General – Page 29 – My Toy Soldiers & Me

AND IN THE END (II) METAURUS RIVER BATTLE (really “ancient” boardgame): Full Circle? YES! (edited 2025).

The very first game (or wargame) we played with dice was METAURUS (Great Battles of the World series). It was late fifties or early sixties I do not recall exactly (and do not care a lot about the exact date… could look at it on the net… but it really does not matter…).

It was a hit.

I keep buying boxes of plastic (quite hard) additional soldiers to increase the basic main box contingents. My rivals grew out of all historical proportion… I do not remember exactly if I got 7 or 11 elphants in the end!… a silly disproportion… but got a lot of Roman Cavalry too!… sadly never found Carthaginian Cavalry (which existed!… but never was lucky with those). Our battles were masive and cramped… I only stoped buying more troops when I run out of space on the “map”… LOL… now I know “those were the days”.

Fifty or Sixty years later my brother has produced a commemorative edition of limited number of copies (got number 33 if you are interested in those details), and I do not intend to break the seal of my copy. In that half century (or more) many things have happened… I still can remember how I teached the basic and crude rules to my (back then) little brother… that he will from there to build a company (with partners) that produces tabletop games was only a dream (his) but by now DEVIR (celebrating this days its 25 anniversary of existence) launches tabletop games expected to sell 140.000 copies in Spain alone… or 2.000.000 copies worldwide…

I must say that Mr. Rojas was strongly Roman biased, the games he produced (MEATURO and ZAMA) were Roman Republic highlights!… curiously enough Hannibal and the “Carthaginians Armies” are probably a lot more inspiring because they lost (mainly at sea as in all wars)… Europe is not “oriental” because the Romans won. Never Mr. Rojas produced a game about Ticino, Trebia, Trasimeno or Cannas… and he was probably right (mind!)… those were the ancient “big scare” of the ancient world.

With hindsight an Empire build with “business and commercial values at its core”… aka the Phoenician heirs of CARTHAGO… with mainly mercenary soldiers and dubious allies payed for their military services… with very few real carthaginian soldiers in their Armies was doomed from the start against the “citizen roman soldier of the republic” (probably half of a Republican Army was also Auxiliary troops… but they fought to became proper “roman citizens as a bonus in the end”)… It is a fascinating History. Got us all hooked when very young… we do understand it now. It is a matter of values… the higher values and sacrifices pay in the end.

I can also reflect that the “agrarian” Romans (Primary economical sector mainly) won over a “business commercial” carthaginians (Tertiary sector mainly)… both using the same technologies available (Second sector)… just mention this for fun of course. When Hannibal asked for more troops and supplies -basically money- the business decison of the Cartagho Senate was the wrong one… and that’s that.

But the “scare” was so big that the Romans had to erase Cartago from the face of the Earth… literally… DELENDA EST CARTHAGO!… raze the city and plant salt on their fields so they will never raise again… because it was a “Near Run Thing”. The languages we speak are mainly derived from greek and latin… no one cares about what “carthaginians” spoke…

We never looked back after that boardgame with 54mm plastic minis… of course more than fifty years later the plastic minis are gone and forgotten… years ago I bought metal minis to use the map with them… actually after several tries with Baccus 6mm correct figures (meaning Gauls, Carthaginian, Elephants, and Republican Romans).

The private edition by my brother is not available commercially if I understood correctly!… will post actualizations once I got my complimentary copy! (After all it was me who introduced my little brother to wargames at a very early age… that he later will transform that passion into a business still puzzles me!).

Enjoy!

First sketches from a private reedition (100 copies) for the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of DEVIR (a boardgames multinational company which has as CEO my brother!… LOL) fantastic expectations…

My sixties old boardgame still in good shape!

For a time I used Greek miniatures from Wargames Foundry in 28mm (that way both players had elephants!… but it was too symmetrical I guess…

The modern basic “counters”… at least quite “soldiers like”

The “NEW” map. (with very subtle diferences)

The ZAMA game (I never got the original one!)… because I knew how it ended…

And in the End (I)

Slightly smaller than DUCAL but exactly as BRITAINS or DORSET SOLDIERS.

The games you play are equal to the games you make…

I could not resist it, saying farewell and knowing when to quit is very difficult.

