Book Review

Wellington's War

Reviewed by Ed Parker

by Paul Lewis Isemonger
Sutton Publishing

This latest title in the Sutton living history series comes from the pen and camera of the excellent Paul Lewis Isenmonger. This is a wonderful record in words and pictures of the life, uniforms and tactics of the Napoleonic wars.

That it's a credit to the author/photographer goes without saying, but the overall impression one cannot fail to be left with is that the people the author features in his book are the real stars. Highlighting very clearly the accuracy and quality of the uniforms, equipment and props produced by the amateur re-enactors from the Napoleonic Association and other groups.

Richard Rutherford-Moore in his forward to the book put it so well ". . . You can get the benefit of many peoples years of hard work, research and re-creation."

But this is much more than just a picture book. The first pleasant surprise after wading through the many pages devoted to dedications, forewords and introductions is the Chronology of major dates from 1787 to 1815. For the newcomer to the period an excellent opening and a useful reminder for the rest of us. And these pleasant surprises keep popping up throughout the book.

In addition to sections dealing with the infantry, cavalry, artillery there is an excellent section on Nelsons Navy, not forgetting the Marines. You will find sections dealing with musket, rifle and artillery loading and firing sequence, sabre drills, infantry tactics, diagrams of formations and even an outline of the command structure of the British Army. There's even a DIY guide to administer a disciplinary flogging! Watch out we're looking for volunteers at the next NA event.

As an introduction to Napoleonic re-enacting this book is a great advertisement, for those of us already involved there's a definite space on the shelf for this delightful book. And at £ 9.99 it offers excellent value to everyone.

More Reader's Reviews

Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire #40
Back to First Empire List of Issues
Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List
© Copyright 1998 by First Empire.
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com