Sedgemoor 1685 - Marlborough's First Victory

[Captain of Dragoons]

Barry,

Two weeks ago I recieved in the mail a book I ordered (along with Chandler's Blenheim Preparation) by John Tincey "Sedgemoor 1685, Marlborough's First Victory".

Have you read or seen the book.

In it he covers a "friendly fire" incident on the Royalist left flank by Kirke's Regiment on the Royal Dragoons. Have you tried this in your demo game. It seems friendly fire is as old as war itself.

Over all it's a great book and covers the campaign and battle with lots of first hand accounts and gives a good break down of both armies.

cheers

Edward
captainofdragoons

[barr7430]

Hi Ed,
no I haven't seen this book and I must admit I didn't know about THAT friendly fire incident so have not tried it in the Sedgemoor demo!

I have seen friendly fire incidents in our LoA era games. I remember running a scenario during which routing Dutch cavalry were about to ride through a friendly battery of English guns. The Player commanding the Allies specified that he wanted to blast the Dutch squadron with the English guns in order to prevent the battery being disordered and masked in a subsequent turn. I let him! BUT when the Dutch took casualties I made all friendly units test morale for seeing this outrage and many regiments faltered and ran!

As to the matter of Tincey's book... I'd like to read it but I find the title somewhat irritating.... more glorification of Marlborough. He was a middle ranking and relatively young officer at the time whether Tincey is attributing the victory to Marlborough or merely suggsting that it was the first victory that Marlborough was present at I would be interested to know. There were many other 'soon to be famous' actors at Sedgemoor also. I suspect it was rather like a 17th century 'Rat Pack' with all the wannabees who soon surfaced during the wars in Ireland and Flanders - Sarsfield was there I believe amongst many others. A time of honour and glory or a time of deal cutting, betrayal and fence sitting? I know what I think!

thanks

B

[Captain of Dragoons]

Barry,

Tincey in his Perface state's that the original proposal for the book was "Sedgemoor, Marlborough's first command".

I have found that when praise is justified he gives it to Marlborough, James II, Monmouth and Feversham, and he also points out mistakes and errors made by them during the campagin.

It is a well balance account and not the hero-worship you may be refering to in Churchill and Chandler.

cheers

Edward
captainofdragoons