important railroad town just added to the devastation of 1862 on the Confederacy. Although in recent years there has been work, notably by Peter Cozzens, on Corinth, they have focused on the October 1862 fight. Tim's work will cover the that as well as the often overlooked fighting for the town in May of that year. This one will fill that void. Look for it in May, just in time for the 150th.

Granbury's Texas Brigade: Diehard Western Confederates by John R. Lundberg
Another one that Ill be able to justify reading. This one should be a good read on one of the Army of Tennessee's star fighting brigades. Look for it in March as well.

Marching With Sherman: Though Georgia and the Carolinas with the 154th New York by Mark H. Dunkelman
Mark continues the story of the 154th New York with this study, another one that will definately be worth check out. Coming out in April.

By the Noble Daring of Her Sons: The Florida Brigade of the Army of Tennessee by Jonathan C. Sheppard

The poor Florida Brigade will finally be getting a history of its own. General J.J. Finley's Brigade got off to a rocky start, their first battle being the debacle at Missionary Ridge. The Brigade came together after Chickamauga when General Bragg pulled all of the Florida units in the Army of Tennessee together and created this unit. Finley's Brigade did not have a stellar career like Granbury's but was more representative of most of the ill starred Army of Tennessee. This is another I can justify reading and one that I am really looking forward to. It will be out in June.

So there you have a list of upcoming Army of Tennessee related titles. Looks like its going to be a good year for reading.