Customer Reviews

Arms and Equipment of the Civil War

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When I first picked this book up in the local library, I expected just another poorly done coffee table book. Boy, was I wrong. As a amateur writer, I soon came to appreciate it's unusual wealth of detailed info on the the equipment and tactics used in the Civil War. The amazing thing is that there are no photos or even color pictures! The author's drawings are clear, numerous, and very helpful. This is a must-have book for any Civil War researcher, re-enactor, or enthusiast!

I have about two feet of books on Civil War weapons, but I keep coming back again and again to this old classic. Too many authors are unable to distinguish between important points and trivia. They pack their books with unnecessary details just to show off their erudition. This book is almost unique in packing all the key facts into a single slim volume while omitting all the surplus. And as with all of Coggins' works, the drawings are fantastic and give a real feel for how all this hardware actually worked.

This is an almost indispensable book for all Civil War aficionados, covering everything from pistols to ironclads and steamships. The author's own illustrations add to the charm and value of this publication and make its information accessible even to the novice. Many Civil War fans have known this book for years and will be delighted to find that it is once again readily available. A true classic, this book belongs in every Civil War library!

Alas, there is - or was - only one Jack Coggins. A matchless illustrator, a good writer, and a man who did exactly what he set out to do, and did it completely. I suppose it would be possible to put together a better book on the arms and equipment of the Civil War. I just don't know how. Great illustrations, clear and lucid text, thorough. If you like this, try his book on Guadalcanal, or the Campaign in North Africa; they're cut of the same cloth.

I am quite amazed that so much information can be packed into such a slim volume! Like another reviewer, my bookshelves absolutely grown under the weight of all the books I own concerning the Civil War. I find myself going back to this small volume time and time again. The text is quite readable and the illustrations are wonderful. I use this book constantly in my research and in my collecting of the artifacts of this era. All in all, this is a very useful, practical book that is absolutely fun to read and I recommend you purchase and add it to your library. You won't be sorry.

Coggins wrote some excellent books and his extremely valuable and accessible text was always made even more clear by his wonderful illustrations. This should be the first book anyone buys on the equipment of the American Civil War and even in an extensive library will often be the last book needed to answer questions, from the most general to highly specific. It isn't the most in depth or the most wide ranging but is certainly the most generally useful and is solidly rewarding from cover to cover

I first discovered this book when I was a kid, it was origionally printed in 1962. I checked it out of the library so many times, my Dad ended up getting me a copy for my birthday. This was one of my favorite sources on specifics of unit tactics, engineer job, etc.. The text is concise and too the point and the illustrations further clarify what is described in the text. Unfortunatly, my beloved copy was lost, much to my chagrin. In studying the Civil War I often though of this slim volume and how Coggins clearly laid things out when reading more obtuse textss that didn't quite measure up. While searching on Google on individual unit tactics a link for this book came up. I felt as if I discovered a long lost part of my childhood, I immediatly ordered it from Amazon and it was delivered. I went through it and rediscovered the classic drawings and text that I loved as a child and remembered the richness of this volume.
Although I loved it as a child, this is not necessarily a childrens book. It is great for all ages and should be part of any casual or serious student of the conflict.

I would recommend this book to every amateur Civil War historian. The scope of the text is limited to equipment used in the Civil War and reads quickly. I found a lot of interesting information that I had not seen in all my other Civil War readings. Also the drawings are very detailed just plain fun to look at.

This book covers all aspects of equipment in the American Civil War. This book was written in the early 1960s, at the time the Centennial of the American Civil War, and it does a fantastic job of breaking down the cannons, tents, equipment, and small arms used in the Civil War.

The part that really wins the book for this reviewer is a study of the engagement zones of a typical rifled musket against a high powered weapon, in the book's case an M-1 Garand rifle. The 30-06 Garand is still more than a match any modern rifle so in 50 years the comparisons are not dated. Secondly, the book clearly shows that unlike what a verbal historians say the muskets were not particularly accurate or long ranged. What made the weapons lethal was the soldiers marching arm to arm at a position.

This book just isn't a coffee table book. This book shows what the soldiers ate, the equipment used, and how they used it. Note, almost all of these soldiers came from farms, already were self reliant and skilled in basic fronteer living, and were extremely tough. The only draw backs for the soldiers is they had almost no resistence to diseases and that swept through the ranks. Disease kills far more soldiers than enemy action.

Most of the other books pale compaired to this simple but very well written book. It stands the test of time. Hundreds of other Civil War era books have come out but if a reader read this book and Shelby Foote's The Civil War: A Narrative (3 Vol. Set) and the equally classic book Hard Tack and Coffee: Soldier's Life in the Civil War the typical reader would have easily learned more than in university level study of the Civil War for a semester.

Enjoy. This will be one of the best Civil War in your collection and you will use it for constant reference.

This book, although not very large, contains a wealth of information on varous Civil War supplies. It is highly detailed and Jack Coggins provides illustrations with virtually everything so the reader can get a good feel for what an item really looked like. Many of these items are cut away pictures giving the reader a visual account of the operations of the items described. This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in the equipment and weapons of the Civil War.