Product Description

This is a state-by-state analysis of the uniforms issued to Confederate troops in the American Civil War, from manufacture to supply, for South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Missouri, Kentucky and Maryland.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #956823 in Books
• Published on: 1998-03-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 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.