Product Description

For the connoisseur or the newcomer to the study of military uniforms there are few more evocative subjects than the American Civil War. In those terrible years, in which the North fought the South, more American lives were lost than in any other conflict in which the US has been involved. World War II, Korea, Vietnam - none compared with the carnage of the American Civil War. For the military historian, the enormous variety of uniforms and equipment to be seen on the battlefield and behind the lines provide endless opportunities for modelling, re-enactment and wargaming. Wrongly christened the "ragged rebels", the soldiers of the Confederate States' of America were as finely equipped as their enemies as this book details. It provides a state-by-state analysis of uniform issuance from initial local supply through to state quarter-master manufacture for South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Missouri, Kentucky and Maryland.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1443744 in Books
• Published on: 1999-07-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 144 pages

Customer Reviews

Brassey's History of Uniforms - ACW Confederate Army
The book itself, by Ron Field, is an attractive A4 sized paperback of an accessible yet comprehensive size and content for those with an interest in the subject without extensive expertise. Each chapter deals with the various regiments (infantry, cavalry and artillery) within the Southern states and covers their issued uniforms from 1861 to 1865 as well as some of the widely seen personal or unit variations. The pages are festooned with early photographic portraits of the men who fought in the Confederate Army posing in their chosen uniform and gear. All good so far.
However, and this is a massive ommission in my opinion, there are only 4 colour plates in the entire 144 page volume. The plates themselves, by Richard Hook, are very nice and are of the quality you'd expect from this celebrated military artist; there's just not nearly enough of them. When dealing with uniforms, very often a written description simply does not cut it and a posed black and white photo is next to useless for anyone except the most avid fashion historian. An author or publisher who wants to challenge Osprey's stranglehold on accessible and attractive military histories really does need to put a little more thought into what a customer is looking for. Would it have killed Brassey's to have colour plates for each state along with some examples of regimental flags?
For my money (and unfortunately it was) the buyer should really only buy this if they have checked its contents thoroughly first, or are Brassey fans. Checking the contents is something I usually do, should have done and will do in future; assuming that a history of uniforms was going to include plenty of colour pictures is perhaps understandable, though. I bought the book to help me with painting miniatures and it's wholly unsuitable ... I'll stick to Osprey in future.