It was a near run thing...

Quote from: kipt on 05 August 2025, 12:16:04 AMIt was a near run thing...

I suppose I was being a bit flippant.
I am surprised this is a surprise to anyone though.
Paddy Griffith in 'Forward Into Battle' 1981, references it at p.19, quoting Rifleman Harris describing the 50th Foot at Vimiero 1808 - the French, having been volubly 'encouraged' by their officers to within 60-70 yards of the British guns, attempted to deploy into line. The 50th then advanced to the crest of the hill by the artillery. Colonel Walker gave the command 'Ready, Present and let every man fire when he has taken his aim.' There was a volley and Walker waved his sword and called for 'Three cheers, and charge my fine fellows!' which they did. The startled French fired a ragged volley at 20 yards and ran.

There are differing versions of this action. Col. Walker himself does not mention the French deploying into line and claims he attacked the flank of a column.

This is of course but one action.

However on p.23 Griffith claims: 'In most of the Peninsular battles, and in most of the combats during the Hundred Days we find British infantry waiting until the French came to close range, then starting a counter advance of their own; usually with a single volley to empty their muskets and always with plenty of cheering.'
 
At Salamanca the cheer alone of Colonel Wallace's 88th is reported to have made the enemy reel, like men intoxicated.

This was not a new thing -  the cheer at Dettingen is claimed to have been as effective as the volley fire of the British.

So definitely a thing but hardly a new discovery.
(I suppose 1981 is not recent so perhaps modern writers have ignored it? Maybe I need to read more recent stuff and dash off irate missives lamenting their failure to recognise the value of the 'British Cheer'!)

So far, it's a book heavy on psychology and light on period military.

 

 

Finished "St-Lo (7 July - 19 July 1944): American Forces in Action Series" by the Historical Division U.S. War Department, 1946.

The history of the battle by the US First Army, specifically the XIX Corps.  Many pictures and maps and battle descriptions of the hedgerow fighting to take St-Lo.  Essentially battalion fights.  Very good.

Avocado Hotel by Bob Mortimer

It's really good

Finished "Fleet Tactics and Coastal Combat" second edition by Capt. Wayne P, Hughes Jr., USN (Ret.).

This book has fleet tactics from Nelson to now.  Good descriptions, examples from the Age of Sail to WWII.  Considered by the USN to be a great thinker on naval tactics, several admirals keep a copy of his books on their shelves.

In this book he discusses and analyses combat in the coastal littoral, where he believed the next major naval combats will occur.  He has a scenario between Greece and Turkey where he has the US Fleet trying to prevent a bigger war, with apologies to both our NATO allies.  Interesting set-up, but he does not take it to combat, this not being a novel.

All in all, a good book on navies.

Finished "Maney's Confederate Brigade At The battle Of Perryville" by Stuart W. Sanders.

Maney's Brigade, made up of the 41st Georgia and the 1sty, 6th, 9th and 27th Tennessee, was part of Cheatham's division and fought on the right flank of the Confederate army in this battle.  All veteran troops except for the 41st Georgia, they defeated two Union brigades and captured an 8 gun battery over taxing terrain and in the heat on an October day with little water.

They had the help of Stewart's brigade, 5 regiments from Tennessee and a battery of 2 6# and 2 12# guns.  By the time the battle ended, Maney's troops had almost 50% casualties, but the Union left was almost, but not entirely, broken and running.

I have been to this battlefield and the terrain in a series of high ridges and deep valleys. Just attacking for so long, almost 3 hours, would have exhausted the men, not counting the thirst from the day, climbing the ridges, and from biting and loading the black powder cartridges.

This is a scenario I want to do, so will be working on the maps and troops.  Hopefully I can present this at a later date.

Finished the "Gettysburg Magazine" January 2025 issue 72,

Articles include

"It's a Wonder that Any of Us are Alive": Union Chaplains at the Battle of Gettysburg, Part 2.
"Where Duty Called": Wiedrich's battery at Gettysburg.
"To Make a Demonstration, to the Letter": Seven Distinct Maps of Longstreet's Gettysburg Performance.
Mythology of Combat: The Battle of Little Round Top.
"Unfit for Service": Captain Hugh Garden's "Palmetto Light Artillery" at Gettysburg.

Always has something good.

"Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety" by Eric Schlosser.
Superb history of the development of US nuclear capability along with the control systems (or lack of them...) that were supposed to "keep us safe".

I was totally gripped by this excellent work of history that reads like a cold-war thriller – not to mention amazed that we all somehow made it through the end of the 20th century. Just learning about SAC's plans in the 50's and 60's (basically destroy the entire world in a few hours, then leave someone else to worry about it) makes the tone of all the SF I read/watched in the 70's & 80's much more understandable!

Some particular standouts:

• The usual propensity of senior leaders to use secrecy and "security" to hide their mistakes.
• The incredible (sometimes verging on suicidal) bravery and commitment of the "guys at the bottom", technicians, firefighters, EOD personnel - usually in their early 20's.
• The equally incredible way very similar guys, when bored enough, would "goof off" with weapons & handling equipment and nearly create thermonuclear disaster.

Best book I've read in a long time.
Cheers,
Pete

Just finished Voices from D-Day eye-witness accounts of 6th June 1944 by Jonathan Bastable

A lot of very interesting quotes interspersed by some at times ropy scene setting text by the author

Still worth it for the quotes

Quote from: petedavies on 19 August 2025, 09:15:51 PM"Command and Control: Nuclear Weapons, the Damascus Accident, and the Illusion of Safety" by Eric Schlosser.
Superb history of the development of US nuclear capability along with the control systems (or lack of them...) that were supposed to "keep us safe".

I was totally gripped by this excellent work of history that reads like a cold-war thriller – not to mention amazed that we all somehow made it through the end of the 20th century. Just learning about SAC's plans in the 50's and 60's (basically destroy the entire world in a few hours, then leave someone else to worry about it) makes the tone of all the SF I read/watched in the 70's & 80's much more understandable!

Some particular standouts:

• The usual propensity of senior leaders to use secrecy and "security" to hide their mistakes.
• The incredible (sometimes verging on suicidal) bravery and commitment of the "guys at the bottom", technicians, firefighters, EOD personnel - usually in their early 20's.
• The equally incredible way very similar guys, when bored enough, would "goof off" with weapons & handling equipment and nearly create thermonuclear disaster.

Best book I've read in a long time.
Cheers,
Pete

I second this recommendation. I've listened to it twice now while working. There is a documentary based on it as well, but obviously it can't cover what the book does in detail.