Customer Reviews

The United States Army 1783-1811 (Men-at-Arms)

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United States Army 1783-1811 (Osprey Men-At-Arms, 352) describes the beginning of the United States Army in 1783 and desceibes its evolution and battles from 177783 to 1811 This is a period on which very little good, detailed information is available. It explains the need for a regular federal army and describes the infantry, artillery, and cavalry regiments which made up the army. The weapons carried and uniforms worn by the troops are presented in well done color plates, It starts with the first federal units formed in 1783 qnd closes with a description of the US Army as it was in 1811 just before the Start of the War of 1812. It is an excellent book well worth having if you are interested in the subject.

This book is supposed to be about the uniforms , not the campaigns! It is the very best work on uniforms of the era and based on primary source materials. Far better then most the Man -at Arms fare.The best work on the topic ever, cheap at twice the price!

First, yes, it's a uniform book, so any reviewer who says "too much about uniforms" needs to find a better crack dealer.

Simply put, this fills a niche, but readers should NOT take the uniform plates at face value as the plates show (particularly for the Legion of the United States) what the uniforms WOULD have looked like had the regulations been followed. Example, the Legion light infantry and rifles did NOT wear colored wings. There are several other issues like this throughout the book, so the reader needs to understand that the uniforms depicted are to illustrate what should have been, but not what was actually worn.

This book was a disapointment. Almost all of the book was devoted to uniforms of the period. Little information was given on campaigns fought during the period. It would have been better if more information was given about the US armie's crucial participation in the battles of Tippicanoe, Fallen Timbers, and St. Clairs Defeat( The worst defeat suffured by the US at the hands of Native Americans) instead of how the hats of artillery crewman changed in the course of a few years. The narrative is extremley dull!! I had to force myself to finish the book. However the plates are great and this period of US millitary history is so neglected that any book on the subject welcome.