Continued from my Eastern Campaign reading list, which can be found here. I've tried to add notes and justifications for the selections here, which I didn't always do with the Eastern reading list.
Western Campaign Reading List, Part 1
Offensive in Eastern Kentucky
Mill Springs: Mill Springs: Campaign and battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky, by Kenneth A. Hafendorfer (out of print)
-Long out of print and hard to find, Hafendorfer has written an exhaustive study of not only Mill Springs but the entire western theater from around September 1861 through early 1862. Tons of maps and a highly detailed battle study make this a must-read. Again, inter-library loan is your friend!
Federal Penetration up the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers
Fort Henry and Fort Donelson: Grant Invades Tennessee: The 1862 Battles for Forts Henry and Donelson, by Timothy B. Smith
Shiloh: Shiloh: Conquer or Perish, by Timothy B. Smith
Siege of Corinth: Corinth 1862: Siege, Battle, Occupation, by Timothy B. Smith
-Timothy B. Smith is a machine. Not only has he written the definitive treatment of this campaign, he is also filling in long-vacant gaps in Vicksburg campaign literature. Benjamin Cooling's study on Forts Henry and Donelson was good, but I feel that Smith's work supplants it. Likewise, Smith's work on Shiloh also surpasses all previous treatments, especially concerning the second day. His book on Corinth is the best available on that operation and also covers the October 1862 battle. Taken as a whole, this trilogy of books will be the standard on this campaign for decades to come.
Joint Operations Against New Madrid, Island No. 10, and Memphis
New Madrid/Island No. 10: Island No. 10: Struggle for the Mississippi Valley, by Lynn N. Bock and Larry J. Daniel
-Excellent read on an oft-forgotten (but important) battle
Memphis: To Retain Command of the Mississippi: The Civil War Naval Campaign for Memphis, by Edward B. McCaul, Jr.
-McCaul filled a hole in literature with his work on the Union battle for the control of the Mississippi between Island No. 10 and Memphis.
Confederate Heartland Offensive
Overall: War In Kentucky: Shiloh To Perryville, by James Lee McDonough
-I'm not a huge fan of McDonough's work. It's good, but as someone who strives for as much detail as possible, his works are a little too general for my tastes. Still, his book on the invasion is a fine introduction and the only single volume work on the campaign, although it should be noted that the late Kenneth Hafendorfer released a criminally under-printed two-volume set on the invasion and the Battle of Perryville a couple of years ago. That work is not even available on inter-library loan as less than two-hundred copies were published. Hopefully that work will be reprinted by Savas-Beatie or another large publishing company (although I believe Hafendorfer originally declined Ted Savas's offer to publish the work), but until that happens (if ever), McDonough will have to do.
Richmond: When the Ripe Pears Fell: The Battle of Richmond, Kentucky, by Dean W. Lambert (out of print)
-Hafendorfer also has a work on the Richmond battle, but I decided to include Lambert's because even though it is out print itself, it's still a little more widely available than Hafendorfer's work.
Munfordville: "Munfordville: The Campaign and Battle Along Kentucky's Strategic Axis" by Kent Masterson Brown, from The Civil War in Kentucky, edited by Kent Masterson Brown
-No book-length studies exist on this battle but Brown has penned an excellent chapter for a larger work focusing on Kentucky in the Civil War.
Perryville: Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle, by Kenneth W. Noe
-Again, Hafendorfer released a longer work, but Noe's has two distinct advantages: (1) easier to find, (2) published a decade later with access to additional sources. Noe's book is 500 pages in it's own right, so detail isn't an issue here. The campaign as a whole deserves a new book-length study but the campaign's key battle is well-served here.
Iuka and Corinth Operations
The Darkest Days of the War: The Battles of Iuka and Corinth, by Peter Cozzens
-Smith's book on Corinth also covers the battle but I prefer Cozzens's book as he dedicates a bit more text to the Corinth battle but also covers Iuka.
Western Campaign Reading List, Part 1
Offensive in Eastern Kentucky
Mill Springs: Mill Springs: Campaign and battle of Mill Springs, Kentucky, by Kenneth A. Hafendorfer (out of print)
-Long out of print and hard to find, Hafendorfer has written an exhaustive study of not only Mill Springs but the entire western theater from around September 1861 through early 1862. Tons of maps and a highly detailed battle study make this a must-read. Again, inter-library loan is your friend!
Federal Penetration up the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers
Fort Henry and Fort Donelson: Grant Invades Tennessee: The 1862 Battles for Forts Henry and Donelson, by Timothy B. Smith
Shiloh: Shiloh: Conquer or Perish, by Timothy B. Smith
Siege of Corinth: Corinth 1862: Siege, Battle, Occupation, by Timothy B. Smith
-Timothy B. Smith is a machine. Not only has he written the definitive treatment of this campaign, he is also filling in long-vacant gaps in Vicksburg campaign literature. Benjamin Cooling's study on Forts Henry and Donelson was good, but I feel that Smith's work supplants it. Likewise, Smith's work on Shiloh also surpasses all previous treatments, especially concerning the second day. His book on Corinth is the best available on that operation and also covers the October 1862 battle. Taken as a whole, this trilogy of books will be the standard on this campaign for decades to come.
Joint Operations Against New Madrid, Island No. 10, and Memphis
New Madrid/Island No. 10: Island No. 10: Struggle for the Mississippi Valley, by Lynn N. Bock and Larry J. Daniel
-Excellent read on an oft-forgotten (but important) battle
Memphis: To Retain Command of the Mississippi: The Civil War Naval Campaign for Memphis, by Edward B. McCaul, Jr.
-McCaul filled a hole in literature with his work on the Union battle for the control of the Mississippi between Island No. 10 and Memphis.
Confederate Heartland Offensive
Overall: War In Kentucky: Shiloh To Perryville, by James Lee McDonough
-I'm not a huge fan of McDonough's work. It's good, but as someone who strives for as much detail as possible, his works are a little too general for my tastes. Still, his book on the invasion is a fine introduction and the only single volume work on the campaign, although it should be noted that the late Kenneth Hafendorfer released a criminally under-printed two-volume set on the invasion and the Battle of Perryville a couple of years ago. That work is not even available on inter-library loan as less than two-hundred copies were published. Hopefully that work will be reprinted by Savas-Beatie or another large publishing company (although I believe Hafendorfer originally declined Ted Savas's offer to publish the work), but until that happens (if ever), McDonough will have to do.
Richmond: When the Ripe Pears Fell: The Battle of Richmond, Kentucky, by Dean W. Lambert (out of print)
-Hafendorfer also has a work on the Richmond battle, but I decided to include Lambert's because even though it is out print itself, it's still a little more widely available than Hafendorfer's work.
Munfordville: "Munfordville: The Campaign and Battle Along Kentucky's Strategic Axis" by Kent Masterson Brown, from The Civil War in Kentucky, edited by Kent Masterson Brown
-No book-length studies exist on this battle but Brown has penned an excellent chapter for a larger work focusing on Kentucky in the Civil War.
Perryville: Perryville: This Grand Havoc of Battle, by Kenneth W. Noe
-Again, Hafendorfer released a longer work, but Noe's has two distinct advantages: (1) easier to find, (2) published a decade later with access to additional sources. Noe's book is 500 pages in it's own right, so detail isn't an issue here. The campaign as a whole deserves a new book-length study but the campaign's key battle is well-served here.
Iuka and Corinth Operations
The Darkest Days of the War: The Battles of Iuka and Corinth, by Peter Cozzens
-Smith's book on Corinth also covers the battle but I prefer Cozzens's book as he dedicates a bit more text to the Corinth battle but also covers Iuka.
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