Armies of the Italian Wars of Unification 1848-70 (2): Papal States, Minor States & Volunteers

Last year I bought a copy of ARMIES OF THE ITALIAN WARS OF UNIFICATION 1848-70 (1): PIEDMONT AND THE TWO SICILIES and when it was announced that the second book was going to be published, I pre-ordered a copy. It was delivered yesterday and it looks as interesting and inspiring as the first volume.

The book is split into several sections, including:

• Introduction: An overview of:
• The Second War of Independence (1859)
• Garibaldi's rising in the South (1860)
• The events of 1861-66
• The Third War of Independence (1866-70)
• A chronology
• The 1866 campaign: The Battle of Custoza, and the naval clash off Lissa
• The Conquest of Rome, 1870
• The Papal Army, 1848-70: Its organisation, uniforms, weapons, and tactical performance
• The Minor States' Armies, 1848-70: The organisation, uniforms, weapons and tactical performance of the forces of:
  • The Grand Duchy of Tuscany
  • The Duchy of Parma
  • The Duchy of Modena
• Patriots and volunteers, 1848-70: The organisation, uniforms, weapons and tactical performance of Italian patriots and foreign volunteers, including:
  • The Roman Republic (1848-49)
  • The San Marco Republic (1848-49)
  • The Kingdom of Sicily (1848-61)
  • Garibaldi's Redshirts and others (1848-61)
• A select Bibliography

It is interesting to note the changes in military fashion that took place between 1848 and 1870. At the start of the period uniforms are still very Napoleonic in look, but by 1870 the kepi seems to have replaced the tall shako and the tunics that come halfway down the thigh seem almost universal wear. As one would expect, amongst the volunteers there are some interesting (and sometimes anachronistic-looking) uniform variations being worn, and recreating them on the tabletop should certainly appeal to wargamers who like to field units a bit exotic or odd looking.

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ARMIES OF THE ITALIAN WARS OF REUNIFICATION 1848-70 (2): PAPAL STATES, MINOR STATES & VOLUNTEERS was written by Gabriele Esposito, illustrated by Giuseppe Rava, and published by Osprey Publishing (ISBN 978 1 4728 2624 4) as part of their Men-at-Arms series (No.520).