Archive for January, 2010

What I didn’t mention yesterday was that I’ve been fighting some kind of virus for the past week.  The Docs, as always, say the same thing.  It’s likely a virus and there are no meds except to treat the symptoms as it runs its course.  Just in case it is bacterial, they give you an antibiotic series, but tell you it likely won’t help much.  They prescribe lots of liquids and plenty of rest.  Well – - – I’ve found a better cure … my own home remedy.

Honey, Jack, and Lemon - The Honeydew

It’s simple.  A cup full of honey, a teaspoon full of lemon, and a generous shot of Jack Daniels, taken “as needed.”  The honey soothes the throat, and the Jack makes the tummy say, “Howdy!”  It is, in fact, a liquid in keeping with Doctor’s orders, and it does allow you to rest.  Better than Nyquil.

I call it “The Honeydew.”  It may not be on the Doctor’s prescribed medicine list, but it should be.  In any event, it works for me.  That’s my story and I’m stickin’ with it!  Sometimes I have a Honeydew when I’m not even sick  -   but don’t tell anyone.

So we had a bit of snow in Gettysburg – again … and I mean a bit.  Not worth mentioning, but I understand some other areas rather close by were hit harder.  It’s funny how snow fall is so relative to what you’re used to having, at least to me.  I’m from upstate New York, Syracuse to be exact.  We never thought about closing schools or being “snowed in” until we had 8 – 20 inches, and that kind of snow fall was common.  To us it was just weather.  A natural occurrence.  Here in Gettysburg, a few inches causes major worry.

Mike pointing at 'snow emergency' in London

That’s relative as well.  Not too long ago Mike Vice and I were in London on a book project, and they had what they called a major blizzard – emergency conditions.  It shut down the entire town – almost panic in the streets – grocery stores doing a land office business as folks stocked up – being warned not to venture out unless absolutely necessary.

There was what I would characterize as ‘a dusting,’ as you can see by the picture of Mike smiling ironically as he points at the “massive snowfall.”  When I lived in D.C. it was much the same.  It’s all in your perspective and what your used to dealing with.  I, for one, enjoy the snow and consider risking its perils another adventure, another challenge worth taking.

On the other hand, I must admit, I’m getting pretty fed up with the severe and constant cold weather this year in our part of the country.  Where’s all that global warming when you need it?  Spring can not come too soon.

This is the conclusion of the report on the actions of the Household Cavalry Regiment in Helmand, Afghanistan, covering the first part of their current tour.  These soldiers are there right now, finishing their tour – doing their bit alongside our Marines and soldiers.  We are not alone out there.

Household Cavalry in action

The report of LtCol Harry Fullerton, Commanding, The Household Cavalry Regiment, continues:

“The development of the police is vital to the long term stability of Musa Qaleh and we are heading in the right direction. The Afghan Army battalion (called a Kandak) in Musa Qaleh is a professional body, commanded by an experienced Commanding Officer who has thorough knowledge of the area.

“The Kandak has recently been reinforced with new soldiers, increasing its strength by nearly a company’s worth. What we have been doing is working ever more closely with the Afghan Army and Police.

“In addition to the Kandak’s companies that are mentored by B Company, 2nd Battalion The Yorkshire Regiment, we are also planning our operations jointly at battle group and company level and then executing these plans in a partnered manner. ISAF and Afghan forces complement each other with different specialist skills and we have discovered how good the Afghans are at reading the ground and clearing through built-up areas.

“Together we are achieving more. The recent villages reclaimed in the south was a prime example of this co-operation.

“The other key theme that has been with us is that ‘the people’ and all our operations are focused with the locals in mind. The use of force is only justified when we need it to repel the insurgent and the use of indirect fire and air-delivered weapons is only used as a last resort.

“The result of this is that we have had little, if any, collateral damage incidents and, where necessary, we have struck with precision. With the people at the heart of the campaign, much work has been done to understand the ways and needs of the locals, so this can be translated into stabilization projects that benefit the community and improve the lives of locals

“Our Military Support and Stabilization Teams have been working hard with community leaders to deliver this effect.

“In looking back at the first three months, I can say that HCR Battle Group was well trained for what we have faced out here in Helmand. We were the first Battle Group (along with 2 YORKS) to go through a Wessex Warrior Exercise that was designed to have an enemy that thought and fought like the insurgents in Afghanistan.

“We practised route-clearance and faced an OPFOR (exercise enemy) that fought in small groups, often firing and melting away into complex terrain.

“The whole training package lasted for the best part of the year; it was busy with much time spent away from barracks.

“Conceptual and cultural training was as important and the investment in training facilities, such as the Afghan Village (and Afghan players) in Thetford, paid real dividends. We could have done with more specific-to-theatre training equipment, but we did what we could with what we had.

