Osprey Men-At-Arms

Wellingston's Specialist Troops

review by Jim Arnold

By Philip Haythornthwaite; Osprey Men-At-Arms. Plates by Bryan Fosten.

The newest Osprey release provides the complementary volume to Napoleon's Specialist Troops. It is devoted to the technical branches of Wellington's war machine. It covers the artillery, engineers, staff, supply and commissary troops, and the medical service. The artillery section includes both the foot and horse artillery and the mounted rocket corps.

The author, Philip Haythornthwaite, provides the type of detailed uniform information we have grown to expect of him. The renowned Mr. Fosten is not at his best here; the figures are a bit stiff, but still within his customary high standards. The book's problem lies in its subject matter. Wellington conducted his operations with an exceedingly small specialist force.

As Mr. Haythornthwaite notes, the entire Corps of Engineers comprised only 262 officers (no rankers) in 1813! A total of 300 Royal Sappers and Miners accompanied the army that year. Each battalion had a mere three medical service personnel. Whether the wargamer will wish to paint up troops who made such a minute contribution is problematical. On the other hand, by 1814 nearly 2,000 Wagon Train soldiers served, so if you wish to add them to your army the information is here. Buyers purchase the Men-At-Arms books for uniform information. The book delivers extremely detailed information on British artillery uniforms. If that is what you need, this book is for you. Osprey books are available from Modeler's Mart, 2071 Range Rd., Clearwater, FL 34625 and from Falcon Miniatures, P.O. Box 444, Medford, MA 02155.

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