Finished Book, Bought Book

1. I finally finished Decision in the West: The Atlanta Campaign of 1864 by Albert Castel. Great book. Probably one of the best campaign studies I've ever read and certainly one of the best ACW books I've ever read. That perfect balance between a high level study of command and a more detailed study of the many battles in the campaign. As I've noted before almost all of my Civil War reading has been about the Western campaigns and this book fills in one of the notable gaps. The Atlanta campaign was, arguably, the campaign that won the war. Not because the armies of Johnson and Hood were decimated (that was Thomas's (sp?) job in late 1864) but because Sherman had the responsibility to politically castrate the defeatists in the Union (and thus end the sole remaining hope of Confederate victory) by first pinning Johnson's armies in the South and then maneuvering himself into a position that would cause Atlanta to fall. That done the fighting spirit of the North would be reinvigorated. This he did, imperfectly, but did nonetheless and with Lincoln's reelection in November the fate of the secessionist was sealed. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a great read.
2. Old news to most of you, but I picked up the H&C French Army of 1918 book. Worth every penny and exactly what I need. Colors are clear and unambiguous, all kit and insignia shown. For the miniatures painter this is what you need as a guide. Not much organizational info but enough and way superior to some uniform guides in terms of usable images. I will begin to paint my French figs this summer, maybe...