The Crimean War also fits in there before WWI - sort of a bridge. Like, battlefield photography in the Civil War bringing images of the war to the homefront, and then in Crimea, there were reporters, who could telegraph their stories home to England. Crimea had early machine guns, and British rifles versus Russian smoothbores.

I hesitate to add to your no-doubt extensive wishlist, but Death Or Glory: The Legacy Of The Crimean War by Robert Edgerton is great.