What are you currently reading ?

[kipt]

Finished "The Battle Of Lundy's Lane: On The Niagara in 1814" by Donald E. Graves.

I have not been interested in the War of 1812, even though it is essentially Napoleonic.  Some British regular units in Canada as well as locally raised units, some of which were "regular" (eg 104th Foot).  However this battle was a very hard fought action.  The British thought that "poor Jonathan" (Yankees) would be a push over but that did not happen.  Both sides slugged it out in a night action, often only yards apart.  Very unusual night action - smoke and dark ensured the opponents were very close and therefore very high casualties.

At Lundy's Lane the British occupied a small rise with artillery, backed by regular and militia troops.  The Americans attacked and after first being repulsed, took the rise and the artillery and beat off three British counterattacks,.  The numbers went from somewhere near 2,500 troops per side down to the hundreds.  The Americans early in the morning went back to Chippewa (couple of miles in their rear) but only took one of the British guns while leaving one of their own.  This was due to exhaustion, lack of horses and timing.  The British reoccupied the "hill" and so recaptured their guns and one American.

The British write up after the action by General Drummond glossed over the original loss of the guns and the three repulsed counterattacks.  Various reports by the Americans had a lot of internal; recriminations.

The book discusses the tactics of the time as well as the weapons and gives much back ground on the units and commanders.  Very well done.

While I won't do the War of 1812 I can see changing this into an ACW battle.

A quote  in Chapter 14, The End of the War, by C.P. Stacey, "the War of 1812 in Canadian History" sums up most peoples view.

"The War of 1812 is one of those episodes in history that make everybody happy, because everybody interprets it in his own way.  The Americans think of it primarily as a naval war in which the pride of the Mistress of the Seas was humbled by what an imprudent Englishman had call 'a few fir-built frigates manned by a handful of bastards and outlaws.'  Canadians think of it equally pridefully as a war of defence in which there brave fathers . . .  saved the country from conquest.  And the English are the happiest of all because they don't even know it existed."

[FierceKitty]

The real action in 1812 was in and around Moscow. Washington cows and Canada cows were little puppies by comparison.

[kipt]

Finished "The Road To Sedan" by Richard Holmes.  It is No. 41 of the Royal Historical Studies In History.

The book is a gold mine of information about the French army prior to 1870.  Part One is the Military Structure of the French army.  The chapters in this part are
1. The Military Institutions of France
2. The Combatant Arms
3. Command, Staff and Administration
4. Composition of the Army

Part Two, Doctrine has
5. Politics and Security
6. Strategy and the Road to War
7. Education and Training
8. Tactics

Very impressive.

[kipt]

Finished a very small booklet "Paris Or The Future Of War" by Capt. B. H. Hart.  This is a part of the To-Day & To-Morrow series and was printed in 1925.

In it Hart is discussing the future of war (hence the title) based on experience in WWI.  Paris, in this instance is Paris of Troy.  All the books ion this series have an ancient person as the lead of the title.

Hart deplores the adage of making the enemies army the goal of a war.  He says it should be the will of the country.  He extols the use of gas (less deaths than from bullets and the enemy cannot hide).  He figures it will shorten wars.  He also discusses the role of the airplane, which in 1925 was very popular in both the military and civil life.  The plane can go over the enemy rather than trying to break through.

Similarly he discusses the submarine and how close the Germans came to shutting down England.  The submarine can go under the enemy.  Infantry and artillery will essentially be used to hold the bases for tanks, which he very much admires and feel they will restore movement on the ground.  So, all in all, very perceptive in his thinking.

He also says this about America:  :But Americans would do well to remember that the Japanese military leaders are disciples of Clausewitz, and that one of his axioms reads: 'A small state which is involved with a superior power, and foresees that each year its position will become worse," should, if it considers war inevitable, 'seize the time when the situation is furthest from the worst,' and attack.  It was on this principle that Japan declared was on Russia, and for the United States the next decade is the danger period.  (Italics in the original).

Very astute even if he was off by a couple of years.

[steve_holmes_11]

"The War of 1812 is one of those episodes in history that make everybody happy, because everybody interprets it in his own way.  The Americans think of it primarily as a naval war in which the pride of the Mistress of the Seas was humbled by what an imprudent Englishman had call 'a few fir-built frigates manned by a handful of bastards and outlaws.'  Canadians think of it equally pridefully as a war of defence in which there brave fathers . . .  saved the country from conquest.  And the English are the happiest of all because they don't even know it existed."

I'll challenge that last one.
The fact that a British force burned the white house causes us regular chuckles.
It even got a mention during news coverage of the unpleasant events of January 6th this year.

So the Brits think of it as an oversized bonfire party.

[hammurabi70]

I'll challenge that last one.
The fact that a British force burned the white house causes us regular chuckles.
It even got a mention during news coverage of the unpleasant events of January 6th this year.

So the Brits think of it as an oversized bonfire party.

Guy Fawkes is sometimes described as the last man to enter Parliament with honest intent.  I thought the burning of the White House was the Washington equivalent.

[Chad]

Just started 'The Secret Expedition: the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland 1799'. Looks like a worthwhile addition for my plans to game
Suvorov's campaign in Italy.

Will have to do it in 6mm which will enable me to use 'proxy' figures.

[kipt]

Finished "Die Hard! Famous Napoleonic Battles" by Philip J. Haythornwaite.  Thought I had this book and had read it previously.  Didn't find it in my library, but now it is.

Good stories about desperate fights.

Villars-En-Cauchies, Marengo, Eylau, The Sieges of Saragossa, Aspern-Essling, Barrosa, Albuera, The breaches at Badajoz, The Berezina and Hougoumont.  Each of these is a chapter.  Well done and interesting.

[Ithoriel]

Just finished Ancient Battle Formations by Justin Swanton. A fairly in-depth look at the formations and equipment of Greek Hoplites, Macedonian Phalangites and Roman legionaries of the Republic and Early Empire and how those impacted on performance on the battlefield.

If you are interested in the positioning of officers in a hoplite phalanx or possible methods of formation change by phalangites or why the author thinks the current mechanism for swapping legionaries in and out of the front line are wrong it's an interesting read ... but a niche read I imagine.

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

I'll challenge that last one.
The fact that a British force burned the white house causes us regular chuckles.
It even got a mention during news coverage of the unpleasant events of January 6th this year.

So the Brits think of it as an oversized bonfire party.

A good way to annoy our American cousions is to ask them why the White House white. Of course it was the White House but the Capitol that was burnt.

[Leman]

Could you check that last sentence as I am still confused about what actually burned.

[FierceKitty]

Hey! That's my schtick!

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Tink I missed a not before the White House, it were tut Capitol what got smoked.

[Gwydion]

You sure?

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Yup

[Raider4]

I know nothing about this, but Wikipedia disagrees with you.

"The soldiers burned the president's house, and fuel was added to the fires that night to ensure they would continue burning into the next day."

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

I be arrogant enough to belive I am betterer dan wikipedia 

[Gwydion]

Fake watercolours eh?

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Both got burnt.
White House by the KSLI

[Dragoon]

Just started "Last Chance For Victory"  by Scott Bowden
got to read his book on Leipzig as all his books are good