 |
Brassey’s History of Uniforms
Mexican American War 1846-48 by Ron Field, Illustrations by Richard Hook
|
Please excuse me while I enthuse!
I know, as a reviewer, I am supposed
to stay cool and analytical, not let my personal bias impose on my
professionalism. But, in this case, forget it. I love this book! All right it is
not a new release and was sent as part of a selection for the Chrysalis range,
but it certainly deserves to be brought to the attention of the gaming community
again.
The subject is one in which I have
had a passing interest for a number of years. This probably arises from my
interest in the American Civil War, and the fact that so many characters from
that conflict were “blooded” in the war with Mexico. I also like the
uniforms, the peaked forage caps of the US troops, and the last vestiges of
Napoleonic glory amongst the Mexican forces. But I have never really taken the
trouble to really study the war, the books were too expensive and anyway I
always had other things to read.
Ron Field though has managed to
create a volume that, in my opinion, is just right for the wargamer and
individual with a curiosity in the war. Included in the text is a potted history
of the major campaigns of the war, enlivened by stories of individual and unit
courage that bring the text to life (and immediately start me thinking about how
I could refight that!).
The uniform details are extensive,
and illustrated by a series of colour plates “a la Osprey” from the very
talented brush of Richard Hook. Add to these a wealth of photographs from the
war (which was the first to feature “war photographers”), museum exhibits,
and from the work of contemporary re-enactors, and you will begin to appreciate
the research undertaken in preparing this volume.
The US forces are covered in detail
with pages devoted to the Regular Army, Naval and Marines forces who were vital
to the success of the war, and the wide range of volunteer units engaged in the
war. The Mexican Army does not receive the same detailed coverage but given the
parlous political situation in Mexico in the 100 years following the war records
and memorabilia are bound to have been lost. Anyway a losing side in war tends
not to record extensive records. What Ron Field does include is interesting and
scholarly and certainly enough for the keen wargamer to prepare his army.
The volume includes a pretty wide ranging bibliography, and details of re-enactment and study groups for the period, all of which will be of interest to the reader. There is a short mention regarding wargames figure availability, but this is incomplete. There is mention of the excellent range of 15mm figures by Frei Korp, but there is no sign of the range of larger scale models produced by 1st Corps. I am pretty sure that I have seen other ranges covering this period as well, but I cannot recall them so I look for the reader’s comments to fill this gap.
In all highly recommended.
Hardback, 144 pages, price £18.95
To
Chrysalis Books To
Book Reviews Back
to Forum