I have painted a “new old toy soldier”… a 54mm (ReplicaMetalSoldiers Andrew) a mounted Inspector General of the NWMP in a dark blue patrol jacket – I enjoyed so much the painting of it that I am currently pestering Andrew for a variation on the theme…- and all just because a childhood memory. I was very young when I got a box of mounties (I already had a lot of them) but in that one proudly in front of the lot there he was… a mountie with a dark blue tunic -and yellow gauntlets!- of course it was the commander of the unit!… I always had a crush for that figure (and of course never found one alike)… so in the end I decided to make my own and quite satisfied I am going full circle. Of course the original one was lost forever, but I have still 3 “mounties” over 65 years old.

I am going to update this post with pics and slowly edit the rest, meaning that I think there is always room for improvement.

There he is on its proper place before saluting the flag of the parading mounties.

It was a pleasure comparting posts here… and sure I will post more pics!… and edit existing posts but that’s all. To elaborate would be just a copy/ paste of what I said in my book “My Toy Soldiers and Me” so just peruse sometimes to see editions to come (of the posts of the blog not my book!).

Playmobil “mounties”… customized… and of course the dark blue patrol tunic is there too! Not very good light on that pic. See OSPREY MAA.

Editing this blog would be much more interesting that writing new entries, just yesterday I got one half of my last REVEILLE Leven buildings (Daniel Hodgson is the chap you need for your scenery!), vaguely colonial they would be pressed into service at the battle of Maiwand, NWF and North of Africa indistinctly.

Renaming and ordering the Posts of the Blog by subjects and categories nowadays.

Original pic of my DUCAL mounties in the garden (Pal in ANDORRA) not Canada at all I am afraid.

Summing up, my interests on “toy soldiers” are wide and large. I do not restrict my activities to a single field or even scale, neither period. No original at all, as you can imagine there is nothing more conservative than the Household Division to collect in 54mm, and the rest of my 54’s are in three main themes: French Foreign Legion (with some Chasseurs d’Afrique); Tel el Kebir/Rorke’s Drift aka Brits colonials before khaki; and last but not least NWMP/RCMP. As you can see in Collecting I the minis collected in 54mm have been subject to buy/sell, Scot Grey’s cometh and goeth, same with US Cavalry in gala uniform, Denmark Royal Guard, and some mat finish Spanish miniatures I had because a compulsory swap was made. That is Collecting for me, something alive but with periods of lethargy. Not Original at all I am afraid but a rewarding pastime.

I dedicated a chapter of my book to Collecting (my own experience mind) but the books you need is the one by James Opie: Collecting Toy Soldiers, and THE COLLECTOR’S GUIDE TO NEW TOY SOLDIERS by Stuart Asquith. The former has written many excellent books about Britain’s but THIS ONE is the best of all his production IMHO.

By now it should be named The Collector’s Guide to “OLD” New Toy Soldiers. How time flies by…

Guess it is time to start making lists again… first objective get the remaining ACW brigades organized (after a bit of checking up what minis I have used so far), deciding who is gonna paint what… and put a perspective into new projects, mainly completing “things” already exist… Will keep you posted.

Cheers.

adb@andorra.ad

Variations on a theme… see “the” iconic Toy Soldier mounted officer

The real Old Britains ancestors… perhaps one of his best Toy Soldiers figures. (Those are NOT mine)

Actually – once you have finished collecting – you are able to review your prided/priced posessions and understand from where their origins come.

Of course this is evidence itself for anyone knowing a bit about “iconic pieces” (and I do not mean mine!), see also the WOW factor as described by Mr. James Opie one of the best authors on the toy soldier field.

Here in this post you can look at my 9 mounted officers based on Britains Officer of Lancers… changes of arms and heads etc have added “custom toy soldiers”… but they all come from that old BRITAINS masterpiece.

Some of the pics have nothing to do with those but are included as a sample of things you can ask for or convert yourself!

Enjoy! (I did)

The other “similar” 8 Toy Soldiers in my collection

Those are from REPLICA: US Cavalry Officer, Guides Officer, Naval Officer, General Roberts, General Wolseley.

Done and painted by Andrew Stevenson from REPLICA

DORSET Toy Soldiers, 17th lancers Officer, Imperial Guard Lancers (Napoleon III), Scots Greys Officer

Bought as casts and painted by me, the head and arm are “converted”, and also the sword is added to the lancer officer.

