Washington: Government Printing Office, 1863.
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Hardcover. First edition. 12mo. 370pp. 63 engraved plates, many of them folding. Publisher's green cloth with blindstamped eagle and shield on each board, and gilt spine-lettering. Spine lettering a little dull but readable, else a handsome near fine copy.
The first and only infantry manual issued for the use of the United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.) during the Civil War. Presumably because of demand, this edition was issued simultaneously with another edition published in New York by publisher David Van Nostrand. Prepared by General Silas Casey, the text and plates were prepared for his *Infantry Tactics...* for white troops in 1862. This edition was issued with a note by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton noting "This system of United States Infantry Tactics, prepared... for the use of the colored troops... having been approved by the President, is adopted for the instruction of such troops." The book also features 48 pages of drum beats and bugle-calls.
The first copy of this manual we've seen or handled, a significant testament to the important role of the African-American soldiers in the Civil War.
Item #444280