Books

WHITE SAVAGE William Johnson and the Invention of America 

By Fintan O'Toole

Paperback: £8.50 (published at £9.99), Hardcover: £16.50 (published at £20.00)

A gripping read giving invaluable insight into the French & Indian War and the role of the Mohawk and the Iroquois Confederacy.

This is the story of the Irishman from a family of rebels who saved North America for the British Empire. Closer to the Indians than he was to his fellow colonists, he was the model for Hawkeye, the hero of 'The Last of the Mohicans'. An epic tale of betrayal and adventure.

"A rich, engrossing portrait, convincingly argued and thoroughly researched … William Johnson emerges as a baroque, lively figure, his complicated life teased out in a bold and intelligent book." Joanna Kavenna, Daily Telegraph.

"Wonderful … O'Toole's narrative, with its clear echoes of Scott, Fenimore Cooper and RL Stevenson … is as convincing as it is attractive." Michael Moorcock, Guardian (Book of the Week).

Osprey Titles

We're offering a selection of the Osprey volumes which we consider to be the best buys for our customers and enthusiasts of the French & Indian War period. Some volumes which we would like to be able to offer are temporarily out of print, we'll add them to the list as soon as we hear that the publisher has re-stocked, let us know if there are any of these you'd like us to put on back-order for yout, or if there are any other Osprey titles on any subject which you would like to order through us, just contact us on mail@gallopingmajorwargames.com

A number of Osprey titles covering aspects of the French & Indian War are temporarily out of print but are being reprinted. We have shown these at the foot of this page, but they do not, as yet, appear in the Online Shap page, they will be added to the Online Shop when the publisher receives new stocks of them.

Don't forget about the "Soldiers Free" figure you'll receive with every order of books and/or wargames rules.

Monongahela 1754-55  Washington's defeat, Braddock's disaster

CAM 140

Author: Rene Chartrand  Illustrator: Stephen Walsh

OUT OF STOCK AT PUBLISHER

Paperback: £14.99

On 9 July 1755 amid the wilderness of North America, Britain suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in her history. General Braddock's army, a mixture of British regulars and American militia, was shattered, losing over 900 men from a force of 1,300. Braddock was killed and the remnants of his army rescued by his aide, Colonel George Washington. The origins of this defeat can be traced back to the death of a junior French officer little more than a year before in a relatively minor skirmish with a party of Virginian militia commanded by the same George Washington. René Chartrand examines the subsequent chain of events that ultimately sparked a world war.

Contents: Origins of the Campaign . Chronology . Opposing Commanders . Opposing Armies . Opposing Plans . Washington and Fort Necessity . Braddock's March . The Battle of Monongahela . Aftermath . The Battlefields Today . Bibliography . Index

Ticonderoga 1758  Montcalm's victory against all odds

CAM 76

Author:  Rene Chartrand  Illustrator:  Patrice Courcelle

Paperback: £14.99

On 5 July 1758 General Abercromby's expedition against Fort Carillon set off from its camp. Within hours, tragedy struck. Some rangers ran into a French scouting party and in the fierce skirmish that followed Lord Howe, the darling of the army, was shot through the heart. The army was shattered at the loss, but Abercromby went to pieces. He decided to attack Montcalm's completed breastworks head-on. Battalion after battalion was sacrificed, the most famous of these hopeless assaults being that of the Black Watch. With the failure of his plan and the exhaustion of his army Abercromby retreated to the foot of Lake George - Montcalm had saved Canada, with Abercromby's help.

Contents: Origins of the Campaign . Opposing Commanders . Opposing Armies . Opposing Plans . The Campaign & Battle . Aftermath . Chronology . Bibliography . The Battlefield Today . Index

CAM 121

Paperback: £14.99

'What a scene!' wrote Horace Walpole. 'An army in the night dragging itself up a precipice by stumps of trees to assault a town and attack an enemy strongly entrenched and double in numbers!' In one short sharp exchange of fire Major-General James Wolfe's men tumbled the Marquis de Montcalm's French army into bloody ruin. Sir John Fortescue famously described it as the 'most perfect volley ever fired on a battlefield'. In this book Stuart Reid details how one of the British Army's consummate professionals literally beat the King's enemies before breakfast and in so doing decided the fate of a continent.

