by David Smith.
Softcover (7.25×9.75 inches). 96 pages. 2026.
Subtitle: The Tide Turns in the South
On vacation a decade or so ago, my wife and I had a deal: a visit to one military museum also means a visit to one quilting shop. One battlefield equals one natural park or wildlife preserve. Fair enough, until she brought me to Congaree National Park. Sounds lovely, right? The US National Park Service notes “Congaree National Park Wilderness holds a sophisticated beauty within its old-growth forest and along the meandering waterways.”
Don’t believe a word of it — it’s a Lowland swamp. A swamp with a boardwalk through the worst of it. It was literally 95 degrees, dew point at 70+, and the insect life took one sniff of our deet-infused insect repellent and said, “Oooo, energy drink!”
The things we must suffer to visit the Upland American Revolution battle sites. On the way back home, just over the border in North Carolina, we stopped at King’s Mountain National Military Park. Now, the path around an up to the battle site is a proper walkaround — sun-dappled woods, gentle breeze, and a lack of kamikaze bugs on a lovely fall day.
This long preamble down memory lane was prompted by this Osprey booklet. All the usual Campaign elements are here: commanders, troops, weaponry, training, plans, the battle, and the consequences. It’s well written, hits the high points, and contains one of the best OOBs (p17-21) ever. It drills down to individually named officers (lot of officers to men ratio — at least one unit has more captains than enlisted). This will help you set up a tabletop battle.
Alas, the 3D battle map is again a useless waste of two pages (p72-73) for setting up the battle. I know, I know: 3D might be useful, but usually not and definitely this one — a personal cartography peccadillo of mine. I am less impressed with how a map looks as a marketing check-off box than functionality. Rant over.
The old map (p68) is better, but for the important contour information within the wooded combat area, you’ll need to go to the internet. This map’s got the contour lines you’ll need: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/maps/kings-mountain-oct-7-1780
Other maps can help, too, but pair the booklet’s OOB with a good map and you’ve got a nifty scenario. The photos taken in the battlefield showcase the woods surrounding the mountain. Other pre-battle skirmishes are in the book for additional scenarios.
The booklet contains 28 black and white illustrations, 22 color photos, 12 color illustrations, six color maps, four black and white maps, three color two-page action illustrations, and the color 3D map.
Enjoyed it.
— Reviewed by Russ Lockwood
