How to Obtain a Review Copy
Please submit review copy requests along with a preferred mailing address to Dallas Looney at dallas.looney@armyhistory.org
All reviewers are limited to one book per request. Book reviews for On Point must be submitted within the three-month review period. All reviews must be submitted in Microsoft Word and must not exceed 800 words. Please download the submission template and sample files provided and follow the format accordingly. If you are quoting from the text, please provide the page number as well.
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Books Currently Available
Immortal Valor: The Black Medal of Honor Winners of World War II. By Robert Child. Osprey, 2022. Recent historical investigations have brought forth these acts of valor by black soldiers during the second World War.
Man of Fire: William Tecumseh Sherman in the Civil War. By Derek D. Maxfield. Savas Beatie, 2023. This text offers a critical analysis of William Tecumseh Sherman, focusing upon both his heroics and his condemnation.
Patton’s War: An American General’s Combat Leadership. By Kevin M. Hymel. University of Missouri Press, 2023. The second volume of Kevin’ Hymel’s Patton’s War trilogy, taking the reader on a journey from General George S. Patton assuming command of the U.S. Third Army, ending in the climactic Battle of the Bulge.
The Battle of Upper Sandusky, 1782. By Eric Sterner. Westholme, 2023. This text examines and provides credit to Native American leaders during the battle, aiming to bring a balanced examination of the battlefield.
Horse Soldiers at Gettysburg: The Cavalryman’s View of the Civil War’s pivotal campaign. By Daniel Murphy. Stackpole Books, 2023. This text covers the grand sweep of cavalry in the campaign and details the roles of commanders on both sides of the conflict.
Good Medicine, Hard Times: Memoir of a Combat Physician in Iraq. By Edward P. Horvath, MD. The Ohio State University Press, 2022. A moving memoir of a senior-ranking combat physician serving in the Iraq War.
Immigrant Warrior: A Challenging Life in War and Peace. By Henrik O. Lunde. Casemate, 2023. A detailed memoir providing a unique look into a highly decorated soldier who served three tours in Vietnam and beyond.
Searching for Irvin McDowell: The Civil War’s Forgotten General. By Frank P. Simione Jr. & Gene Schmiel. Savas Beatie, 2023. Learn about the prominent figure known as Irvin McDowell, who faced the Confederacy upon the plains of Manassas, filling in a large gap in the historiography of this commander.
John Brown’s Raid: Harpers Ferry and the Coming of the Civil War, October 16-18, 1859. By Jon-Erik M. Gilot and Kevin R. Pawlak. Savas Beatie, 2023. The story of the famous raid which was a precursor to disunion and the shattering of military unity leading up to the Civil War.
The Mormon Military Experience: 1838 to the Cold War. By Sherman L. Fleek and Robert C. Freeman. University of Kansas, 2023. Utilizing extensive archival research and an engaging narrative, this text seeks to document the journey of Mormons throughout our Armed Forces.
From the Ground Up: American Cryptology during World War I. By Betsy Rohaly Smoot. National Security Agency, Center for Cryptologic History, 2023. A powerful journey through the beginnings of America’s signal intelligence capabilities.
Rangers, Scouts and Raiders: Origin, organization and operations of selected special operations forces. By Michael F. Dilley. Casemate, 2023. A thorough examination of special operations from Rogers’ Rangers to the Alamo Scouts, to the Son Tay raid.
The Battle of Harlem Heights, 1776. By David Price. Westholme, 2022. A detailed analysis of the Continental Army’s first victory of the American Revolution, including the challenges faced by the fledgling military.
Great American Civil War Stories. Edited by Lamar Underwood. Lyons Press, 2023. A collection of writings from the beginning of the Civil War to its conclusion, from Ulysses S. Grant and Abraham Lincoln, to Mark Twain and Walt Whitman, to name a few. Look into this chaotic conflict with a variety of reflections upon one of our most personal military engagements.
Small but Important Riots, The Cavalry Battles of Aldie, Middleburg and Upperville. Potomac Books, 2023. A thorough examination of cavalry engagements throughout the Civil War.
