This absorbing study casts light on the tactics, technologies, and specially raised units involved in siege operations during the American Civil War.Remembered for its bloody pitched battles, the American Civil War also witnessed a substantial number of hard-fought actions involving fortified locations, ranging from the bombardment of Fort Sumter in April 1861 to the drawn-out siege of Petersburg in 1864–65. The crucial role played by major centers such as Vicksbur...

Men from all over North America and beyond – whether regulars, volunteers, or draftees – found themselves fighting for their lives on a host of bloody battlefields during the Civil War.The enthusiastic but largely inexperienced soldiers serving on both sides had to adapt quickly to the appalling realities of warfare in the industrial age. Author Ron Field, an authority on the Civil War, investigates three clashes that illustrate the changing realities of combat.

An examination of the life, military experiences and key battlefield exploits of Giuseppe Garibaldi.Born on 4 July 1807 in the city of Nice, the turning point in his life occurred in April 1833 when he met Giovanni Battista Cuneo, a member of the secret movement known as 'Young Italy'. Joining this society, Garibaldi took an oath dedicating his life to the struggle for the liberation of his homeland from Austrian dominance.The subsequent years would see him...

Following the discovery of gold deposits, in December 1875 the US Government ordered the indigenous population of the Black Hills in what is now South Dakota and Wyoming, the Sioux, to return to the Great Sioux Reservation.When the Sioux refused, the US Army sent forces into the area, sparking a conflict that would make Lieutenant Colonel George Custer, Chief Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and others household names around the world.Examining a series of engage...

The Ironclad was a revolutionary weapon of war, the first modern, armoured, self-propelled warships.During the American Civil War the South used ironclads to protect their ports from the Northern blockade. Impressed with their superior resistance to fire and, the North developed its own rival fleet of ironclads. Eventually the two products of this modern arms race duelled at the battle of Hampton Roads in a clash that would change the face of naval warfare....

Reveals the tactics, technologies, and specially raised units at the heart of the Union's conduct of combined operations in the American Civil War.During the Civil War, as well as confronting the Confederates on land, the Union forces mounted several ambitious amphibious operations, both on the coast and along the banks of the great rivers. In this book, renowned historian Ron Field explains how the growing effectiveness of the Union Navy, the willingness of the Un...

Fully illustrated with specially commissioned artwork and mapping plus carefully chosen archive illustrations, many in color, this lively study investigates the Mexican soldiers and Texian volunteers who fought one another in three key battles during the Texas Revolution.Following unrest throughout Mexico, in 1835 a revolt began in Texas among the Anglophone and Tejano-speaking settlers, known as Texians. Having retreated after their defeat at Bexar in December 183...

With the violent separation between the United States and Britain which began in 1776, the new 'Americans' set off to fulfill their manifest destiny and rule their new land from coast to coast.As they pushed westward, they came into conflict with both natives and other European settlers, and began to build fortresses to defend their newly claimed land. This book charts the development and variation of the fortresses of the American Frontier, covering both American ...

This book describes and illustrates the uniforms and personal equipment of the troops fielded by the Midwestern and Western states that fought for the Union during the Civil War.During the American Civil War, the United States Army, pitted against the forces of the fledgling Confederacy, fought to defend and preserve the Union during five long years of bitter conflict. As the war continued into 1862 and beyond, both sides mobilized huge numbers of troops, necessita...

During the 19th century, US forces confronted the Seminole people in a series of bitter wars over the fate of Florida.After the refusal of the Seminoles to move west to the Creek Reservation in Mississippi, the US government sent troops to bring Florida under federal control, marking the beginning of the Second Seminole War. On December 28, 1835, troops led by Major Francis Langhorne Dade were ambushed and massacred en route to Fort King.Two years of guerri...

The Harpers Ferry raid confirmed for many Southerners the existence of a widespread Northern plot against slavery.In fact, Brown had raised funds for his raid from Northern abolitionists. To arm the enslaved people, he ordered one thousand pikes from a Connecticut manufacturer. Letters to Governor Wise betrayed the mixed feelings people held for Brown. For some, he was simply insane and should not be hanged. For others, he was a martyr to the cause of abolition, an...

The American Civil War saw a massive development in the use of field fortifications, the result of the practical application of antebellum West-Point teaching, and the deadly impact of rifled infantry weapons and artillery.Both the Federal and Confederate armies began to develop far more sophisticated systems of field fortification, and the larger field works and fortifications surrounding Washington, DC and Richmond, VA were redesigned and rebuilt several times.