And this Coldstream Officer converted from a US Cavalry Trooper (new head and right arm) has nothing to do with the “variations”… just added on to explain the concept of “variation”

This one is from Antony Spencer fron DORSET SOLDIERS (as anterior pic)

Indian Army Lancers 54MM: W.Britains and Tradition of London

I finally ended messing with those sets… in the end it has been a year long (on and off)… but it is finished.

It is interesting in a way because trying to bend horse’s legs to add stability to the toy soldiers I broke some (the alloy used is sturdy but brittle!) and then I bought replacements, learned to repair, paited redundant figures… in the end lots of fun!

I segregated the pics from an ancient post I was complementing as things caught form and progress was evident.

Finally decided to put them alltogether in one Post

A part of my collection consists of Bengal Lancers in Parade Dress, I first got the Tradition of London dismounted figures at the front, and then bought some W.Britains Centenial sets to have the mounted Toy Soldiers… as usual I elaborated a bit and got for the mounted sets a British Officer, an Indian Officer and a Stndardbearer… buying two sets of each it gives you two “redundant” figures a bugler and an officer… Antony Spencer from DORSET SOLDIERS did some of the conversions… and I did the rest. Nearly finished.

*A simple paintjob transform an officer of Hodson’s Horse (Blue tunic) into a Governor’s Bodyguard Officer (red tunic). Quite easy and straighforward.*

*As it was broken… why not try to repair?*

*Success with the first quickly implied disassemble the next one…*

*Now, using the two unbroken parts… a horse with a good rear leg and tail appears… (add a new head and right arm… and a brand new Toy Soldier will be added to the collection)*

54MM Toy Soldiers. Making “piece unique” toy soldiers with my leftover bits and pieces (first post of 2026 with more than 25 pics)

I am now proceeding to adjust my collections and do things that were on standby for a quite a time… using replacement pieces (arms, heads, etc) and even disassembling W.Britains damaged horses (one I did broke myself and the other horse come without a tail…)… just a bit of harmless entertainment to polish the end of it.

I learned to disassemble the horses using a vice, a screwdriver and a hammer! (long years messing with toy soldiers without using a hammer!). But so far so well, I did a “new” horse with two different parts (one from each horse – a bit with tail and a bit with a good rear leg -) see pics (worth a thousand words).

So, now only remains to paint them.

In the meantime I elaborated a kepi of a French Adjudant FFL, Put a flag arm on a redundant figure, painted the flag of a Bengal Lancer… and planning to reuse the broken bits before ever contemplating throwing them away to the bin

Enjoy! (Surely it is fun to repair things and give them a second chance!)

It would command my Cavalry once painted as a Scot Grey. Have added the plume with milliput not in the pic) and will add one pic when fully painted.

Works in process as described… Bengal Lancers, “New General”, “New Flag”, “NEW headgear for the FFL Adjudant… etc.

Two modified Toy Soldiers (change of right arms and new colour scheme)

Standardbearer instead of corporal firing pistl… and now on thw USMC instead of the 66th.

Superglue and fixing together the two halves of mounted toy soldiers casts (REPLICA)

Inspiration come from a pic on the first ITSC book!

Used the one on the right as a model for the one on the left… (meaning how to fix a sword).

SIMKIN Cavalry… and collection completed.

Post Scriptum (edited summer 2024)

I have decided to show the pics of 54mm toy soldiers first as it is my current passion. It is funny because buying them is quite complicated and lengthy (in matter of time)… you see there are no Toy Soldiers Shops anymore… and you have to order from companies (a grandiose term meaning sometimes a onemanband) who has to understand your needs, put you in the queue of orders and wait until your time has come… if that is not passion tell me what the hell it is. Sometimes you even place orders years in advance to have a slot of the manufacturer’s time in the future… it smack’s of Back to the Future somehow.

Cheers

REPLICA and DORSET Gurkhas and Guides NWF 54MM

French Foreign Legion mounted mule company. 54MM Dorset Soldiers.

Unexpected maybe by you… and needed or not, I am going to elaborate a bit with my Baccus and others (Dorset and REPLICA in 54MM) experience for your profit. If someone has read all the posts in this present blog he would not be much surprised by it but I have always indulged in summing up. As it is, I would arrange in chronological order my interest in the Baccus ranges, but you must understand the “context”, if instead of being nearly seventy (actually: in fact 72 and a half) I was in my thirties I would have gone Napoleonic straight away!… So my Baccus interests are much prejudiced by what I did on 25/28mm and become bored with… so no Zulu War this time (finally fell for it!)… (read Daniel Hodgson – REVEILLE on FaceBook…he is doing it to perfection!)

