California Sabers is the story of the California Battalion and Hundred, a group of 500 select men who were the only organized group of Californians to fight in the East during the Civil War. They volunteered their enlistment bounty to pay their passage across Panama and on to
Massachusetts, where they became the cadre of the Second Massachusetts Cavalry.

From mid-1863 to July 1864, the Second Massachusetts fought a bloody guerilla war in northern Virginia against John S. Mosby, the confederacy s "Gray Ghost." In July 1864 the regiment became part of Sheridan s Army of the Shenandoah, and that fall it played a major role in the decisive battles of Winchester, Toms Run, and Cedar Creek.

In early 1865 the regiment was in the column that marched across Virginia destroying the vital railroad and canal that carried supplies from the Shenandoah Valley to the besieged Army of Northern Virginia. In late March, the Second Massachusetts was in the forefront of the battles at Dinwiddie Courthouse and Five Forks, the two actions that finally broke the stalemate at Petersburg and forced Lee to retreat to the west. In the ensuing chase, the regiment was the part of the cavalry spearhead that finally blocked Lee s army at Appomattox Courthouse.

This work, based on extensive research, is the first comprehensive history of this relatively unknown group and will be of great interest to Civil War enthusiasts and historians."

For a generation the Lost Battalion exemplified the best of America's involvement in World War I. Until World War II pushed the Lost Battalion out of the national memory with its own scenes of horror and heroism, mention of the unit's name summoned up what America admired in its soldiers: unpretentious courage, dogged resistance, and good cheer and adaptation under adversity. Thomas M. Johnson was a newspaperman and author who covered World War I. Fletcher Pratt was a historian and prolific author. Edward M. Coffman is a professor emeritus of history at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and the author of several books, including The War to End All Wars: The American Military Experience in World War I.

A masterly work of military history, Dunkirk: Retreat to Victory is also a tribute to the soldiers whose courage and self belief sustained them through their darkest hours. The evacuation of British forces from Dunkirk is one of the pivotal moments in the Second World War - an astonishing endeavour that snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. Sent to help the Belgians and French hold back the German army, the small British Expeditionary Force was ill-equipped and under-trained. When Hitler attacked on 10 May 1940 and the French and Belgian armies collapsed in the face of Germany's swift and brutal advance, the British soldiers found themselves in mortal danger. In Dunkirk: Retreat to Victory, Major General Julian Thompson recreates the action as the British fought hard for three desperate weeks, conducting a successful fighting withdrawal in the face of a formidable foe. He describes the individual acts of bravery and sacrifice and analyses the decisions of the commanders who made the choice to evacuate. He also takes us to Dunkirk harbour and onto the beaches, where the British army was trapped and under attack, while the Royal Navy and the 'little ships' raced against time to rescue them.

The 47th Regiment of Foot served throughout the whole of the American War of Independence. The regiment experienced the transition from peacetime soldiering in Ireland and New Jersey, through the deteriorating political situation, to open rebellion. The officers and men had to alter their tactics and doctrine from peacetime garrison duties, through conventional warfare around Boston to woodland operations in Canada and upper New York. Who were the 47th Foot? How well did they overcome the challenges they faced? What became of them? Where they unthinking automatons lead by an officer class incapable of adapting to the reality of warfare in North America? Paul Knight examines the regiment within the context of a British Army which was neither stuck in the past nor incapable of reform. New uniforms, weapons, and drill manuals reflected the lessons of the previous war within an environment of doctrinally innovative generals. Against this, the regiment had to train in an era of the financial parsimony and where the friction of peacetime soldiering mitigated against training objectives. Nevertheless, the 47th was judged 'A Very Fine Regiment and Fit for Service' before it sailed for New Jersey in 1773. In North America, the 47th served in peaceful New Jersey and New York before joining the Boston Garrison in response to the deteriorating political situation there. After Boston, they were sent to Quebec where they drove American Rebels out of Canada before participating in the ill-fated Saratoga Campaign. Most of the regiment then endured years of captivity as part of the Convention Army. A fortunate part of the regiment avoided this fate and defended Canada's borders for the remained of the war. This period saw the 47th, and the British Army in North America, quickly adapting to the rapidly evolving political and military situations they encountered. They successfully evolved their tactics and doctrine from peaceful garrison duties to conventional warfare in response to open rebellion and then to irregular tactics for woodland fighting. Paul Knight shows how the 47th Foot was able to adapt to the changing threats and operational environment quickly and effectively. These were thinking soldiers led by flexible officers capable of adopting to the prevailing operational environment.

