Sound the Charge (GIS) (Z)

Outstanding photos and illustrations regarding the U.S. Cavalry. What is missing is the historical prespective of the "buffalo soldiers" and their contribution to the war effort. Historians and Military Science seems to ignor detailof the Southwestern Indian Wars. 7th Cavalry seems to get more press than the 9th and 10th cavalry (Buffalo Soldier Regiments) and their hardships and incounters with the various Indian tribes. Bert J. Terrazas

I enjoyed recieving and using Mr. Langelliers book 'Sound the Charge'- The US Cavalry in the American West, 1866-1916 in my work as a Military Artist and Historian. The book is profusely illustrated throughout with many atmospheric original photographs of men and equipment, including some colour plates at the begining of the book. Again these are very atmospheric original lithographic illustrations that go some way to helping us experience the period- however as an artist and modeller, colour is very important and I find it quite frustrating to try and second guess colours by the varying tones on a particular monochrome photograph. The text is well researched and very accurate but I was a little disappointed in the lack of illustration or reference to the many non issue items of civilian dress that most US cavalry in the 1870's wore on campaign in the west (Please see 'Little Bighorn 1876' Peter Panzeri (Osprey Military). And perhaps some information with regard to Pennons and Guidons would have added another dimension to the book. However it must be said that the valuable information the book does contain is well laid out and the text is easy on the eye and a good read. Therefore in conclusion, I feel that overall 'Sound the Charge' will prove to be an asset to anybody interested in the US Cavalry of the period and a valuable source of reference to add to anyones library.

The author has produced a slew of photo studies with incisive text on the life and times of the U.S. soldier, and his Spanish and Mexican californio predecessors also. His specialty is in gathering together contemporary source material for the illustrations. This method has the great virtue of showing what was what and when. But if no photos are available, then something may be omitted. All of these books are vertical studies covering a period of years. Though sometimes the illustrations serve to identify individual items of equipment, these works are not intended for that purpose. They are not catalogs intended for materiel collectors. They are of such a length and of such a level of detail that they will serve the purposes of the general reader with a curiousity about what grandaddy did in WW II or great great great grandaddy in the Civil War and what he looked like and how he lived. This is not to say that the specialist such as myself cannot find useful nuggets herein. I can. I use these for general surveys of periods I do not study in detail, such as the Civil War, and the War With Mexico, etc. And to look up the odd facts. I have yet to be disappointed with any of them.