The 1865 Customs of Service for Non-Commissioned Officers & Soldiers: A Handbook for the Rank and File of the Army

by August V. Kautz

Reproduction edition of the Civil War era guidebook Indispensable for historians and reenactors

This was the Civil War soldier's and NCO's "how-to" guide to military duties in garrison and in the field. It covers of all ranks and services: infantry, cavalry, artillery, ordnance, quartermaster, signal, saddlers, hospital stewards, cooks, bands, as well as spies, pickets, expressmen, special forces. There is much quaint yet practical advice on survival,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811703991
• ISBN13: 9780811703994
• Release Date: February 2001
• Publisher: Stackpole Books
• Length: 303 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 3.0" x 5.0"

Customer Reviews

Excellent! Informative! A great reference tool!

This little, almost handsize book is a great reference tool for anyone that is a reeanctor or learning about soldier life and the rules of it. Completed in 1864, this book covers all camp duties, responsibilities, allowances, etc.. It simply covers privates, cavalry and officer roles and promotion procedures. I can't think of a better reference tool for a job description-like guide. Since this book was written in the Civil War era, it is interesting to read things like, "In cases of 'excessive fatigue' or 'severe exposure', soldiers may receive one issue of whiskey of one gill per ration. It simply doesn't get better for direct information about the Union army rules by the government. Besides being a great reference, this book can be quite entertaining as my previous paragraphed explained. ENJOY! 5 STARS!

Handy book

This reprint of the 1865 Customs of Service is a great tool for researchers, re-enactors, or anyone who is interested in the way things were in the mid-1800 Army. Printed from the 2nd edition, it includes plenty of topics of interest.

The 1865 Customs of Service for NCOs and Soldiers

Great idea to reprint this 1865 manual for the rank and file of the Civil War. I just purchased a copy and you won't be disappointed. The publisher's promise of the book being indispensable to historians and reenactors is dead accurate. As a reenactor it is refreshing to have a manual that details other aspects of the soldiers life and responsibilities beyond "The Manual of Arms"/School of the Soldier. The detailed descriptions and measurements will aid in enhancing a more accurate portrayal of the NCO or enlisted man and will give living history organizations new information to better educate and entertain the masses.

Very useful reference

This is a very useful source for duties of NCO's, military organization, the articles of war, and so on as they ideally were at the end of the Civil War. Reading this, one immediately sees that some of the organization, efficiency and filling out of many forms probably never really happened in the field. Still, it's useful in telling the researcher how people thought things should be. If used with caution, it's probably fairly accurate for Southern armies as well.