Byron Farwell quickly became my favorite author specializing in Victorian era military and exploration history. This is my third or fourth book by him and I love his masterful prose and riveting detail. In this biography he tackles the complicated life of Richard Francis Burton, who is most known for two very divergent accomplishments: as an explorer he was the first European to discover the source of the Nile and as an author he wrote the most classic, complete translation of One Thousand and One Nights, the famous collection of Arab folk stories. 

Ironically, Burton was kind of a bad explorer and author. He was a lousy expedition leader, obsessed with travel and fame but unskilled at leading men. His expedition to the lakes of Central Africa was a terribly  inefficient journey fraught with struggle that could have been avoided. And it was his expedition partner (and bitter enemy) John Speke who actually traveled to Lake Victoria and saw it with his own eyes. 

As an author, all of Burton's works other than One Thousand and One Nights were complete flops due to Burton's absolute disregard for editing, his endless footnotes, his disdain for his own readers, and his constant interjections of his own hateful rhetoric against every conceivable group of people in the world. Only at age 64 was One Thousand and One Nights published.

Farwell has a wonderful passage on Burton's unsuitability for military and government work, which was how Burton supported himself throughout his whole life.

"It has been suggested that Burton was a man born out of his time, that he should have been an Elizabethan or a Roman, but the fact is that there has never been a right time for a man such as Burton. He would have been a misfit in any age--one whose temperament, character, and vast range of interests, would have put him outside the main social stream whatever the era. The Victorian period was as good as any for a restless man with an inexhaustible hunger for travel and excitement. He should have had independent means, for he was essentially unsuited for any sort of employment. Basically undisciplined, he was destined to spend his entire adult life under military or consular discipline without ever conforming to the patterns that make for success in those fields. Had Her Majesty's Government created the post of Roving Ambassador to Barbarians, Burton might have adequately filled the post, but unfortunately only a single opportunity was given to him in this capacity, and his diplomatic mission was an impossible one."

And yet despite his many faults (or perhaps in part due to them), Burton is a fascinating character. He threw himself into extreme danger time and time again with very little reward. He traveled around the world, from unexplored Africa to the Wild West of the USA, recording what he saw with his eccentric perspective. Regarded as one of the best swordsman of his time, he was a master of disguises and languages and a connoisseur of strange and exotic religious and sexual practices.

Farwell's biography also pays considerable attention to Burton's wife Isabel, who is a fascinating contrast for Burton and very indicative of the "energetic" Victorian lady. She supported Burton with an unrelenting passion from the moment she met him, even if he often left for foreign lands without warning and rarely wrote to her. She believed that their marriage was prophesied by a Gypsy fortune teller. When she was able to travel with him she invariably attempted to play doctor to the local people (which she had mixed success at) and campaigned tirelessly for the humane treatment of animals in parts of the world where her message was considered foolish.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in eccentric Victorian personalities and African exploration.

Marching to the Drums is a collection of first hand accounts from British soldiers who served during the entire span of Queen Victoria's reign, 64 years of conflict in every corner of the world. This is a rare treat for anyone with interest in the period, since personal accounts from this era can be hard to find. Most of the passages are reminisces from aged veterans, recorded in English newspapers far after the events of the war. Regardless, the recollections are equal parts stirring and haunting.

The accounts cover the most well known wars of the period, such as the Indian Mutiny and the Zulu War, as well as lesser known campaigns such as in Abyssinia and China. Throughout them all you get a sense of the key importance of individual military leaders on the morale of their force. Leaders who embodied military valor and were seen leading from the front could push their men to stronger discipline and effort. Additionally you see true respect from the soldiers for their opponents (with the major exception of the Indian Mutiny, where atrocities were carried out against British women and children). There are fascinating and harrowing tales of heroism as well as desperate survival. 

My favorite recollection comes from a soldier in the Maori Wars in New Zealand, who spends much of his account focused on the "dusky belles" which he fought against and met in the war, Maori women who must have made an incredible impact on this old man recollecting his past 40 years later.

Recommended for wargamers and scholars of this period for a fresh, personal view of some of the famous (and obscure) conflicts of the 19th century.

The Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, after being bogged down early in the campaign, have started to gain momentum, forcing the Italian coastal defenders and survivors from the Napoli regiment back to a final fallback position along the road to Syracuse. Digging in near a creek, the Italians are attempting to buy just a little more time for the divisions that are being evacuated from Sicily. The Allies have captured the island, the question remains: how many divisions will they capture before the Axis moves them to the Italian mainland?

Sergeant Roy Keane advances with his squad in the calm morning. Suddenly a machine gun opens up ahead of them. The squad check themselves and look around to see that they are unscathed--except for Sgt Keane, laid low by the first shots of the day. There's no time to say any words for Keane though. If the Brits are going to win the day and complete their mission, they have to carry on!

The British soon pay the Italians back, sending several small enemy positions into flight. A Sherman arrives to support the platoon and the under-equipped Italians have no answer to the heavy armor.

British resolve slowly overcomes the weakened morale of the Italians. Wayne Rooney leads a determined push with the No. 2 Section.

Finally exhausted, the Italian forces surrender. The Kings Own takes the creek and is able to make an unhindered push towards Syracuse, mopping up disorganized and fleeing remnants of the Sicilian defenders.

And that concludes our Chain of Command Sicilian pint-sized campaign! We played 9 games total and victory came down to the wire. Playing CoC as a campaign added an exciting push-pull dynamic and changed the way we played the game, forcing us to be more strategic in our thinking.

