Letters on: Wargamers wanted...; On the Siborne Review; Silesian Standards, help needed to raise; Drummers’ uniforms of the 21ème de Ligne; For The Hidden Romantics; Sharpe after the watershed please; More Cookery and Supplementary dispatches; Baron Larrey. The answers...; More Larrey and that forthcoming book; Hamilton-Williams; On-line Response; Best Special Interest Magazine
Dear Dave,
Just a short note to ask readers if they could help me out. I’m a new recruit to the Napoleonic Wargaming scene having never played but being eager to do so. If there are any clubs or friends who play close to me and wouldn’t mind me gate-crashing a game, then could they write to me and we’ll see if the smell of the battle is for me! Cheers.
37 Woodville Road
Lower Ince, Wigan,
Lancashire. WN3 4PB
Dear Sirs,
It was refreshing to read John Cook’s review of Siborne’s “History”. After the way in which the latter’s reputation has been questioned recently, it was good to see that his rehabilitation is continuing. In that vein, perhaps it would be of interest to your readers to hear how the Prussian General Staff reacted to the publication of this work in the 1844.
An extensive review of Siborne’s “History” was carried through several issues of the 1845 volume of “Militair Wochenblatt”, the official organ of the Prussian (and later German) General Staff. Although critical in places, this review was largely favourable. In fact, it begins on p 23 with the words:
‘Although there is no shortage of works from England on the Campaign of 1815, most of these are of limited interest to the Prussian reader. This is either because they consider our part in these fortunate events in passing, or, if they actually do deal with this subject, because they either reduce its significance, or present it in such a way that those who are unaware of the facts are given a false picture. The root causes of such a method of treating history lay partly in an inadequate use of our better sources, or even a deliberate lack of use of them, and partly due to national pride, the conscious holding of a certain point of view, ignoring not only events outside of their own history, but also the achievements of the Allied troops within the ranks of the British Army.
‘Thus it is all the more pleasant to see a work published over there which is not only well researched, but also free of national bias. It stands out of one of those histories with a worthwhile point of view. By clearly seeking the truth, it is one that is all the more just.’
This review, anonymous though it is, is evidently written by one of the senior Prussian officers who participated in the campaign.
Based on this recommendation of Siborne’s work, it was translated into German, being published by Mittler in 1846. Mittler was the publisher of many official government works. As such, this was a further indication of approval of Siborne’s work at the highest level.
There then followed a series of correspondence between the Prussian General Staff and Siborne. This was co-ordinated by Bunsen, the Prussian representative in London, and Gerwien, a major attached to the Prussian General Staff. Copies of various documents from Prussian archives were provided. A discussion followed. Siborne changed his mind on various matters. The documents which indicate this are in Volume 6 of the “Waterloo Correspondence”.
In 1848, a third and revised edition of Siborne’s “History” was published. This contained amendments based on the information provided by the Prussian General Staff. Certain of these amendments conflicted with the points of view made in the popular press and even contradicted the Duke of Wellington. Siborne’s search for the truth did not make him popular in certain quarters. He was a courageous man.
Siborne’s work, one hundred and fifty years after its publication, is still the only one in the English language based in part on documents from the Prussian War Archives. As such, it is unique. One should also not forget that most of the Prussian War Archives are missing, presumed destroyed in World War Two. The value of Siborne’s work should not be underestimated.
Peter Hofschröer
Rietberg, Germany
Silesian Standards, help needed to raise...
Dear Dave
Could any of your readers (German?) help me with information on flags which may have been carried by Silesian Landwehr 1813-15. M.A.A. 78 has the following information, ‘Many Silesian Landwehr... sky blue flags bearing the red and white chequered and gold crowned heraldic eagle of Silesia.’ What did the gold crowned eagle of Silesia look like and would each battalion or just the regiment carry one. This flag would certainly help the unit stand out on the table. (Please help as they are currently flagless!).
Mark Ashby (NA 21ème de Ligne)
London
Drummers’ uniforms of the 21ème de Ligne...
