American Civil War - Western theatre

[guitarheroandy]

Can anyone help? I'm looking for books about the western theatre of the American Civil War. Anyone got any recommendations?

Thanks very much in advance.

[doowopapocalypse]

Sherman's Memoirs, I'm knee deep in the now. Cool stuff with some joint operations. Jeff Sahara, son of the writer of Killer Angels, has a series which is middling.

[guitarheroandy]

Thanks for the speedy reply. I'm also looking at the Southwest - Texas, New Mexico, etc.

[doowopapocalypse]

Not having read it, I don't know it's quality, but Glory,Glory, Glorietta: The Gettysburg of the West by Robert Scott is about one of the big engagements that far out. Also, The Civil War in Arizona: The story of the California Volunteers 1861-1866 by Andrew Edward Masich. The western theatre, especially far west, does not get its day in the sun.

[armchairgeneral]

Peter Cozzens has written a whole series of books of detailed accounts of battles from the Western Theatre.

[Inkpaduta]

If I was at school I could give you a bunch.

Decision in the West (Atlanta campaign)
Army of Tennessee, a 2 vol work
Last Battle of the Civil War (On Palmito Ranch)
Woe to Live On. A novel about the guerrilla war in Missouri. Excellent.

I have many others but just can't think of there exact names. Sorry

[julius1880]

I don't know if you saw the movie "Riding with the Devil", staring Toby Magurie as a German American during the war between the states. It is a great example of warfare between Missouri Bushwackers and Kansas Jay-Hawkers. That was fighting that began in 1850 when Kansas became a state and the fighting between the two states over property, human that is. the movie should give you plenty of ideas for irregular combat which was common in the west.  William Clarke Quantrill is also a major historical character in the movie.

I'd also recommend the Osprey books regarding the the Texas Rangers and the Indians in the west during the War between the States. They have excellent thumbnail information you may be looking for.

[guitarheroandy]

Thanks for the suggestions. Me and a mate are thinking of doing a brand new project, from scratch, probably large scale skirmish with about 60 models (ish) per side and are looking for periods of joint interest. We both immediately mentioned ACW but felt we should aim for something a little different to the usual Eastern theatre and the West in its broadest sense was mentioned... I'll check all these ideas out anyway.

[grant]

Have you looked at Shiloh by Winstom Groom? An amazing book, published by National Geographic, and a terrific read.

What a horrific battle, could certainly pull elements out of it to game for years in various scales.

[Inkpaduta]

If you are thinking of going skirmish with 60 figures or so on a side, then I would suggest
the guerilla warfare in Missouri and Kansas. Quantrill, Bloody Bill Anderson and Jayhawkers
would work really well. Foundry does a great line of figures for it and I have heard that Perry
are going to do a line as well.

[Extrabio1947]

Decision in the West, the Cozzens' books, the Powell Chickamauga trilogy, Larry Daniels' excellent books, esp. Cannoneers in Gray, Wiley Sword's books, esp. Embrace an Angry Wind.

Let me know if there is anything particular you are looking for.

[zippyfusenet]

I agree with Inkpaduta. The Kansas-Missouri border warfare will provide the most opportunities for small scale skirmishing with colorful forces of irregular and regular cavalry.

There wasn't that much fighting in Texas. One book on the subject is James Farber Texas CSA, which covers the Sibley expedition and the defense of Galveston. That's about it,except for Comanches raiding the frontier. Farber spends a lot of pages on Texas troops and officers in other theaters. Farber does write about recruiting and manufacturing on the Texas home front, and some interesting discussions of Confederate diplomacy with France and Imperial Mexico, trying to secure French intervention, which would geographically have to involve Texas.

The Sibley expedition didn't amount to that much: an attempt to march a weak brigade across half the continent to seize California. That sort of thing had worked in the Mexican War; Fremont took California with a few hundred men, and Doniphan took New Mexico just by marching there. But the Union held California more strongly than Mexico ever had.

At first Sibley was able to advance into a vacuum as the tiny Federal garrisons withdrew before he arrived, but soon a hastily raised army of California, Colorado and New Mexico volunteers, stiffened with regulars, turned the Confederates back at Glorieta Pass. With no functioning supply line and nothing to forage, once Sibley lost momentum he was quickly rolled all the way back to his starting point in San Antonio. The Federals followed up, but were unable to push their own supply line past Fort Bliss. There wasn't even much contact between the forces on this front - one side would fall back with no resistance in the face of the other's advance.

A good recent history of the Kansas-Missouri-Arkansas - Indian Territory theater is Jay Monaghan Civil War on the Western Border 1854-1865. As the title indicates, this history begins with the Bloody Kansas fighting, which is essential to understand the development of guerilla war in this theater.

Carl W. Breihan Quantrill and his civil war guerillas is a detailed account of Quantrill himself, his men and their operations, including the infamous raid on Lawrence Kansas and many other actions. You'll fins a lot of scenario material in this volume.

On the other side of the hill, Stephen Z. Starr Jennison't Jayhawkers is a history of the 7th Kansas Volunteer Cavalry, recruited from the anti-slavery militia who fought the Border Ruffians and themselves raided into Missouri while the war was still a private matter between neighbors. As volunteer cavalry, these men fought the Confederate guerillas. Also lots of scenario material here.