AMR SOUTHERN CAMPAIGN

I picked up a copy of your magazine recently at a hobby store in in Chapel Hill, NC. I am favorably impressed with your product. I enjoyed reading over the Pour Le Merite rules in #67. I also appreciated the article on the Southern Campaign of the American revolution. Concerning the latter, I must say that I hold General Nathaniel Green in high esteem. I believe that he understood his limitations well. Considering the many difficulties he faced, such as having to employ unreliable militia, it is remarkable that he accomplished what he did.

Uniform Guide to the Southern Campaign
Whatever Happened To the Commanders?

I live close to the place where Green fought Cornwallis at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. I have toured the National Military park there and have witnessed the annual reenactment of the battle twice in the last five years. I have also taken my sons Boy Scout troop there for work on the American Heritage merit badge. In the park, there is a larger-than-life equestrian statue of General Green. It lies close to a paved road that runs between the places where Green's first and second lines fought.

On the base of the statue, the general's battle credits are listed. Most of them were tactical defeats for Washington and himself. What impresses me most about Green was his ability to endure physical hardship, suffer defeat and then try again - a lesson I tried to impress upon the scouts who toured the battlefield. I don't know if Green, a gifted strategist, is an overrated tactician as Scott Holder suggests. Like George Washington, Green can be hastily discounted because tactical victory often eluded him. But there is no doubt that Greens strategic victory in the Carolinas paved the way for the final defeat of Cornwallis at Yorktown - GUY BORGESON, Winston -Salem, NC

Thanks for the good wishes. Perhaps HMGS could do more toward helping Boy Scouts all over the US to work on that merit badge. Either by sponsoring trips or by providing printed guidelines as to how to include wargaming or Americas wars in to the curricula of tbe merit badge - DICK BRYANT

THEY DIED FOR GLORY - ADDRESS ERROR

Thanks for printing my correction to my response to Pat Condrays review (#68). Unfortunately, there was a typo in my address. If anyone has questions about They Died For Glory, they can write to me at 4726 Appaloosa Court, Antioch, CA 94509 - BOB BURKE

THEY DIED FOR GLORY (TDFG) - SORT OF A REBUTTAL TO A REBUTTAL

Unaccustomed as I am to holding my peace, the first round of rebuttals to my article THREE ROADS TO PARIS (#64) did not seem to justify a dragged out rebuttal. However, since at least one rebuttal seems to be in its second edition (see above and a letter in #68 - ED), I will offer a few comments in response. Part of my reasoning is that some of the ideas offered have the merit of provoking interesting lines of thought.

With respect to French Artillery, most sources suggest a slightly longer absolute range for rebored 12pdr (Napoleon) as compared to the 4pdr which launched the La Hitte system. However, effective shell range was as slightly extended in the other direction. The range difference seems to have been marginal when you consider that a cylindrical shell for a 12pdr must haze carried considerable weight. The Prussian 4prd, for example throwing a 9 pound shell and the 6pdr a 15 pound shot, the rated weight being the weight of a roundshot rather than a cylinder - or so I it. I would also tend to agree in retrospect that the melee value of gunners in TDFG is not a critical issue since they are not numerous. It was more so in GBGV(Grand Battaille, GrancI Victoire) since numbers, if I remember correctly, dont count between cavalry and other arms.

Robert Burke is right about skirmisher frontage. I seem to have momentarily ignored the fact that the firing line in TDFG(They Died For Glory) is a double line when I calculated the difference in frontage. Actuallv in TDFG, the trontage for a Prussian skirmish line is about a yard per skirmisher - nearly shoulder to shoulder, with the French skirmish line half again as extended. Still awful close for skirmishing, which was my basic point.

As for dismounted cavalry, the defense of the railroad station by a couple of squadrons of French dragoons was hardly the only case. Dave Waxtel in fact never denied that cavalry often fought dismounted - only that it was rare for them to do so in pitched battles involving combined arms. Of course, Cuirassiers and Lancers (Uhlans) on both sides usually didn't carry shoulder arms. However in the Prussian service it was deliberately contrived that down to the brigade level there would be light cavalry, i.e. dragoons or hussars on hand so that a portion of the force could be dismounted with carbines as needed. Thus Bredov's Schleswig Dragoons skirmishing through a nearby wood on foot while his .Madgeburg Cuirassiers and Altmark Uhlans drew up for a mounted charge. I believe that action W35 a part of Vionville Mars-La-Tour, thus part of a pitched battle.

