Newish to the period(s), need some help deciding.

[shandy]

Oh, the Keegan book is shockingly bad, don't let yourself be put off by this.

If you are interested in the tactics, Paddy Griffith's Rally Once Again: Battle Tactics of the American Civil War is still valid and a good read. There are newer studies by Nosworthy and Earl Hess, though, which are very good but a bit dryer.

For very readable battle accounts, I can recommend Noah Andre Trudeau, e.g. his book on Gettysburg.

And one of the best studies on the soldier's experience, and one of the best books on the war in general, is The War for the Common Soldier: How Men Thought, Fought, and Survived in Civil War Armies by Peter Carmichael.

If you're interested in a specific topic, feel free to send me a PM, I'll be happy to recommend you some books

[jetengine]

Oh, the Keegan book is shockingly bad, don't let yourself be put off by this.

If you are interested in the tactics, Paddy Griffith's Rally Once Again: Battle Tactics of the American Civil War is still valid and a good read. There are newer studies by Nosworthy and Earl Hess, though, which are very good but a bit dryer.

For very readable battle accounts, I can recommend Noah Andre Trudeau, e.g. his book on Gettysburg.

And one of the best studies on the soldier's experience, and one of the best books on the war in general, is The War for the Common Soldier: How Men Thought, Fought, and Survived in Civil War Armies by Peter Carmichael.

If you're interested in a specific topic, feel free to send me a PM, I'll be happy to recommend you some books

Thank god that its not just me that found it a dreary mess, all the online reviews were raving but it's just a snoozefest. I get it was written in the 80s but its just bad. Meanwhile McLynns Napoleon biography was a great pageturner that had me interested all the way throughout.and was written barely ten years later!

[shandy]

Keegan wrote great books - especially The Face of Battle, which was really groundbreaking - but the ACW book is a huge disappointment.

[vtsaogames]

Keegan wrote great books - especially The Face of Battle, which was really groundbreaking - but the ACW book is a huge disappointment.

Yes, his first was his best.