Book Buying Spree

Central and South American Military History

by Terry Hooker

As I told you in the last issue during a visit to Ron Poulter, I had managed to go and buy a few books in London while there and these are their titles (i tell you these titles of books that I receive and buy so that you can, if you so wish, order the various books via your library and also know of their existance for future use]; "Teodoro de Croix and the Northern Frontier of New Spain, 1776-1783)", translated and edited by Alfred Barnaby Thomas, Pub. University of Oklahoma Press, 2nd edition 1968, the good thing with this book is that it contains [in fact pages 72-2471 the report that de Croix made on the various provinces in 1781, Texas, Coahuila, New Mexico, New Vizcaya, Sonora and California, plus a good map of the northern frontier of New Spain 171/6-1780, it helps fill a gap that I have on this period of New Spain. "The Crimson Jester; Zapata of Mexico" by H.H.Dunn, Pub. George G.Harrap & Co. Ltd, London 1934, good for contempory veiws by the author who was a reporter in Mexico during the Revolution, some interesting details on the manner of warfare and campaign life. "Power in the Isthmus; a Political History of Modern Central America", by James Dunkerley, Pub. Verso [New Left Books], New York & London, 1988, 657 pages of political data, hopefully it will be useful in the years to come, maybe next century, when this period of civil (1960-19871 unrest will be superceded by new problems in this region, some quite useful data though. "The Navy and South America; Correspondence of the Commanders in Chief on the South America Station 1807 - 1823", edited by Gerald S.Graham and R.A.Humphrevs, Pub. Navy Records Society, London 1962, seen this book in my library during the years and finally managed to see it for sale, 5 chapters on the different C in C's during this period; Rear Admiral Sir William Sidney Smith 1807-9, Vice Admiral the Hon. Michael de Courcy 1809-12, Rear Admiral Manley Dixon 1812-15, Commodore William Bowles 1816-19 and Commodore Sir Thomas Hardy 1819-23, good reference work on the British view oil events and people during these momentous years. Last of the books from London are a set of 3 volumes on "Garibaldi; Autobiography", the authorized translation by A.Werner, pub. Walter Smith and Innes, London 1889. The 1st volume deals with his expliots in Brazil and Uruguay with additional notes in the 3rd Volume [not many, but a section covering the Italian Legion in Montevideo], they will give me something to think about with notes from it for E.D. in mind.

Since my return I have also bought and been sent these books, many thanks to all who have forwarded these books. The first is "Dicionario Das Batalhas Brasi-leiras; dos Conflitos com Indigenas as Guerrilhas Politicas Urbanas e Rurais", by Hernani Donato, pub. TBRASA, Instituicao Brasileira de Difusao Cultural Ltda, Sao Paulo 10187, this is 525 pages of text with a bibliography of 15 pages, it is in three sections the first is in month order begining with the lst of January listing 9 different Battles that was fought on that day from the year 1589 to 1925, the latest date used is the 24th December 1972, engagement at Xambioa between Government and Communist forces. The second part is in year order includes a section on the particular war or campaign and the list of engagements fought and the dates, the last section lists the Battles/engagements in alphabetical order with a paragraph or more on each one it also has some good orders of Battles, not many, I'm looking at the one on page 303 that's entitled Baixas na 2a Batalha dos Guararapes, fought on the 19th February 1649 between the Dutch and the Colonial Portugese, I'll have to include it in a later issue. If Brazil is of interest then trv and obtain this book from a library, it is in Portugese but that should not be too hard, sorry I don't know the price or the address of a good Brazilian bookshop so that you could write there, has any member an address of a good bookshop in Brazil? Next is "El Salvador at War; An Oral History", by Max G. Manwaring and Court Prisk, pub. National Defense University Press, Washington D.C. 1988, 491 pages of 219 various quotes from from all sides of the conflict, this is a must for anyone interested in researching this war, with loads of interesting comments and views not often seen and all together in one volume, write to U.S. Government Printing Offfice, Washington D.C. 20402, U.S.A. for further information on this and other books published by this University. Another batch included; "Poland's Caribbean Tragedy", by Jan Pachonski and Reuel K. Wilson, pub. East European Monographs, Boulder, distributed by Columbia University Press, New York, 1986, 363 pages. As one can guess this work is about the Polish 2nd and 3rd Demibrigades, later to be retitled French 113th and 114th Demibrigades, this is a really good book, a bit heavy reading but on a subject that is often forgotten about under the articles on the French and British troops present on the island of Saint Domingue during the Revolutionary / Napoleonic Wars, well worth having if possible. "The Army in Bourbon Mexico, 1760-1810", by Christon I. Archer, pub. University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque 1977, 301 pages of text with 47 pages on notes and bib 14 ography. Included in the text are 28 tables that are very helpful, in fact this is one of the best books on the subject in English, a must if interested in Colonial Mexico. Three Volumes from the "Archivo de Don Bernardo O'Higgins; volumes XVI, XVIII and XXV", pub Instituto Geografico Militar, Santiago de Chile, 19556, 1958 and 1964. The first volume deals with "Organizacion Militar 1817", the second "Operaciones Milartares 1817 [part 1], and the third covers "La Organizacion y Administracion Militar [May - December 1-3171, nearly a thousand pages of original data, there should be something amongst that lot which I can use! Now for 3 books that I bought in Hull [and Beverley! over the past couple of weeks, first was "Excursion to Hell; Mount Longdon a Universal Story of Battle", by V. Bramley, pub. Bloomsbury Pub. Ltd, London 1991, this is the book that has caused an inquiry into statments in it that 3 U.S. mercenaries surrendered to the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment during this battle and were ordered to be shot. This in itself would be a reason for buying it while, the official enquiry report will also be a must, whenever that is printed? "West Indian Tales of Old", by Algernon E. Aspinall, pub. Duckworth and Co. London 1911, with text from 1692 (Admiral John Benbowl to the Napoleonic Wars with details of the island that was recognised, by some, as H.M.S. Diamond Rock / Fort Diamond, a number of interesting notes.

Last, "The Conquest of the River Plate", by R.B.Cunninghame Graham, pub. William Heinemann ltd. London 1924. 296 pages, this covers the early exploration and settlement of this region, by an author who we all should know books by, as always a very enlightning book.

As for articles in magazines and journals I have only seen, other than the Orders and Medals Society of America's journal mentioned on page 178, these three, in Le Briquet No.1. 1993, a plate fB/Wl and co-lour details on the "Jamaica Militia Volunteers 1885", by Col. D.Van Schriltz, never seen these uniforms before. While in the journal of the Club Francais de la Figurine Historique in No.4 1992 and No.1 1993 the,' , publish in No.4 1992 two coloured plates on "Garde du President Petion" [Haiti] by Louis de Beaufort, and in No.1 1993 there is a coloured plate on "Soldat et Officier de L'Armee Irregulierre D'Haiti, again by Louis de Beaufort, all three plates go with their special editions on Haiti. That's about all on the actual printed side that I've seen.


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