The Confederate Army 1861-65 (4) Format: Paperback

Despite modern perceptions of the overwhelming image of Confederate soldiers dressed in their classic battledress gray, the Southern states of the Confederacy fielded many units of volunteer troops wearing a remarkably wide variety of uniforms, often reflecting foreign influences. In a spirit of independence many states also issued their own uniform regulations on the outbreak of the War Between the States; and these non-standard uniforms were often retained until well into the course of the Civil War (1861-1865). The regulation patterns centrally prescribed by the Confederate Army were only ever followed unevenly, and state quartermasters continued to issue uniforms showing regional and state differences. This fourth of a series of six titles studies the archival and pictorial evidence for the infantry, cavalry and artillery of Virginia - the heart of the Confederacy and its richest, most populous and militarily strongest state; and of Arkansas, which despite its much smaller population, fielded several interesting units. The expert text, which draws extensively on contemporary documents, is illustrated largely with fascinating early photographic portraits showing the haunting faces of the young soldiers caught up in the horror of war and classic color artwork recreations of their uniforms.

Ron Field is an internationally acknowledged expert on US military history. Awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 1982, he taught History at Piedmont High School in California from 1982 to 1983, and was then Head of History at the Cotswold School in Bourton-on-the-Water, UK, until his retirement in 2007. In 2005 he was elected a Fellow of the Company of Military Historians, based in Washington, DC, and was awarded its Emerson Writing Award in 2013.

Richard Hook was born in 1938 and trained at Reigate College of Art. After national service with 1st Bn, Queen's Royal Regiment he became art editor of the much-praised magazine Finding Out during the 1960s. He earned an international reputation particularly for his deep knowledge of Native American material culture; and illustrated more than 30 Osprey titles. Richard's three children Adam, Jason, and Christa are all professionally active in various artistic disciplines. He died in 2010.