Military Uniforms 1686-1918

Although special 'dress' for war was in existence long before the seventeenth century, it was not until the latter part of that era that many countries began to regulate the color and design of the clothing worn by the ir fighting forces. The author, a well-known scholar of costume and mi litary affa irs, interweaves his comprehensive coverage of military dress with exciting details on the causes and events of the wars during which the uniforms were in use. Set against two and a half centuries of battles and campaigns, the magnificent uniforms of infantry and cavalry, dragoons and lancers of more than thirty countries are described and illustrated in detail. Two hundred and forty pieces of glowing full -color art depict the campaign and dress uniforms of European and American men-at-arms. Colorful events and uniforms move across the historical stage which includes the War of the Spanish Succession, the French and Indian War in North America, the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War, the Napoleonic Wars, the Latin American Wars for Independence, the Crimean War, the Indian Mutiny, the American Civil War, the Boxer Rebell ion, the Balkan Wars and the First World War among dozens of ot hers.