Jim's introduction to miniature wargaming came when he found Donald Featherstone's Wargames in a London bookstore in the late 1960s. Featherstone's dedication to simple, fun rules greatly influenced Jim when he later began to write his own rules. An article on the Battle of Maida, written for THE COURIER several years ago, launched Jim into serious pursuit of Napoleonic history. The controversy that article initiated, eventually attracted David Chandler's (The Campaigns of Napoleon) attention. Mr. Chandler kindly took Jim under his wing, helping him to publish his first serious historical article in The British Journal for Army Historical Research. That article, exploring the reasons for the repeated French defeats in the Peninsula at the hands of the British, prompted a debate that continues to this day. Recently Jim completed a chapter on Marshal Victor for David's forthcoming book on Napoleon's Marshals. using previously untapped primary sources Victor's overlooked tactical abilities and his controversial character are illuminated. With the help of Philip Haythornthwaite (whose excellent work will hopefully continue to grace these pages) Jim is seeking a publisher for his first full-length book Crisis on the Danube. "Crisis" explores the opening phase of the 1809 campaign against Austria. Also relying upon primary source material, the book presents tactical battle accounts while identifying trends leading to the eventual collapse of the Napoleonic Empire. While working on serious historical research, Jim retains an interest in discovering forgotten tactical accounts written by participants in the Napoleonic Wars, and then trying to apply the lessons to wargame rule systems. His most recent rule writing effort is Generalship: The American Wars. Included in the coverage is the War of 1812, America's own "Napoleonic War". The War of 1812 has so stimulated Jim's interest, that he has recently been seen converting British line infantry (in Belgic shakoes) to American Regulars fighting on the Canadian frontier! The converted figures have been added to his Napoleonic Army that numbers about 2,500 25mm figures. As this goes to press, Jim has just returned from Italy where he undertook extensive book research at Marengo and other battlefields. As Napoleonic Editor, his ambition will be "to mix history and wargaming so we all can increase our enjoyment of this marvelous hobby". Back to Table of Contents -- Courier Vol. VI No. 3 Back to Courier List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1985 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com