In this new, extensively researched volume, U.S. Army uniforms - including enlisted soldiers, officers, insignia, and headgear - from the years 1848-1873 are examined in exacting detail. For the first time, original accounts from official reports, diaries, and other primary sources will be combined with color photographs of extraordinary surviving specimens, hundreds of important black and white images, as well as artwork from the period to tell the story of what the American soldier wore during these years. Army Blue represents more than twenty years of research in major institutions and...

In this new book, the development of an altogether new uniform for troops of the United States Army, a few years after the Civil War, has never been told so well or so comprehensively. In this volume, the sequel to the author's highly praised Army Blue: The Uniform of Uncle Sam's Regulars, 1848-1873, John Langellier continues the story of the evolution of American army uniforms during a critical period that saw experimentation and innovation finally surmount conservatism to produce some of the more practically functional and aesthetically appealing martial clothing in American history. The...

The U.S. Army in the West, 1870-1880, Douglas C. McChristian describes the development of army uniforms, equipment, and small arms during a pivotal decade of experimentation and against the backdrop of a highly influential military operation-the Indian campaigns in the West.

McChristian discusses the evolution of military clothing, equipment, and arms throughout the decade and fully describes each type of item and its modifications. Drawing much new information from the records of the Ordnance and Quartermaster departments, he also adds the human perspective with excerpts...

A Union supporter once said, "What is a man's life worth if our glorious union is to be shattered by traitors?" President Lincoln's volunteers and conscripted soldiers expanded the permanent Union army to include 1,700 regiments of foot soldiers during the course of the war. Those who became part of "Mr. Lincoln's Army" came from various social and economic conditions, and they documented their day-to-day life in diaries, letters and memoirs. Drawing on these narratives, contemporary photographs, and meticulous archival research, this book provides a vivid account of the common Union...

Osprey's examination of the culminating battle of the American Civil War (1861-1865). "There never was such a campaign, not even by Napoleon" wrote Confederate General Pender of the Second Manassas campaign in which the gray-bearded Virginian, Robert E Lee, came as close as he ever would to exterminating his Northern enemies. In so doing, Lee established himself as the South's pre-eminent military commander and the Army of Northern Virginia as it's most powerful weapon. The fighting in northern Virginia left Union General John Pope's career in tatters and proved the South was a power to be...

By the late 1820s, furs, land and minerals made the Indian territories west of the Mississippi River an increasingly inviting realm. The vast expanse of the Great Plains, coupled with the fact that many tribal groups of the region possessed horses, meant a more mobile type of soldier was required. Consequently, on 15 June 1832, Congress authorised the raising of 600 mounted Rangers. They proved such a success that they eventually gave way to a more permanent organisation: the Dragoons. John Langellier details the fascinating campaign history of the US Dragoons 1833-55, complete with numerous...

This volume reveals the little-known story of the 90-year presence of American forces in China until the fall of Peking in 1941. Included is coverage of the first operations on the Pearl River in 1856 as well as US involvement in the Boxer Rebellion of 1900. As China entered a chaotic period in her history, known as the years of the "Warlords," American marines also participated in numerous small-scale amphibious landings. Finally, during the later Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) and early into World War II (1939-1945), US volunteers of the "Flying Tigers" became renowned for their combat...

From the American Revolution to the present day, African Americans have stepped forward in their nation's defense. This book breathes new vitality into a stirring subject, emphasizing the role men who have come to be known as "buffalo soldiers" played in opening the Trans-Mississippi West. This concise overview reveals a cast of characters as big as the land they served. Over 150 images painstakingly gathered nearly a half century from public and private collections enhance the written word as windows to the past. Now, 150 years after Congress authorized blacks to serve in the Regular Army...