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This is another 5-year embarrassment. I got very interested in this project only to see it languish for a few years. Now I'm wondering what the heck I was thinking not keeping it going. Distractions from real life aren't so much the issue as continuing to investigate other periods and scales and figures for things that are different - 38 years of gaming has left me a bit more choosy and sometimes just questing for some period or figure scale that everyone else around here isn't doing - much of which is repetitive and a bit dull, I might add.
So, yes, have finally returned to the Mexican Civil War and the Pershing Expedition of 1916. Altho the Border Wars might be a better way to think about it, as there were hundreds, even thousands of casualties along the borderlands, both U.S. and Mexicans. Many of the actions involved hundreds of Soldiers, bandits, banditos revolutionaries and adventurers of many colorful types, so it is perfect for gaming and quite overlooked compared to similar periods and places in the British empire.
Don't even remember how I got turned on to the period, but in part I had one gaming pal from high school days who had some Old Glory 25s [CLICK] for it, and as he had an OG Army membership [CLICK] I got a modest start of several bags, a few of them small ones of just a few figs.
As this is to be a skirmish project, I got both the Mexican and U.S. personality bags, and two small bags of two characters each from the "Cowboy Wars" line [CLICK] which are 28mm. That's OK since I like it when individuals stand out a bit on my battlefields - that's why they're there, to add color, personality or some excitement and tactical challenge. They also usually get special paint jobs, as befitting the stars of the show, so I'm glad these figs are a bit cleaner, bigger and bolder in sculpting style. They should be - they're a lot more expensive, too! A bag of 2 mounted and 2 dismounted figs are $19, which is still $11.40 with the discount.
Anyway, "Arizona Rangers #2 Tucker and Browner" are both nicely done. The clean casts had little cleanup and the sculpting is good, with some fine little touches that will paint up very well, such as fur-lined jacket and ties. The guns are well done and the faces have character.
While not on the level of Empress and such, they cost the same, which is a bit odd. My guess is that as they are written more for a role-playing type of setting rather than a wargame, they were priced for that audience. Personally, I'd have been happy to buy a bag of 6 mounted and 6 dismounted for $38 like the Mexican Rurales, but probably the content of the bag throws it all off - what should go into a bag from a line of figures that are mostly 4 mounted, 4 dismounted by type?
Above, closeup of the Rangers on foot. Below, mounted. These will require some careful shaping and compression to finish off the fit as the fig/saddle isn't snug on the horse - you can see the gaps. Does this before, so no big deal.
Below, first bag of Soldiers. This is 23 Dismounted U.S. Cavalry with Command. The latter is supplied by two NCOs with rifles, waving Soldiers along, and one officer with a pistol who is pointing [back row]. Nice bag, cleanup not too bad.
These are rough-cut, with a busy surface that gets smoothed out a bit during the priming and painting process. It is a bit jarring to look at in the bag - the figs look like they have been shaken hard and got dented up! That's just the casting style, and the metal is a bit softer than the tin mix prevalent in a lot of premium British castings today, e.g. Perry, Minden, et al.
Leaders in the back, three hurrying troopers with rifles, two working their bolts and reloading. Love the reloading figs.
Below, standing and kneeling firers, kneeling reloaders. It's nice to have modern figures that are actually taking cover!
I like these figures. Old Glory are not all the same sculptor as it is a huge line. These are a pretty standard OG offering, a bit smaller than 28mm so 25mm, and full of animation, including their faces. The textured look of their uniforms is quite correct: you can see in photographs that the field uniforms were not tailored, something that their Brit cousins would likely disapprove of except in the tropics - especially for the officers! Then again, they'd dislike the whiskey, too.
I'm looking forward to painting these up, and to moving on to the Villistas and more!
Every period needs books, for reference and inspiration. This period is especially great as there are tons of pictures and a lot more information available due to the high literacy rate of the U.S., photography, and the constant involvement of the state and local governments. The 1900-1920 era on the borderlands can only be seen as a major crisis that makes what's happening now look like a tourist caravan gone astray!
THE BOOKS
"Intervention!" is a must-read a solid and entertaining history of a little-covered period of US-Mexican history. Given the immigration and wall situation, it is also more relevant than ever. Plus, it is in fact by Dwight D. Eisenhower's son.
Osprey's "The U.S. Army 1890-1920" is an older book from 1990. It may be a bit dated but it's still worth getting as the uniform changes are presented in a chronological way that is pretty easy to follow if you read closely. I like the older uniforms and plan to back-date some of my border problems and / or go to Cuba in the future. Again, not a well-known period so any information and ideas are helpful.
