American Civil War Artillery 1861-65 (1): Field Artillery (New Vanguard) (Pt.1) [Paperback]

Philip Katcher (Author), Tony Bryan (Illustrator)

Book Description

Series: New Vanguard | Publication Date: January 25, 2001

Perhaps the most influential arm of either army in the prosecution of the American Civil War, the artillery of both sides grew to be highly professional organizations, centralizing their artillery, organizing artillery battalions from individual batteries and giving their commanders higher ranks than field artillerymen had previously held. In battle, the introduction of the 12-pdr. Napoleon , followed closely by rifled cannon, provided a range and power previously unknown on American soil. This book details this vital cog in the war-machine of both sides.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The unrivalled illustrated reference on fighting vehicles, transport and artillery through the ages. Each volume is illustrated throughout, making these books uniquely accessible to history enthusiasts of all ages.

About the Author

Philip Katcher lives and works in Pennsylvania USA, and has written over 20 titles in the Men-at-Arms Series including the highly successful five-volume set on Armies of the American Civil War.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (January 25, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841762180
• ISBN-13: 978-1841762180
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,441,553 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Marred by a number of interpretive errors by the author, November 16, 2006

By 

Red Harvest (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Civil War Artillery 1861-65 (1): Field Artillery (New Vanguard) (Pt.1) (Paperback)

This would be an acceptable work if there were not others already covering the subject more accurately. It does introduce some material of note such as discussing the structure of the batteries of the CSA Army of Tennessee. This should appeal to readers wearied of eastern centric treatments. (The source for this information is Larry Daniel's work as noted in the bibliography.)

Katcher gets most things about the pieces themselves correct, but seems rather confused in details and nuances of this admittedly confusing subject. Examples of this confusion are many such as:
1. He mistakenly assumes that "6 pdr rifles" from Tredegar were smaller than 10 pdr Parrotts, or 3" rifles, when in fact the 3 pdr and 6 pdr entries early in Tredegar's production were an example of inconsistent nomenclature in describing the same pieces.

2. He confuses 3" Ordnance rifles with the generic "3 inch rifle" used to refer to all rifles of this approximate caliber (as shown by a misstatement in the Ordnance rifle section about some CSA batteries using CSA produced Ordnance rifles in addition to captures. The CSA never produced this piece.)

3. There is a lot of confusion in the description of carriages and weights of the same. The Napoleon used an adapted 24 pdr howitzer carriage primarily that was notably heavier than the 6 pdr carriage used for the 6 pdr gun, the 3" rifle types, and 12 pdr howitzer.

4. The author incorrectly states the 12 pdr howitzer was heavier than the 6 pdr gun. In fact its tube was lighter and it used the same carriage.

5. There are some obvious typos such as a range of 5,000 yards for a Mountain Howitzer at 2.30' elevation. The author mentions the mountain pack carriage but neglects to mention the special prairie carriage that was also used at times. The author also discussed post war Indian fighting with 12 pdr Napoleons, but fails to mention the mountain howitzers that were extensively used for this service.

6. There are several confusing statements about Whitworths, including one seeking to prove that they were costly by comparing the purchase price of a 70 pdr (5 inch?) Whitworth with a 3" rifle--heavy vs. field, apples to oranges.

Ammo types are not shown for field artillery and the discussion of them in the text is extremely short. This is a substantial weakness.

The bibliography is short and omits some important books that should have been consulted for the author's work. This explains some gaps and errors. Hazlett's work on Field Artillery certainly would have been of benefit to the author as it clears up much of the confusion.

Tables are presented for weights and ranges of smoothbore field artillery, but rifled cannon info is omitted from the table. This is unfortunate as such information is available in period ordnance manuals and Coggins' work for example.

I was left with the uneasy impression that the author had not fully mastered the subject. There are a number of more detailed and more accurate works available on this subject. If one is still determined to obtain this book, the reader is advised to obtain it in the combined volume version which also includes Katcher's overview of heavy artillery.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Reference Manual From Osprey!, March 8, 2007

By 

Gregory J. Baumbach (Baldwinsville, New York USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: American Civil War Artillery 1861-65 (1): Field Artillery (New Vanguard) (Pt.1) (Paperback)

For the Civil War enthusiast, reenactor, or just for reference for your hobby or collection of Civil War miniatures, this Osprey book again hits the mark for accuracy and detailed color renderings of all major and lesser know artillery pieces, limbers, caissons, forges, and accoutrements for them, plus excellent photos to support the artist's renderings. Highly recommend this entire series for it's detail drawings and text!

A Civil War Hobbiest