The Confederate Army 1861-65, Vol. 2: Florida, Alabama & Georgia (Men-at-Arms) [Paperback]

Ron Field (Author), Richard Hook (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 10, 2005

The common image of the Confederate Army during the Civil War (1861-1865) is dominated by a limited number of early photographs of officers and men wearing the gray and butternut associated with the CS regulations and quartermaster issues. This sequence of books examines a much wider field: the original uniforms of the state and volunteer companies which were brought together to form the Confederate field armies, and the continuing efforts to clothe troops as wear-and-tear gradually reduced the originally wide range of uniforms. A mass of information from contemporary documents is illustrated with rare photographs and meticulous color reconstructions.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Packed with specially commissioned artwork, maps and diagrams, the Men-at-Arms series is an unrivalled illustrated reference on the history, organisation, uniforms and equipment of the world's military forces, past and present.

About the Author

Ron Field is Head of History at the Cotswold School in Bourton-on-the-Water. He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 1982 and taught history at Piedmont High School in California from 1982–83. He was associate editor of the Confederate Historical Society of Great Britain, from 1983 to 1992. He is an internationally acknowledged expert on US military history, and was elected a Fellow of the Company of Military Historians, based in Washington. D.C., in 2005.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (August 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841768502
• ISBN-13: 978-1841768502
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #924,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent history of Florida, Alabama, and Georgia's contributions to the Army of the CSA., June 10, 2010

By 

Alan Edward Creager (Henrico, VA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Men at Arms No. 426 - the Confederate Army 1861 - 65 ( 2 ) (Paperback)

48 pages long, compiled by Ron Field and illustrated by Richard Hook, "The Confederate Army 1861-65 (2), Florida, Alabama, & Georgia" is an excellent book. It is particularly notable among the Men-At-Arms series for containing a history of the contributions made to the Confederate Army by the State of Florida, then a rather inconsequential state with a population of about 140,000 in 1861. It was mocked, as the book notes, in the New York 'Tribune' as "the smallest tadpole in the dirty pool of secession', and Florida's backing of the Confederacy, as well as its history during the Civil War in general, have been much overlooked. One achievement on Florida's part during the war was in addition to ultimately entering some 15,000 troops into Confederate service, Florida was the last Confederate state to lose its capital to the enemy. It had some bizarre aspects besides, however- a number of forts in Florida, among them the Castilla De San Marcos, were soon retaken or kept in Union hands and just sat there for the rest of the war. Florida, despite all its contributions to the CSA, was looked on by some Union leaders as militarily insignificant.

Alabama and Georgia were far more interesting to Union forces, hence the far greater amount of battle they saw, as well as their greater manpower and logistics contributions to the Confederate cause.

With each state, there was a fair number of prewar militia on hand when secession happened, and those units rapidly joined with other volunteers in becoming part of the hastily-formed CS Army. The book discusses uniforms, arms, volunteer aid societies, and a few topics unique to each state. In Florida's case, out-of-state supply is one subject discussed, since Florida had much more in the way of raw materials than finished goods when it seceded in 1861. As a result, Floridian militia and CS Army units had to struggle before they even got into battle, as the purchasing of badly needed uniforms from other states in the CSA was quite a struggle by itself.

This is an interesting and highly informative book, despite its short length. For anyone interested in studying a partial history of these three states and their offerings to the Confederate cause during the Civil War, I highly recommend it.