Member Review "An Introduction To Civil War Small Arms" by Earl J. Coates and Dean S. Thomas

James N.

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An Introduction To Civil War Small Arms
by Earl J. Coates and Dean S. Thomas

Thomas Publications, PO Box 3031 Gettysburg, PA 17325, 1990
96 pp. softbound, $7.95
ISBN: 9-780939-631254

Great review James N. Very well written. Would you recommend this book to a reader with little knowledge of Civil War weaponry?
Recently I received this question from member @bdtex after posting my review of the 1962 acknowledged classic Civil War Guns by William B. Edwards: https://civilwartalk.com/threads/civil-war-guns-by-william-b-edwards.166605/ - my answer then was an empathetic NO, due to the comprehensive and encyclopedic nature of that particular work. On the other hand, I highly recommend this admittedly slight almost booklet to anyone who needs a good introduction to the often confusing subject of Civil War small arms, which the authors in their Introduction describe as "the firearms carried by individual soldiers." Since this is a somewhat unusual publication from those usually reviewed here, this review will likewise deviate somewhat from the usual format.

Civil War Small Arms is a handy little volume that packs a lot of information into its 96 pages and is organized into easily read and understood categories: Muskets, Rifle Muskets, Rifles, Breechloading Rifles, Carbines, and Revolvers. Each of these separate categories contains from a half-dozen to a dozen or more examples such as that below, British Pattern '53 "Enfield Rifle Musket" I have chosen at random in order to illustrate the format used throughout. Each type of weapon has its own overall photo; wherever possible, period photo(s) of Union and/or Confederate soldiers armed with the weapon; and examples of its ammunition, either bullets or whole cartridges. A minor gripe is that as can be seen these are smallish, black-and-white, and of sometimes dark reproduction in which details can easily be lost; nevertheless, this approach is an accessible one that makes identification of most types - especially the handguns - easily understood. All the most important types and manufacturers are represented, with in a few cases less commonly encountered ones combined into a single page such as Belgian and French Muskets, Rifles, and Rifled Muskets; Saxon Rifle Muskets Model 1851 and 1857; and Sharpshooter Rifles with a single representative photo. Naturally the most common types including the Model 1855 Rifle Musket and Model 1855 Rifle, Model 1861 Rifle Musket, Colt Revolvers Model 1860 Army and Model 1851 Navy, and Confederate "Colt" Revolvers by other makers receive more attention and at least two pages each with more illustrations.

Also included are helpful articles concerning Accouterments (cartridge box, cap pouch waist belt, and bayonet scabbard), Appendages (gun tools such as nipple wrenches, mainspring vise, screwdrivers, bore brush, etc.), Ammunition, and Bayonets describing and illustrating examples of these essential items accompanying the firearms themselves. Another brief section with accompanying photographs illustrates the loading and firing processes for the Infantry Musket, Sharps Carbine, and Colt Revolver. An eight-page table or listing of the firearms indicates which regiments, both Northern and Southern, are known to have been armed with particular weapons; in many cases even guns manufactured only in the North during the conflict wound up on the other side through capture. And unlike in Civil War Guns, the manufacture and/or importation of the arms is only lightly touched on, though a useful firearms Glossary and illustration of the Parts of a Rifle Musket rounds out the information.

As might be expected in a small publication such as this having both a limited size and scope, it is not particularly recommended for the advanced collector who is already familiar with this sort of information. Indeed, the most "popular" guns like those of Colt having both a long pedigree and many variations are condensed into only the Army and Navy models; likewise, the various and confusing models of the many carbine types are similarly condensed. The purpose here is to provide an overview of the many types of guns manufactured both before and during the war, as well as examples of the principal imported types, to try to bring a degree of order to the very real chaos that was Civil War small arms. This should answer nicely as an introduction for any novice who mainly wants to understand the basics - although there is such a wealth of information, even veterans should find interesting snippets of knowledge as well. Highly recommended, with the few caveats mentioned here.

James N.

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I got a copy of this when I was around 13 or 14 years old during my first visit to the Mansfield Battlefield State Park in Louisiana. My main source of knowledge before that was books on Western Expansion era guns and for me at that young age this book served as an excellent introduction. Not a source for the dedicated collector, and while I'll admit I don't entirely trust it the last section covering what guns were issued to what regiment, that has come in handy for me at times. Even to this day.

My copy wasn't the best put together book and the spine fell apart in no time, but I still have this book to this day.
 
I bought myself a copy of this book (as well as the Edwards CIVIL WAR GUNS book) based off the comments in this thread. They arrived this week and I am very happy with both of them. Thanks for the suggestion.
 
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