Osprey

Napoleon's Overseas Army,
Mex-Amer War Booklets

By John Boehm

NAPOLEON'S OVERSEAS ARMY
by Jim Birdseye

Osprey Men-at-Arms Series: Napoleon's Overseas Army. Text by Rene Chartrand, color plates by Francis Back. 48 pages, il., bib. and 8 color plates, from Wargames, Box 278, Route 40 East, Triadelphia, WV 26059, and Falcon Miniatures, P.O. Box 444, Medford, MA 02155. At first glance many Napoleonic buffs will question whether or not the French had an overseas army and I'm not sure the word forces might not be a better description than army. Clearly the lack of a French Navy after the Battle of Trafalgar doomed the French overseas forces to defeat in detail just as the Battle of the Nile doomed the French in the Egyptian campaign. Still, the French did inherit a sizeable colonial empire from their Dutch and Spanish allies, and afte rthe Peace of Amiens in 1802, the French made a considerable effort to reestablish white supremacy in Haiti (Saint Dominique) and reinforce those colonies still under their control. One of the more interesting individuals was Toussaint L'Ouverture, who took advantage of the turmoil in France during the early years of the Revolution and organized the French Republic in Saint- Dominique and declared himself Governor and General in Chief of a mostly black army of 30,000.

The author points out that Napoleon's effort to restore slavery was at the insistence of Josephine, his wife, and a native of Martinique. Black resistance was bloodily crushed but the French Army of 27,000 was totally destroyed by disease including its commander. L'ouverture died a prisoner in France. In the end, Haiti won its independence. The colonial campaigns involved forces from a few tens of thousands to a few hundreds. The colonial struggles could make interesting gaming subjects at all levels of play. Asia and the New World are often overlooked during the Napoleonic period. Keeping with the tradition of the Osprey series, the information provided by this book is well presented, and appears to be well researched. I can recommend it highly to anyone who wants to increase his understanding of the Global nature of the Anglo-French struggle during the Napoleonic wars.

THE OSPREY MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES #56 THE MEXICAN-AMERICAN WAR 1846-1848
by Bob Marshall

Number fifty-six in the Osprey Men-at-Arms Series is a timely and welcome re-release of an old title which has been long out of print. The Mexican-American War 1846-1848 by Philip R.N. Katcher is up to, or exceeds the standard of quality that readers have come to expect from the Osprey Publishing firm. Length of the publication is forty pages which includes approximately two pages of text explaining the color plates.

In general the text deals well with the inform and organizational information require for both the Mexican and American forces during the conflict. Mr. Katcher jumps right into the thick of the matter at hand and offers organizational information for the American Army. Systematically all branches of service are covered for the American Army, both regular and volunteer. The author then switches gears and provides equally detailed information for the Mexican forces involved in the campaigns of the war.

The literary feel of the book is to be commented on. Mr. Katcher apparently knows the purpose of the Osprey books and realizes the superfluous nature of giving data on historical matters within the confines of a small 40 page book. The reviewer found this to be refreshing and was pleased that the information needed was clearly provided by the author. Although the naval forces of neither side are covered in any form at all, this certainly does not detract from the value that this book will have to anyone interested in the Mexican-American War.

The color plates byG.A. Embleton match the high quality and style of the text. It is one thing to read about uniform styles and colors and quite another to actually see the uniform in print form. This is especially true when the prints are of the excellent type provided by Mr. Embleton.

There is one question that appears as a result of the information contained within the text. The fatigue uniform of the U.S. artillery is given as having yellow piping around the collar. This text statement is illustrated in the color plates. If memory serves correctly the color distinctions for artillery in the United States Army were changed to red in 1835. If that is indeed the case this aspect of the booklet may be mistaken.

Although this Osprey title is only a reprint with no new information or prints (although the cover is different) it is bound to be a Popular item with the start of the new theme year coinciding with its release. At the price of $8.95 US or £ 4.95 in Great Britain this is certainly a must for anyone entering this period as it provides useful information and is readily available through various sources. Highly recommended.

Reviewing Stand

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