"Cozzen's Shenandoah 1862 released??" Topic

Can someone please confirm that this title has been released as of yet. It's showing on Amazon.com as 'In stock'. I was under the assumption that it was to be released in October of this year. I'm from Canada BTW and I have pre-ordered this title from Amazon.ca at it's still showing an October 2008 release date as does UNC Press website. I'm hoping it has been released as of now, but am willing to wait until October nonetheless. Would appreciate any information on this title if possible.

Regards, John

I wasn't even aware that Cozzens was writing a new book. Thanks for the tip – I will keep my eyes open for it. I've enjoyed all of his other books so far (mostly Western Theatre ACW) so I'm interested in seeing how he handles the Eastern Theatre.

Myself also DAF. I received a tidbit a few of years back that he was in the process of researching a new title on Jackson's Valley Campaign and didn't hear anything else until approximately three months ago that he was releasing this one. I'm pretty excited myself to see how he handles the East. His Western Theatre titles are held in high regard on my shelf that's for sure. I noticed a review for 'No Better Place To Die' on Amazon a couple of years ago where someone had said the his writing style was dull, dry to non-existent!! I think it's everything but those. He really has a knack for keeping you engaged in his books and his 'Darkest Days' is probably one of the best ACW titles I've read in a long time. Only Peter could take a fairly obsure North Mississippi campaign and turn it into an exciting book length treatment.
Keep them coming Peter!
Now if only he would handle Tupelo/Brice's Cross Roads my prayers would be answered. There's an obscure campaign that's screaming to be written about. I heard that Bearss had written about that campaign but I haven't been able to locate a decent copy.

Regards, John

I dont know, but I just ordered it. I used the 5 to 9 day shipping though because it was free, so wont know for a week. I looked it up on one of my book clubs, they say it doesnt ship until September 22. The Amazon site says it is in stock, and will ship today…

Hopefully it is a good book. I have nto read any of his other books, but I am a big fan of Jackson, and the Valley. I am currently working on putting a scenario book together to cover the campaign, and hope this may shed a little more light on my current research…

Andy

Cozzens writes well and his books are sure to please gamers. His western books usually analyze what happened down to brigade level, with maps showing where each regiment was. You can't ask for better.

<<<Now if only he would handle Tupelo/Brice's Cross Roads my prayers would be answered. There's an obscure campaign that's screaming to be written about. I heard that Bearss had written about that campaign but I haven't been able to locate a decent copy>>>.

John, I have the Bearss copies and they are fairly good. Also, Blue and Gray Magazine had a very good article on Brices Cross Roads a number of years ago.

Thanks BTC. Do you have extra copies of Bearss' Forrest at BCR that you would be willing to part with/sell?? I tried ABE and they have a few on there, but the prices are rather much for a title which has underlining etc. in it. I usually only stock my shelf with VG+ to Fine (mostly Fine) books. I'm a little 'nitpicky' that way as my wife calls it.
How is the detail in his book regarding the specific actions at Tupelo and BCR??

Regards, John

Why not try the inter-library loan system at your local public library?

Tried that already DAF. The selection of ACW titles up here in Canada is pretty limited and are just your basic generic titles that you would pretty much find anywhere at any library, in Canada at least. When it comes to the good stuff, your stuck having to buy them instead unless you know of someone in your area who may have it in their collection and who would be willing to part with it for a awhile. Guess the ACW doesn't garner much serious attention amongst Canadians up here. Guess they forgot that 50,000 of us served the North/South in the ACW.

Regards, John

Cozzens book just came out, I got my copy Friday from a local store. So far the from what I've read I really like the book.

I just picked up my copy today at Borders. $35.00 USD per copy. It looks pretty good so far with the usual format of detailed battle maps showing where each regiment is located.

Thanks for the updates all. Hopefully Aamazon.ca wakes up in Canada and releases my pre-order soon.

Cheers, John

Still awaiting word from Amazon.ca as to why they haven't released this one yet while Amazon.com has.
In the meantime, any thoughts from anyone who has purchased it recently and had a chance to flip through it??

Cheers, John

Mine arrived today from Amazon, so the info on their website is correct… As for flipping through it, I probablly wont have a chance until next week, sorry…

So far I have read up through the Battle of Kernstown, which takes one through half the book. A part of me wants to really get into the narrative on Jackson's victories, but I understand the value of the back story.

Jackson doesn't come across as a brilliant general up through Kernstown. The regular theme seems to be that Jackson would not tell his subordinates what he wanted to do, so they could only guess at the plan at best. This has detrimental effects on the Valley Army's performance durig the first 12 months of the war.

I am guessing that Cozzens' story will allow us to see how Jackson grew as a general and tactician and into the world beater that he is generally known to be. So there is much to look forward to as I work my way through the book.

Cozzens helps us understand the difficulties that both sides faced in terms of logistics and supply and their detrimental effect on campaigning. We also get an appreciation for how badly trained the soldiers in both armies were at the beginning. Obviously it takes a year of campaigning and experience to develop a soldier into a good fighting piece. Again, Cozzens allows us to follow the progress of the soldiers on both sides as they develop into professional soldiers.

All in all, an enjoyable read so far. I have not previously done much reading on the Valley Campaign so I am reading this with an open mind.

Sounds good so far Der Alte Fritz. I'm still awaiting my copy up here in Canada unfortunately, so by the time I receive my copy, most of you down south (in Canadian terms) will have already finished up. The response from Aamazon.ca in regards to my query as to why theirs is still showing as not yet released….still has not been released!! Unreal. Anyway, back to Cozzen's book. I'm really looking forward to reading about the action at McDowell in May during the Valley Campaign. Not too much written in the history books about that battle except in regards to the stand of the 12th Georgia on Sitlington's Hill.
All in all, this should be a complete revision I would imagine of Robert Tanner's piece on Jackson's Campaign. Looking forward to it.. in October according to Amazon.ca.

Regards, John

John: why not just order the book from Amazon.com in the US? You are not limited to just the Canadian version of it. I buy books from Amazon.UK all the time (things like the Flashman and Sharpe books which are always published in the UK first).

I just did a search for this book at ABE Books abebook.com This is a site for independant book sellers world wide. Here are the results

link

Looks like you could get it from the US quicker.

I've dealt with ABE for years and have had great results from around the world.

Der Alte Fritz

How balanced is this book? Is it reasonably dispationate or is it another hagiography pretenting to be history. Personally, I'd not be interest in the story of St. Thomas of Virginia (or St. Robert of Virginia for that matter) I've wasted time in the past on Scott Bowen's works and did not find it rewarding.

TIA