AMERICA'S ZOUAVES

Historian and author Iain MacGregor shares his passion for the brightly uniformed infantrymen who served in the US Civil War, and interrogates some of the myths about their combat role

- Iain MacGregor

I have been passionate about the history of the American Civil War (1861-65) for over 40 years. As a young schoolboy I first discovered the war itself in school history books and was captivated by one battle in particular – Gettysburg, 1863. From there I dug deeper to discover the politics, strategies, seminal battles and of course the armies and units from each side of the conflict. History was to be my chosen path once I decided to enter the world of publishing and I have been fortunate enough to commission and edit many books on this conflict as well as travel to the United States of America with my job. Over the past few years I have been able to travel to some of the key locations on the eastern seaboard of the USA, specifically in Virginia and Pennsylvania, to visit various sites of the Civil War – one of which, of course, was Gettysburg National Military Park.

In my role as a publisher and as a fan of all things connected to the American Civil War, one of my favourite books I constantly return to is Don Troiani’s Civil War. As many readers will know, the artwork of renowned historical painter Don Troiani has brought the colour, dash, passion and bravery of the fight between Confederate and Union forces to a quite remarkable level. His attention to artistic detail and historical accuracy is second to none and for me still remains one of the best sources of reference material to work with.