Everyone has heard of, say, the Irish Fusliliers, the Glorious Glosters, or Royal Scots Greys. But where are these regiments today? What are they called? And what were they called a hundred years ago? The painful and much-resented rationalisation of the British regiments - which meant amalgamation or simply disbandment - has been going on since the first regiments were raised in the 17th century, according to the perceived needs of the nation in war or peacetime. But it accelerated in the mid-1950s and the task has now been completed on General Jackson's watch, in 2007. Anyone trying to follow the name changes of a particular regiment soon gets caught up in and confused by different histories in different books. By using clear family trees, Gerry Murphy sorts out all the confusion in one indispensable volume. The appendices alone are invaluable, showing the number of regimental antecedents, honours, colours and insignia.

The Fighting Fifteenth follows the 15th Alabama Infantry Regiment through the Civil War from its organization to its surrender at Appomattox. Through the use of first-hand accounts, the book places emphasis on the individual soldier and their wartime experiences.

Lion Rampant is Robert Woollcombe's graphic account of his experiences as a front-line infantry officer with the King's Own Scottish Borderers during the desperate battle for Normandy and the Allied advance into Germany. Vividly evoking the confusion, horror and comradeship of war - from the killing fields of Normandy bocage, through house-to-house fighting in shattered Flemish towns, to the final Rhine crossing - Lion Rampant is a powerful, authentic and moving story, telling with extraordinary clarity how the author, his fellow officers and the men of his company lived through one of the most bitter campaigns in history.

According to Pere Daniel the Dragoon corp got its origins under the reign of Henry II, with the mounted arquebusiers, created in 1554. Those were mostly small units of infantrymen, travelling on horses and firing when dismounted. The nickname 'dragoon' actually appeared later, under the reign of Henri III, and designate as well mounted arquebusiers, carabiniers and muskeeters. In this book, you will discover the magnificent uniforms of those cavalrymen, from the first XVIIth century wars, to the battles led by Louis XV's generals. 66 plates illustrate 200 horsemen and 60 flags. THIS BOOK IS IN ENGLISH.

France's colonial wars in sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia were very largely fought by an organization completely separate from both the home-defence Metropolitan Army and the Armée d'Afrique in Algeria. The Naval Troops (Troupes de la Marine) were volunteers, and earned a reputation for greater toughness and hardiness than the conscripted Metropolitan Army.

Spread throughout the French Empire, Naval Troops in this period were characterized by very large infantry and artillery regiments based in France, mixed race regiments (Régiments Mixtes), and entire native regiments raised in West Africa, Madagascar and Indochina. The latter, the so-called 'Tirailleurs' were organized and led by officers and cadres from the Naval Troops, and wore very varied and colourful uniforms based on formalized versions of traditional local costumes.

French Naval & Colonial Troops 1872-1914 uses rich and detailed full colour plates as well as thorough analysis to detail the story of these tough colonial units which bore the brunt of French colonial campaigns in Africa and Vietnam.

In the summer of 1936, Generalissimo Francisco Franco led a group of right-wing nationalists in a military attack on the Republican government of Spain--the start of what would become the Spanish Civil War. Despite U.S. laws banning participation in foreign conflicts, American volunteers began pouring into Barcelona in January 1937. The most famous of these anti-Franco groups was the band of 2,800 American fighters who called themselves the Abraham Lincoln Battalion. In Comrades and Commissars, Cecil D. Eby pushes beyond the bias that has dominated study of the Lincoln Battalion and gets to the very heart of the American experience in Spain.

Controversy has plagued the Lincoln Battalion from the very start. Were these men selfless defenders of liberty or un-American Communists? Eby has long been regarded as one of the few balanced interpreters of their history. His 1969 book, Between the Bullet and the Lie, won accolades for its rigorous and fair treatment of the Battalion. Comrades and Commissars builds upon that earlier study, incorporating a wealth of information collected over intervening decades. New oral histories, previously untranslated memoirs, and newly declassified official documents all lend even greater authority and perspective to Eby's account. Most significant is Eby's use of Lincoln Battalion archives sequestered in a Moscow storeroom for sixty years. These papers draw renewed focus on some of the most provocative questions surrounding the Battalion, including the extent to which Americans were persecuted--and even executed--by the brigade commissariat.

The Americans who served in the Lincoln Battalion were neither mythic figures nor political abstractions. Poorly trained and equipped, they committed themselves to back to-the-wall defense of the doomed Spanish Republic. In Comrades and Commissars, we at last have the authoritative account of their experiences.

