The most extensive photographic collection of Revolutionary War weapons ever in one volume. More than 1600 photos of over 500 muskets, rifles, pistols, swords, bayonets, knives and other arms used by both sides in America's War for Independence.

"Describes the uniforms, gear, and weapons used by U.S. and British forces during the American Revolution"--Provided by publisher.

The British are coming! Fourteen-year-old Daniel wants to join the militia and fight against the redcoats. His father wants him to stay in Concord, Massachusetts, and help run the blacksmith shop. Daniel thinks the job is pointless, until he finds a secret stash of weapons in the shop's back room. Now, he must protect the weapons from the British, or the American Revolution could be over before it begins.

"Mr. Bilby takes us through Gettysburg, among other places, showing how the Spencer and Henry rifle played a decisive role." --The Wall Street Journal "A valuable study. . . . his research is balanced and thorough, his writing is lively and clear. . . . his approach gives the book broad appeal." --Journal of Military History "This is an outstanding book--accurate, judicious, highly readable." --North & South "A Revolution in Arms is written in such a good, readable way of a very important time in the history of firearms."--Rifle Magazine "Well written and researched. . . . certainly should be an addition to your library."--Civil War Times Historians often call the American Civil War the first modern war, pointing to the use of observation balloons, the telegraph, trains, mines, ironclad ships, and other innovations. Although recent scholarship has challenged some of these "firsts," the war did witness the introduction of the first repeating rifles. No other innovation of the turbulent 1860s would have a greater effect on the future of warfare. In A Revolution in Arms: A History of the First Repeating Rifles, historian Joseph G. Bilby unfolds the fascinating story of how two New England inventors, Benjamin Henry and Christopher Spencer, each combined generations of cartridge and rifle technology to develop reliable repeating rifles. In a stroke, the Henry rifle and Spencer rifle and carbine changed warfare forever, accelerating the abandonment of the formal battle line tactics of previous generations and when properly applied, repeating arms could alter the course of a battle. Although slow to enter service, the repeating rifle soon became a sought after weapon by both Union and Confederate troops. Oliver Winchester purchased the rights to the Henry and transformed it into "the gun that won the West." The Spencer, the most famous of all Civil War small arms, was the weapon of choice for Federal cavalrymen. The revolutionary technology represented by repeating arms used in the American Civil War, including self-contained metallic cartridges, large capacity magazines, and innovative cartridge feeding systems, was copied or adapted by arms manufacturers around the world, and these features remain with us today.