Dear Dave
In reply to the query on drummers’ uniforms of the 21ème de Ligne, the picture shows the drummers’ uniforms shortly after they were made for the Regiment and at this time we did not have the resources to produce Imperial Livery in any satisfactory way. Some attempts were made to manufacture the lace, but without success. Recently though, we have been able to devote more time to the issue, and have come up with a solution which hasn’t burnt too big a hole in our Regimental pockets.
The production of the lace we have is largely as a result of the appearance of an article in the French magazine “Tradition”, which highlighted the lace found on an original Line lancer jacket of the period. (The only surviving example.) This sparked off a determination in the Regiment between myself and Nick Dawson our Drum Major, to get the lace sorted out. With the help of other colleagues in the Regiment, notably Keith Redfern and Richard Ransome, who kindly sifted through their libraries for information, we began some research. We quickly encountered two problems: reliability of information, and cost.
We discovered, when we compared what we knew of the 1811/1812 Bardin Regulations on the lace with the Tradition article, that there must have been different variations in the lace produced. I wonder now whether this should be surprising at all, since there was so much variation, artistic licence, and whim in the dress of the French army of the time, except that Bardin was attempting to standardise the dress.
We discovered also from other French sources (such as the Musée de L’Armée in Paris, and the Musée de L’Emperie in Salon de Provence, both of which have examples of lace which are different; and documentary information from such authorities as Buquoy) that there was indeed variation. To add to the problem, the quantity of lace and spacing on a typical musician’s jacket appeared to vary also, as did the way it was actually produced. On this latter issue, of course this was of primary interest to us since we were hoping to reproduce the lace.
One source we encountered stated that in 1815, the lace was simply painted onto the jackets (sighs of relief for figure painters!). However, with the Tradition article, and the examples of lace in the museums, we concluded that the lace was woven, but from what, was, and is, not clear. To have the lace woven then introduced the second consideration, cost. We found that this would be far too expensive to do. We therefore resolved to cut our costs, and produced a version of the lace based upon the Tradition article, which we found fairly easy and relatively cheap to produce. This we concluded was a satisfactory compromise bearing in mind the fact that the lace varied in its production at the time.
Your assumption, therefore, is correct, that it was the practicalities of the situation which initially created a hurdle for us, but which has now been surmounted. Should you like more information on the lace, or any other part of our uniform, then please contact the Regiment direct, and we will be happy to help.
M.A. Page
Caporal, Service d’Habillement,
21ème de Ligne.
Editor: Thank you “Alfredo” and congratulations on winning best re-enactor at the 2nd First Empire Show... the judge says it was the well turned buttocks that ‘clenched’ it.
Dear sir
I found Ian Moore’s letter in FE23, entitled ‘Something Other Than Sharpe’, very interesting, I’ve read most of the titles he mentioned but was pleased to find a few new ones. I am now in search of ‘Seven Men of Gascony’ by R.P. Delderfield
Ian Moore deserves a pat on the back for such a good idea. Life would Se almost bliss if more enthusiasts were willing to pass on information like this to each other. With this in mind I’ve enclosed a few brief notes on other fictional books that I think readers might find worth looking at.
-
A DAWN OF SPLENDOUR by Catherine Gavin.
- (First published by Grafton Books, 1989, and then in paperback in 1994 by Diamond Books, London: No ISBN number?)
Set in Revolutionary France 1793-5, this exciting tale centres on Marie Fontaine. She survives imprisonment during the bloody madness of the guillotine, fights to become a pharmacist, gets close to Sergeant Vautour of the National Guard, (but who is he really?) She also becomes a very close friend to the up and coming General Napoleon Buonaparte. (note the spelling!)
THE FRENCH FORTUNE by Catherine Gavin.
- (First published in 1991 by Harper Collins Publishers, then Grafton Rooks in 1992 and then in paperback by Diamond Books in 1994. Again, no ISBN number?)
The tale starts in 1795 and follows on from ‘A DAWN OF SPLENDOUR’. It covers the adventures of pharmacist Marie when she travels with Napoleon and his army during the Italian campaigns in 1796-7 and then to Egypt in 1798. The story also includes some very interesting parts when it follows General Napoleon on a mapping expedition and his growing desire for one of Marie’s friends, Josephine.