Curiously enough, after selling my 25/28mm collection and in the middle of my ten years (on and off) interest on Playmobils (customs) I started a new interest for the 6mm scale, and was surprised by the sheer quality Baccus had achieved while I was distracted by other things. So, wanting to do BIG battles (ACW) and also BIG units (Colonials) for a change I went for it!… Mind, it was not my first experience with 1/300, I once, many years ago, painted a hundred or so French Cuirassiers which I finally sold via eBay because I never thought about bigger bases!… then I went 25mm Minifigs (many periods) and the rest is in my past.

I did the Crimean Light Cavalry Brigade using Baccus proxies suggested by Peter (who was very helpful… of course later on I always took that help for granted!), and I painted and based the lot myself. I was much pleased with the result. But I put them on the cabinet and did not go on with further developments of that period. So, even if I had a British Army in 28mm with both the Heavy and Light Brigades of Cavalry and Infantry & Artillery… and some multipurpose units for the French Allies… (I did not ever build the Russian Army and neither Turks or Sardinians for that matter)… I did not want to repeat the experience in 6mm (have by now much more units… do not know how to stop somehow). At that late time of my 28mm scale involvement it was more collecting, converting and military modelling… instead of proper wargaming (not even solo). I simply could not resist the nice Foundry range. Of course the intention of building this unit in 6mm is to have a game with it… my own rules… quite role playing… and obsessed by the possibility of getting the orders clear and go for the right guns… always “what if” in mind you all know.

See The Crimean Light Cavalry Brigade… Baccus 6mm proxies… Nolan on the white horse shouting WHEEL RIGHT! as per Mark Adkin’s book and Tony Richardson’s spectacular movie!

Even if the later were a success I was concerned by the smallness of the Infantry figures, so I did not paint myself the second try… I simply ordered them painted from an eBay seller. I used 30x30mm Baccus bases to get the “counters” for an ancient boardgame about the Second Punic War battle of Metauro. The original plastic figures on the boardgame were 54mm, and the paint peeled a lot, figures lost forever by the use of successive generations… I once bought 28mm Greeks from Foundry (painted extraordinarily well in Madrid by the chaps at Atlantica Juegos) for both sides, trying to have a go at the Peloponessian War… but did not had the feel of the original Metauro game (even if the original did not had Gauls at all!) so when I sold my collection they parted too. Now I have Republican Rome and Carthaginian and Allies properly bathtubed, but this is as far as my interest goes for Ancients. That proved to me that Baccus Infantry was OK.

Asdrubal meeting the Roman Legions at the river Metauro (at his back). Do not remember who painted those… an ebay seller.

That prompted me to have a go at the Little Big Horn (yet again), but only concentrating the effort on Custer’s Battalion (Companies C,E,F,I,L and HQ), having the command mounted, skirmish line and last stand bases. I converted ACW Baccus proxies (just scratching out the sabers) and then sent to Mersey Wargames painting service. I enjoyed the result.

Riding to Glory (Mortal glory I guess). Painted by Mersey Wargames. Baccus has already started sculpting a proper range as Peter has said in the Forum….

So, I went also British Colonial in Kakhi, because I did not do them to the full in 25mm (in my time) and was much more nowadays interested in Maiwand/Kandahar; and the North West Frontier that going ZULU again (which I finally did). Incidentally I do with them the Sudan (Osman Digna British Squares affairs but also Abu Klea and Abu Kru etc) and I know Peter does an specific range for the Camel Corps… but I only bought the” pack camel minis”… in that scale in the desert my minis look the part without no need to repeat them in dusty light grey jackets! Better invest the money and time of the painters on other projects! In fact it is quite unfair to pester Peter about new packs or ranges when he does lots of periods and minis we simply pass from buying… the producer/designer nightmare I guess. And I am an example of how to use Baccus existing ranges to do my “own pet projects” in a quite heterodox way… even if I can be almost fully orthodox with a period like the ACW.

Kaki was a longed for period I did not do to the full in 25mm. Limbers are used also in the ACW. Painted by Mersey Wargames.

