Monday, 18 June 2012
Solo Campaign - Situations Vacant - Poll
I need to appoint a successor to Wellington - I'd welcome votes in the little poll on the right, or comments or other nominations. All help and insight welcome. I reserve the right to ignore everything and make some daft, random appointment if I feel it's appropriate - the traditions of British government have to be observed. How about the Prince Regent as C-in-C, for example? Someone suggested the Duke of Brunswick. Someone even suggested Bernadotte, but I'll come up with some detail regulation to exclude him.
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I've voted. Theres a lot of voting going on this week. Cant move for democracy. I dont suppose my preferred candidate will get the job. It seems to me that the really useless certain bet would be Earl Chatham - influential family (Pitt the Elder's son), dreadful track record in Walcheren, hated by the soldiers, no military competence at all - ideal British field commander. Cheers - Lou
ReplyDeleteI've decided to use realistic criteria for voting. I have an Audio book version of Sharpe's Tiger and really like the portrayal of the David Baird character ("hoot, swear and spit mon, its nay hard". So, popular image what better way to select a commander?
ReplyDeleteSeems a fine basis for selection. On the subject of Sharpe, I saw with interest this week that Tarleton is mentioned somewhere in the series as a cousin of Sir Henry Simmerson - in fact he is one of the characters whose influence keeps Simmerson in the service.
DeleteAgain in Sharpe - I was surprised to see that the Wikipedia list of characters in Sharpe has a short note on Rifleman Dodd which never once mentions C S Forester. Since Cornwell himself stated that his Dodd was supposed to be the guy out of Death to the French, that's disappointing.
David Baird might be just the kind of hard-necked Scotsman needed to smarten things up a bit.
I've gone for Beresford, he performed marvels with the Portuguese, so why not Britannia!
ReplyDeleteGood shout, I think he could do OK, but a lot of guys would refuse to serve under him. No matter - he could put Portuguese officers in to command British formations! They could make him a full General, with effect only in the Peninsula.
DeleteTarleton still living on past exploits in AWI,
ReplyDeletePaget would be too busy chasing senoritas
Daddy Hill excellent as second in command,
Beresford, great trainer and organiser but didn't do very well at Albuera!!
Baird got my vote, nice and aggressive
others to consider
Picton again nicely aggressive
Black Bob, a bit impetuous but learning what not to do
Main problem with Craufurd - he's dead (23 Jan 1812)
DeleteSome evidence of discrimination against dead people there, Clive? He is, of course, technically dead, but probably still at least as well qualified for the job as some of the other candidates.
DeleteHe doesn't meet the person specification so would not proceed to interview
DeleteThis is an interesting area - I've never seen a job application form which actually asked "are you alive?" - I wouldn't be surprised if it were illegal to ask that question. It's a pretty safe bet he would fail the medical, however, so the point is academic.
Deleteas your campaign is loosely fictional it's entirely possible that Black Bob could still be alive and would have learned to duck!!
Deletego for a really aggressive commander, pity Lord Peterborough wasn't still around , commander in 1st Peninsular War, War of Spanish Succession
My personal fancy would be either Tarleton or Baird, not least because they are colourful, but there seems to be a bit of a majority for Rowland Hill thus far.
DeleteI say reinstate Wellington! Surely Sharpe could be dispatched to Horse Guards with the South Essex and make them see the error of their ways?
ReplyDeleteFailing that I'm for Tarleton because he has a great hat...
Hi Ian - if Tarleton gets the nod, and if he is to wear his trademark helmet, I could re-use the figure for the (recently deceased) Le Marchant, who has just such a hat, not to mention a sort of greenish coat. Nah - if we have a new C-in-C, I'm sort of obliged to paint up a new figure.
DeleteCheers - Tony
Maybe it's the romantic in me, but what about Graham - always had a think for the chap taking up arms to avenge an insult to his late wife.
ReplyDeleteHe's certainly the most senior of the generals in the Peninsula, and did OK when he had independent command at Barossa, though it was not a large action (is Barossa a CCN scenario?). I recently read a biography of Graham, and it does seem that the insult to his late wife was a real event, but has been embroidered a little over the years. His wife died (of consumption) while on board ship off the Mediterranean coast of France. When they put ashore, the customs officers opened the coffin, because they had been tipped off that he was smuggling in British muskets for the Royalists. That is a pretty outrageous piece of bureaucracy, but the incident was no more lurid than that, apparently.
DeleteTarleton would annoy Mel Gibson - worth considering.
ReplyDeleteUxbridge, gentleman, is a peer and so of course most qualified to command.
ReplyDeleteI think Hill would have had a better chance of winning than some of the other candidates. As I've mentioned Beresford before, I believe his duties in Portugal are too important for the army's sake so I'd rule him out. I don't see Baird as even remotely possible. Anyone connected to the British defeat at Corunna the way he was, and then losing an arm, is not going to be commanding anything except a remote outpost maybe in some wretched place like India or Egypt. It isn't that I believe he is incapable, just not politically well connected or having performed some remarkable act deserving of such a post.
ReplyDeleteIt's a well-known fact that Corunna was a glorious British victory - like Dunkirk, in fact ;-D
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