Osprey Men-at-Arms 177 : American Civil War Armies (2) : Union Troops

The US Army during the Civil War was the largest the country had raised in its brief history; and it would remain the largest ever raised until World War One. In all, 2,772,408 men served in some branch or other of the US Army during the Civil War; of these, 93,441 were blacks who served in combat units of US Colored Troops. Not all returned: 199,045 deserted (many to re-enlist under a different name for the bounty); 183,287 died of disease; 61,362 were killed in action, and 34,773 died of later wounds; 6,749 were posted as missing in action; 306 died of accidents, eg. falling from trains; and 267 were executed for crimes such as desertion or murder. Philip Katcher provides a comprehensive guide to the uniforms, accoutrements, insignia and weapons of the Union Troops who fought the American Civil War, with a wealth of illustrations, including contemporary photographs and eight full page colour plates by Ron Volstad.

Contents

• Introduction
• Headgear
• Coats
• Other Uniform Items
• Zouave and Chasseur Uniforms
• Accoutrements
• Weapons
• The Plates