Sharpshooters were highly trained marksmen who served in a front-line role in the American Civil War. By the mid-1850s, technological developments meant that weapons were now available that could guarantee greater accuracy over increased range than traditional muskets. When the Civil War broke out i[...]

The American Indian Wars, the most famous of which were fought on the great Western plains between 1860 and 1890, were among the most tragic of all conflicts ever fought. To the victor went no less than the complete domination of the continent, to the loser total extinction. Accustomed only to small[...]

At the time of the Second World War, the United States Army took an unusual approach, for the period, towards the design of its uniforms. Rather than attempt to find an all-purpose outfit, such as the British battledress, it attempted to design special-purpose dress for every possible duty, from com[...]

In the heady days of the rush to arms in 1861, comparatively few Southern men volunteered for service in the artillery - most preferred the easily accessible glory of the infantry or cavalry. Given that field artillery was invariably deployed in front of the troops that it was supporting, the artill[...]