Some Confederates called him a Bluebelly,
Mudsill, and even a Lincolnite (for President Abraham Lincoln), but the name that has carried down through the decades is simply Billy Yank. Author Lance Herdegen tells his fascinating multi-faceted story in Union Soldiers in the American Civil War. Union Soldiers offers a complete guide for Civil War enthusiasts of all ages. Herdegen employs nearly 100 photographs coupled with clear and concise prose broken down into short, easy to understand chapters to better understand these men. Coverage includes such varied topics as the organization of the Union Army, learning to be soldiers, winter campaigning, photography, sick call, nurses, religion, discipline, prisoner of war camps, weaponry, uniforms, as well as numbers and losses and the strengths of the various Union armies. It also examines the participation of U.S. Color Troops and the role played by African Americans during the Civil War. This handy reference book includes a list of Civil War points of interest, some bookshelf suggestions, and a glossary of Civil War terms. Experienced Civil War buffs will find Union Soldiers in the American Civil War an invaluable quick reference guide, and one that makes an excellent gift for introducing the Civil War to anyone of any age. AUTHORS: Co-authors Lance J. Herdegen and William J.K. Beaudot spent almost 30 years gathering dozens of unused sources before writing the award winning In the Bloody Railroad Cut at Gettysburg, and then collaborated on An Irishman in the Iron Brigade, the memoirs of James P. Sullivan of the 6th Wisconsin. Herdegen’s latest work includes The Iron Brigade in Civil War and Memory: The Black Hats from Bull Run to Appomattox and Thereafter, and the award winning Those Damned Black Hat: The Iron Brigade in the Gettysburg Campaign. Beaudot’s latest book is The 24th Wisconsin Infantry in the Civil War: The Biography of a Regiment. It was awarded the Milwaukee County Historical Society’s Gambrinus Prize. Beaudot worked in television news before joining the Milwaukee Public Library from which he retired after more than 36 years. Herdegen is the former director of the Institute of Civil War Studies at Carroll University. He previously worked as a reporter and editor for the United Press International (UPI) news service. Also included in this book is a foreword by author Alan T. Nolan and an appendix by Howard Michael Madaus, a nationally recognized Civil War authority, describing the distinctive uniform of the Iron Brigade. 90 images
