Philip R. N. Katcher

Looks at the various army uniforms of each state during the Civil War.

Looks at the uniforms and standard equipment of both soldiers and officers of various regiments in the Confederate Army during the Civil War.

"On July 2, 1863, the second day of fighting at Gettysburg, Maj. Gen. Daniel E. Sickles, in an ill-conceived interpretation of his orders, advanced his men beyond the established Union line and exposed his flanks to a potentially devastating Confederate attack. Shortly after being reprimanded by his commander, Maj. Gen. George G. Meade, for endangering the entire Union Army. Sickles was hit by a cannonball. He returned to Washington with his leg amputated and his pride badly wounded." "A politician and lawyer prior to the war, Sickles was already notorious for being the first person in U.S. history acquitted of murder by pleading temporary insanity. During his recuperation in the nation's capital, Sickles defended his actions at Gettysburg to anyone who would listen, including President Lincoln, and criticized Meade before Congress's Committee on the Conduct of the War. He continued defending himself for years after the war, while Meade remained mostly silent on the subject." "Now, historian Richard A. Sauers destroys many commonly accepted myths about the controversy by examining the evidence in detail. In this fascinating analysis, he highlights the personality conflicts among military leaders that complicate combat. He also demonstrates that distortions, such as Sickles's version of Gettysburg, are frequently accepted as fact by historians and repeated for generations to come. Sauers shows that Sickles's unjust manipulations harmed Meade's reputation for years after the war."--Jacket.

Looks at the uniforms and standard equipment of both soldiers and officers of various regiments in the Union Army during the Civil War.

In war, every decision is a matter of life and death: take a gamble and you may succeed gloriously ... or fail disastrously. And, no conflict illustrates this better than America's Civil War, which was littered with cavalier actions by individual officers and entire units. These 13 dramatic "throws of the dice" show how all levels of command seized upon desperate chance in hopes of victory. Included are battles at Manassas, Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Lexington, and Yorktown.