Ironclad Publishing’s New Title

Today, I have some good news.

I’m pleased to announce the publication of the third and latest installment in Ironclad Publishing’s “The Discovering Civil War America Series”. For those unfamiliar with the series, the books in it are detailed tactical studies accompanied by a detailed walking or driving tour. The books focus on either smaller battles, or small portions of big battles. They are filled with lots of maps and illustrations. We’re very proud of this series, which has been universally well received. The first two books in the series were my Protecting the Flank and Jim Morgan’s excellent study of the Battle of Ball’s Bluff, A Little Short of Boats. The books are done in softcover and are priced so as to be affordable.

The latest book in the series has just been released. It’s titled No Such Army Since the Days of Julius Caesar: Sherman’s Carolinas Campaign from Fayetteville to Averasboro, by Mark A. Smith and Wade Sokolosky. Mark recently retired as a major after 20+ years in the Army, and Wade is a lieutenant colonel on active duty stationed at Fort Gordon, GA. Mark and Wade both became interested in the Battle of Averasboro while they were stationed at Fort Bragg, and their common interest brought them together to write this study. Mark is a member of the board of trustees of the Averasboro Battlefield Commission. There is also an excellent foreword by Mark L. Bradley, the foremost authority on the Carolinas Campaign.

The book features a detailed examination of the period spanning March 11-17, 1865, a critical period of Sherman’s Carolinas Campaign when Fayetteville fell, and then Lt. Gen. William Hardee’s men fought a magnificent defense in depth action at Averasboro that brought Sherman’s army to a screeching halt for an entire day. That delay, in turn, gave Joseph E. Johnston time to concentrate an army at Smithfield and then to formulate and execute a plan to try to defeat Sherman in detail that nearly worked at Bentonville. But for Hardee’s brilliant delaying action at Averasboro, Johnston never would have gotten the chance to fight Sherman on nearly equal terms at Bentonville.

The book includes lots of maps, drawn by Mark and Wade themselves, a detailed tactical analysis, and an excellent appendix on the importance of logistics in the Carolinas Campaign. There’s also a detailed walking/driving tour that draws upon the extensive knowledge of these two career Army officers. Of particular significance is their analysis of Hardee’s use of terrain in the conclusion.

I am particularly excited about this book, which is an excellent addition to our catalogue at Ironclad. I’ve walked the battlefield with both Mark and Wade, and I can tell you that they’ve done an excellent job with this volume. I hope that some of you will take the time to read and enjoy their work, as I don’t think you will be disappointed.

There are several more volumes in the Discovering Civil War America Series that we hope to get out this year. More on those as we get closer…..