CASSIE by E.V. Thompson.
- (First published in 1991 by Macmillan London Ltd, and then in paperback, 1992, by Pan Books Ltd, London: ISBN 0 330 32155 0)
Cassie, 16 and pregnant, goes in search of her soldier lover and joins the brave band of women following Wellington’s army in Spain during the Peninsular Wars. Her adventures would make many a veteran wince.
THE GUN by C.S. Forester.
- (First published in 1933 by Bodley Head Ltd and then in 1964 by Longman’s Green & Co Ltd, London. This book might Se hard to obtain and my copy contains no ISBN number)
The story, starting in 1808, tells the tale of how an eighteen pounder siege gun inspires various Spanish priests, citizens and guerrilla leaders into attacking the French who now occupied Spain as part of the French empire. It also tells the tale in a more realistic way than the film of the same name.
DEATH TO THE FRENCH by C.S. Forester
- (Also published by Bodley Head Ltd but further publishing details are unknown? I’ve been trying to obtain a copy for years!)
Death to the French is about the adventures of Rifleman Dodd who tries to rejoin his unit after being cut off behind the French lines In Portugal in 1808. I think it’s a brilliant tale because it repeats the various events and actions within the story from both Dodd’s and the French points of view. It’s a book from my childhood and one that first taught me that war isn’t glorious and the ‘enemy’ were also human beings.
I sincerely hope they inspire more readers to send In details of any fictional books with a Napoleonic background they’ve come across.
John Walsh (NA)
Runcorn, Cheshire
Sharpe after the watershed please..
Dear Dave,
Whilst reading about the repeat of “Sharpe’s Rifles” on television in “TV Times” recently, I got the impression that Sean Bean would like to see the series spiced up with more shocking violence and sex. How typical of him, especially that last bit!
Then it hit me with all the power and accuracy of a Rifleman’s bullet on how this can be achieved.
First of all the future episodes could be shown on Sunday nights. beginning at either 9pm or 9.30pm. This would omit the necessity of cutting them for “News At Ten” and, due to the watershed deadline. the series could become much tougher as a result.
All the other great ITV dramas (“Soldier Soldier”. “Cracker”. “Prime Suspect” etc.) are shown at 9pm or later so why not “Sharpe”?
Charles Burley.
Dronfield, Sheffield
Editor: The scheduling of Sharpe owes more to advertising revenues than content, and as the relevant TV companies are I believe slightly more than chuffed at the returns, I doubt that they will change a winning formula. I know that the makers of Sharpe strive to improve on every series, in terms of presentation and realism but there are always corners that have to be cut and concessions that have to be made. Regardless of your opinions on the series, we should be grateful to have such a spotlight on the period as it can only be of benefit to the hobby in general.
More Cookery and Supplementary dispatches
Dear Dave
Useful though Neil Hepworth’s idea of producing translated abstracts of foreign source material appears to be (Dispatches FE 22), the amount of material is so vast that such a project would be impossible. Bibliographies in well documented modern works are helpful and a visit to any public library is a start. Make use of the loan services the agency provides. Approach museums and universities; they have libraries too. Write to these institutions and ask them for their help. Unfortunately Chapter V to Haythornthwaite’s book,[1] which could have been an invaluable tool, is not useful. The larger part of most foreign source material is bound to remain in the language of origin and in order to exploit it, something of the tongue concerned will always be necessary. One must also accept that some effort is always going to be required, even when researching in one’s own language.
On the other hand, Neil’s plea for accessibility to foreign sources gives me a germ of an idea, in similar vein to that alluded to by the Editor in the context of a Research Section (Dispatches FE 18), and I wonder if it would be possible to establish a database of material in readers’ collections. The study groups are a step in this direction but they are not co-ordinated, insofar as they do not seem to disseminate outside their own circle. Perhaps they prefer it that way, I don’t know. The idea is not new and I am not quite sure how one might go about collecting the information, or whether it would even be practical. Perhaps a questionnaire in FE, maybe under the auspices of the NA, might be a start, where those willing to give of their time and knowledge might say so.