After seeing the results of my Colonial buys I decided to get a proper period in an orthodox form so to play with an opponent -be that my brother or other member of the family- so I choosed the ACW because it was my first love – thanks to the film THE HORSE SOLDIERS-and the minis and range of Baccus is quite complete (to say the least) even if I spruced the thing with Baccus proxies from their Franco-Prussian War range and even some Rapier minis. I dutifully bought ACW POLEMOS and also Altar of Freedom from the LITTLE WARS TV chaps (but I did not like their bathtubing of Gettysburg for instance… specially the Artillery present on the Confederate side… and NO I do not put Brigades over the top of the tress or woods myself); not much of a problem because I always tamper with the rules and do my own bathtubing no matter what!. Even so it is my largest (by far) and most typical wargaming approach of the lot. Nowadays finished building the Armies etc. -maybe shall post pics of the whole affair-

Confederate Baccus 6mm. painting by Turbil Miniatures.

6 mm let me do “one off” adventures in a very non expensive way so I have a Prussian Cavalry Brigade from the Franco-Prussian War. Von Bredow’s own… “The Death Ride” etc. No way I am going to wargame the Franco-Prussian War, I have read enough about it and have nice Books about the Uniforms (a pleasure to see), but I found impossible to recreate the incompetence, jealousies and ambitions bordering treason of the French High Command. The Prussians mobilization (use of railways) and “modern” staff approach was a walk over even if they took a lot of risks and got more than one bloody nose in the process. Not for me thanks. BUT the famous Prussian charge kept the Cavalry in the Armies for fifty years more… IMHO it was already obsolete by Waterloo times as such… mounted infantry would replace them and with other tasks, gone were the days of the Cavalry as a Shock Weapon…

Von Bredow’s DEATH RIDE. Franco Prussian War 1870. Baccus straight minis. painted by Mersey Wargames.

In parallel, I did the French XIXth Corps d’Afrique starting with French Foreign Legion -I always do the French Foreign Legion it is a mania- and followed by Chasseurs d’Afrique, Zouaves, Turcos and Spahis (thanks to Igor who suggested the proxies I had not perceived in the Baccus Catalogue!). Reveille is even doing a Zinderneuf outpost using pieces from Leven and small bases by Pendraken -another of my recurrent filias- No matter the scale my pet subjects are always the same as I suspect happens with a lot of wargamers.

Zouaves and Turcos from the XIXth Corps d’Afrique. Late XIXth North Africa. Painted by Mersey Wargames.

Zinderneuf under construction… (REVEILLE-Daniel Hodgson). Leven pieces. 6mm

.

After having an attack of second thoughts about Napoleonics, I was able to swap my interests at the last minute to Trees (badly needed) and wagons and pioneers all periods covered ACW and Colonials mainly.

Ranges from the Baccus Catalogue from whom I have bought items:

The Romans (Second Punic War); Napoleonic’s (Crimean proxies… so far I have avoided the real Napoleonic period… but it was a near run thing); American Civil War (like Coke the real thing!); Franco-Prussian War (proxies for ACW, French Foreign Legion, and even a Prussian Cavalry Brigade); Scenic items (XIXth century); Colonials; Bases and Basing Materials; Great War (proxies for my North West Frontier period); Equipment (quite multipurpose); Wargames Rules.

I have used a lot of troops from the Great War range from Baccus but not wargaming WWI… my wargaming interests stop at 1900. Both World Wars do not appeal to me at all and that’s that.
Colonial NWF painted by Mersey Wargames.

And also: Some ACW Rapier (not bad at all and they do mix well with Baccus… specially if you cut out the bayonets…) and of course lots of LEVEN and BACCUS buildings and accessories.

To be honest, I do quite different collecting… 54mm Toy Soldiers a:(for display only is one category usually with band and marching figures); b: in fighting stances to wargame with (YES! in 54mm), 6MM are for glorious BIG affairs as Gettysburg. Actually buying from DORSET SOLDIERS read Antony Spencer (aka IMPERIAL MINIATURES) and REPLICA (Andrew Stevenson). The 54MM wargaming is more “fun” intended… on the contrary 6MM is becoming serious day after day.

Cheers.

