Uniforms of the Civil War, and: United States Firearms: The First Century, 1776-1875 (review)

272CIVIL WAR HISTORY struggle. There are a few accounts, e.g. those by Francis B. Simkins, James M. Patten, and Mary Elizabeth Massey. But recently, H. E. Sterkx, professor of history at Auburn University, has published Partners in Rebellion: Alabama Women in the Civil War. Mr. Sterkx, in an endeavor to recreate the role of over a hundred thousand female Confederate sympathizers by supplying the organization of and transitions between their quoted words, has not attempted "to resurrect the past for its own sweet, sentimental sake." Indeed, as he so wisely points out, war is not sweet or sentimental; it is an ugly, traumatic experience for all concerned, the victors and the losers. From his research and reporting, Sterkx believes the common denominator among the southern women was their belief that all great enterprises were easy, requiring little planning or preparation. Needed for victory were enthusiasm and self-sacrifice, faith in the cause and in its ultimate success. Though such a belief failed to result in victory, Sterkx strives to prove that conditions for the Confederacy would have been far worse without the help of these women on the home front. Sterkx's work is well written and adequately documented, though footnotes at the bottom of each page rather than at the end of the book would be more desirable. Nevertheless, this small volume at its inflationary price should have a rather limited appeal. Alabama Women in the Civil War will probably be welcomed primarily by today's women in Alabama. Gary R. Planck St. Louis, Missouri Uniforms of the Civil War. By Francis A. Lord and Arthur Wise. (Cranbury , N.J.: Thomas Yoseloff, Publisher, 1970. Pp. 174. $10.00.) United States Firearms: The First Century, 1776-1875. By David F. Butler. (New York: Winchester Press, 1971. Pp. 249. $15.00.) Civil War enthusiasts have long awaited a good book on American uniforms of the 1861 to 1865 period. However, Civil War Uniforms may not completely satisfy all readers. This work is a brief, surface treatment of an extremely involved subject and not equal to Dr. Lord's previous works, such as, They Fought for the Union and Civil War Collector 's Encyclopedia. The book begins with a reprint of the revised 1861 Federal Army uniform regulations with comments by the authors injected into the text of the regulations. The authors' comments are not set off from the text and it may be confusing to some readers to discern were the official regulations stop and the interpretations of the regulations by the authors begin. Certain modifications to the uniform regulations occurred in 1863, not so much to prescribe what the men were to wear, but to coincide with what they were actually wearing. These regulation changes are not quoted but are referred to. The BOOK REVIEWS273 work is illustrated with black and white photographs and drawings of soldiers, officers and reproductions of covers of "Civil War Times Illustrated ." Many of the photographs will be familiar to Civil War students but many are unusual and have not appeared previously. Confederate Army and Navy regulations are also cited and the text is supplemented by contemporary sketches and photographs. Two appendices list suppliers of Union and Confederate uniform items and describe methods of preservation and restoration of uniforms used by the Smithsonian Institution. United States Firearms, The First Century, 1776-1875, is what the author intends it to be: "A detailed account of the design evolution of American small arms, with newly developed information on their ballistics ." The author briefly describes weapons systems prior to 1775 and then covers in detail all major American weapons developments from the Revolution until 1875. The photographs of the weapons are good but the real strength of this work lies in the excellent line drawings of weapon mechanisms, details of parts and early types of cartridges . Many of these drawings include thread sizes and exact dimensions of each part of the mechanism. Tables are also included on bullet types, powder charges, recoil, ranges and bullet velocities. Much of this information, particularly on early weapons, has not been previously published. The criticisms of this work are few and minor. The text of each section of the book appears...