What I suppose I am suggesting is a ‘Help Desk’ facility, if you like, but one which is organised centrally, perhaps even able to task the Study Groups or at least receive their newsletters, call upon the services of individuals with the relevant knowledge, has the wherewithal to identify the whereabouts of sources of information even if in the most generalised way, collect and collate it, possibly even to the extent of providing a ‘Yellow Pages’ style document, thus providing a service to readers on a regularised and organised basis, rather than the ‘hit and miss’ style of ‘Dispatches’ which seems to have evolved into a more general, though none the less entertaining and informative, forum.
In the context of sources perhaps a brief explanation of terminology would be helpful. In the government department for which I work, a source is defined as simply any person or anything from which information is obtained. I really can’t improve on that. I think it’s obvious that no live informants remain from the period in which we are interested and, the Ouija board notwithstanding, interrogation seems unlikely. We do, however, have their words, left to us in documentary form as statements, letters, manuscripts, diaries, memoirs and the like. The things are documentary objects, such as drill and clothing regulations, regimental histories, staff histories and other general histories, pictorial evidence and artefacts, such as weapons, equipment and clothing. The positions sources occupy are hierarchical, depending upon the distance from the original, or primary, source, hence secondary, tertiary, fourth-hand and so on. A primary source, however, can only be one which is not derived from something else. This really is not a moot point, unless one cares to take issue with the Oxford Dictionary, in any of its many forms.
Because the Otto Manuscript, for example, is derived from of the uniforms it portrays and consists of the interpretations of the artist, it can only be a contemporaneous secondary source.[2] Indeed, it is only presumed that the artist made his sketches from life. There can only be one primary source and in this case one must decide whether it is the artefacts themselves or the illustrations of them. Clearly it must be the artefacts. The Otto Manuscript is analogous to reported speech. It is also possible, of course, to argue that the artist himself is a source but one has to be careful not to become involved in the theory of relativity of knowledge, which, goes like this - because things are only known as a result of their effect on the mind, there can, theoretically, be no knowledge of actual reality!
History should be, in my view, first and foremost a methodical and accurate record of a train of events, and secondly a reasoned and expert analysis. If it entertains as well, this is a bonus. The analytical process is the “truth’’[3] alluded to by Maj. Gen. Jacob Cox, whose words I borrowed, and is an exercise involving the collation, evaluation and interpretation (in the context of its implications rather than linguistically) of all available evidence against a background of what has already been established as fact, whilst taking into account the prejudices and veracity, where they are known, of the sources in question. The end result is considerably more than unsupported opinion. The difference, in very simplistic terms, is “I think this happened” as opposed to “I think this happened, this is why and these are its implications...”
Cox was responsible for numerous other works of similar reputation, notably a critique of Grant’s memoirs, and is still considered to be a model exponent of what has been called ‘scientific history’. The relevance of the works on the American Civil War which were cited in my original letter is only exemplary. That this American material is written in English has nothing to do with it. At the risk of repetition, the point I was making was that Cox, ex pede Herculem, and the more recent American works, en masse, are models of investigative history and are in contrast to some recent products of the Napoleonic ‘industry’, the evidence for which, far from being hearsay, ranges from prima facie to demonstrative and has been documented in several recent issues of FE.
Finally, it is a pity that Magnus has interpreted my remarks in the context of linguistic qualifications as a “personal affront”. He has no justification for doing so. His reasons for placing this construction on them are simply not pertinent.
“Men are but gilded loam or painted clay”[4]
Footnotes:
-
[1]. Haythornthwaite, Philip J. The Napoleonic Source Book, London, 1991.
[2]. First Empire No21. Readers’ Reviews. p27.
[3]. Cox, Jacob. D. The Battle of Franklin - Tennessee, November 30, 1864. Ohio, 1983 (facsimile of 1897 edition). p244.
[4]. Shakespeare. King Richard II.
