audiobook The Artillery Service in the War of the Rebellion; 1861-65 by John C. Tidball in History

Review

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Artillery from someone who was thereBy Brian TidballFirst I'll be honest about purchasing The Artillery Service in the War of the Rebellion was to learn more about a family member who served his Country during a very difficult time. John C Tidball was one of the Top Artillery Officers on either side. His insight into the use and mis-use of the Big Guns bring to light how the Union was losing ground early in the war. Also he held in great regard many of the Confedrates and their use of their Artillery and Calvary. A 1848 Grad of West Point he had been in West Point with several of them as well as serving with them prior to the war. I'm currently about a third of the way through the book and recomend it to any Civil War buff/student who wants to learn more about that time in our History learning things that aren't in the History Books. With John C's writings you're learn some of the early trials that faced the Artillery in use that didn't allow them to be as effective as it shoudl've been. ALso if you read this and want to learn more about John C Tidball I'll strongly recomend reading "No Disgrace to my Country"; a book about John C Tidball written by Eugene Tidball.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good Book on Artillery in the CWBy BraddReally good insight into Artillery use in the Army of the Potomac as well as the Western Theater. I also like the appendix which included some essay's by Genl Hung4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. This command structure meant that rarely could artillery be massed for its best effect. The Army of the Potomac chief of ...By Robert A. LynnTHE ARTILLERY SERVICE IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION; 1861-1865JOHN C. TIDBALLEDITED BY LAWRENCE M. KAPLANWESTHOLME PUBLISHING; 2011HARDCOVER; $30.00; 416 PAGES; MAPS; APPENDICES; PHOTOGRAPHSThe duties of field artillery; wrote America's leading military philospher D.H. Mahan during the years prior to The War of the Rebellion "...are to support and cover the other arms; to keep the enemy from approaching too near; hold him in check when he advances; and prevent him from debouching at particular points."The artillery on both sides was initially organizaed into battaeries of six guns each; although Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was forced to reduce its batteries to four guns in 1864 due to supply problems. As a combat support arm; each battery was generally assigned to a division and the captain commanding reported directly to the divisional commander or chief of artillery. This command structure meant that rarely could artillery be massed for its best effect. The Army of the Potomac chief of artillery didn't actually command all the artillery of the Army in the Potomac.The U.S. Army possessed just 163 field guns and howitzers when the war began. The expansion of the artillery park was rapid indeed and represented a considerable bonanza for those factories able to manufacture heavy ordnance. With its greater manufacturing base; the North enjoyed a major advantage in artillery throughout the conflict and therefore had more guns available then their Confederate counterparts. Thus; they could afford to abandon obsolete cannon while the Confederacy couldn't. Between New Year's Day; 1861 and 30 June 1866; the Federal Ordnance Department purchased a total of 4;048 field guns. Two types dominated: the 3-Inch Ordnance Rifle and the 12-Pounder Napoleon Gun/Howitzer.THE ARTILLERY SERVICE IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION; 1861-1865 is a comprehensive overview and analysis of the U.S. Army's field artillery service in it's principal battles which was written by a distinguished artilleryman of the era. This book is edited by historian Lawrence M. Kaplan which includes additional material from an unpublished paper Tidball with his insights into the artillery service and his observations in regard to the Petersburg campaign. While some individuals will find a book like this dry reading; there is still a wealth of information that one can get from reading this book.Colonel Robert A. Lynn; Florida GuardOrlando; Florida