Contents: Introduction . Chronology . Opposing Commanders . The Armies . Opposing Plans . The Campaign . The Plains of Abraham . Aftermath . The Battlefield Today . Bibliography . Index

Colonial American Troops 1610-1774 (1)

MAA 366

Author:  Rene Chartrand  Illustrator:  David Rickman

Paperback: £9.99

From the earliest English settlements the survival of the infant colonies in North America depended upon local militias. Throughout the 17th and early 18th centuries the burden of successive wars with the American Indians, and with the regular troops and militias of Britain's colonial rivals France and Spain, fell mainly upon locally raised volunteers. This first of a fascinating three-part study includes a general introduction and chronology, and chapters on Crown troops in North America; and begins a colony-by-colony review of militias and provincial units. The text is illustrated with rare early images and with eight specially commissioned full colour plates.

Contents: Introduction . Chronology . Royal Troops . Regular Regiments Raised or Organized in America . Colonial Militias . Provincial Troops . Virginia (Militia and Provincials) . New Netherlands . New Sweden

Colonial American Troops 1610-1774 (2)

MAA 372

Author:  Rene Chartrand  Illustrator:  David Rickman

Paperback: £9.99

From the earliest English settlements the survival of the infant colonies in North America depended upon local militias. Throughout the 17th and most of the 18th century royal troops were seldom shipped out from Britain, and the main burden of successive wars with the American Indians, and with the regular troops and militias of Britain's colonial rivals France and Spain, usually fell upon locally raised soldiers. These units also fought alongside the Crown forces during major operations such as the French & Indian War of the 1750s. This second of a fascinating three-part study covers the militias and provincial troops raised in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Maryland, New York and New Jersey.

Contents:  Massachusetts . New Hampshire . Connecticut . Rhode Island . Maryland . New York . New Jersey

Louis XV's Army (2)  French Infantry

MAA 302

Author:  Rene Chartrand  Illustrator:  Eugene Leliepvre

OUT OF STOCK AT PUBLISHER 

Paperback: £9.99

In Louis XV's army the classification of 'French' infantry denoted troops recruited from men born and raised in France. These regiments were called, naturally enough, infanterie francaise as opposed to the mercenary 'foreign' infantry recruited elsewhere. Making up the bulk of the army, all officers and men were to be of the Roman Catholic faith, the official state religion. Regimental recruiting parties went to towns and villages looking for likely young volunteers, inducing them to enlist with the usual promises - quick money, fast women, good wines and great glory.

Contents: Introduction . The Royal Guard Infantry . Uniforms . Infantry Regiments 1720-1763 . Metropolitan Units Sent Overseas . Post-1762 Reforms . Militia . Colours . Liveries for Musicians . Select Bibliography

Superb colour plates by the grand master of portraying the eighteenth century French army - Eugene Leliepvre.

North American Indian Tribes of the Great Lakes

MAA 467

Author:  Michael G Johnson  Illustrator: Jonathan Smith

Paperback: £9.99

This book details the growth of the European Fur trade in North America and how it drew the Native Americans who lived in the Great Lakes region, notably the Huron, Dakota, Sauk and Fox, Miami and Shawnee tribes into the colonial European Wars. During the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812, these tribes took sides and became important allies of the warring nations. However, slowly the Indians were pushed westward by the encroachment of more settlers. This tension finally culminated in the 1832 Black Hawk's War, which ended with the deportation of many tribes to distant reservations.

Contents: Introduction.Tribal groups broken down by language.History: French Wars (1740s) . French & Indian War (1750s) . Pontiac's Rebellion (1760s) . The American Revolution (1770s-80s) . The Prophet, Tecumseh, and the War of 1812 (1805-16) . The Black Hawk War and Aftermath (1832-40).Religion . Material Culture . Indian Leaders

British Light Infantryman of the Seven Years' War North America1757-63

WAR 88

Authors:  Tim Todish & Ian MacPherson McCulloch  Illustrator: Steve Noon

The British Light Infantryman of the Seven Years' War was proficient at scouting and skirmishing, and more than a match for the French and their Indian allies. Shooting rapids in canoes, traversing swamps and snowshoeing through endless tracts of forest, British redcoats earned a reputation for resilience and resourcefulness as they adapted to the wilderness conditions of North America. Their development was a watershed in the history of irregular warfare, and this book provides a full examination of their fighting methods, covering training, tactics and campaigning from Canada to the Caribbean.

Contents: Introduction . Chronology . Recruitment & Enlistment . Dress, Equipment & Appearance . Training & Tactics . Conditions of Service . On Campaign . Espirit de Corps - Face of War - Conclusion . Museums, Collections and Re-enactments . Bibliography . Colour Plate Commentary . Index

Highlander in the French-Indian War 1756-67

WAR 126

Authors: Ian MacPherson McCulloch  Illustrator: Steve Noon

Paperback: £11.99 

Colonial American historian Ian Macpherson McCulloch uses rare sources to bring to life the stirring story of the three Scottish Highland regiments that operated in North America during the French-Indian War. Forbidden to carry arms or wear the kilt unless they served the British King, many former Jacobite rebels joined the new Highland regiments raised in North America. Involved in some of the most bloody and desperate battles fought on the American continent, Highlanders successfully transformed their image from enemies of the crown to Imperial heroes, showing their bravery and determination at major battles like Ticonderoga and Quebec.