Cambridge
Dear Dave,
In dispatches (FE24) there were several questions raised by David O’Connor on the great Baron Jean Dominique Larrey which I have endeavoured to answer.
1. The uniform worn by Larrey would be that of Surgeon in Chief of the Grand Armée, an appointment made by special decree in 1812.
Unless readers have evidence to the contrary this would be the uniform worn in 1815.
The uniform consisted of a black bicorn, with tricolour cockade, gold loop and tassels, single breasted blue surtout with crimson collar, and flat topped cuffs with a double row of gold leaf embroidery, ribbon of the Legion d’honneur, crimson turnbacks, gold aiguillette on the right shoulder, white breeches and gold lace “Hessian” boots all under a grey coat.
Larrey was wounded three times during the flight of the French Army beyond Genappe. He was part of a large group of fugitives who were attacked by Prussian Uhlans and he received two sword cuts. He was then struck a third time, plundered, stripped and led to a Prussian general. The Uhlan captor believed his prisoner was Napoleon (On account of Larrey’s grey coat and his slight resemblance) and stated so to the general. The General having his hopes raised then dashed when the mistake was discovered ordered Larrey’s immediate execution. Fortunately an accompanying Prussian surgeon on recognising Larrey, threw himself in front of him and saved his life.
2. When an army lost a battle the medical staff would endeavour to evacuate themselves and the wounded in the best possible manner. The wounded soldiers if possible would not be abandoned but would still be regarded as part of the army. The only times when medical staff and wounded were left behind was when the retreat of the army exposed a base hospital to the mercy of the enemy.
Examples of the evacuation of wounded are Vittoria 1813, when the care that the retreating French took of their wounded was noted, one instance being when a French cavalry regiment was ordered to dismount allowing the wounded to be placed on the backs of their horses.
3. As regards the question on mass desertion from the medical corps, I know of no cases of this occurring.
4. The duties of medical officers before a battle would be very arduous. Field hospitals would need to be set up and established as close as possible to the front line (even within 200 yards), and the medical supplies stockpiled. It was in the field hospitals that most surgery and dressing would take place.
In addition base hospitals would have to be created and staffed, an example is the 1807 campaign where by January, Warsaw alone had 21 base hospitals in readiness for the battles of the Eylau-Friedland campaign. These would be where the wounded would rest and recover.
5. The function of the French ‘Flying Ambulances’ was purely medical. They were 44” wide, capable of carrying two men lying down and the sides were padded for comfort. In addition there existed side pockets to hold medicines, bandages and other medical necessaries. There are no examples of these vehicles ever being used to carry ammunition.
The flying ambulances were used to keep up with rapid advances, to move quickly onto the battlefield where basic first aid would be provided, then swiftly evacuate the wounded to field hospitals where more in-depth treatment could take place.
The efficiency of the French medical services can be judged from the following statistics. From 1st October 1806 to 21st October 1808 over 421,000 troops were admitted to hospital. Of these only 32,000 (7.6%) died and the average length of stay was 29 days.
At Aspern-Essling and Wagram the Imperial Guard suffered 1,200 casualties of whom 600 were shortly returned to the ranks and only 145 died. It should be stated that these recovery rates were unequalled until the advent of World War 1, over a hundred years later.
Baron Larrey was a remarkable man and I leave the final word to Napoleon who made him a member of the Legion d’Honneur, left him a large bequest in his will and said of him “An honest man with all, in fact the greatest man I have ever known.
Andrew Crofton (NA)
Brighton, East Sussex
Editor: Many thanks for the excellent info.
More Larrey and that forthcoming book
Dear Soldat de 2ème Classe Watkins,
Baron Larrey would have worn the uniform of a Surgeon of the Garde Impériale This consisted of a blue coat faced red on the collar, cuffs (Swedish; i.e. with buttons round the top) tails, and from 1813 on lapels closing to the waist (red was the branch colour for Surgeons) The above was laced gilt and had the Guard aiguillette on the right shoulder. It is probable that the undress uniform was worn which was identical to the above save that it lacked the lapels. Larrey may also have been wearing a grey greatcoat when he was attacked by Prussian Uhlans; they may have mistaken him for someone else! (vide Elting, Chapter XIV, note 19) Bordenave (Larrey’s assistant) volunteered to stay behind with the seriously wounded after Leipzig, so there is no hard and fast rule about this.
