Free Encyclopedia Books

Review:
From the title of "The Civil War Reenactors' Encyclopedia" I was expecting a slightly different book from William C. Davis. Having attended a couple of Civil War reenactments in Illinois as a spectator as well as having seen what happens when you get together thousands of such people in movies like "Gettysburg," I was certainly expecting to find information on what a reenactor would need to have to enjoy a truly authentic experience. However, I was thinking that all of the photographs would be of contemporary versions of original articles of clothing, weapons, and equipment, but what Davis provides instead are those original artifacts, from the uniforms of all of the major units down to the smallest details such as buttons. If the title of this book indicated that it was just an encyclopedia of what soldiers wore, carried, and used in the Civil War it would work just as well.

This book begins from a premise that is certainly useful to the Civil War reenactor, which is what articles were necessary for every solider to have, "both for his substance as a man, and his efficiency as a fighter." That meant, besides his weapons, the soldier needed a leather belt with a cap box for the percussion caps that fired his weapon, a box for his cartridges, a sling/scabbard for his bayonet, a haversack and/or knapsack to carry his rations and his few personal items. Davis also goes into detail as to what few basic items were usually found in those knapsacks and haversacks, such as a sewing kit ("housewife"), pipe and tobacco, and Bible or New Testament.(By Lawrance M. Bernabo- Read more here)

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Lyons Press; 1 edition (Oct 2002)
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 1585745944
• ISBN-13: 978-1585745944
• Product Dimensions: 28.4 x 26.4 x 2.3 cm