The 4th United States Colored Troops (USCT) regiment saw considerable action in the eastern theater of operations from late 1863 to mid-1865. The regiment--drawn largely from freedmen and liberated slaves in the Middle Atlantic and New England states--served in Maj. Gen. Benjamin F. Butler's Army of the James, whose mission was to capture the Confederate capital at Richmond. From May to December 1864, the 4th saw action in the Bermuda Hundred and Richmond-Petersburg campaigns, and in early 1865 helped capture the defenses of Wilmington, North Carolina, the last open seaport of value to the Confederacy.

Citing recently discovered and previously unpublished accounts, author Edward G. Longacre goes beyond the battlefield heroics of the 4th USCT, blending his unique insights into political and social history to analyze the motives, goals, and aspirations of the African American enlisted men. The author also emphasizes how these soldiers overcame what one of their commanders called "stupid, unreasoning, and quite vengeful prejudice" and shows how General Butler, a supporter of black troops, gave the unit opportunities to prove itself in battle, resulting in a combat record of which any infantry regiment, black or white, could be proud.

The Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) supported the British Army throughout the First World War treating sick and wounded military personnel. The RAMC also had a range of sanitation responsibilities. The military nursing services and voluntary medical personnel provided vital support to RAMC medical units and hospitals, ensuring the effective treatment of casualties. The size of the armies, the intensity of the combat, the power of modern weaponry and the global nature of conflict meant the number of casualties proved challenging for the medical services of all combatants, including the RAMC. Consequently a number of innovative solutions were needed, and one such innovation developed by British medical services was the use of barges for the evacuation of seriously wounded casualties. A range of previously unpublished photographs, in thematic chapters considering aspects such as service in the United Kingdom, global warfare and commemoration, illustrate experiences of RAMC and medical personnel during the First World War. The book contributes to wider understanding of the RAMC and medical services in the First World War, and as such will be of relevance to readers with an interest in medical, social and photographic history.

Formed in 1868, and already possessors of a proud history by the outbreak of the First World War, the men of the 9th (Glasgow Highland) Battalion, The Highland Light Infantry, were right at the heart of the cataclysmic events that unfolded between 1914 and 1918 on the Western Front. One of the first Territorial units to be rushed to France in 1914, they participated in almost all the major British battles, including the Somme in 1916 and Ypres in 1917. Altogether, around 4,500 men served with the Glasgow Highlanders in the First World War. The composition of the Glasgow Highlanders changed dramatically over five years of fighting, as the original Territorial members were replaced. Despite this change, the ethos of the battalion, built up over half a century of peace and many months of warfare, survived. Alec Weir has steeped himself in the proud history of the Glasgow Highlanders in the First World War. His accessible, informal style, employing many first hand accounts, and his rigorous research combine here to produce a fascinating and detailed account of how ordinary men from all walks of life confronted and mastered the hellish conditions of trench warfare.

The Home Guard was formed in May 1940, when the dark clouds of war rolled over Britain and the nation stood alone, threatened with a Nazi invasion. Within six weeks of a radio appeal for a new civilian army to guard the Home Front, a staggering 1.5 million men had enrolled for service, covering every city, town, and village in the country. Despite initial deficiencies in the provision of training and equipment, the Home Guard later developed into a cohesive force and one of impressive diversity. David Carroll draws on the personal accounts of those men and eventually women who served, to reveal what it was really like to spend long nights on duty watching for the disguised enemy parachutists to drop on the fields of Britain. He conveys the fighting spirit of the men while examining the Home Guard's contribution to the war effort. "Dad's Army" is a comprehensive account of the Home Guard--from the early disorganized days of May 1940 until Stand Down at the close of 1944, by which time they had become a force to be reckoned with.

A regimental history and official account of the Irish Guards in World War I, written by Rudyard Kipling in honor of his son, John, who served in the Irish Guards and was killed in his first action at the battle of Loos. This book also contains a listing of the battle rolls of honor and casualty lists of all officers and men who served with the First and Second Battalion. This is the forgotten masterpiece of Nobel laureate Rudyard Kipling. It is the result of five and a half years' detailed research. It was out of print for many years. "This will be my great work . . . It is done with agony and bloody sweat." First published in 1923, Kipling's little-known masterpiece is an utterly individual contribution to the art of regimental history. In August 1914 Kipling's son John, not yet 17, volunteered for a commission in the army, but being under age and with poor sight, was initially refused. His father's friendship with Lord Roberts was used to gain him a commission in the Irish Guards. John Kipling's battalion, the 2nd, was at once deployed in the costly battle of Loos, where he was among the earliest casualties. Kipling was devastated, and set about writing a regimental history as a monument to his son's service. The result of five years of laborious research, it is both a military and a literary masterpiece. Kipling employed his exceptional descriptive powers, his empathy with fighting men, and his habitual passion for detail, to wonderful effect. Long out of print, the two volumes of "The Irish Guards in the Great War," of which this is volume two, are republished in lavish, illustrated editions complete with the original maps and appendices.

