I've been rereading Glenn Tucker's "Chickamauga: Bloody Battle in the West" for research this past week. Its been awhile since I've read it and this past week has made me realize again how nice a read it is. Oh sure it has its errors and sometimes the order of things is a little odd, but Tucker was a good writer.
Next up I'll read Peter Cozzens' "This Terrible Sound" to flesh out the details and use that as my source material. I read Tucker just to refresh my mind about the flow of the battle. I'll use Cozzens for the meat. Cozzens' book is a good read too, I've read his four western theater battle books and enjoyed them all.
I also have the five Blue & Gray magazines that were recently done on this campaign handy. And then I'll use the new "Maps of Chickamauga" by David Powell to pinpoint any loose details. I noticed that Steven Woodworth has edited a volume of Chickamauga essays that is coming out at the end of April. So hopefully I'll be able to get a copy of that soon too to get another perspective. Truthfully we have a bunch of Chickamauga related literature available right now. Things are looking up.
Then I can really get working on my own Chickamauga project. Hopefully I'll be able to make it as readable as Tucker but have all the facts right too. Luckily I'm not trying to write a whole new battle history, just a smaller project, I don't have the time (or motivation) for that.
3 comments:
Yes, I like Tucker too. His book and Cozzens greatly influenced my studies of the Battle of Chickamauga. I have Tucker's famous books on Gettysburg and his Winfield Scott Hancock biography which are both very good, if sometimes dated. I always wanted to get Tucker's books on the War of 1812 with the wonderful title 'Poltroons and Patriots'.
I think someone could come out with a massive, readable book on the whole campaign and battle. Since Chickamauga is one of my favorite battlefields to visit I read anything I can get my hands on the battle. I eventually want to acquire Powell's map book which looks super.
Thanks,
Chris
I did one of the pieces in the Woodworth book, hopefully it will add to the understanding of the tactical understanding of the battle, as well as give one of the underrated phases of the battle, AP Stewart's breakthrough. Im looking forward to seeing Chickamauga finally getting its due and glad to hear that you are working on a piece. Just to add to this though, Henry V. Boynton's The Battles of Chickamauga and Chattanooga and the Organizations Engaged will soon be reprinted.
I tend to re-read the five Blue & Gray magazines by Glenn Robertson - I'm amazed at how much information Glenn got into those five issues.
I admit that the project I work on from time to time, and which gives me the most pleasure, is a massive history of the battle.
So far, it stands at about 190,000 words. Finished, it should top 350,000. The real trick will be getting it published...
Dave Powell
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