New Vanguard 40
American Civil War Artillery
1861 – 1865 (2), Heavy Artillery

by Philip Katcher
illustrated by Tony Bryan
 

Reviewed by John Prigent

Philip Katcher has already written quite a few books in the Men at Arms series, including 5 covering the American Civil War armies of both sides, and now adds a second volume on artillery to the new-look New Vanguards.

All those strange names are made clear here – Columbiads, Parrott Rifles, and Dahlgren Guns, with their different constructions and their origins explained. Siege guns, mortars and naval use are well described too, with a good selection of contemporary photographs clearly reproduced. Some are so good that you need to check the caption to make sure you’re not looking at one of the modern photos of preserved pieces!

The excellent plates show the different types on field and casemate carriages, but the trademark centre cutaway here is not a cutaway but a splendid depiction of a 100 pound Parrott Rifle on its iron casemate carriage with all its parts captioned. The cutaway page actually shows the different types of shell construction, though the captions for shells D and G have been reversed.

Another one for American Civil War fans, and highly recommended to them and to all artillery enthusiasts.

John Prigent

 

Review Copyright © 2001 by John Prigent
Page Created 23 August, 2001
Last updated 22 July, 2003

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