Black Hearts and Painted Guns, A battalion’s journey into Iraq’s Triangle of Death. By Kelly Eads and Daniel S. Morgan. Casemate, 2023. A gripping combat memoir of a soldier twice deployed to Iraq with the 101st Airborne Division, offering a first hand account of the soldiers of “Strike Force.”
The Greatest Military Mission Stories Ever Told. Edited by Tom McCarthy. Lyons Press, 2023. A collection of stories that capture the essence of military bravery, courage and discipline in the face of overwhelming danger.
Mother of the Company, Sgt. Percy M. Smith’s World War II Reflections. Edited by Philip M. Smith. Texas A&M University Press, 2022. The letters of Sgt. Percy Smith, a World War II soldier, capturing the soldier’s experience in both warfare and personal life.
The Confederate Military Forces, In the Trans-Mississippi West, 1861-1865: A Study in Command. By William Royston Geise and edited by Michael J. Forsyth. Savas Beatie, 2022. Studying this remote department and analyzing the failure to function efficiently, this text attempts to explain why the war unfolded the way it did in this region.
Six Miles from Charleston, Five Minutes to Hell: The Battle of Secessionville, June 16, 1862. By James A. Morgan. Savas Beatie, 2022. An examination of the James Island Campaign and its aftermath.
The Secret POW Diary of Walter J. Hinkle: Life in Japanese Captivity during World War II. By J. Forrest Pollard. Schiffer Military, 2022. The personal diary of Lieutenant Walter J. Hinkle, a soldier who was wounded and taken to a hospital in the Philippines in early December 1941. This 136,000 word diary offers a horrifying experience of a POW during that cataclysmic war.
Thirteen Months in Dixie, or, the Adventures of a Federal Prisoner in Texas. By W.F. Oscar Federhen. Savas Beatie, 2022. Oscar Federhen’s tale of bravery, heroism, captivity and hardship while serving in the 13th Independent Battery of the Massachusetts Light Artillery during the Civil War. His experience in the largest POW camp west of the Mississippi River is a must read.
Victory Through Influence: Origins of Psychological Operations in the U.S. Army. By Jared M. Tracy. Texas A&M University Press, 2022. Examining the development of psychological operations from World War I through the Korean War. This text argues that psychological operations occurred throughout those wars despite opposition.
The Battle of Jackson, Mississippi, May 14, 1863. By Chris Mackowski. Savas Beatie, 2022. A rich accounting of campaign literature and the second book in the Battles and Leaders Series, this text examines the important battle of Jackson, Mississippi.
The Battle of Gloucester, 1777. By Garry Wheeler Stone and Paul W. Schopp. Westholme, 2022. This narrative tells the story of the skirmish that promoted Marquis de Lafayette to a senior commander of George Washington’s Continental Army.
Yours Affectionately, Osgood: Colonel Osgood Vose Tracy’s Letters Home from the Civil War, 1862-1865. Edited by Sarah Tracy Burrows and Ryan W. Keating. Kent State University Press, 2022. Utilizing a collection of letters from Osgood Vose Tracy of the 122nd New York Infantry, this narrative follows the historical context of this soldier amidst the Civil War.
North Carolina: A Military History. By John R. Maass and Mark L. Bradley. Westholme, 2021. This narrative provides readers with a comprehensive overview of North Carolina’s long and storied martial past.
At First Light: A True World War II Story of a Hero, His Bravery and an Amazing Horse. By Walt Larimore and Mike Yorkey. Knox Press, 2022. An emotional tale of a soldier in charge of an Ammunition Pioneer Platoon in the 3rd Infantry Division.
Dreams of Victory: General P.G.T. Beauregard in the Civil War. By Sean Michael Chick. Savas Beatie, 2022. This text explores the life of P.G.T. Beauregard and the interpersonal conflict he often faced throughout his life.
Drawn Swords in a Distant Land: South Vietnam’s Shattered Dreams. By George J. Veith. Enounter Books, 2021. A thorough in-depth review of the South Vietnamese successes and failures in building and defending their state during the Vietnam War.