From the D-Day landings in June 1944 to the final declaration of peace the following year the Allied forces fought a bitter battle to the end against Hitler's Nazi Germany. Sean Longden re-tells the unexpected true story of life among the ranks of Field Marshall Montgomery's 21st Army group and reveals a tale of sex, burglary, rape, pillage and alcohol. Uncovering new material from interviews, documents and personal accounts, Sean Longden recounts what really happened on the road to Berlin. 'A meticulously-researched, utterly absorbing account of the human story behind the battle to crush Hitler's forces.' Yorkshire Post 'From D-Day to VE Day, historian Sean Longden reveals the sex 'n' rock 'n' drugs 'n' rock 'n' roll of soldiering' The Times

The origin of the Western military tradition in Greece 750-362 BC is fraught with controversies, such as the date and nature of the phalanx, the role of agricultural destruction and the existence of rules and ritualistic practices. This volume collects papers significant for specific points in debates or theoretical value in shaping and critiquing controversial viewpoints. An introduction offers a critical analysis of recent trends in ancient military history and provides a bibliographical essay contextualizing the papers within the framework of debates with a guide to further reading.

This book provides a photographic history of one of England's oldest un-amalgamated Country Regiments. Formed in 1689 the Regiment served widely at home and around the world in India, the Far East, the Mediterranean, North America, the Caribbean and Antarctica. Beginning in 1858, it highlights Victorian and Edwardian service in Malta, New Brunswick, Burma and India. During the First World War, the Regiment, greatly expanded to thirty-eight Battalions, serving throughout the war on the Western Front and at various times in the Mediterranean, Gallipoli, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Salonika and Macedonia. In the inter-war years the Regiment served at home and overseas in India, Palestine and Malta. During the Second World War the Cheshire's served in France during 1940, in Malta, North Africa, the Middle East in PAI Force and in North West Europe from June 1944 until the end of the war. Post-war service included Palestine, Egypt, Malaysia, Cyprus with the UN, Germany, Ireland, Belize and Hong Kong. The 200 photographs contained in this book are drawn from the regimental archives and highlight the diverse activities and places associated with the Cheshire Regiment over the past 150 years during times of peace and war. Dr Ronald Barr is a senior lecturer in history at Chester College and is Director of the College's Military Studies programme which is taught at the Cheshire Military Museum. He has a long-standing interest in military history and his previous works include: The Progressive Army: US Army Command and Administration.

The Scots Guards can trace their history back to 1642 when the regiment was raised as the King's Lifeguard of Foot by the Marquis of Argyll. From those early beginnings the Scots Guards have played a pivotal role in the history of the British Army. They fought on many different battlefields, from the Battle of Namurin to Waterloo. Going through various name changes the regiment became known as the Scots Guards in 1877, and fought at Telel Kebir in 1882, Mahdi in 1885 and the Boer War. At the First Battle of Ypres the regiment lost three quarters of its strength and won five VCs on the Western Front. In the Second World War Scots Guards fought in Norway, North Africa, Italy and from Normandy to the Baltic. Post-war the regiment has fought in Malaya, Suez, Borneo and in the Falklands. Its history is one of perseverance, of great bravery and of privation in time of war. Its troops have served Britain for five centuries, which is a record few can match. Within the pages of The Scots Guards are over 200 images of the regiment and its men at their best, in battle and in play, and the images and accompanying text are a unique record of a unique regiment.

For generations, the county of Shropshire has maintained a range of volunteer military units - infantry, cavalry, artillery, medical and the rest - which have served effectively and loyally in peacetime and in war. In times of national emergency, their numbers have been swelled by the creation if new military formations, raised purely to meet the crisis of war and which, their duty done, have ceased to exist. This book (a companion to The King's Shropshire Light Infantry 1881 - 1968 in the Images of England series), presents a selection of photographs of these 'part-time' soldiers of Shropshire between peacetime and through two World Wars, on ceremonial duty, on active service and in training. The photographs follow the story of the Shropshire Yeomanry, the local Militia, the Rifle Volunteers, the Territorial Army and the Shropshire Royal Horse Artillery from the 1870s towards the present day, with additional glances at other short-lived or war-raised units which were called into existence as need demanded. As with other countries, Shropshire has fought hard to maintain its military connections and to preserve and enhance their fine reputation. It is hoped that the publication of these photographs will be a reminder of that proud heritage and be of general interest to military historians and to veterans and families of those who served their country. PETER DUCKERS is Curator of the Shropshire Regimental Museum in Shrewsbury Castle.

