Osprey

Books (Various)

US Infnatry Equipments 1776-1910
Tom Desmond

This recent volume is a concise review of the evolution of the United States infantryman's personal equipment including canteens, crossbelts, knapsacks and cartridge boxes. Using excerpts from a variety of sources including war department records and personal letters, the author depicts the process whereby the American infantryman was equipped for battle. The well written text by Philip Katcher is liberally illustrated with photos of actual equipment gleaned from both the author's collection and historical sources. These are supplemented by the beautiful color plates rendered by Bryan Fosten. A useful volume covering an area that is often overlooked by other books dealing with uniforms. Recommended. 48 pages, 8 in color.

Queen Victoria's Enemies (2): Northern Africa
Tom Desmond

This second volume is a continuation of the Queen Victoria's Enemies series and covers Britain's enemies in North Africa. These include not only such well known foes as the Egyptians and Sudanese but also lesser known ones such as the Asante and Nanti. As in the previous volume the author, Ian Knight, presents a brief historical overview of the opposition as well as their tactics, weapons and uniforms. There are numerous photographs and reproductions or period illustrations. These are supplemented by eight pages of wonderful color plates by Richard Scollins. Like its predecessor, this book is an excellent introduction to the period and serves as a jumping off point for further reading. 47 pages. Recommended.

Osprey Men-At-Arms Series: 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, ill., bib. and 8 color plates, from Wargames, Box 278, Route 40 East, Triadelphia, WV 26059; Falcon Miniatures, P.O. Box 444, Medford, MA 02155; Soldier World USA, P.O. Box 547, Radford, VA 24141, and other sources as well. 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 sizable colonial empire from their Dutch and Spanish allies, and after the Peace of Amiens in 1802, the French made a considerable effort to reestablish white supremacy in Haiti (Saint Dominque) 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 Dominque and declared himself Govemor 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.

Wolfe's Army
J.J. Mitchell

Osprey Publishing Ltd. has once again made Robin May's Wolfe's Army (Men-at-Arms Series #48) available. This very useful paperback booklet, first published in 1974, is now on sale at most better military book stores and hobby shops for only $9.95. It is 48 pages long and is well-illustrated, containing eight color plates and many black and white photos and drawings.

The text is well-written, beginning with a brief history of the French and Indian War and concluding with a series of descriptions of the color plates. These plates by G.A. Embleton, are beautifully executed and highly detailed. Although emphasis is placed on regular troops, there is a color illustration of a Virginia provincial soldier and three different illustrations of rangers. The reader is also well rewarded with a color illustration of a private of the 78th Regiment, also known as Fraser's Highlanders, wearing the quite colorful "Faser sett" plaid. Numerous black and white drawings accompanied by written descriptions of alternate uniform combinations enlarge the scope of this booklet well beyond what one might otherwise expect. A useful bibliography of thirteen assorted sources is included.

Osprey is to be commended for their decision to reprint such an excellent reference, and one can only hope that Montcalm's Army may soon follow. For those of us who missed out on the opportunity to acquire it when it was last available, and for anyone interested in the French and Indian War, this booklet is indispensible and is well worth the price.

(Ed. Note: One additional advantage of Wolfe's Army is that much of the uniform information is applicable to the English Army serving in the European theater of the Seven Years' War; the French and Indian War being an appellation for the same conflict but in North America - Editor Bill Protz)

The Samurai
John Boehm

This is one of the Osprey Elite Series, their expanded coverage of famous fighting men of history written by Anthony). Bryant and illustrated by Angus McBride. It consists of 64 pages and 12 color plates, plus several photographs of weapons and armor and many other illustrations. For someone who knows absolutely nothing on this particular subject, i.e., me, the book presented a very informative and interesting history of Japanese/Samurai warfare from approximately 935-1600 AD. It also contains a good description of the weapons and armor of these warriors. The color plates are of course beautiful. All told it appears to be a very good and basic reference for this period. It is available for $11.95 from Falcon and Wargames.

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