“As I look forward into the second half of the tour, the one thing we have yet to experience is a taste of the real Musa Qaleh winter. Up until now, although we have had rain, there has been little of the harsh conditions that we have been expecting. However, January and February could bring the extreme weather and this will hamper our operations somewhat. This is only countered by the fact that it tends to hamper the insurgents as well.

“Weather aside, I expect that the next few months will see an ever more confident community, an expanding area of government control and further moves on our part to partner with the Afghan National Security Forces.

“The other possibility is that I would hope to see some moves by the less motivated insurgents to down tools and attempt reintegration with the community. We have already seen the beginnings of this and we hope for more.

“Last but not least, Musa Qaleh is about to see some significant reconstruction and development, with a new mosque being built in the centre of town, new government offices, a causeway being built across the wadi, and a route improvement being planned in the direction of Gereshk. We should also see the completion of the new police station. All in all, there is a great deal of investment going into the town.

“At the smaller scale, there have been many projects to build and open schools, repair roads, drill for water holes and teach people basic construction skills.

“There is no doubt that Musa Qaleh is a thriving town with great potential in the near future. The ANSF are strong and are improving all the time. Security is improving and the people are becoming more confident in the ability of the Afghan Government to deliver the security and services that they need.”

You might note as you read along that this report often does not parallel the doom and gloom reporting of the media in this country.  It is in many respects a very encouraging and positive report of the activities of the Household Cavalry Regiment.  The report of LtCol Harry Fullerton, Commanding, The Household Cavalry Regiment, continues:

The contrast never ceases to amaze me. This soldier is on guard and being teased by tourists. Next month he might well be in Helmand Province - on guard in an entirely different way.

“In realising their weakness, the insurgents have fallen back to their tactic of laying IEDs [improvised explosive devices], mostly on vehicle routes. The threat is extremely high, but we mitigate this by using a combination of good route-clearing drills, technology and equipment, protected mobility vehicles, aggressive patrolling and observation of routes, and most importantly the co-operation of Afghan forces, who also clear the routes on a daily basis.

“The professionalism and courage of both regular troops who ‘Barma’ or search routes for IEDs and of our dedicated counter-IED teams from the Royal Engineers (RESA) [Royal Engineer Search Advisor], Royal Logistic Corps (ATO) [Ammunition Technical Officer], and Royal Military Police, cannot be commended enough. They are the front line in defeating this deadly threat.

“Thus far IEDs have claimed damage to six Mastiffs (which continue to be the best vehicle we have out here and can be repaired relatively easily), two Jackals, one Scimitar and, sadly, an Afghan Army Ford Ranger, which took the lives of three Warriors (Afghan soldiers). However, far more IEDs are actually found and defeated.

Scimitar

“The key theme of the tour has been about working with our Afghan partners, both the Police and Army. The Afghan Police have recently been on an intense training programme, run by the Americans. The finished product is a District Police Force that are better trained and disciplined and who are now gaining the respect of the locals, something that was perhaps missing in the past.

Household Cavalry on Parade in London

We hear a good deal about our US forces in Afghanistan, but sometimes it seems we’re the only ones over there.  We’re not.  There are Canadian, British, and many other warriors fighting beside us, that we never hear much about.  A friend of mine in the UK sent this report to me, and I wanted to share it with you.  To some it might seem a bit boring, but between the lines it tells of the immense sacrifices these soldiers of the Queen are making.

I’ll provide the report in several parts to allow the reader to take a breath.  I have also cut out a very few parts which seemed a bit too technical in order to shorten the overall length.

This mid-tour report was submitted by LtCol Harry Fullerton, Commanding, The Household Cavalry Regiment.  Yes, folks – this is one of the same spit and polish regiments of the Household Guard that protects the Royalty of the United Kingdom – when it isn’t fighting in Helmand Province in Afghanistan.  The report, submitted in January 2010, is as follows:

“For the last three months the Household Cavalry Regiment [HCR] has been deployed in three distinct groups in Helmand province.

Household Cavalry in action

“These first three months have been challenging, but a great deal of success has been achieved during this time and the Battle Group and our detached squadrons feel confident of doing more to ensure the security of the people of Helmand, to defeat the insurgency, and to partner and train up the Afghan security forces.

“We had an excellent handover from 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, giving us enough knowledge and insight of the area that we could maintain the tempo of operations in Musa Qaleh.

“Musa Qaleh has been an area of increasing stability and security over the past 12 months, with the area under control of the government growing on a regular basis. Such is the confidence of the local people that there is a bustling bazaar area, and two large markets that occur each week in the wadi, and all this is done without the need for any overt military security presence.

