Books, Rules and Other Publications

6. Computer Game: Conquest of the New World: the July 8, 1996 issue of Newsweek magazine had a little review of this game in its Cyberscope section. The review included a color screen reproduction of a 3-D battle between some Indians and some French regulars. The picture indicates that there are infantry, cavalry and artillery forces and it looked rather neat/cool/keen, etc to me. The reviewer, however did not care for it since he didn't consider it to be politically correct. But for the rest of us historians and wargamers, this game would be right up our alley. Conquest has elements of Risk, SimCity and Last of the Mohicans in it, allowing players to build farms, houses, metal mines to attract settlers, who can help conquer more territory. You can network with other players and play the game via e-mail, and the reviewer does concede that the battles are highly entertaining. The cost is $49.95 and it can be ordered by calling 800-468-3775.

7. Osprey's "Louis XV's Army Cavalry and Dragoons [book number 296] is now available in the U.S. after being released in Europe during the summer. The text is by Rene Charlrand, who has a well-known background writing about the French armies of the 18th century. The color drawings are done by the equally famous Eugene Leliepvre, an acknowledged expert on 18th century military subjects and an Official Painter to the French Army. His works on the French Maison du Roi are probably familiar to many of the SYWA members. Osprey has plans for extensive coverage of the French army of Louis XV, which will include the infantry of the guard and the line, light infantry, foreign regiments, and auxiliary and specialist troops such as militia and artillery. The book cost $12.95 and is available from the usual sources of military history books. You might wish to contact Articles of War bookstore, 8806 N. Bronx Avenue, Skokie, IL 60077- 1896. Phone: (847)674-7445; or e-mail using WARBOOKS@aol.com

8. Osprey Russian Army of the Seven Years War (I) is also available in the U.S [book number 297l and covers the Russian infantry including musketeers, Observation Corps, Guards and infantry colors and standards. The text is by Angus Konstam, who wrote the Poltava Campaign book for Osprey, while the color plates are expertly rendered by Bill Younghusband, a frequent contributor to the Osprey series. The major sections of the book include "The Russian Army from 1725 to 1740", the SYW Period. Infantry Organization, Uniforms, Infantry Tactics. and Infantry Colors. The color plates are outstanding and include a number of examples of the Russian musketeers in summer campaign dress. ie. without the green overcoats. So this book is very timely given the pending release of the Guernsey Foundry Russian figures. The cost is $12.95 and the book is available at the usual military history bookstores. The second volume in this series is scheduled to hit the bookstores in November 1996 and it will deal with the cavalry and artillery of the Russian army.

9. Frontier Forts Alongg the Potomac and its Tributaries by William H. Ansell, Jr. I received an e-mail from Mr. Dan Oates of Fort Pearsall Press, Inc. 206 E. Main St., Romney, WV 26757, in which he reveals that he is republishing this book which has long been out of print. The cost of the book is $24.95 plus $5.45 tax and shipping charges. Here is an excerpt of Mr. Oates letter which describes the book in more detail:

In 1753, George Washington was sent by Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia to deliver a letter to the French. The reply set the stage for what would become the French & Indian War. The 21-year old Washington would soon find himself commanding outnumbered forces at Fort Necessity and, within a year's time faced with leading the remnants of Braddock's ambushed army in retreat. In Frontier Forts Along the Potomac, the author, William Ansel Jr., undertakes the formidable task of bringing together a history of the forts in the Potomac River Basin.

Ansel opens the book with Dinwiddie's letter to the French and a detailed account of subsequent events that led to the building of the frontier forts. The author paints a vivid picture of how the numerous forts were designed and constructed, from the stone built Fort Frederick in Maryland to the common stockade constructed of logs.

The hardback book takes the reader on an historically well-documented excursion of each fort, bringing to lite each one by way of anecdotes that come straight from a war zone. And in each fort's story the reader begins to understand the hardships experienced by people defending their homes and land. The book is footnoted and provides an extensive bibliography that by itself is a tremendous resource guide for those interested in the historical research of the Potomac region of that period.

