To develop a true appreciation of miniatures wargaming in the ACW period it is important to know the history of the war. It is a lifelong task, and one that will, in all probability, determine whether or not you stay interested in ACW gaming. I have received a fair amount of letters requesting that we do some book reviews so that members do not 'waste" their money on books that may have no value to them. I'm not sure that I can agree that any book is a waste of money, but I have chosen a number of writings that have added greatly to my knowledge of the war and have proven to be of great assistance in doing research. There are literally thousands of volumes covering the War Between the States. I will, en this article, attempt to cover some of the major works that would be of benefit to someone doing research. This is by no means a complete list, but covers some of the more important literature available. Future issues will contain more specific volumes if enough mail is received requesting it. PURE RESEARCH WORKS: The Official Records of the War of the Rebellion This is the grandfather of all Civil War research works. The set is currently being reprinted by Morningside Bookstore in 128 volumes, but is beyond the budget (or shelf space) of all but the most ardent historian. However, many major libraries have this set available for use in the building. The Official Records cover such a range of information that it would take a book to cover it all. Suffice it to say that much of what you would want can be found there. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion by Frederick H. Dyer — This is a must purchase for anyone wanting information on the Union forces engaged during the Civil War. Recently reprinted in 2 volumes by Morningside, the set costs $100.00 and is worth every penny. Of major importance for research are a complete list of all units, state by state, that was raised for the war effort, including a war history of each. It also covers Federal armies and departments, giving the commanders of each army, corps, division, and brigade, complete with dates of command and changes within each army. Finally, there is a chronological record of all engagements during the war' Lee's Colonels Robert K. Krick . I own the 1984 2nd edition from Morningside, which contains data corrected from the original edition. As the title page states, this book is a biographical register of the field officers of the Army of Northern Virginia. Names are listed alphabetically, with a brief synopsis of information, usually containing the names of regiments that served in, promotion dates and whether or not they were wounded or killed. A major plus with the 2nd edition versus the 1st is that this one lists 3510 field officers who did not serve with the ANV. List of Field Officers. Regiments & Battalions In the Confederate States Army J.M. Carroll & Co. This book is tremendous in that it gives an alphabetical listing of ALL field officers in the Confederate Armies, followed by a state-by-state listing of every field unit that includes the names of every officer that led them. I believe that this book is a reprint of a very early edition (1880's) and am not sure that it can be purchased except from a used book store. If still commercially available, try writing to J.M. Carroll & Co. Box 1200 Mattituck, NY 11952. List of Staff Officers of the Confederate States Army J.M. Carroll & Co. - This book is essentially a listing of all staff officers, including what staffs they were a part of, along with some dates of service. Again, I believe that this is a reprint, as I once saw an old edition of this that was the property of Genl. William Hardee (it was signed by him). Less important than the Field Officer' s book for the average historian. Generals In Gray Ezra Warner - This book, along with its companion volume, Generals In Blue, is already a classic. One of the great issues of Louisiana State University Press, Generals In Gray gives a photograph or painting, along with a biographical sketch of every Confederate general officer. It can be obtained from The Historical Shop Box 73244 Metairie, LA 70033 Generals In Blue Same as above except for Union generals. It also has a list of all brevet generals in an index. The Civil War Dictionary Mark M. Boatner - A book with an amazing variety of covered topics, it is now out of print and must be ordered from a used book store. The rumor mill is saying that it will be reprinted soon. This book is a true value and will likely have some information on almost anything you might want to know. Battles and Leaders of the Civil War The Century Co. - Probably the 2nd most referred to source about the Civil War, this four volume set was reprinted by Castle Books not too long ago and is still to be found with a hard search at many stores. These books contain battle accounts written by many of the participants and often contain orders of battle, maps, and casualty figures for many battles. The set can usually be bought for under $50.00, a bargain for the approximately 3000 pages contained in it. This is a 'must' for helping set up scenarios. Official Army Register Of The Volunteer Forces Of The United States. 1861-65 - You have a chance to get in on the ground floor on this 9 volume set. First printed in 1865, it is about to be reprinted for the first time, and is a slight repeat of information found in 'Compendium Of The War Of The Rebellion', with several extras. Over 4500 pages in length, the set lists about 150,000 Union officers, a definitive roster of all Union officers by regiment, battalion, and company, contains regimental battle records, dates of promotion, etc., and an 880 page index for easy reference. There is much more info than I can print here. The pre-publication price is $150 (until July 1st, 1987), with the set costing $200. Call Ron R. Van Sickle Military Books at (301) 330-2400 for more details. As stated earlier in this article, if enough members show an interest, I would be pleased to write summaries of books that cover more specific topics, such as AW photography, cavalry, weapons, campaigns, and good general coverage of the war itself. Write in if you would like to see more of this kind of review. We will, of course, be offering members the opportunity to purchase original manuscripts, such as copies of Confederate Veterans Magazine, as well as reprints at low prices of similar material. Back to The Zouave Vol I No. 2 Table of Contents Back to The Zouave List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1987 The American Civil War Society This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com