When it comes to infantry versus cavalry movement, I was comparing the movement of infantry at a steady 3mph with cavalry averaging 9mph or more. Mr. Burke's point that if infantry stops and engages in fire action the ratio is about right misses the point. If the cavalry were halted half the time firing carbines. or watering their horses in a nearby brook half the time, his ratio would be relevant. What we should be dealing with is the movement of basic infantry at quickstep (not double-quick) with cavalry maneuvering at a combination of walk and trot, charging at a gallop. Basically you could send in a cavalry charge and have it bounce off in less than a third the length of time it would take infantry to cross the same beaten zone - if the latter did not halt or slow down to fire.

Permitting ihe gamer to do what was occasionally done will not distort TDFG. Most gamers will avoid throwing in the relatively rare (roughly 5% of total numbers involved) carbine armed cavalry as inferior infantry unless there is some advantage to be gained from their superior mobility. Moreover, the ability of cavalry to get into trouble at high speed need not overstate the ability of cavalry to charge. A combination of relatively high fire effect and moderate close combat value as well as the fact that total cavalry numbers were usually in the 105 range will tend to limit the role of the saber charge under these rules. - PAT CONDRAY

ROLE PLAYING IN MINIATURES

Loved Schmidt's well-written and thoughtful essay in #69. I wish I played with his group! His attitude toward gaming mirrors my own. Lets see more of his articles, please. KEVIN HENDRYX, Austin, TX

Roleplaying in Miniatures

Victor has sent us several articles that will be printed in these pages. This issue contains one of the versatile Sappers Reports. - DICK BRYANT

APPRECIATES THE COURIERS REPRINTS

I think that the reference books (articles) are great. Will they include appropriate reviews of figures and where to get them? H. LIEBSON, King Ferry, NY

You may the incorrect idea as to the status of the reprints. They are simply Xerox copies of all the articles of a period gathered from The Courier issues, #1 to #60. The ads are blanked out because even though they are several years old in some cases, some readers would try to buy from them. Also, many figure or rules reviews would be dated - so eliminated where possible. The current issues of the Courier are the best source for figure availability. - DICK BRYANT

OTTOMAN TURKS

I thoroughly enjoyed the articles on the Ottoman Turks - I found them to be both well written and informative.

Ottoman Turks: Part 1
Ottoman Turks: Part 2

Quite a few people wrote in to comment positively on the Ottoman Turk article. Thank you-DICK BRYANT

LOOKING FOR REVIRESCO CO.

I was hoping that you could help me locate one of your former advertisers. The Reviresco Company owned byJohn and Mary McEwan who, until recently, were located in Kearns, Utah. - DAVID GRAGG, Santa Barbara CA.

The only number that I found for them is disconnected without any further info. Perhaps one of our readers has some information and can send it to us for publication here. --DICK BRY4NT

VOLLEY FIRE

VOLLEY FIRE RESPONSE #69

Responses 251 (2.75%)

The cover 7.720

Entire Issue 7.160

ARTICLE/DEPT	RATING	Not Interested
Ottoman Turks II	6.880	8%
The Reviewing Stand	6.640	4%
Sapper's Report - Flags to Ladders	6.600	4%
Will You Go To Flanders	6.440	12%
What Happened To	6.380	4%
The Courier Dispatch	6.341	0%
Weissemburg	6.160	8%
Index To Issues	5.880	0%
Vanguard (Editorial)	5.778	0%
Role Playing in Miniatures	5.760	8%
Save The Guns	5.680	4%
Dispatches From The Field	5.480	4%
Invading The Internet	4.360	28%

VOLLEY FIRE WINNER

The winner for issue #69 is David Edgington of Layton UT. Dave will receive the Book Bargain for #69, Buford.

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