In the world of historical painting, Don Troiani stands alone, universally acclaimed for the accuracy, drama, and sensitivity of his depictions of America's past. His Civil War paintings and limited edition prints hang in the finest collections in the country and are noted by collectors from around the world. Now, in Don Troiani's Regiments and Uniforms of the Civil War, the artist turns his brush to one of the most colorful and captivating aspects of Civil War history: the individual units that earned their reputations on the battlefield and the distinctive uniforms they wore. In addition to 130 paintings of battle scenes and individual figures, the book also includes more than 250 full-color photographs of the uniforms the soldiers wore and the accouterments they carried. Supporting the illustrations is text by two of the leading military artifact experts. Taken together, it makes for one of the most comprehensive books on Civil War uniforms ever undertaken

Don Troiani's Regiments & Uniforms of the Civil War

History

Earl J. Coates

Don Troiani

Michael J. McAfee

Americas

Stackpole Books

Military Uniforms in America: Years of Growth, 1796-1851, Vol. 2

Military Uniforms in America: Years of Growth, 1796-1851, Vol. 2

Engineering & Transportation

ELTING, John R.

Engineering

Presidio Press

This book serves as a Bible to all who participate in reenactments of Civil War battles and units, whether they are loyal to the Lost Cause of the Confederacy or rallying around the flag of the Union forever. It contains an unparalleled wealth of information, covering uniforms down to small details such as badges and buttons; national, state, and unit flags; and accountrements such as belt buckles and ammunition boxes. The Civil War Reenactors; Handbook is based around the major battles of the conflict. An introductory section outlines in broad fashion the general issue uniforms of each side. The remainder of the book covers each of the major battles. Detailed maps show where the individual brigades of each army moved during the course of the battle, enabling reenactors to retrace the steps of their units exactly. The illustrations accompanying the maps show what might have been work by a typical member of an important unit that fought in the battle. It provides a complete package of information for both the experienced reenactor and the newcomer to this fascinating hobby.

Civil War Re-enactors Handbook

Chrysalis Books

Warfare in the nineteenth century was no less bloody than today, yet people of the Victorian era saw it as a romantic adventure. Their vision of the battlefield was largely formed by the art of the period. Normally, early nineteenth century military art was limited to depictions of immense fields of battle, miraculously devoid of smoke and confusion, with any action centering around a prominent general on horseback. The most common of military art, created for the masses, consisted of cheap lithographs, crudely drawn and even though filled with blood and gore, curiously unrealistic. As a result, the Victorian mind was able to view war through a veil of romanticism and hide from sight those aspects it preferred not to see. As warfare was then associated with glory, patriotism and heroism, it was only natural that the warrior should share in those virtues. The wretched, often brutal, life of the common soldier was ignored as was his lowly status in society. Only the most visible, colorful or romantic of soldiers were allowed to intrude upon society in the Victorian age. In England, the proud Guards regiments and romantic Highlanders were the chosen representatives of the British soldier. They were the ideal types. In France it was the Chasseurs and the Zouaves who received similar public notice. They became the stereotypes for bravery and to a degree their own lives as soldiers were enhanced by this attention. None were more heroic in lithographs or paintings than the Zouave. He seemed the beau-ideal of a solider, as General Geroge B. McClellan, of Civil War fame, described him. The French Zouaves enjoyed a reputation of being recklessly brave on the battlefield, as though warfare was merely a game and their lives simply the table stakes. Their conduct off the battlefield was equally notable, for they tended to be undisciplined, resourceful foragers who provided for their personal comfort in any manner which was practical and the liberation of goods meant little to men who could expect to die in their next combat. Yet, there were not brigands. They were members of an elite unit with an esprit de corps which bound them together as a family, with the regimental commander, known as Father among the Zouaves, as the family head. They were also bound together by their distinctive dress. The Arab-inspired short jacket, baggy trousers and fez were key parts of their identity. The Zouave became a Victorian ideal of a soldier. He was not afraid to die in combat for he looked upon battle as a field of honor. Yet, he was human and capable of emotion, whether rage on the battlefield or deep sorrow at the death of a comrade. The end of the Victorian era and it died in the muddy Flanders fields in 1914 with thousands of brave soldiers also menat the end of the Zouave. He was a product of Victorian sentimentality and could survive the twentieth century in the same form. The French Army retains unites of Zouaves, but they no longer wear distinctive uniforms. In America Zouaves lasted into the 1950s in the form of an American Legion drill team, even appearing on the Ed Sullivan show in their twilight years. But the true Zouave, the gallant rascal of the nineteenth century, is gone forever.

Zouaves: The First and The Bravest

Schroeder Publications

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Books by Michael J. McAfee