I received a request to provide an update as I haven’t posted anything since last Spring. It’s my pleasure to do so.
- Presentations: Linda and I have been doing quite a few presentations lately. Most have centered around our Lincoln Comes to Gettysburg book. We’ve now divided the presentation into two parts: “The Creation of the Gettysburg Soldiers’ National Cemetery” and “Lincoln’s Visit To Gettysburg.” We recently spoke to a very well-informed group at the York Civil War Round Table and a question was asked about why the book did not get into more detail. The beauty of the Emerging Civil War series is their brevity– under 200 fully-illustrated pages. They are not meant to be the be-all, end-all, as much as a primer to get folks interested so they can continue their journey of learning more about a topic.
- Two recent book projects: As I may have mentioned, my major activity during the pandemic-induced hibernation was Lee Invades the North: A Comparison of the Antietam and Pennsylvania Campaigns.” The book continues to sell well– mainly on Amazon and at bookstores (e.g., Civil War and More; For the Historian; Gettysburg Heritage Center). The beauty of print on demand, self-publishing is that it can be edited/changed on the fly.
The other recent book is The Antietam Paintings of James Hope. This is a slim booklet– just less than 50 pages, but is in full color and can be characterized as a “labor of love.” Linda and I worked on this together and I hope to post an update on the book in the near future.

- Maps of Spotsylvania Through Cold Harbor: Is slated to be out sometime in April, 2023. This will be a larger book than most of the other map books with the exception of Gettysburg. The Overland Campaign was supposed to span three map books, but my publisher wanted it cut back to two and most of the cutting was in this book. It is missing about 20 map sets, but will still be a good contribution to the literature.
- Upcoming book: Emerging Civil War Series book still needing a title– Could be “After Gettysburg.” Linda and I had such a positive experience in working with Chris Mackowski on the Lincoln book that we decided to pen another. This one deals with Lee’s retreat/Meade’s pursuit after Gettysburg. The drama of this period is palpable and it is unfortunate that many folks don’t know much about it. We hope to change that with this book. It is being prepared for publication now and will probably be published at the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024. Dean Shultz was so helpful in reading the manuscript and hauling me around the areas that we wrote about. Stay tuned.
- Upcoming book: Maps of Second Bull Run. I just finished the first draft and am now going back and reviewing/modifying the text/maps. It weighs in at about 120 map sets and begins with John Pope assuming command of the Army of Virginia and ends with the Battle of Chantilly and the beginning of the Maryland Campaign. Not sure when this will be published, but I hope sometime in 2024.
- Upcoming book: Maps of Shiloh. I am an Eastern Theater guy, but am co-authoring the Shiloh book with Sean Chick. He is a wonderful historian who is going the extra mile to make sure everything is just right. We have finished the first draft and will be editing it in the near future. Not sure when this book will be published.
- Thanks for all of your interest!
I absolutely love your ‘Maps of’ series. These books are essential to have when accompanied with a good battle history as many of the maps provided do not really go into the intricate detail that your maps possess. You had mentioned in your spring 22’ post that you are perhaps tackling the Seven Days Battles as a possible Maps title. A previous poster had mentioned Chancellorsville and you stated that there are no really detailed studies of Chancellorsville out there. What are your thoughts regarding the Seven Days as there are also no really in depth studies of the individual battles of the Seven Days. The only two studies I can think of are Burton’s Extraordinary Days and Sears To The Gates of Richmond. I have heard rumblings for years now that Robert Krick Jr and Frank O’Reilly were working on Gaines Mill and Malvern Hill studies, but there has been no definitive news on when these will/might be completed.
Also, might their be a Stones River/Murfreesboro title down the road. That would be superb. Thanks for your wonderful talents regarding this series.
Thanks, John. I really appreciate your feedback.
There are a couple of other books on Peninsula/Seven Days Battles as well as the ones you mentioned. I have begun work on this campaign! Just completed my third map/text– only 120 more to go!
I will tackle the Maps of Chancellorsville after Chris Bryan publishes the Chancellorsville Papers, which should be out in the next few years.
That it wonderful news regarding Seven Days and Chancellorsville. At least we will have some great maps regarding the Peninsula Campaign/Seven Days to go along with any future battle studies of the campaign. Will your nap study also include Seven Pines/Fair Oaks or is it specific to the Seven Days only?
Also, just a question regarding your upcoming 2nd Manassass title, will that include Cedar Mountain and the action at Brawner Farm as well?
As always, keep up the amazing work!
Cheers, John
Hi, John. Thanks for asking about my projects, and “yes” to both questions. The 2nd Manassas title begins with the creation of the Army of Virginia and ends with Chantilly, so it includes Cedar Mountain, Bristoe Station, Second Manassas, and Chantilly. It ends where my “Maps of Antietam” begins.
The new Peninsula/Seven Days volume begins with McClellan being summoned to Washington on July 22, 1863 and will conclude with McClellan’s army making its way north to join Pope. It will therefore cover the Peninsula and Seven Pines, Williamsburg, and then all of the Seven Days actions. I just finished map set 1.4– still a long way to go.
Thanks Mr. Gottfried, I love your books and I believe the map books are the most important contribution to Civil War literature in my lifetime.
Disappointed to hear about the missing maps in the Spotsylvania book, what were they and is there any chance you could publish them on your website?