This unique photographic history of the Dorsetshire Regiment conveys the history and spirit of a county regiment which was raised in 1702 and continued its service until amalgamation with the Devons in 1958. With over 200 photographs taken from the regimental archives in the Keep Military Museum in Dorchester, the book illustrates the regiment's service around the world in war and peace, showing the gallant action of both regular, volunteer and territorial forces. The author has constructed a book that will provide a nostalgic look at the recent past, as well as tracing the regiment's more distant history. This endearing collection provides an unparalleled insight into the Dorsetshires and gives a glimpse of many of the men who served with the regiment not only on campaign but also in providing garrisons for the Empire. Most of these photographs are in print for the first time ans will provide nostalgic pleasure for many.

This intriguing collection of around 200 photographs illustrates the distinguished service of a South Wales regiment which can be traced back to the early eighteenth century and which had close links to the Royal Hospital, Chelsea. It illustrates the history of the 1st and 2nd Battalions, The Welsh Regiment, formed from the 41st (The Welch) Regiment of Infantry and the 69th (South Lincolnshire) Regiment, which saw worldwide service in the days of the Empire and beyond. Supported at home, until 1908, by one Militia Battalion and four Volunteer Battalions, and after 1908 by four Territorial Battalions, the Regiment could truly be described as the indigenous infantry of south and south-west Wales. The book also traces the expanded Regiment which participated valiantly in the First World War. Officially renamed the The Welch Regiment in 1920, restoring the old English spelling, the Regiment continued to add to its outstanding record of service. During the Second World War Battalions fought in North Africa, Crete, Sicily, Italy, the North West Frontier as well as with the 14th Army in Burma. In 1948, the 2nd Battalion was disbanded, but the 1st went on to service in Korea, on the Rhine, North Africa and Hong Kong, interspersed with peaceful interludes in the United Kingdom. However, in 1969, the 1st Battalion, The Welch Regiment, amalgamated with the 1st Battalion, The South Wales Borderers, to form the 1st Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Wales, thus bringing to a close two and half centuries of loyal independent service. This collection, taken from the regimental archives and for the most part unpublished, presents a stunning pictorial history of the Regiment's achievements, showing their gallant service all over the world.

This book shows the illustrious history of the York and Lancaster Regiment, or the 'young and lovelies' (one of their numerous nicknames), and illustrates the regiment's service around the globe. It shows the regiment its earliest days in the 65th and 86th Regiments of Foot when they saw action in Guadeloupe, Martinique and Havana in the Seven Years War, as early as 1752 and the 65th and in East India as the 85th to amalgamation due to Cardwell's military reforms in 1881, to disbandment in 1968. With over 200 photographs from the regimental archives in the York and Lancaster Museum in Rotherham, the book illustrates the regiment's service around the world in war and peace, showing the gallant action of both regular, volunteer and territorial forces. The author has constructed a book that will provide old and new soldiers with a nostalgic look at the recent past, as well as tracing the regiment's more distant history. This endearing collection provides an unparalleled insight into the York and Lancaster Regiment and gives a glimpse at many of the men who served with the regiment both at work and leisure. Most of these photographs are in print for the first time and will provide nostalgic pleasure for many.

This fascinating illustrated regimental history contains photographs taken over a period of 11 years. During this time the Regiment served in most parts of the Empire including areas as diverse as India and Burma, South Africa and Norway, Kenya and Brunei. The Regiment, the 51st Foot, was raised in Leeds in 1755 and is one of the six Minden Regiments where, at the Battle of Minden (1759), British infantry beat off and drove back three waves of attacking French cavalry. In 1881 the 51st King's Own Light Infantry was coupled with the 105th Madras European Light Infantry to form the 1st and 2nd Battalions, respectively, of the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry. In 1927, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, was appointed Colonel-in-Chief. The recruiting area was mainly the industrial West Riding, South and North Yorkshire. The Regiment has a distinguished record and was involved in most of the great conflicts of the past 250 years. With 226 photographs from the Regiment's own archive at the Regimental Museum (housed within the Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Museum), as well as images from the Imperial War Museum, the National Archive of Canada, newspapers, the regimental journal, The Bugle, and former officers and men of the Regiment, this volume provides an interesting pictorial insight into the history of the Regiment.

A large format, color volume on Fredericks cavalry regiments. All currasier, dragoon and hussar regiments are illustrated with two color pages for each regiment, and informative text including the history of each formation to their dissolution.