There, are not many books on the Service de Sante there is a chapter in Elting (Swords around the Throne, Chapter XIV), and also a biography of Larrey by Robert G. Richardson (Larrey: Surgeon to Napoleon’s Imperial Guard, Purnell Book Services, London, 1974). I realise that it can be annoying to have recommended a book which is severely out of print, but it is worth a look if you can run it to ground in a library or a second-hand book shop.
I have a certain degree of sympathy with the views expressed by Stephen J. Walker, though I take the Editor’s space argument about “Feuding Corner”. As a final thought on this matter permit me to correct a piece of disinformation (or should that read misinformation?) Peter Hofschröer is producing a book on Waterloo entitled “The Other Victory of Waterloo”, and it is to be published by Greenhill in 1996 (source: Empires Eagles & Lions No. 12 (May - June 1995), P.23).
Now a word about reviews, they should always tell the reader what the book is about. This may seem self-evident but it is often neglected. Other relevant facts and opinions (such as does the author succeed in his or her aim?) should of course, be included. But, believe me it is highly depressing to wade through waffle, and irrelevance in a vain attempt to find what the bloody book is about! Not everybody lives, near a decent book shop and buying blind can be an expensive business when the book can cost £20 or more! So, no more self-indulgence from reviewers, stick to the point!
Finally, (Who said: At last?) congratulations on the re-enactors’ recollections. John Lander’s article had me howling with mirth , so much so that I almost forgave him referring to Keith as a “hamlet” (I thocht then loon cam fae Helsingör!). I also enjoyed the Waterloo reminiscences.
Magnus Guild
Edinburgh, Scotland.
Editor: Many thanks for most of the above. However, with regard to Hofschröer’s forthcoming book, tell me, do you enjoy being smacked in the face with a 2 x 4 or intentionally head butting brick walls? No! then why make the above statement just because it appeared in another magazine? Are you asking to be slapped down (metaphorically of course)? NAPOLEON’S HAIR USED IN TRANSPLANT! Yep, its all true it must be, it’s in print, and after all there is more of Napoleon’s hair in circulation than the poor bloke could have grown! I thought that we had more than covered this point, however, to reiterate. Peter Hofschröer is researching the Waterloo Campaign, when a book is forthcoming from this work it will most certainly not be published in 1995, 96 or 97, (which I believe excludes the use of the phrase ‘forthcoming’), because it hasn’t been written yet.
Further, the alledged work is supposed to be called “Waterloo: A Germany Victory” (incidentally a project title) not the “Other”. Now we have two non-existant books being published! By the way both the author and the prospective publisher have confirmed that the above facts. Further I would ask all readers to understand that this forthcoming book business was raised by Hamilton-Williams as the reason that Hofscröer was denegrating his work, i.e. to rubbish the opposition in order to promote his own book.
Net Dispatches
Dear Dave,
Having just received my latest copy of First Empire, I was slightly disappointed by the fact that you seem to have closed the Hamilton-Williams case.
The subject is of such importance to the study of Napoleonic history that I feel it should be discussed until a satisfactory opinion is reached as to whether or not Hamilton-Williams’ claims can be substantiated. First Empire should be in the van of any constructive criticism and research, as no other publication has such a direct effect on the development of Napoleonic history. If you allow the matter to be dropped then it is possible that people may accept his ideas without question. Hamilton-Williams’ claims are so damning and his theory so radical that it is imperative the mater be resolved by discussion within your pages.
Imagine some upstart in the USA claiming that Neil Armstrong was not after all the first man on the moon, and that it was after all Aldrin, and that Aldrin was bribed by Armstrong so that the later could write his own history of the moon walk with more credibility. The history of space travel would all of a sudden have a different face.
Dave, You have the facility to right a wrong here. Don’t let the chance slip.
What about the Sibornes’ credibility?