Contents: Introduction . Chronology . Recruitment and Enlistment . Training . Dress, Appearance and Equipment . Belief and Belonging . Conditions of Service . On Campaign . The Experience of Battle . Aftermath . Museums, Memorials and Reenactment . Select Bibliography . Index

The Forts of Colonial North America  British, Dutch and Swedish Colonies 

FOR 101

Paperback: £11.99

This book takes a detailed look at the fortifications of various types that were built from the times of the earliest British settlements in North America in the late 16th century until the end of the Seven Years' War, when France ceded New France to Britain. It begins with a study of the forts built by colonists on Roanoke Island between 1585 and 1590, and the famous settlements in Jamestown (Virginia) from 1607. It moves on to cover the British settlements that followed in New England, Nova Scotia and other points on the North American coast, as well as the Dutch fortified settlements in what are now the states of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, and the Swedish forts in Delaware between 1638 and 1655.

Contents: Introduction . Chronology . Design and Development . The Principles of Defence . Tour of the Sites . The Living Sites . Operational History . Aftermath . The Sites Today . Bibliography . Glossary . Index

French Fortresses in North America 1535-1763  Québec, Montréal, Louisbourg and New Orleans

FOR 27

Paperback: £11.99

Following the discovery of America by Columbus in 1492, European colonists brought their system of fortification to the New World in an attempt to ensure their safety and consolidate their conquests. French and British explorers came later to North America, and thus the establishment of their sizeable settlements only got under way during the 17th century. The inhabitants of New France built elaborate fortifications to protect their towns and cities. This book provides a detailed examination of the defenses of four of them: Québec, Montréal and Louisbourg in Canada, and New Orleans in Louisiana.

Contents: Introduction - A Network of Fortresses . Louisbourg . Québec . Montréal . New Orleans . The Fall of the Fortresses . Their Ultimate Fate . Bibliography and Further Reading . Glossary . Index

The Forts of New France in Northeast America 1600-1763

FOR 75

Paperback: £11.99

'New France' consisted of the area colonized and ruled by France in North America. This title takes a look at the lengthy chain of forts built by the French to guard the frontier in the American northeast, including Sorel, Chambly, St Jean, Carillon (Ticonderoga), Duquesne (Pittsburgh, PA), and Vincennes. These forts were of two types: the major stone forts, and other forts made of wood and earth, all of which varied widely in style from Vauban-type elements to cabins surrounded by a stockade. Some forts, such as Chambly, looked more like medieval castles in their earliest incarnations. René Chartrand examines the different types of forts built by the French, describing the strategic vision that led to their construction, their impact upon the British colonies and the Indian nations of the interior, and the French military technology that went into their construction.

Contents: Introduction . Chronology . Design and Development . The Principles of Defence . Tour of the Sites . The Living Sites · Operational History · Aftermath · The Sites Today · Bibliography · Glossary · Index

The Forts of New France The Great Lakes, the Plains and the Gulf Coast 1600-1763

FOR 93

Paperback: £11.99

"New France" consisted of the area colonised and ruled by France in North America from the 16th to the 18th centuries. This title, which follows on from Fortress 27: French Fortresses in North America 1534-1763: Québec, Montréal, Louisbourg and New Orleans and Fortress 75: The Forts of New France in Northeast America 1600-1763, takes a look at the forts guarding the frontier defenses of New France from the Great Lakes, down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico. Among the sites examined are forts Crèvecoeur (Ilinois), Biloxi (on the Mississippi), St Jean-Baptiste (Louisiana), Natchitoches (Louisiana), de Chartres (on the Mississippi), Condé (Alabama), and Toulouse (Alabama).

Contents: Introduction . Chronology . Design and Development . The Principles of Defence . Tour of the Sites . The Living Sites . Operational History . Aftermath . The Sites Today . Bibliography . Glossary . Index

Louisbourg 1758 Wolfe's first siege

CAM 79

Paperback: £14.99  Will be added to Online Shop soon, the publisher is reprinting

Louisbourg represented a major threat to Anglo-American plans to invade Canada. Bypassing it would leave an immensely powerful enemy base astride the Anglo-American lines of communication - Louisbourg had to be taken. Faced with strong beach defences and rough weather, it took six days to land the troops, and it was only due to a stroke of daring on the part of a young brigadier named James Wolfe, who managed to turn the French beach position, that this was achieved. The story is largely based on firsthand accounts from the journals of several participants, including French Governor Drucour's, whose excellent account has never been published.

