A Brief, Imprecise Guide To Armies Of The Wellsian Era & On Colonial Matters

In his new book of wargame rules entitled A GENTLEMAN’S WAR, Howard Whitehouse identifies the following attributes for several different armies:

• Best Units
• Strengths
• Weaknesses

For example, he identifies the British Army's best troops are being Highland and veteran county regiments, whereas the Guards are seen to be well drilled Elite troops that are probably lacking recent combat experience. The British Army's strengths are identified as being:

• Its tendency to be stalwart (i.e. resolute and unfaltering),
• Its well-mounted cavalry
• Its excellent marksmanship ... after 1902.

Its weaknesses are identified as being:

• Its old-fashioned outlook
• Its lack of a proper staff system
• A persistent amateurism amongst its officers

The illustration on the back cover of A GENTLEMAN'S WAR. It shows British Guards and Artillery under attack by some rather depleted Russian Infantry. The use of a Victorian penny as a marker is a nice, historical touch.

In the chapter entitled A BRIEF, IMPRECISE GUIDE TO ARMIES OF THE WELLSIAN ERA, the following armies are covered in this way:

• Britain
• France
• Germany
• Austria-Hungary
• Russia
• Turkey
• United States of America

In the chapter entitled ON COLONIAL MATTERS, the following armies are covered in this way:

• The Dominions
• India
• Egypt Before 1882
• Egypt After 1882
• Tropical Africa
• L'Armee D'Afrique
• L'Armee Coloniale
• German Colonial Troops
• The American Army In The West (1866-90)
• Kingdom Of Afghanistan
• Boer Free State
• China
• Desert Tribes
• Mahdists
• Mexico
• North American Western Indians
• Pathans
• Zulus

That is a pretty comprehensive list, and any armies that are not covered above can easily be added using these examples as a starting point.