This profusely illustrated volume represents more than three decades of research in pubic and private collections by military historian John P. Langallier and Civil War authority C. Paul Loane, whose own examples of Union headgear constitute one of the finest individually owned collections in the country. Combining an authoritative text with more than 350 photographs of specimens and period images, this volume is an indispensable research tool for collectors, curators, and reeanactors, particularly those who are seeking an overview of the many types of headwear donned by the Union soldier between 1861-1865.

Hats Off offers a concise history of U.S. Army headgear from the immediate post Civil War era to the eve of World War I. In this study historian John P. Langellier shares more than a quarter of a century of research in archives, museums, and private collections throughout the nation. An informative text is supported by nearly 400 illustrations of rare and important military headdress. The volume is destined to become a standard reference for collectors, curators, and those interested in American military uniforms from the Indian Wars through the early 20th century. 400 colour & b/w photographs

A history of the uniforms worn by the United States Army form 1851 to 1872.

This volume brings the story of the evolution of headgear in the United States Regular Army from just prior to the Civil War to the opening of the modern era. Strongly influenced by French, British, and German styles, the U.S. Army tried and found wanting in numerous ways a number of models, and it was not until the adoption of the "drab" campaign hat in the early 1880s that a truly American pattern evolved. The European influence carried on until the 1902 uniform change, and, in the case of the "overseas" cap and chapeau, even beyond.--Provided by publisher.