Contents:  Origins of the Campaign . Opposing Plans . Naval Operations 1756-57 . Opposing Commanders (British & French) . Opposing Armies (British & French) . The Siege of 1758 . Naval and Military Preparations . The siege day-by-day . The Landing . Taking Lighthouse Point . Bombardment Begins . Wolfe takes Green Hill . The French Sally . Artillery Duels . French Ships Damaged . Breaches and Fires . The Surrender and Cambis' Regiment "Mutiny" . Aftermath . The Fortress of Louisbourg Today . Chronology . Index

Colonial American Troops 1610-1774 (3)

MAA 383

Paperback: £9.99 Will be added to Online Shop soon, the publisher is reprinting

From the earliest English settlements the survival of the infant colonies in North America depended upon local militias. Before the mid-18th century royal troops were seldom shipped out from Britain, and the main burden of successive wars with the American Indians, and with Britain's colonial rivals France and Spain, fell upon locally raised units, which also fought alongside the Crown forces during the major operations of the French-Indian War of the 1750s. This final book of a fascinating three-part study covers the militias and provincial troops raised in the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Georgia, Nova Scotia, Hudson's Bay and Quebec Province; and also Rangers, and colors and standards.

Contents:  South Carolina. North Carolina . Pennsylvania . Delaware . Georgia . Nova Scotia and Newfoundland . Hudsons Bay . Quebec Province . The Rangers . Colours and Standards . Bibliography

American Colonial Ranger The Northern Colonies 1724-64

WAR 85

Author:  Gary Zaboly  Illustrator: Gary Zaboly

Paperback: £11.99 

This title examines the development of the Colonial Rangers in this period, and shows how they were taught to survive in the woods, to fight hand-to-hand, to scalp a fallen foe, and to fight across all types of terrain and in all weather conditions. Based on previously unpublished source material, it paints a vivid picture of the life, appearance and experiences of an American colonial ranger in the northern colonies. Covering the battle at Lovewell's Pond in 1725, a watershed event in New England's frontier history, through to King George's War (1740-1748), the rangers were prepared for the final imperial contest for control of North America, the French & Indian War (1754-1763).

Contents:  Introduction . Chronology . Recruitment & Enlistment . Training and Tactics . Camp Life . On Campaign . Esprit de Corps . Rangers in Battle . Legacy . Colour Plate Commentary . Index

Tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy

MAA 395

Author:  Michael G Johnson  Illustrator: Jonathan Smith

Paperback: £9.99 Will be added to Online Shop soon, the publisher is reprinting

The Five (later Six) Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy were central to the story of the white colonization of the American Northeast. The European fur trade transformed their world, and the struggles between English and French colonists forced the tribes to take sides. Sir William Johnson's efforts in the Mohawk Valley ensured that the Iroquois Nations were allies of the British crown; and the loyalty of his kinsman Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea) during the American Revolution forced the Mohawks into Canadian exile. This richly illustrated book introduces Iroquois history, social organization, religion and material culture.

Contents:  Introduction . Origins of the Confederacy . The Five, Later Six Nations . History of the Confederacy: Early Contacts with British and Dutch Colonies . The 17th Century Mohawk and Beaver Wars Against the French . Sir William Johnson and the French & Indian War . 1701-1770 - Joseph Brandt and the Revolution . 1770-1800 . Social Organisation and Religion . Material Culture

American Woodland Indians

MAA 228

Author:  Michael G Johnson  Illustrator: Richard Hook

Paperback: £9.99 Will be added to Online Shop soon, the publisher is reprinting

The Woodland cultural areas of the eastern half of America has been the most important in shaping its history. This volume details the history, culture and conflicts of the 'Woodland' Indians, a name assigned to all the tribes living east of the Mississippi River between the Gulf of Mexico and James Bay, including the Siouans, Iroquians, and Algonkians. In at least three major battles between Indian and Euro-American military forces more soldiers were killed than at the battle of Little Bighorn in 1876, when George Custer lost his command. With the aid of numerous illustrations and photographs, including eight full page colour plates by Richard Hook, this title explores the history and culture of the American Woodland Indians.

