The focus of the book, Arma And Equipment Of The Civil War, is not on battles and grand strategy but rather is on giving the reader a better idea of how the men in blue and gray fought and lived during the American Civil War.  Specific emphasis is placed on how the soldiers from both sides were clothed, equipped and organized along with the instruments of war with which they so gallantly battled against each other.  The author of this book conducted much of the research by reviewing the written personal recolections of first hand participants and as such relied far less on other histories written long after the war had ended.  The major sections of this book are as follows: 1) Author's Preface; 2) The Army; 3) The Infantry (Infantry Weapons); 4) The Cavalry (Breech Loading Carbines); 5) The Artillery (Field Artillery, Siege and Garrison Artillery, Morters & Freak Guns); 6) The Engineers (Forts and Fortifications & Pontoon Brigers); 7) The Signal Corps (Military Telegraph & Military Balloons); 8) Railroads; 9) The Medical Departments; 10) The Quartermaster Corps (Subsistence Departments & The Sutlers); 11) The Navies (Naval Ordnance, Mines, Torpedoes and Torpedoe Boats & The Blockade); 12) Bibliography and 13) Index.  The book, Arms And Equipment Of The Civil War fills a much needed gap in the armchair historian's understanding of the how and with what the soldiers of the blue and gray fought this epic conflict with.  In addition to a very informative text, this book includes over 500 black and white illustrations that offer the reader a guide to the equipment, clothing, organization and weapons of the Union and Confederate soldiers who fought in the artillery, cavalry, infantry and navy.  This book is 160 pages and is in excellent condition.  The author and illustrator is Jack Coggins.  Edition published in 1990.