The American Soldier

US Armies in uniform, 1755 to the present

The American Soldier, US Armies in uniform, 1755 to the present, Philip Katcher.

The American Soldier is an all-new look at U.S. ground forces. It stresses the development of America’s Army and Marines from their colonial beginnings through to the present, showing how each campaign from the French and Indian Wars to the Panamanian Invasion of 1989 has affected them. Campaigns rarely featured in general texts, such as the War of Texan Independence, receive coverage in this book.

Special attention has been paid to the history, organization, weapons and overall philosophy of American ground troops in each era. The history of the combat soldier’s personal equipment is also traced throughout the period, ending with a description of a 21st-century fighting suit now being developed. Elite 20th-century units such as the Special Forces and Rangers have their own chapters.

Detailed information, dates and numbers make the text more than just a general look at America’s ground forces. In addition to the text, full-color illustrations by the world’s leading military artists, backed up with dozens of black and white photographs, paintings and drawings, trace visually the development of American military uniforms, both for dress and in the field.

Philip Katcher is a native Californian, born just one month before Pearl Harbor. He has studied history at the University of Maryland, Temple University, and the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of 17 titles covering American military history in the Men-at-Arms series, as well as four titles in the Vanguard series. On the staff of Military Images Magazine, he has contributed to many other publications in the United States, Great Britain and France. He was elected a Fellow of the Company fo Military Historians and was for many years active in living history groups involved in Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War 1 and World War 2 events. He now lives not far from the site of the Continental Army campsite of Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

Contents

  • Title: The American Soldier, US Armies in uniform, 1755 to the present
  • Period: 1755–1990
  • Type: Uniform Guide
  • Author: Philip Katcher
  • Illustrators: Gerry Embleton, Michale Roffe, Bryan Fosten, Paul Hannon, Ron Volstad, Jeffrey Burn, Chris Collingwood, Andy Carroll, Mike Chappell, Angus McBride
  • Format: 224-page book with 160 full-color illustrations
  • Language: English
  • Publisher: Military Press, New York, NY
  • ISBN: 0850459842
  • Published: 1990

Chapters

  1. Introduction
  2. The Colonial Wars, 1755–1783
  3. The War of 1812
  4. The War of Texan Independence, 1835–1836
  5. The Mexican-American War, 1846–1848
  6. US Cavalry on the Plains, 1850–1890
  7. The Civil War, 1861–1865
    • The Union Army
    • The Confederate Army
  8. The Indian Wars, 1866–1890
  9. The US Army, 1890–1920
  10. The US Army in World War 2, 1941–1945
  11. US Army Rangers & LRRP Units, 1942–1990
  12. The US Marine Corps, 1945–1990
  13. The Korean War, 1950–1953
  14. US Army Special Forces, 1952–1990
  15. The Vietnam War, 1962–1975
  16. US Forces in the Americas, 1983 & 1989–1990
  17. The US Army Today
  18. US Infantry Equipment, 1775–1910
  19. US Army Combat Equipment, 1910–1990

Philips Katchers’s book is an excellent resource for wargamers and miniatures painters interested in recreating American soldiers and régiments in miniature.

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