American Civil War Armies (3): Specialist Troops

Description

A concise illustrated study of the uniforms and organization of the specialist troops on both sides of the US Civil War. At the time of the American Civil War, with two million men under arms, a US Army that in pre-war days had depended upon a minute number of technical troops now required virtually an army of specialists alone. Special sharpshooters were recruited for skirmishing duty; men whose wounds would have led to their discharge in the past now found themselves guarding important posts in the Veteran Reserve Corps; and large numbers of civilians found themselves in uniform as members of the Telegraph or Hospital Corps. Philip Katcher examines the organization and uniforms of the specialist troops who served in the armies of both sides. The text is supported by 50 black-and-white images along with 8 superb colour artwork plates depicting the uniforms and equipment of specialist troop types.

Philip Katcher was born in Los Angeles, California, to parents involved in the film industry. He was educated at the University of Maryland and served in the US Army in Vietnam. He has also been an active participant in living history activities, especially in the 18th and 19th century periods. He has written a number of books on various periods of US military history and presently is editor/publisher of Military Images Magazine. Ron Volstad was born in 1949 in Alberta, Canada, where he still lives and works. His first illustrations were published in 1970; since then he has become widely known for his work in Squadron and Osprey publications and for Dragon Models, and has also worked as a courtroom artist for TV news.