"Books similar to Paddy Griffith's Battle in the Civil War" Topic

I recently found my way to this book:

Does anyone know of similar books for other periods? SYW, AWI, Napoleonics, etc.?

There is a soft-back sister volume, 'Battle in Africa 1879-1914'. Paddy Griffith also wrote two conventional hardback books: 'Battle Tactics on the Western Front' and 'Battle Tactics of the American Civil War'. They can usually be foud on eBay but I have copies if you want to know more.

Check out books by Earl Hess. Civil War Infantry Tactics is one, I recall. He is sort of the expert on this.

I think I remember that Paddy caused some disagreement about the use of cavalry, which had limited combat function by this time due to the improvement of infantry weapons.

I have not been able to find anything with the sketched illustrations for different periods that Paddy has in the Civil War book. I was hoping for Napoleonic and it would really be cool if they had one for every period imaginable (or at least every period I care about) but I have not found one. Earl Hess's books are good reads with some maps, illustrations, etc. but not the various sketched illustrations which make Paddy's book so good, IMO.
What I remember Paddy discussing and Hess and Noseworthy also discussing was that the rifle musket did not change warfare as much as previous historians have felt it did. Casualties were not significantly higher due to the rifle musket.

There are many gifted and talented writers on the ACW. For my money Earl Hess is the go to guy for a really solid understanding of the war. His volumes on entrenchments, logistics, tactics are eye opening. He co authored a wonderful study of the Battle of Pea Ridge. I have Paddy's books but if I have to choose its Earl Hess. H

The Battle in Africa is very good. Here is a link:
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I'd take Griffith on Civil War tactics with a whole shaker of salt. If he were right, Ambrose Burnside and John Bell Hood should have been the most successful generals of the war. He's the flip side of McWhiney and Jameison, Attack and Die! If they were right, the most successful generals would have been Joe Johnston and George McClellan.

Griffith says that early ACW battles were fought primarily with smoothbores, and Napoleonic tactics work. He also admits that late in the war 90% or more of troops were rifle armed and that the troops would no longer close. But he holds that these two facts are unrelated. I'd hate to be stuck with defending that position.

Battles in the civil war has some of the best illustration of units deploying and command structure ever done.

also try Arms & Equipment of the Civil War by Jake Coggins

auction

A great illustrated book on weapons and unit deployment.

I agree with Wackmole9 on the Coggins book. Illustrations explain his ideas well.

FYI: Battle in Africa author is Howard Whitehouse; similar in format and illustrations to Battle in the Civil War as Paddy Griffith is credited as series editor. I never heard of any more in the series but the publisher is given as Fieldbooks, Fieldhead, The Park, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England.
My favorite info/illustration in Battle in Africa, is looking down the sights of a Martini-Henry at the advance of Mahdist warriors from long range to medium range, to close range to point blank!

I think that address is connected to the illustrator of the books Peter Dennis. He of Peter's Paperboys fame.
See peterspaperboys.com

Absolutely agree on Coggins book too. Still a go to book in my library. Also agree on books from Earl Hess, definitely a must for understanding tactics in the civil war.

I would also recommend The Gettysburg Companion by Mark Adkin

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And yes it is fairly expensive, but is chock full of information not only on the battle, but tactics, weapons, artillery, cavalry, command and control and formations and deployments. Lots of maps and illustrations.

You can find on Ebay or Amazon for around $120 USD which was the going rate new 10 years or so ago. I was very lucky as I got mine at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond years ago while discussing the book in their store with a curator, and not wanting to shell out that much money, he asked as I was getting ready to leave if I would give him $50 USD! Sold!

Kim

Battle in Africe (BK550) is available here:
link