BATTLE TACTICS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

◗ Robbie MacNiven ◗ Osprey (2021) ◗ £12.99 ◗ 64 pages (softback) ◗ ISBN:9781472845450 ◗ ospreypublishing.com

The American Revolution was a major challenge for all participants, and this title describes the organisation, tactical ethos, battle experience, and weaponry of each of the protagonists (British, American, French, and German), including all arms of service, and militia as well as regulars.

For those fairly familiar with the period, there is perhaps little that is new here, but it is still a good guide to comparative strengths and weaknesses. For wargamers of the Seven Years War etc, this will be of considerable use in‘recycling’readypainted figures. The war is in fact an 18th Century wargamer’s dream in my view

– a wide range of tactical environments, with strong strategic and operational challenges, and economical on figures (some key battles had just a thousand or so men a side).

My only quibble with the volume is that eight pages are devoted to artist impressions of (for example) an infantry line, with tiny figures against an enormous backdrop of, er, well... ground. It would have been better to enlarge the copies of period maps. But, overall, another fine contribution by Osprey.