Custer & Little Big Horn

Today’s anniversary… 25 June…

Since I saw Errol Flynn killed by Anthony Quinn in THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON it become a lifelong interest… I was puzzled as a child because it seemed to me the US Cavalry HAD to WIN no matter what… of course real life is not like that… I guess I have already mentioned that on other Posts in this Blog but nevertheless…

It has been a rewarding passion mainly reading&collecting books about it and trying to understand what happened that 25th of June… of course all films (but Little big man) related to and hundreds (literally) of miniatures for wargames purposes (in 28mm, 15mm and 6mm to do not mention my 75mm Playmobils).

Baccus 6MM (ACW proxies… easy conversion… just scratch the sabers off)

Actually (2025) only interested on the actions and fate of Custer’s Battalion, Hq + C.E.F.I & L companies… the rest are out of reach I fear

After 70 years exposed to it I have come to the conclusion that Custer was put on a NO WIN – NO WIN situation… mainly by fate and circumstances but also for bad scouting, not believing his own scouts, and betrayed by his own experience fighting Plains Indians… the whole Reno Benteen paranoia is simply that a paranoia… the Native Americans where there in enough numbers (ask Crook), interior lines of communication, perfect ground for his tactics, and the will to fight for survival. The Indians Won. That’s that.

My Old set of 25/28MM figurines: Natives from all available sellers… 7th mainly Wargames Foundry or Foundry nowadays… still have some Dixon’s used for a LBH very old boardgame.

A magnificent American drama for the Centennial of the Nation.

Not much to enjoy about that of course… but a fascinating subject. There are a lot of trash books about it (and films too)… I can recommend the opus of Frederick Wagner III THE STRATEGY OF DEFEAT and the novel (fictional-history but it reads as History) A ROAD WE DO NOT KNOW.

Even did the full 7th Cavalry with Playmobils…

Be impartial!

Here we go again!

Excuse me if you have already seen this pic (my own for a change) 75mm Customized Playmobil (Just the headgear I guess)

Congratulations to the British. The civic attitude was paramount and those public and privately professionally involved gave a lesson on “how it is done”. There is no better example to compare. Long live the King!

This webpage would again be alive as from today with the usual business of giving you your daily ration (or dose) of Toy Soldiers. Cheers.

Mourning

There will be no new posts in this site until the 10 days of official mourning have past. I was born in 1952 and has never been a British subject… but in a way HM Queen Elizabeth the Second (The Great as already are saying) was my Queen too. So it is normal to show due respect and start talking about Toy Soldiers again once the official mourning has passed.

A job well done. (DIORAMA by Nicholas Breul as seen in Facebook)

Mix and Match in 28mm (a long time ago)

A pic of the peak of my own 25/28mm Collection.

Funny, today I have a bit of time to write… well… the pic is to the point… by then I mixed and matched manufacturers… I did find DIXON horses fantastic coupled with FOUNDRY riders (but not exclusively… TO THE REDOUBT and OLD GLORY too!).

It was the apex of my involvement in wargaming on that scale, I had a moderate surplus of bits and pieces from here and there and I could easily change “heads” at will with my PROXON minidrill and vice… had a lot of horses of discarded projects (that I would use in fancy units as the mounted Regiment of the French Foreign Legion)… and life in the hobby was FUN.

I still used painting services for the rank and file, and only did paint myself “specials” or closer to my heart subjects. You see I had NO time enough to paint because my real life as an Architect used my time… and I have a family too!… so the only way was to organize, list, buy, get the parcels, customize, send the biggest part to the painters with full instructions… and paint a little myself.

I enjoyed those years of my hobby to the full because time was so scarce. I am older now… over seventy (bot my grandfather and father were dead at my age)… no longer can I have fantasies about long term projects… I’ve done that, been there, got the T-Shirt as they say… but surely enough those new technologies help me pass the time and share my experiences with other people with similar interests.

The Michigan Brigade of Volunteers is a pet subject (as the ACW is) and Custer was better served in the Civil War than in his “Indian times”… the famous 7th had NOT the same stamina as the wolverines… understandable too of course… I own more than a hundred volumes on the Little Big Horn and after reading them… you can have a moderate sympathy with Custer as a man doing his job… but the so called “Indian Wars” were frustrating from a military point of view.

That Custer is better known for his death in a NO WIN situation that for his campaigning in the ACW is one of those ironies in History.

Wow!… time to write without interruptions for a change!… count the present one as an extra Post. Hope you enjoy too.