Contents: Introduction . The Woodland Tribes . Wars of the Eastern Tribes . Warriors and Warfare · Woodland Indian Life and Culture . Technology, Dress and Art . The Plates

Indian Tribes of the New England Frontier

MAA 428

Paperback: £9.99 

This book offers a detailed introduction to the tribes of the New England region - the first native American peoples affected by contact with the French and English colonists. By 1700 several tribes had already been virtually destroyed, and many others were soon reduced and driven from their lands by disease, war or treachery. The tribes were also drawn into the savage frontier wars between the French and the British. The final defeat of French Canada and the subsequent unchecked expansion of the British colonies resulted in the virtual extinction of the region's Indian culture, which is only now being revived by small descendant communities.

Contents: Introduction · The Tribes of the North Atlantic Coast and New England · The Pequot War, 1630s, and its aftermath · King Philip's War, 1670s · The Delaware Trail leads West · Indian Life and Culture · Famous Chiefs

Louis XV's Army (5) Colonial and Naval Troops

MAA 313

Paperback: £9.99 Will be added to Online Shop soon, the publisher is reprinting

In 1715 France had a sizeable overseas empire in America, Africa and Asia, its colonies garrisoned by thousands of regular officers and soldiers who belonged to the Navy's colonial establishment or by the French East India Company's troops. Though these troops are not usually covered in histories of the French forces, since the end of the 17th century, they saw considerable action against the enemy overseas. This last volume in a series of five (Men-at-Arms 296, 302, 304, 308 and 313) details the uniforms, arms and accoutrements of Louis XV's colonial and naval troops. The text is accompanied by numerous photographs and illustrations, including eight full colour plates.

Contents:  Introduction . Colonial Regular Troops . Uniforms, Arms and Accoutrements . Colonial Artillery Corps . Auxiliary Colonial Troops . Colonial Troops 1763-1772 . Colonial Militias . Naval Troops . Select Bibliography . The Plates

Superb colour plates by the grand master of portraying the eighteenth century French army - Eugene Leliepvre. 

Wolfe's Army

MAA 48

Paperback: £9.99 Will be added to Online Shop soon, the publisher is reprinting

The British victory at Quebec in 1759 was a landmark in the history of North America. In this 'year of miracles', according to Horace Walpole, one could 'never afford to miss a single copy of a newspaper for fear of missing a British victory somewhere'. Of all the pivotal figures in the Seven Years' War, a cast which included George Washington, Sir William Johnson, Lord Howe and Montcalm, Major-General Wolfe remains etched most deeply in Americans' memories for his heroic leadership at Quebec. Enhanced by illustrations and photographs, this book focuses on the British forces throughout their disastrous and triumphant wilderness campaigns which ultimately ensured the birth of the English-speaking United States of America.

Contents:  Introduction . The Unending Conflict . Disaster . Mismanagement and Massacre . The 1758 Campaigns . With Wolfe to Quebec . The Fall of New France . Bibliography . The Plates

King George's Army 1740-93 (1)

MAA 285

Paperback: £9.99 Will be added to Online Shop soon, the publisher is reprinting

To most contemporary politicians the 18th century British Army was no more than an unwelcome necessity in wartime and an unjustifiable extravagance in peacetime. Nevertheless, the overall impression which is to be gained from a close study of the Army's own records, and from the surviving letters, diaries and memoirs, is that the British Army of the 18th century was very little different in character or in spirit from today's British Army. It was, above all, a force which was led, not driven, into battle. This book looks at the uniforms and organisation of the infantry of King George's Army.

Contents:  Introduction . Organisation . The Officers . The Soldiers . Weapons and Tactics . The Plates

King George's Army 1740-93 (2)

MAA 289

Paperback: £9.99 Will be added to Online Shop soon, the publisher is reprinting

The 18th century was marked by a steady growth in central control of the British Army and a corresponding decrease in the influence enjoyed by individual commanding officers. The most obvious sign of this process was the increasing uniformity of the clothing issued each year to the soldiers. Nevertheless, as far as those who devised the Clothing Regulations were concerned, it was a constant, and invariably quite uphill struggle to enforce compliance. This companion volume to Men-at-Arms 285 takes a further look at the infantry uniforms of the mid-18th century British Army, also covering the various auxiliary infantry formations, such as the Militia, Volunteers, Marines and the troops of the East India Company.

Contents:  Introduction . Personal Equipment . Officers . Regiments . The Plates . Index

King George's Army 1740-93 (3)

MAA292

Author:  Stuart Reid  Illustrator: Paul Chappell 

Paperback: £9.99 Will be added to Online Shop soon, the publisher is reprinting

This companion volume to Men-at-Arms 285 and Men-at-Arms 289 examines the organization and uniforms of King George's cavalry and artillery together with those of the Board of Ordnance.

Contents:  Introduction . Organisation . Uniforms and Equipment . Regimental Distinctions . The Board of Ordnance . The Plates