The Insects have the smallest roster of units available in the game, but they more than make up for it with their ability to punch through human defenses and soak up massive amounts of firepower.

Giant Workers are the basic unit that of an Insect army. Like all Insect units, they have a giant, double-digit health amount and throw a huge number of dice at the enemy. Making them even more resilient is their Burrowers ability, which makes them harder to hit when they are further away from enemy munitions.

The Giant Flyer is a specialized offshoot of the worker which trades some offensive strength for speed and flight, letting it control vital points on the battlefield while slower monsters creep forward behind it.

With its acid spit, the Giant Spitter is the only ranged capable arthropod in the Insect roster. Its terrible attack specializes in destroying unarmored infantry, melting them into a digestible goo!

​​The largest and most terrifying of the Insects is the Giant Soldier. With the highest health value in the game and an unbelievably bad attitude, they are the rarest sights on the battlefield. Its pincers can shred the strongest human armor like a can opener and a its behemoth size means it will never back away from a fight, even when it has been heavily damaged.

"The British have fallen back, we must continue to push! At all costs we must stall them just a little longer!" Tenente Bortolo Saracco's radio crackles. The Italian Napoli Regiment have gained momentum after their counterattack and pushed the British back to the village of Cassibile. If they can push the Kings Own Light Infantry back just a bit further, it will have secured invaluable time for the island of Sicily to be evacuated (and I would win the campaign!). 

With great determination, a section of the Italians takes up a fire position at a bombed out farmhouse. They are supported by a Fiat light tank with dual machine guns.

An Italian scout team moves forward and finds themselves in the crosshairs of a strongly held British position. Before they know it, hand grenades and deadly machine gun fire are raining down on them. They soon flee with heavy casualties.

Meanwhile an Italian rifle team advances across open ground on the British left and meets only token resistance.

The British are now at an impasse. Flanked on their left they have no choice but to shift their momentum and adapt. A section bravely charges a larger Italian squad and due to the firepower from their Bren and Sten guns, as well as their pluck in the face of danger, the Italians are driven back. While the British have sustained significant losses, the Italians have completely exhausted their manpower attempting to break through the British lines. With extremely heavy casualties they find themselves falling back without having achieved their goal.

The heroic British squad that advanced across open ground under heavy fire and broke the Italian advance.

July 14, 1943

After pushing through Cassibile, the British face resistance as they advance Northwest. The Italian coastal defense force has taken a beating in the previous engagement and the British hope to carry forward with momentum. British patrols encounter a small pocket of riflemen in the fields off the main road. 

Two infantry squads and a mortar from the Kings Own take up positions behind a hedgerow and begin a prolonged firefight. Unfortunately for them, the Italians represent just a minor scouting party. And rather than the poorly equipped coastal defenders, the British face a counterattack from the Napoli Infantry Regiment!

The bulk of the Italian platoon present themselves in force on the British right and advance unopposed around the flank. It becomes clear that the Italians will soon have open firing lines to the bulk of the British forces. The British commander issues an order to fall back to a safer position at the edge of Cassibile and regroup.

Tenente Bartolo Saracco of the Napoli division knows that Sicily will be lost for a time. If he can hold up the allies just a little longer though, the Italians may have a chance to regroup and recover their lost territory...

July 13, 1943

Platoon Sergeant Roy Keane leads a squad on a reconnaissance-in-force, testing the outskirts of the village of Cassibile. Anticipating heavy resistance in the two story buildings, he swings to the left towards a hedgerow and crop fields. Suddenly a machine gun next opens up and additional Italian troops are seen moving through the field.

Keane and his men luckily make it across to the hedge where his men lay down accurate fire on the Italian infantry within the crops. The Bredas can't keep up with the Bren and the Italian riflemen have trouble getting a clear shot past their comrades. 

At the same time a rumbling sound echoes from the road--a Sherman arrives and sends two shells directly into the machine gun nest. Men scream as shrapnel tears through them.

Keane and his squad continue to apply the pressure to the remaining Italian squad. Several men, including Caporale Cino Casaletto are instantly killed, and the remainder crack under the fire. Seeing their right flank collapse, any men who were holding onto the buildings in town retreat as well. 

For his role leading the assault, Platoon Sergeant Keane has earned the respect of his men as well as mentions in the dispatches of his COs. The British continue their push towards Syracuse, but the now-organized Napoli Infantry Regiment might have something to say about that!

July 11, 1943

The Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry have landed on the shores of Sicily meeting only token resistance from scattered and under-equipped coastal defense forces. They moved to take control of a railway station just outside the small village of Cassibile but soon came under fire from unexpectedly strong positions within the brick station itself as well as entrenchments and sandbag fortifications. 

Under deadly fire from four Breda machine guns, two squads of the British platoon soon take casualties and become disordered. The British commander decides to pull back and wait for another chance. The green coastal defenders are ecstatic--if this is all the British can throw at them, perhaps Sicily is saved!

July 12, 1943

The next day is eerily quiet as the Yorkshire Brigade sends out a fresh platoon to attempt the capture of the rail station. A pair of mortars lay down a smokescreen but there's still no sign of the Italian defenders. Two British squads see the opportunity and begin an all-out sprint over the rails (this is where Greg got a quadruple phase while I had zero soldiers on the board!).

Finally, after two jump off points had been captured by the British, they heard a sound coming from the train station--the coastal defense platoon was singing songs and still celebrating their victory of the previous day. And the sentries seemed to have come in for limoncello too!

A few confused men staggered out of the station to trade shots with the British but the result was clear--after two attempts the Yorkshires had taken control of the train station. Next they'd be headed to the village of Cassibile.