Ansel made use of many primary source materials such as " The Official Correspondences of Robert Dinwiddie", "The Exclusive Journals of the Council of Colonial Virginia ", "The Papers of George Washington," and many more to present a credible history. The first edition of the book was released in 1985, but by the time of the author's death in 1988, it was already out of print. The second edition of "Forts" was published by Fort Pearsall Press of Romney, WV. Complete with dust cover, the book is reprinted in its original form. However, the second edition includes a biographical sketch of the author.

10. The Wars of Frederick the Great, by Dennis E. Showalter. This is a nice paper back book of 370 pages by this Professor of History at Colorado College, Colorado Springs. It takes a "Big Picture" overview of the age of Frederick the Great covering everything from the First Silesian War to the War of the Bavarian Succession. To quote the book jacket: "Showalter surveys the entire range of these wars on a chronological basis, placing the military perations, and Frederick's own policies and ambitions, in their broader social and political context. In doing so, he studies the 18th century on its own terms. The Age of Reason perceived conflict as a rational means of arbitrating differences between states. To concentrate on diplomatic and military interaction is thus to enter the minds of 18th century decision makers themselves, emphasizing what they emphasized, and analyzing what they considered important." In otherwords, there is an emphasis on the diplomacy of the period, but the military history sections provide a good overview of the period, and as Showalter says, if you want more details on the military operations, then there is no better source than the books written by Christopher Duffy. Showalter references Duffy's works frequently. I found this to be an enjoyable read, having carried it to work with me so lhat I could read it on the train during my commute. As such, l found it to be an enjoyable diversion and recommend it. The book costs $21.50 ( I got my copy at Article of War) and is published by Longman Publishing, New York. 1996. The book may be hard to find in the US, but I noticed that Caliver Books in the UK has copies listed in its latest catalog.

11. Caliver Books/Partizan Press: 8l6-818 London Road, Leigh On Sea, Essex SS9 3NH, United Kingdom. Telephone and fax Number is 01702 73986. I just received a copy of this company's book catalog and it is chock full of books on 18th century military history subjects. The current listings include the above mention book by Dennis Showalter, all of the Christopher Duffy books, copies of the Funcken books on the Lace Wars (French text), over a dozen different books about the Jacobite Rebellions, the entire Pengel and Hurt uniform series and even reprints of Frederick's Instructions to His Generals. There are too many titles to list here, so give Caliver books a call or write to them at the above address.

12. The French & Indian War 1754-1763, The Imperia1 Struggle for North America, by Seymour Schwartz. While I am not the biggest fan of the F&I War, even I had to buy a copy of this book, for $59.95, without thinking twice about it. The book is basically a comprehensive collection of contemporary maps, accompanied by text and modern maps. Professor Schwartz (University of Rochester) has collected 118 illustrations, contemporary maps, drawings and engravings of troop movements, views of forts, and portraits of the participants. The book chapters are organized by each year in the war, and the organization assists the reader in arriving at a better understanding of the entire war. In many cases, a contempory map and a modern map are on opposite pages of the book for clarification. The book is expensive, but if this aspect of the SYW is your main interest, then this is a book that you must add to your collection. It has also compelled me to take more of an interest in the North American theater of operations. Copies are available from Articles of War and Caliver Books.

13. Battlefields of Canada by Mary Beacock Fryer was first published in 1986, with a second printing in 1995. The Emperor's Headquarters store in Chicago has a number of copies on hand and I came across while trying to find a map of the battle on the Plains of Abraham to accompany this issue's article about the Louisburg Grenadiers. While the book covers subject matter from the 1600's up to 1885, there is plenty of material on the 18th century, including line drawings, photographs of restored forts such as Louisburg, the Fort Beausejour reconstruction, Fort Ticonderoga and the battle of Quebec, are among the actions handled in this book. It is moderately priced at $16.95 (paperback) and you can write or call EHQ at the following address: Emperor's Headquarters, 5744 West Irving Park Road, Chicago, IL 6O634. Phone: (312) 777-7307 or Fax: (312) 777-4828.

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