Manual of instruction for the volunteers and militia of the Confederate States (William Gilham / Richmond 1862).

This "Manual of Instruction" was issued to officers in the Confederate States Army and Navy, after it was written by Col. William Gilham and published by West and Johnston in Richmond circa 1862.
Much of it is text copied from books published by others. including from Hardee's translation/plagiarize of the french 1845 drill book.
So saying he "wrote it" is not really correct. (just like Scoot, Hardee, Chandler, Casey and so on. all copied large parts of of thier book from someone else...)
But he did edit, compile or maybe create it?

It was published in 1861... He was originally making the book for state militias in the USA...
The preface is dated December 1806. The version you link to is just from 1862.

Do you have any evidence that it was issued to anyone outside of Virginia?

"Hardee's revised" was, by an act of the CSA congress, the drill book to be used by csa infantry. But since they did not authorize the use of any money for the printing and issuing of the book, the change to using it was gradual.
Starting in the west and moving east. (by 1864 VMI changed to it)
So most CSA officers who had a drillbook purchased it them self.

Only North Carolina issued it to their officers, after their state legislature did fund the printing of it.

It is great that you know who used this, because often it is not know what drill book a regiments used at different points of the war.
 
I just posted it because I thought that it may be of help to others in their research as it was for me.

You asked: Do you have any evidence that it was issued to anyone outside of Virginia?

There was a copy sold on an online auction a few years ago with an inside front cover period pencil inscription that read: "J. H. MCCREARY / MONROE CTY / ALABAMA.” The very next page had another period ink inscription that read:“JAS. H. MCCREARY / CAPT. CO. H 2ND / REG. ALA. CAV.” The 2nd Alabama Cavalry Regiment was Mustered into Confederate Service at Montgomery, Alabama on 21 Mar 1862 and never served in Virginia. So either it was issued to him in Alabama, Florida or Mississippi... or he purchased that copy for himself in one of those three states, as those were the only three states in which he personally served and fought during the ACW.

James Hunter McCreary was elected Captain and commissioned on 1 May 1862 in Company "H", 2nd Alabama Cavalry Regiment. Years later in his application for a Confederate Soldiers Pension, McCreary stated that he was discharged on 1 Apr 1864, there-by resigning his commission and returning home to Alabama for the remainder of the war. At that time they were still in Mississippi, being just about a month after the Regiment fought and opposed Sherman`s "Meridian Campaign".
 
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Gilhams is a great tool since it was "written" for the use of civilains. So it explain a lot of things in much more detail than other drill books.
And it do have more original text than most other drill books.


But your quote show my point. There is no evidence that it was issued.
The only CSA manual that I know for sure was issued in an organized fashion. Was the NC version of Hardee's revised.
 
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