Author Listing | Armchair General Magazine

Posted on Dec 13, 2013 in Books and Movies

Confederate General William Dorsey Pender – Book Review

Confederate General William Dorsey Pender: The Hope of Glory. Brian Steel Wills. Louisiana State University Press, 2013. 304 pages, 8 maps, 9 photographs, hardcover $39.95, ebook $29.95. In September 1863 Robert E. Lee wrote to Confederate President Jefferson Davis that the war was costing him his best men: Â â€œJackson, Pender, Hood.â€ Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, John Bell Hoodâ€”but who was this man, Pender, who figured so prominently in Leeâ€™s estimation that he listed him between two of his famous subordinates? William Dorsey Pender, a North Carolinian, was the youngest major general in the Confederate Army. Brian Steel Wills, in a new biography based on contemporary accounts, historical records, and Penderâ€™s own correspondences, tells an in-depth and fascinating narrative of the life of Leeâ€™s Fighting Carolinian, delving deeply into the thoughts, beliefs, and motivations of this man. The book is aptly subtitled “The Hope of Glory”; this phrase captures the essence of Pender, who felt his duty on earth was to do his best and receive what Providence would provide himâ€”and...

Posted on Aug 27, 2013 in Boardgames

A Reign of Missiles – Boardgame Review

Victory in the boardgame “Reign of Missiles,” a low-complexity, solitaire simulation of the Gaza Missile Crisis of November 2012, requires winning both militarily and politically.

Posted on Aug 23, 2013 in Books and Movies

The Guns at Last Light – Book Review

“The Guns at Last Light” concludes Rick Atkinson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning World War II trilogy. It will appeal to anyone looking to understand not just the grand advances of the Allied forces, but the human side of war.

Posted on Mar 18, 2013 in Books and Movies

Soldier Dogs, the Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes – Book Review

Soldier Dogs, the Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes. Maria Goodavage. New American Library (division of Penguin Books), 2012. 293 pages, 28 photographs, Softcover. $16.00 Soldier Dogs, the Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes, provides an insightful look at the dogs serving in today’s US military. The author, Maria Goodavage, provides background on the history of military working dogs (MWDs), their selection, training, war service, and postwar fates. Although dogs are the main characters in the book, the human handlers are equally important. Individual vignettes of dogs and handlers highlight the strong bonds between men and women and their furred charges. Soldier Dogs, the Untold Story of America’s Canine Heroes, shows how these dogs are recruited and trained, and what they face today on the modern battlefield. Cairo, the Navy Seal dog that was on the mission NEPTUNE SPEAR (the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011) merits a brief paragraph that clears up some misconceptions about his exact roleâ€”but also leaves much shrouded, as special-operation dog roles...

Posted on Feb 25, 2013 in War College

The Rise and Fall of the American Heavy Tank

The heavy tank never found a satisfactory role in America’s military service, but it wasn’t for lack of trying on the part of tank designers.

Posted on Feb 4, 2013 in Books and Movies

Five Lieutenants – Book Review

“Five Lieutenants” tells the stories of five junior officers who left Harvard University and volunteered to participate in a cause larger than themselves by fighting in World War I.

Posted on Nov 3, 2012 in Books and Movies

Military History: The Definitive Visual Guide to the Objects of Warfare – Book Review

‘Military History: The Definitive Visual Guide to the Objects of Warfare’ is a lavishly illustrated history of military technology from the Stone Age to the modern day.

Posted on Oct 24, 2012 in Boardgames

Reds! – Boardgame Review

The ‘Reds!’ boardgame about Russia’s civil war, 1918 – 1921, uses variable turn sequences and special events effectively to create tension, and there are a plethora of unit types including armored trains and early tanks.

Posted on Oct 4, 2012 in War College

Interview with Navajo Code Talker Chester Nez

Exclusive interview with Navajo code talker Chester Nez and Judith Schiess Avila, the co-author of his memoir ‘Code Talker,’ the only book about this special group to be written by one of its members.

Posted on Oct 4, 2012 in Books and Movies

Code Talker – Book Review

A review of ‘Code Talker,’ the only book about the Navajo code talkers to be written by one of the actual code talkers.

Posted on Jul 30, 2012 in Books and Movies

Shiloh 1862 – Book Review

In ‘Shiloh 1862’ Winston Groom brings the battle to life with telling anecdotes from a variety of participants and viewpoints, taken from primary accounts.