“An area of approximately 100 square kilometres is controlled by ISAF [International Security Assistance Force] and ANSF [Afghan National Security Forces]. In late October, in a joint Afghan and ISAF operation, a further three villages and farming land were retaken off the insurgents, forcing them back further.

“…  most important of all, the insurgents have become more unpopular with the locals, who see them more and more as an external threat of foreign fighters, who live off the population by taking their food and resources.

Captain Henry Thompson, commanding A Company, 6th Michigan Cavalry, I’m sure, felt that the charge General Custer ordered at Hunterstown was too brash a move.  Because of a bend in the road and a ridge behind the initial Confederate line, they had no idea how many of the enemy were in their front. Further, the road had a strong fence on both sides, which meant they could not deploy, but had to charge in a tight and vulnerable column.  Lastly, Custer’s artillery was plainly already deploying by the time the order was given, thus negating its purpose.

Whether Custer observed Thompson dragging his feet to obey the order, or saw that the men of A Company were skittish in their saddles, he sprang into action.  Telling his staff to remain behind, he rode in front of A Company, drew his saber, and said something like, “I’ll lead you today, boys!”  With that he was off, a Brigadier General leading Thompson and his 50 odd men into the unknown – talk about high-priced help.

Hunterstown Battle

It looked promising at first, with the enemy skirmish line broken and withdrawing as the cavalrymen charged on.  Things went rapidly wrong.  As they passed the Gilbert Farm on their right, and pressed deeper into the Confederates, they basically entered a kill zone.  They took severe fire from the farm buildings and fields on their right, as well as suffering sustained fire from their front.

Then it really went bad.  Almost instantaneously their entire officer command structure disappeared.  Custer was unhorsed, Thompson was wounded and unhorsed, and their third, and only other officer, was thrown to the ground by his mount.  Having now had time to react, other elements from the Confederate rear guard hidden from sight over the ridge came into view charging down on the now confusing melee.

Custer was saved only by the quick and gallant actions of one of the troopers, who carried him on the back of his horse through the Confederates to Federal lines.  Thompson was also carried back, but the third officer was apparently captured.

This incident was overshadowed by Custer’s heroic charge the very next day (3 July 1863) with the entire Michigan Wolverine Brigade, and very little has been mentioned of this debacle in basic history books.  It does, however, remind one of a similar futile and ill-fated charge under another flamboyant commander not so many years before in the Crimea – “The Charge of the Light Brigade.”

Custer’s actions, although not inconsistent with what I’ve read about him, were rash to say the least.  To this writer, he wasted his men’s lives.  On the other hand, although you might fault him for his judgement, you certainly can’t argue with his courage.

I won’t bore you with the details leading up to the engagement at Hunterstown (referred to often as the Battle of North Cavalry Field) on 2 July 1863, during the Gettysburg campaign.  There are those who have done a much better job of it, such as Eric Wittenberg and J. David Petruzzi, in their recently published, Plenty of Blame to Go Around; Rummel’s Cavalry on the Roads to Gettysburg; and Longacre’s The Cavalry at Gettysburg. It even played a significant role in my most recent novel, The Gettysburg Conspiracy.

Suffice to say, in the vicinity of Gettysburg, two Federal cavalry brigades were in search of the anchor of the Confederate left flank.  Between Hunterstown and Gettysburg, these brigades found their prey.  They engaged the former Cobb’s Legion, led at Gettysburg by Confederate Brigadier General Wade Hampton, supported by other elements of Stuart’s rear guard.

Custer wearing Maj Gen straps, but in approximately the same uniform as at Hunterstown. Note the one star on his collar.

What struck me about all this, and why I find research so fascinating, was that a certain well-known Union general led a tiny part of one of these brigades in a very strange and rather foolhardy charge against the Confederate rear guard.  It was the unknown first stab at glory of Brigadier General George Armstrong Custer – before real fame took a hand.

The first amazing fact is that Custer, a junior staff officer (Lieutenant, then Captain), was promoted all the way to Brigadier General of Volunteers only days before this engagement (29 June 1863), by Major General Alfred Pleasanton, as part of his shake up of the cavalry corps when he took command.  He was given command of  2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, Federal Cavalry Corps – The Michigan Brigade. He wore an improvised uniform, and I’m certain had to be somewhat overwhelmed by his sudden rise – his ego notwithstanding.

As his brigade left Hunterstown swinging south toward Gettysburg, they saw a significant Confederate force taking positions about a mile ahead.  It was, indeed, the Confederate rear guard.  Custer was first to arrive.  He dismounted his cavalry troops, deployed them on both sides of the road, then instructed his artillery onto a ridge.

This is about when things went a bit offish.  Custer ordered Captain Henry Thompson, commanding Company A, 6^th Michigan Cavalry, with his approximately 50 cavalrymen to charge down the road into the Confederates.  His stated reason was to give time for his artillery to properly deploy. Thompson and his men were seasoned troopers, they must have seen the artillery already taking position, and the prospect of this mad charge wasn’t greeted with great joy.

