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Regulations for the Army of the United States. 1857.
New York: Harper & Brothers, Publishers, Franklin Square, 1857.
Octavo (7.5 x 4.75 in). viii, [1], 457, [1] pp. With War Department authorization leaf signed in print by Jeff. Davis, Secretary of War (dated January 1, 1857), and the Errata leaf present. Original dark brown cloth, gilt-lettered spine “ARMY REGULATIONS. 1857.” Blind-ruled boards.
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First edition, first printing of the final antebellum United States Army regulations, issued under the authority of Secretary of War Jefferson Davis, just four years before the outbreak of the Civil War. The 1857 Regulations codified the administrative, disciplinary, and logistical procedures governing the U.S. Army and became the standard reference for officers trained at West Point — including many who would later command forces on both sides of the conflict.
The presence of the Errata leaf identifies this copy as the earliest state, preceding later corrected issues. The authorization page, dated War Department, Washington, January 1, 1857, bears Davis’s printed signature as Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce — a poignant historical link, as Davis would later serve as President of the Confederate States of America.
An important and highly sought-after military manual, representing the last unified U.S. Army code before secession and the Civil War.
Condition: Light foxing and toning typical of the period; mild shelfwear to cloth with a few surface marks; gilt bright on spine. A clean, sound, and complete example in the original binding.
References: Sabin 68744; not in Howes.
