Osprey Trade Editions : Union Cavalryman 1861-1865

The bombardment by Confederate artillery of Fort Sumter on 12 April 1861 was the spark that finally ignited the American Civil War, and quickly brought thousands of eager volunteers for the Union cause. It proved especially easy to raise cavalry, since recruits naively believed that their military duties would be easier than in the infantry, and that they would be able to ride to war instead of having to walk. This section of the Federal army therefore grew very quickly: while in December 1861 the cavalry strength of the army had numbered 4,744 regular troopers and 54,654 volunteers, six months later it totaled 71,196 men and by 13 February 1865, when the war was nearing its end, the Cavalry Bureau was reporting that it had 160,237 cavalrymen on its rolls, of which 105,434 were present and fit for duty. Union Cavalryman 1861-1865 investigates all aspects of the life and experiences of a Union trooper. Attention is given to enlistment, training, uniforms, weapons and the cavalryman's circumstances and pastimes when on campaign. Attention is also given to cavalry tactics, the obsolescence of the charge, and the discrepancy between the recruit's view of swashbuckling charges and heroic hand-to-hand combat and the less glorious reality, which more often than not consisted of dismounted actions involving the carbine rather than sabre. Text by Philip Katcher with illustrations by Richard Hook.