The crossroads known as Hunterstown, 1863

Battle of Huntertown, along the Hunterstown - Gettysburg Road

British observers on McClellan's staff. Charles Fletcher is seated on the far right, and Edward Neville is also seated, third in from the right.

Almost everyone you talk to about British military observers in the American Civil War can think of only one – Lieutenant Colonel Arthur James Lyon Freemantle, Coldstream Guards. Freemantle is considered by most as a British military observer who chose to remain with, and ‘observe’ the southern side. Because perhaps of the fame of Freemantle through his book, Three Months in the Southern States, or possibly as a result of how he was portrayed in the recent movie, Gettysburg, even historians are unaware of two important historical facts:

1.  Although Freemantle was an officer of the Coldstream Guards, he was on leave of absence while in the States, likely didn’t have a uniform with him, wore tweeds most of the time, and was – in point of fact – more a “tourist” than anything else.  (David Horn, the then curator of the Guards Museum, London, and a renowned historian, tried to tell the Gettysburg movie folks these facts, but they insisted on putting Freenantle in a scarlet uniform as an official British observer at Gettysburg, regardless – Go figure.)

Lt Col Arthur Freemantle (In later years)

2.  On the other hand, there were a dozen or so authorized British military observers with General McClellan and the Federal Army of the Potomac for several months in 1862.  These officers, mostly from Guards regiments and the Royal Artillery, came south from Canada to join Little Mac’s staff.

You see, a brigade of Guards and other regiments, with accompanying artillery, had been sent to Canada by Her Majesty Queen Victoria in response to the “Trent” affair on the high seas.  During this incident, two Confederate politicians were taken from a British ship, HMS Trent, causing great outrage in Britain.  By the time these elite British troops arrived in Canada, things were smoothed over between President Lincoln and the Queen, and a nasty potential war on our northern border was averted.  This left these officers sitting in Canada with practically nothing to do.  Why not observe this “Yank” war first hand?

It is one of these British observers, Ian Carlyle, in the Scots Fusilier Guards, who is the hero of my recently released novel, The Gettysburg Conspiracy.  I modeled my character, Ian, after two of the actual observers on McClellan’s staff, Charles Edward Fletcher and Edward Neville.  They can be seen in the photographic image at the beginning of this blog.  These were both fine officers.

By the way, I survived the dentist.  My cunning plan worked like a charm.

Photographic image of British and other foreign observers with the Federal Army

I don’t know about you, but I truly detest going to the dentist. He’s actually a really nice guy, and I think it important to take care of your teeth, unless you really enjoy eating soup. No, it’s not the dentist or the dental work, or even the needles – it’s the fat mouth thing afterward for what seems like hours.

Over the years, as I’m certain we all do, I’ve developed a way to deal with these times of stress. A brave and manly way.

First I stay up late the night before writing or watching endless Law & Order reruns, thus getting little sleep. I make the dental appointment for early or mid morning – all part of my diabolical plan. After the visit I come home, in total silence, head for the bedroom, take a cowardly Nyquil, and crash for several hours of tossing about sleep until the nasty big mouth returns to a presentable size – although still tingly.

Oh – I forgot. A nice bowl of chicken soup or ice cream waiting when I awake doesn’t hurt.

Manly, aye? I’d say even courageous. After all, I could have wimped out and had gas!

Every once in a while, a day off is welcome.  This is one of them.  I’m reading for my enjoyment, which happens to be a draft manuscript of a novel by a close friend, Kit Cooper.  I love it.  It is about one of my favorite periods and battles, the Anglo-Zulu War, and Rorke’s Drift.  It’s written as the journal of a private soldier who was there, and Kit has that ability to place his reader there as well.

Fine Remake

So thus I have spent my day.  Many relaxing hours with Kit’s manuscript, followed by watching one of the best Westerns made, “Monty Walsh: The Last Cowboy” starring Tom Selleck – from a book by Jack Schaefer.

I look at these westerns now for the horseback riding as well as plot, characters, dialogue, etc.  I was pleased to see what an accomplished rider Selleck really is, and his sidekick as well – Keith Carradine .  Of course, is there anything the Carradine family can’t do or hasn’t done?

This is actually a TV remake of a 1970 movie starring Lee Marvin and Jack Palance, also a great film.  The Selleck remake, unlike many remakes, is excellent, and has its own style and grace.  It was directed by Simon Wincer, who  brought us “Lonesome Dove,” so what can you expect.

1970 Original Film-A wonderful movie

The more I ride Sunny, my Appaloosa, the more I enjoy good westerns.  Funny thing that.