Osprey's "The Hunt for Pancho Villa" is quite well done. Like many in the new generation of Ospreys, an effort seems to have been made to work with a native historian instead of just dusting off some old limey who was gathering dust in a corner at Hogwarts. I found it informative and nicely balanced, with some great anecdotes and illustrations. There are also plenty of pictures since photography was well established by then, even if the pics aren't always sharp.
Final Osprey "U.S. Cavalryman 1891-1920" is OK, but ultimately bites off way more than it can chew, transitioning from the wild west and Indian Wars to Spanish-American War, Philippine Insurrection, Boxer Rebellion, Pershing Expedition, and WWI deftly, using a fictitious enlistee to tell the story. However, there's just too much change here for it to be adequately covered. Annoyingly, many of the illustration notes cover history with no uniform explanations, which is the most important aspect of an Osprey, really. History I can find anywhere: UNIFORM HISTORY is a lot harder to get. The bibliography and museum references are great, and being assigned to a cavalry unit myself [and there's even a picture of my cavalry regiment in the book! Shared that with the CSM the other day] if not that MOS made it engaging, anyway. Just don't expect too much of anything except an overview, and you won't be disappointed. It's a good start, so to speak.
"Bloody Border: Riots, Battles and Adventures Along the Turbulent U.S. - Mexican Borderlands" by Douglas V. Meed is another must-read. It covers loads of people in an anecdotal but engaging fashion, and makes you want to find out more. You realize that there are just as many eccentric, adventurous and downright crazy people in this history as any British colonial history. People from all over the world, from East Europeans to Garibaldi's grandson got involved in the Wild West and the Mexican Civil War. If the MCW is not a pretty fight, it is at least colorful, and I'm glad to pick this project up again. Also, the book is filled with ideas for small battles and skirmishes from a dozen a side to a few hundred.
"Last Reveille" by David Morrell reads like the screenplay for an action movie - tense, fast, choppy and exciting. Since Morrell wrote "First Blood", the famous Stallone franchise, you can imagine. However, it is also full of color, stories within the story, and some engaging characters. If the pace is quick and lacks depth and detail at times, it's OK. You don't want to pry too much in the lives of these fellows anyway. It also gives more history along the way. While I haven't fact-checked it, I can tell that a lot of it is solid, straight out of a history book and intended to give background. But Morrell does it quite well, and I'll be happy to try another of his Westerns as inspiration for the same period.
The last two books, "The Creed of Violence" by Boston Teran and "The Underdogs" by Mariano Azuela I haven't read yet, but they got good reviews and I look forward to hitting them.
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EDIT 27JAN2020:
Figures
Old Glory miniatures from the Spanish-American War line are useful [many Mexican Federal Units were clothed in old US uniforms of that style, and some of the guns, also], also the British colonial Lines [e.g. 1pd pom-pom] are worth investigating as clothing styles tend to be pretty common and its really the color that makes it a "uniform" even more than the cut.
For those with deeper pockets, the 1898 Line available at Empress Miniatures has some very nice personality and other figures in uniforms useful for Federales and Rebels alike, here [CLICK].
Books that sound interesting:
With the First City Troop on the Mexican Border: Being the Diary of a Trooper (1917)
by George III Brooke
History of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry 1914-1948
Campaign of the First Troop, Philadelphia City Cavalry, April 25-November 11, 1898.
Historical Notes
Of interest to some of us is that sub-units of the 104th Cavalry Regiment have some battle honors and involvement in this period. Troop A, First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry [1-104 Cavalry] was on the US-Mexico border in 1917 and also has the battle honor "Puerto Rico" for Spanish-American War. Troop C 1-104 Annville also has Puerto Rico, as does HHT 2-104 Reading.
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This is an exciting period for the right set of rules, the right level of combat. It is characterful skirmish battles at their best. The big battles seem like they are pretty inept slogfests and not going to make it into any staff college studies [except how NOT to do it]. But at the tactical and character-driven level, this will be a great period for gaming, sort of a "Mr. President's Little Wars" period, and I highly recommend it.
At the moment, my plan is to use One-Hour Skirmish Wargames for small skirmishes, and "A Gentleman's War" for the unit-based fighting of a few hundred a side. The same figs will be used for both games, so I'll almost certainly have to individually base figs and use movement trays.
Ya'll come back now, hear?
