That body of brave men

"Two separate components made up the bulk of the Union Army: state volunteer regiments and the Regular Army. The volunteers have stood forefront in the mind of the American public, perhaps because the vast majority of Northern soldiers served in volunteer units. Much has been written about the volunteer units, but there has been very little attention paid to the 75,000 soldiers of the Union's Regular Army - until now." "The author covers in detail the history of the four Regular Army regiments that fought in the Civil War's Western Theater. Using old regimental records from the Civil War, as well as diaries and letters, the author has unearthed a wealth of new material about this long-neglected topic. He covers every unit and every battle in compelling narrative and exhaustive detail, and reaches some surprising conclusions about the significant role these troops played in the Union's eventual victory."--BOOK JACKET.