102650,650@compuserve.com
Editor: You do make a valid point here and for that reason I am publishing two additional pieces on the subject further on in the mag, (one this issue, one next). I make this exception because they do disprove various elements of the relevant book. I was getting just a little brassed off with Hamilton-Williams failure to respond sensibly to any criticism or questions raised.
Saying ‘wait until my next book comes out’ or ‘go and look up the references’, is all well and good if the book comes out and if the references exist. Or as quite to often in this case the reference exists but refers to something entirely unrelated. H-W’s general response has been childish and petulant, hence my not printing his last response or the other letters last issue. This man claims to be a Baronet, either a Scottish, Maltese or Welsh title, depending upon whom he was talking to last, so draw your own conclusions. Of course the danger with any books of this nature is that they can become accepted as being gospel, hopefully this will not be the case this time.
Hello!
I’m responding to your request for on-line readers to contact you on the Net.
Having become thoroughly bored with the Hamilton-Williams issue, I am very thankful that you offered a (partially-deserved) “mea culpa” in 23 and (hopefully) closed the issue.
I would like to see perhaps slightly less on re-enacting and more on figure reviews, especially as there are a lot of new lines coming out. The photo review of AB Figures in 23 was excellent. You may not be happy with the result of the photography (you’ll get better), but it’s good enough for me.
By the way, I would rather see review figures photographed in B&W, preferably after a light primer and dark wash, rather than painted in colour. Let’s see some of the new Minifigs, please.
The Sharpe coverage is interesting. It is especially frustrating that in the US, we suffer up to a year lag in seeing each series. Thankfully, I get over to the UK once or twice a year, and friends show me the latest, taped, Sharpe (and Cadfael) episodes.
Have a good show this weekend. I wish I could be there. Passed through Bridgnorth last summer (July) while on holiday, en route to Shrewsbury. If you have the next First Empire show at the same time next year (late August),
I will schedule our holiday to include it!
Allen Curtis
Barstow, CA, USA
AECurtis@aol.com
Editor: Look forward to seeing you
Best Special Interest Magazine
Dave
I was interested to read of your new presence on the Net in the current issue of First Empire. I thought I would take advantage of this to mail you with a few comments/queries on First Empire and Eagle Software.
First Empire (to which I subscribe, currently through membership of the NA), continues to be the best produced ‘special interest’ magazine I have seen. I agree with the letter published this issue, however, that the petty skirmishing over ‘Waterloo - New Perspective’ and related issues has gone too far. As you say, it takes up space that could be better used for other purposes.
On the subject of other purposes, I must say that I am surprised (given your other interests) to see so little published in FE about Eagle Software, or any other software for that matter (all right I know that there was a review of a Naval system this issue, but that was a rare event!). I’m sure nobody (including myself) would like FE to become a magazine for FTE users only, but it makes me wonder if nobody submits articles about the system, or whether modesty prevents you from printing them! I am a user of Eagle Software (I purchased Brigade and Campaigner II recently and a friend has bought FTE) and I for one would appreciate the odd tip on how to organise armies and develop scenarios for use with the systems.
On the subject of Eagle Software, have you any upgrades on the drawing board, or have your other activities taken over for the present? I would be interested in new maps for the Campaigner, e.g. the Danube Valley and the Iberian Peninsula. I suppose I could buy Mapmaker and do it myself - how difficult is this system to use?? (Ed. easy! - but then I would say that!) I have never seen any reviews of it, or Campaigner II, or Brigade ...
Sorry for the length of this message, and I hope you can find the time to answer at least some of the questions.
JDOWD@dis.n-i.nhs.uk
Editor: To be honest I try to avoid making First Empire a ‘house magazine’ although to a certain extent it will crop up from time to time. Last year I overheard somebody ‘slagging’ off the mag, because we only cater for wargamers with computer rules! To the best of my knowledge, EagleSoftware has only been mentioned in 4 articles of which one was a review of all software and three were by reference but not specific to the system. With idiots like that about you can see why I don’t push to hard. And yes there is a whole new lot of kit on the horizon for 96, but I won’t say anymore than that at the moment.
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