The papers are comprised of a single bound letter book that functioned as a register for a company of the 5th Regiment, United States (U.S.) Infantry commanded by Major J. D. Bernard Commen for the period 1 January-17 December 1814. The letter book contains several lists (registers) used to track personnel and company property including clothing, equipment, arms, and ammunition. On the "Role of Description and Enlistment," each soldier is listed by name, with information on his rank, height, age, physical description, occupation, date and place of enlistment, and place of birth. A table tracks the state of the company, noting incidents by date and gains or losses of personnel. Separate lists record the chain of command, desertions, deaths, discharges, transfers to and from the company, and courts martial (including punishments). The bulk of the book is a signed individual inventory of each soldier's issued equipment, arms, and ammunition. A handwritten, contemporary index of soldiers mentioned in the letter book is the final portion of the bound volume.

This manuscript contains actual letters written by my father during World War II - included are my comments and memoirs. The letters were written to his family, especially his mother. Actual photographs have been included, many from Europe during the war.

“An excellent read for anyone interested in men at war, as well as for students of the airborne operations, the Italian Campaign, and the war in Europe” (The NYMAS Review). Upon the completion of the Sicily and Salerno Campaigns in 1943, the paratroopers of Col. Reuben Tucker’s 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment were among the first Allied troops to enter Naples—a ghost town at first sight. The residents soon expressed their joy at being liberated. Four weeks later, the 504th—upon the special request of Gen. Mark Clark—spearheaded Fifth Army’s drive through the notorious Volturno Valley—the Germans’ next stand. January 1944 seemed to promise a period of rest, but the landing at Anzio meant deployment for the paratroopers again, this time by ship. A bombing raid during their beach landing was a forecast of eight weeks of bitter fighting. Holding the right flank of the beachhead along the Mussolini Canal, the paratroopers earned their nickname “Devils in Baggy Pants” for their frontline incursions into enemy lines, as well as their stubborn defense of the Allied salient. In this work, H Company’s attachment to the British 5th Grenadier Guards—and the Victoria Cross action of Maj. William Sidney—are painted in comprehensive light for the first time. The story of honorary member of the 504th PIR, Italian veteran Antonio Taurelli, is also included. Using war diaries, personal journals, letters, and interviews with nearly eighty veterans, an up-close view of the 504th PIR in the Fifth Army’s Italy Campaign is here in unsurpassed detail. From the author of two previous works on the 504th PIR, The Battle of the Bridges and Blocking Kampfgruppe Peiper, this book shows that the Italian theater was second to none in terms of grueling combat, courage against formidable odds, and an extremely expert enemy.

Hartley was 36 when he enlisted in 1862, and wrote 89 letters to his wife over the two years before he died in the battle of Cold Harbor. They reveal not only his concerns related to his situation, such as worn-out boots and enemy sharpshooters, but also those related to the farm he had left in her care. His great-grandson, Garber Davidson, edited, annotated, and illustrated them; augmented them from other sources; and commented on them before he died in 1998. Facsimiles of several are appended. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR.

A collection of letters written by B. F. Stevenson, who was the surgeon to the 22nd Kentucky Infantry, U.S. during the American Civil War.

The 5th Battalion of the 60th (Royal American) Regiment was the first rifle battalion in the regular British Army. Raised in 1797, it marked a significant step in the development of British light infantry and rifle corps. Lieutenant Colonel Francis de Rottenburg, the battalion's commander for almost 10 years, formulated the first British Army light infantry manual. After serving in Ireland during the 1798 rebellion, in the West Indies, and in the Americas, the battalion rose to fame during the Peninsular War. It was one of only three battalions to be present from the initial landings in Portugal through to the invasion of France, and victory six years later. Divided between the brigades of Wellington's army to provide specialist rifle and skirmishing capability, the riflemen often formed advance or rear guards, patrols and outposts. Frequently praised by Wellington and his divisional commanders, the battalion won 16 battle honors. Drawing on official records, memoirs, court martial transcripts, inspection reports, and unpublished letters, Riflemen recounts not only the campaigns in which the battalion fought, but also many personal stories of the soldiers who served with it. Riflemen includes tales of murder, promotion from the ranks, desertion, prisoners of war, and small actions that are often overlooked. As the first history of the battalion written in almost 100 years, it sheds new light on a vital component of Wellington's army and its important place in the history of the British Army.

Eagles on Their Buttons is a fascinating examination of the Fifth Regiment of Infantry, United States Colored Troops -- the Union Army's first black regiment from Ohio. Although the Fifth USCT was one of more than 150 regiments of black troops making up more than 10 percent of the Union Army at the end of the war, it was unique. The majority of USCT regiments were made up of freed men who viewed the army as an escape from slavery and a chance to take up arms against their former masters. The men serving in the 5th USCT, however, were freemen who were raised in a northern state and saw serving in the army both as a way to gain equal rights under the law and as an opportunity to prove their worth as men. Copyright © Libri GmbH. All rights reserved.