Civil War special forces : the elite and distinct fighting units of the Union and Confederate armies / Robert P. Broadwater.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 262-270) and index.

The Zouaves -- The Lancers -- The Pikemen -- Horse artillery -- The machine gunners -- The Rocket Battalion -- The Chemical Corps -- Light divisions -- The Balloon Corps -- The Signal Corps -- Snipers and sharpshooters -- The Ambulance Corps -- Partisan Rangers -- Scouts and spies -- The Marines -- Sappers and miners -- Junior reserves -- Senior reserves -- The submariners -- The ironclads -- The women -- Black soldiers and the United States Colored Troops -- The Native Americans -- Summation of combat efficiency.

The Civil War, of course, pitted North against South. It also pitted ancient ways of war against new, technology-inspired weaponry and tactics. In surveying the war's elite fighting units, this work covers both. The book showcases novel weapons and unorthodox strategies, including machine gunners, rocket battalions, chemical corps, the Union balloon corps, and the Confederate submarine service, all of which harnessed new technologies and were forerunners of the modern military. Chapters also cover archaic special forces, such as lancers and pikers, that had their last hurrah during this transformational conflict. Readers will also meet the fighting youth of the North Carolina Junior Reserves, the "Graybeards" of North Carolina, and the female combatants of the Nancy Harts Militia of Georgia. Going where few other studies have gone, the book fills a gap in existing Civil War literature and brings to life the stories of many of the most extraordinary units that ever served in an American army. The tales it tells will prove fascinating to Civil War and weapons buffs and to general readers alike.