Union Cavalryman 1861-1865

Osprey Warrior #13

by Philip R.N. Katcher

The bombardment by Confederate artillery of Fort Sumter on 12 April 1861 was the spark that finally ignited the American Civil War, quickly bringing thousands of eager volunteers for the Union cause. It proved especially easy to raise cavalry, since recruits naively believed that their military duties would be easier than in the infantry. This book investigates all aspects of the life and experiences of a Union trooper, covering enlistment, training, uniforms, weapons, cavalry tactics and the discrepancy between the recruit's view of swashbuckling charges and heroic hand-to-hand combat and the less glorious reality.

Genres: American Civil War, Military History, History, Civil War, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published November 13, 1995

About the author

Phililp Katcher has written over 20 titles in the Men-at-Arms Series including the highly successful five-volume set on Armies of the American Civil War.

Reviews

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Basic arc of Union Cavalry in the American Civil War is that in the beginning it was not that useful or competitive with the Confederate Cavalry - as many good Cavalry Officers chose their Southern States over the Nation. The South started with a material advantage in horseflesh of a particular type needed for warfare too, but the advantage rapidly fell away.The incompetence and graft in the Confederate system soon dulled that edge however, as Union bank accounts and greater resources of all types told. Philip Katcher, an American ACW author and reenactor takes the reader through the growth of the Union mounted arm, focusing on weapons, protocols, training and tactics rather than any one battle or campaign. In this pursuit he is ably supported by lots of b/w pics and strong colour plate content from Richard Hook, a veteran of the Osprey Publishing artists bullpen. It's solid package, preparing the reader to read more on the use of Cavalry in the ACW.

Thankfully, given the lethality and rate of fire of many weapons in the War Between the States, Cavalry was seldom used in a mounted European style as "Battle" Cavalry doing Charges and attacking Infatry and guns. Instead it was used for Raiding, Reconaissance , picketing, screening and as mounted infantry- to get to objectives, then hold them until larger infantry forces could come up and support them. As everyone knows- by Gettysberg, Union Cavalry was certainly up to the requirement of that battle- and was already showing it held an advantage over the CSA's Cavalry. There was more of it- and it was regularly fed,clothed, and shod. Soon Union Cavalry could ride anywhere it wanted to across the South, and its raiding and destruction of transportation was bringing the Confederacy to its end. I felt informed and ready to read more Cavalry Memoirs and battles books from the period after I finished this book.

There are few adult themes and no graphic injury or violence passages, although there is a colour plate of a Civil War first aid station, so this is a fine book for a Junoir Reader over 10/11 years into history. The Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast will find this a good but not great resource. For the Gamer, this book is mainly about structure and formation of forces- not good for scenario/campaign develpment per se. For the Modeler- also good background- some great plates of typical horse and soldier gear that will help with basics, but not with too many diorama ideas. The Military enthusiast is probably the big winner, as much of the Cavalry equipment and processes would be used in the indian wars that would follow the ACW. This is a good book for understanding the basics about US Cavalry warfare in the Civil War, preparing the reader to understand more narrative works much better.

[O-Goodreads P · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good nuts-and-bolts overview of the uniform, arms, and lifestyle of a American Civil War Union cavalryman. Good descriptions and pretty thorough. Would recommend for ages 10+ if the reader has an interest in the topic. It was helpful to look up YouTube videos about the arms as I was clueless about the different cartridges and loading types described in the book. There were a few typos.

[Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another primer without any highlights or low points. This particular volume in the series was a bit too 'spread out' for my taste, but overall gave a pretty decent overview of Union cavalry arm, problems that faced it at the begining of the conflict and how it operated. It's main strength, as is so often the case with Osprey booklets, lies with its graphics, which are very rich and of excellent quality.

[Sean Chick · Rating 1 out of 5]

A lackluster title, rife with cliches and easily debunked theories like rifled muskets making successful cavalry charges impossible. Sheridan at Third Winchester would beg to differ.