Uniformed volunteer units were raised by individuals, usually from an area's social élite who had enough spare money and time to spend on such enthusiasms. They voted on their unit designation, their officers and non-commissioned officers, their unit rules, and their uniform. Many future leaders learned their skills in these ranks, and volunteer militia units formed the core of many fighting units on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line. With the help of numerous photographs and illustrations, including eight full page colour plates by Ron Volstad, Philip Katcher does a fine job of detailing the uniforms of the volunteer militia of the American Civil War (1861-1865).

A concise illustrated study of the uniforms worn by the troops of 32 states in the US Civil War. 'The War between the States' is the term used for the American Civil War throughout much of the South even today. Many on both sides – not just the South – felt that they were serving their states as much, if not more, than their central governments. Many of the states agreed; the state governments raising their own units, commissioning their officers, and supplying their men. Indeed, many of the units that fought the Civil War were supplied in large part by their own states rather than by the central government's quartermasters. Philip Katcher's fascinating text explores the uniforms of 32 states, from Alabama to Wisconsin, supported by a selection of images throughout, and 8 superb artwork plates depicting the uniforms and equipment of the state troops.

Includes 4 figures, 13 maps and 4 tables. Renowned Military Historian Dr Christopher Gabel investigates the effects of the Railroad on the strategies employed by both the Union and Confederate Generals of the Civil War. According to an old saying, “amateurs study tactics: professionals study logistics.” Any serious student of the military profession will know that logistics constantly shape military affairs and sometimes even dictate strategy and tactics. This excellent monograph by Dr. Christopher Gabel shows that the appearance of the steam-powered railroad had enormous implications for military logistics, and thus for strategy, in the American Civil War. Not surprisingly, the side that proved superior in “railroad generalship,” or the utilization of the railroads for military purposes, was also the side that won the war.

Through photographs and historical documents, profiles the lives of Union soldiers during the American Civil War, discussing their day-to-day activities, weapons, and equipment.

From the time of the American Revolution, most junior officers in the American military attained their positions through election by the volunteer soldiers in their company, a tradition that reflected commitment to democracy even in times of war. By the outset of the Civil War, citizen-officers had fallen under sharp criticism from career military leaders who decried their lack of discipline and efficiency in battle. Andrew S. Bledsoe’s Citizen-Officers explores the role of the volunteer officer corps during the Civil War and the unique leadership challenges they faced when military necessity clashed with the antebellum democratic values of volunteer soldiers. Bledsoe’s innovative evaluation of the lives and experiences of nearly 2,600 Union and Confederate company-grade junior officers from every theater of operations across four years of war reveals the intense pressures placed on these young leaders. Despite their inexperience and sometimes haphazard training in formal military maneuvers and leadership, citizen-officers frequently faced their first battles already in command of a company. These intense and costly encounters forced the independent, civic-minded volunteer soldiers to recognize the need for military hierarchy and to accept their place within it. Thus concepts of American citizenship, republican traditions in American life, and the brutality of combat shaped, and were in turn shaped by, the attitudes and actions of citizen-officers. Through an analysis of wartime writings, post-war reminiscences, company and regimental papers, census records, and demographic data, Citizen-Officers illuminates the centrality of the volunteer officer to the Civil War and to evolving narratives of American identity and military service.

While the Civil War is famous for epic battles involving massive armies engaged in conventional warfare, A Savage Conflict is the first work to treat guerrilla warfare as critical to understanding the course and outcome of the Civil War. Daniel Sutherland argues that irregular warfare took a large toll on the Confederate war effort by weakening support for state and national governments and diminishing the trust citizens had in their officials to protect them.

Shattering the myth that the Civil War was fought between soldiers in blue or in gray, this history details the many colors and styles worn by members of the Federal and Confederate armies. 108 illustrations.