Meade and Lee at Rappahannock Station: The Army of the Potomac’s First Post-Gettysburg Offensive, From Kelly’s Ford to the Rapidan, October 21 to November 20, 1863. By Jeffrey Wm Hunt. Savas Beatie 2021. A follow-up and the third of four volume’s covering Meade’s sole control of the Army of the Potomac, Hunt examines the warfare of maneuver that defined the Meade-Lee standoff in late 1863.
Unsung Hero of Gettysburg: The Story of Union General David McMurtrie Gregg. By Edward G. Longacre. Potomac Books, 2021. An examination of a Union Cavalry officer’s contributions to the defense of the Union right flank at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863.
Surviving the Winters: Housing Washington’s Army During the American Revolution. By Steven Elliot. University of Oklahoma Press, 2021. An examination of the logistics, politics, and weather elements involved in keeping the young American Army alive and fit when during periods of malaise and bad weather.
The Siege of Vicksburg: The Climax of the Campaign to Open the Mississippi River, May 23-July 4, 1863. By Timothy B. Smith. University Press of Kansas, 2021. A look at the decisive campaign of the Western Theater.
Lincoln Comes to Gettysburg: The Creation of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery and Lincoln’s Gettysburg. By Bradley M. Gottfried and Linda I. Gottfried. Savas Beatie, 2021. A look at the early attempts to honor the 8,000 dead after the largest battle in the nation’s history.
The Summer of ’63: Vicksburg & Tullahoma: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War. Edited by Chris Mackowski and Dan Welch. Emerging Civil War, 2021. A collection of essays examining two pivotal battles in the Western Theater.
The Carnage was Fearful: The Battle for Cedar Mountain, August 9, 1862. By Michael E. Block. Savas Beatie, 2022. Part of the “Emerging Civil War Series,” this volume chronicles the battle of Cedar Mountain.
A Private in the Texas Army: At War in Italy, France, and Germany with the 111th Engineers, 36th Division, in World War II. By John A. Pierce. State House Press, 2021. This book follows the life and Army service of Frank Webster Pearce in the 26th Infantry Division’s deployments in Western Europe during World War II.
First Fallen: The Life of Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, the North’s First Civil War Hero. By Meg Groeling. Savas Beatie, 2021. The life story behind the first mythologized Civil War hero.
Civil War Witnesses and Their Books: New Perspectives on Iconic Works. Edited by Gary W. Gallagher and Stephen Cushman. Louisiana State University Press, 2021. A collection of memoirs and texts from military and civil figures in the Civil War.
Cedar Mountain to Antietam: A Civil War Campaign History of the Union XII Corps, July-September 1862. By M. Chris Bryan. Savas Beatie, 2022. A blending of unit history, leadership and character assessments of the XII Corps’.
Robert E. Lee: A Life. By Allen C. Guelzo. Knopf, 2021. A thrilling biography of Robert E. Lee.
Rites of Retaliation: Civilization, soldiers, and campaigns in the American Civil War. By Lorien Foote. University of North Carolina Press, 2021. An examination into the Civil War regarding how Americans fought over what it meant to be civilized and who should be extended the protections of a civilized world.
Hugh Lenox Scott: 1853-1934. By Armand S. La Potin. University of Oklahoma Press, 2021. An interesting biography on Hugh Lenox Scott regarding his role as a negotiator and advocate for the Great Plains Indian nations.
The Great “What Ifs” of the American Civil War. Edited by Chris Mackowski and Brian Matthew Jordan with a Foreword by Peter G. Tsouras. Savas Beatie, 2022. A collection of fourteen essays by the historians at Emerging Civil War.
Grant vs. Lee: Favorite Stories and Fresh Perspectives from the Historians at Emerging Civil War. Edited by Chris Mackowski and Dan Welch, Foreword by Christopher Kolakowski. Savas Beatie, 2022. These essays recount some of the most famous episodes and compelling human dramas of the Civil War.
Hearts Torn Asunder: Trauma in the Civil War’s Final Campaign in North Carolina. By Ernest A. Dollar Jr. Savas Beatie, 2022. A recounting of the closing days of the Final Campaign in North Carolina
