This auction is for a nice old 1863 dated Confederate State
Army Ordnance Manual. It is a large format hardcover book. The inside cover
states that the official title is THE ORDNANCE MANUAL FOR THE USE OF THE
OFFICERS OF THE CONFDERATE STATES ARMY. The book was published in 1863 in
Richmond, Virginia. It says Forst Edition, and I suspect it was probably the
only edition. The cover is embossed with an Ordnance Branch emblem. I suspect
that this manual was very likely a pretty close copy of a Union ordnance manual
but I do not know that for sure. It is obviously old and used and has been
around. There is spotting to the pages, I suspect from the type of paper used
and the chemicals and inks used in the paper, the binding has split some, but
all in all it is holding together quite well and the book can be held and
looked at and red. Some care must be used, but it is not falling apart. The
info in it is pretty interesting, everything from A to Z terms of all sorts and
types of Confederate ordnance related items – Cavalry related to muskets to
carriages to shells to firing equations, etc. It honestly is a very interesting
piece of Civil War history, and Confederate, which is so very difficult to find
in any condition. Not sure what else to say about it. It is over 500 pages
long.