Letters to the Editor

by the readers


Vincent Freeman: I have just received Lone Warrior 115. I am very impressed by the quality and contents of the articles and the journal in general. I only just found out about the Association from Slingshot. I was very pleased with the back copies of Lone Warrior, they were worth every penny. The Ancient Campaign rules by George Heath in Lone Warrior 113 were first class. I will use it with my Avalon Hill "Caesar's Legions" game. In Lone Warrior 115 I enjoyed the article by Jon Laughlin on the Volci vs. the Gaul's in particular. Lone Warriors in general are crammed full of good ideas. I look forward to reading the Volcian Wars Campaign system article. I use 6mm figures from Heroics & Ros and also Irregular Miniatures 6mm and 2mm. Could any member let me know the name and address of any other manufacturer of 6mm figures?

[Vincent, glad you enjoyed the Back Copies, personally I love browsing through them and picking up on ideas etc I missed the first time around. Thanks for your generous donation of Blood & Iron for sale and the offer of loaning various books via The Library to members. Great magazine is Slingshot and well worth subscribing to if you are into Ancients. Kenn]

Paul Grace: After reading Lone Warrior 115, I just had to put pen to paper (digit to keyboard does not have the same ring does it?). For some time now, I have been looking for ways to wargame the Mongol/Yuan Chinese invasions of Japan. Lone Warrior 115 proved the answer to my prayers. Readers may not remember any article relating to the above that's because there wasn't one! But Billy Brand's "Fantasy" article provides excellent material for converting to Cabal Khan's Japanese adventures in 1274 and 1281. Thanks, Bill. If we ever meet-I owe you a pint!

[Paul, I am sure Billy will not turn down the offered beverage. At FIASCO came across the brand new 25mm Oriental "Civilian" range of figures from Village Green which can be used for Japanese, Mongols or Chinese, because it seems everyone copied the Chinese in dress etc. These figures prompted me to get a few more 25mm Dixon samurai in order to try out a few skirmishes, but I will be sticking to my 15mm Samurai Armies for big games. Kenn]

John Gardiner: Following Bob Walkers review of Civil War Battleset (Lone Warrior 114) I got a copy from him as he offered. I was impressed and then found a later version on shareware plus Civil War Strategy Games which is also a good fun game. I have sent off to register both games.

Ben Wilkins: I've just finished reading Battle Tactics of the Civil War by Paddy Griffith (recently republished) which I found highly stimulating and a real 'eye opener'. A worthy successor to 'Forward into Battle'. If you haven't read either of these yet then I almost insist that you do! Battle Tactics may be a little controversial, but I found the arguments compelling and it certainly made me look at 'Fire & Fury' in a slightly different light.

Graham Empson: In LW111 I posed a question regarding Blythe's 1st Mississippi Battalion and its involvement in the Battle of Bemont, well I have received a reply. It seems that one of our members, J. Clelford, passed my question on to Ian Whitewood, one of his colleagues at work. Ian, it turns out, is a reenactor with the Southern Skirmish Association and Adjutant of Company 'C' Palmetto Sharpshooters, a South Carolina Regiment fighting for the Confederacy. He very kindly passed the information on to a contact at the Camden Archives in South Carolina, who conducted a search for references to Blythe's battalion. My thanks are due to all of these people but especially the gentleman who searched through the archive. The net result, so far, is 40 pages of exquisitely detailed information dating from 1893 to 1932, written in most, if not all, cases by veterans of the conflict.

This arrived out of the blue on 22nd May and I spent a while establishing that Ian was not a member. I contacted BT who provided a phone number and immediately rang Ian to thank him. We had a long and interesting chat on various aspects of the ACW even discussing which Cromwell films he had appeared in. I was also informed that this might not be all the information and more might follow. I offered to reimburse the postage, but this was declined showing that there are still some true gentlemen in the world.

This is shining example, I believe, of peoples' willingness to assist others and how information passes down grapevines to supply the required results from people you personally have never met or corresponded with. It is very much akin to our own Advisers Service with people prepared to assist others as and when asked. If I do not know the answer I probably know someone who does, the important thing really is the sharing of knowledge.


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