For the Reading List

As we are all getting ready for Richard to release Sharp Practice II, I am not only working on gathering together two forces for ACW (much to the chagrin of my Normandy forces), but I am pulling books out of storage boxes to get me in the correct frame of mind. While each deals with American forces, sort of, and the American Civil War, kind of, these are all great resources for Sharp Practice II. 

Battle of Ball's Bluff by Holien, is one of several books I have on this mini campaign. The historic fight was a brigade level reconnaissance in force that was part of a divisional action. An action that went badly for the Union. This battle was part of an effort to help clear the upper Potomac of Confederate forces. Here we have a star fort, cavalry, and bridges and a ford. Even a couple of row boats (for the river crossing) and artillery. This can make for a mini campaign with significant fog of war.

Like Men of War by Trudeau goes into a great deal of detail about the recruitment, training and the actions of the United States Colored Troops (USCT). Perfect for skirmish level engagements through out the Civil War; from Battery Wagner to The Crater and the garrisoning in the west, there is plenty here for Sharp Practice II. Andy is a great writer that I know from NPR. 

Lastly The Blue and the Gray on the Nile by Hesseltine and Wolf is a story as much about civil war veterans continuing to ply their trade in Egypt after the war as a book portraying a positive reflection on this period as my country was getting ready for the Centenary. While not as action packed as the other two books it if full of possibilities for historic skirmishes as well as new imagi-nations.

Three books that are a good start if you are hard pressed for source material. What are you reading while getting ready for Sharp Practice II?