The 4th Alabama Volunteer Infantry was among the most famous and hardest fighting regiments in the Civil War - and one of the few military units to see action in both the western and eastern theaters of the conflict. As part of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia; it fought in every major engagement in the East - Manassas; Antietam; Fredericksburg; Gettysburg - before joining General James Longstreet's First Corps in the West for such battles as Chickamauga and Knoxville. Returning to Lee's fold for the bloody campaign of 1864; the regiment saw the war through to its conclusion at Appomattox. This book represents the first publication; in its entirety; of Robert T. Coles's stirring history of the 4th Alabama. As the regiment's adjutant; Coles had intimate access to its day-to-day functions and decision-making processes; including its relationships with other Confederate units. His account not only details battles and strategies but captures the human drama of soldiers engaged in front-line combat. The swiftly paced narrative is marked by engaging turns of phrase - Antietam; Coles says; was "a perfect homespun waterloo" - and by an eye for the poignant detail: Coles describes how; upon learning of Lee's surrender; the men of the 4th Alabama tore apart their bullet-torn battle flag ("our precious old rag") and distributed the pieces among themselves. In editing Coles's history; Jeffrey D. Stocker offers extensive notes that provide background details and alternative perspectives on the events and individuals Coles describes. In addition; Stocker has included unedited accounts of three key battles - First Manassas; Gettysburg; and the Wilderness - by other members of the 4th Alabama. These elements combine with Coles's narrative to create an informative and richly textured volume.
#283588 in Books US Naval Institute Press 1990-03Ingredients: Example IngredientsOriginal language:EnglishPDF # 1 1.23 x 6.00 x 9.62l; #File Name: 0870210505364 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Extremely Explicit and ClearBy Robert L. Turner Jr.The exact book we needed to increase our proficiency in wargame development. We used every concept and approach for our efforts. Thanks Dr. Perla!2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Wargaming History SurveyBy CustomerThis is a decent book. It gives an excellent history of wargaming through the ages; and covers the 70's period extremely well (taking me for a walk down memory lane). I agree with the other esteemed reviewers on the rest of the book; it's worth a read.23 of 23 people found the following review helpful. An excellent reference book on wargamingBy Hung Cheuk Man; LawrenceThe most comprehensive book on the subject Wargaming from an insider -- Dr. Peter Perla. His theoretical approach to the making of this book combines with actual practices make this book an immensely useful and thought-provoking reference as to historical development; principles of designing and analyzing wargames. Mr. Perla is a naval guy and so there is much coverage on the naval game simulation at the start and in the end part of predicting the future use of wargames. If you can pass these rather technical materials drawn from his extensive experience in the Center for naval Analyses since 1977 where he works as a naval operations research analyst; you can find a vibrant; knowledgeable and insightful as to the modern commercial wargames. A lot of these games are covered especially those from SPI; Avalon Hill and Victory Games. You may jump to read Chapter 3 onwards to Chapter 9 if you are a hobbyist yourselves. Perla's book is more scholarlistic and hard to chew on than James Dunnigan's "The Complete Wargame Handbook". But at the same time; this book offers more depth and breadth on the subject. Highly recommended. The book was first published in 1990. Grab a copy of it before it goes out-of-print.
