More than 16;000 Californians served as soldiers in the Union Army during the Civil War. One California unit; the 1st Battalion of Native Cavalry; consisted largely of Californio Hispanic volunteers from the “Cow Counties†of Southern California and the Central Coast. Out-of-work vaqueros who enlisted after drought decimated the herds they worked; the Native Cavalrymen lent the army their legendary horsemanship and carried lances that evoked both the romance of the Californios and the Spanish military tradition. Californio Lancers; the first detailed history of the 1st Battalion; illuminates their role in the conflict and brings new diversity to Civil War history. Author Tom Prezelski notes that the Californios; less than a generation removed from the U.S.-Mexican War; were ambivalent about serving in the Union Army; but poverty trumped their misgivings. Based on his extensive research in the service records of individual officers and enlisted men; Prezelski describes both the problems and the accomplishments of the 1st Battalion. Despite a desertion rate among enlisted men that exceeded 50 percent for some companies; and despite the feuds among its officers; the Native Cavalry was the face of federal authority in the region; and their presence helped retain the West for the Union during the rebellion. The battalion pursued bandits; fought an Indian insurrection in northern California; garrisoned Confederate-leaning southern California; patrolled desert trails; guarded the border; and attempted to control the Chiricahua Apaches in southern Arizona. Although some ten thousand Spanish-surnamed Americans served during the Civil War; their support of the Union is almost unknown in the popular imagination. Californio Lancers contributes to our understanding of the Civil War in the Far West and how it transformed the Mexican-American community.
#1448589 in Books 1988-03Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 #File Name: 0870212028120 pages
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Another one of my favorite "Anatomies"By Daryl CarpenterAlthough the "Anatomy of the Ship" series is a rather hit-or-miss affair; this one is one of my favorites; and does an excellent job depicting the internal and external arrangements of a typical Royal Navy frigate of the period. The introduction is pretty brief; and includes a look at the ship's design; a short service history; and a few tables giving dimensions of the masts; spars; and hull. For photos; we get 11 excellent shots of three different models of Diana from the National Maritime Museum collection that were built the same time the ship was.Once again; the drawings are the meat of the book; and David White; a genuine naval architect; really delivers. The plans are meticulously detailed; crisply drawn; and very classy looking. An unusually large percentage of the plans depict the internal layout of the ship and the structural arrangements of the hull; including perspective views of the shot lockers and magazines; cross-sections of the pumps and Brodie stove; and plans showing the arrangement of casks in the hold. The external fittings and rigging are also covered in detail; including multiple views of the bow structure; plans of every mast and spar; rigging plans; views of the capstan and anchor cable arrangements; drawings of the cannons and their gear; and diagrams of the steering arrangements.For the Age of Sail buff; this book is overflowing with authentic 18th century nautical jargon. The detail has been simplified in places; but mostly to the benefit of the reader. The only real misstep is the section on spars and rigging; which has been compressed too much to be really useful for ship modelers. I'm not a model ship builder; but if you plan on building a model of the 'Diana'; you'll want to hunt down some additional material on sails and rigging.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Excellent example of the AotS seriesBy ToddExcellently written and well researched; this book is a wonderful resource for scratch ship model makers or fans of the Hornblower/Aubrey novels (it's not exactly representative of the Surprise or the Lydia; but it's close enough... 36-gun ships were just a couple of feet shorter and one less gun on the gun-deck).6 of 6 people found the following review helpful. Building an RC model sailing shipBy Raymond D. GrosserThis book is invaluable for those who have done what I have done. In my Building a 1:24 scale model of a three masted Frigate from an SCH kit I found the detail drawings and sail patterns absolutely necessary.This book would help in modeling other kinds of ships as well; especially details for such things as pumps; rigging; carronades; cannon; deck fittings; and a host of other details.Highly recommended.
