| 5thNYLine | 22 Feb 2008 1:09 p.m. PST |
Hello,
I am interested in studying the Franco-Mexican War Circa 1860's.
Recommendations of readings and 25-28mm wargaming figures would be appreciated.
Thank you |
| Wizard Whateley | 22 Feb 2008 1:16 p.m. PST |
"The Cactus Throne" is a good overall history. |
 The Virtual Armchair General  | 22 Feb 2008 1:17 p.m. PST |
The London War Room has sculptor Chris Ferree's extensive line of "true" 25mm sculpts originally sold by Richard Houston. Belgian, Austrian, Sudanese, and more foreign troops, as well as a wide selection of Juarista and Imperial forces comprise the line. VERY nicely priced, too! Also, there is the Osprey title that is really a must. Look for Jaspar Ridley's "Maximillian & Juarez" for a good general history. Both can be found cheaply via Amazon, Abebooks, and/Alibris on line. TVAG |
| JonFreitag | 22 Feb 2008 2:33 p.m. PST |
I second the recommendation for the Osrpey title. For a pictorial history, try finding, "L'Armee de Napoleon III (2) – L'Expedition du Mexique." Although in French, it contains a number of paintings and militaria found in the Musee de l'Armee. For a French history of the conflict, Avenel's, La Campagne du Mexique (1862-1867)" is also useful. This volume includes French OB information. For wargaming resources on the web, try the following link: link Finally, Wargames Illustrated ran a series on the war in issues 136-139. |
| Travellera | 22 Feb 2008 2:45 p.m. PST |
Foundry have a huge range for the period. I have loads of them. If your interested to buy please email me at traveller_a at hotmail dot com |
 Saginaw  | 22 Feb 2008 3:47 p.m. PST |
On Military Matters has a booklet available entitled 'Allied Occupation of Vera Cruz, Mexico 1861-1862', which contains orders of battle and a list of the Spanish, French, and British vessels that landed troops. Also, as a snippet of info, the Austrian frigate SMS Novara brought Archduke Maximilian and his consort, Empress Charlotte (known popularly in Mexico as "Carlotta") to Mexico in 1862, and would also bring them back to Austria in 1867 with Maximilian's body after his execution. Another bit of info is that an Austrian sloop, SMS Dandolo, was a station ship off Vera Cruz from 1862 to 1866. |
| Mark Plant | 22 Feb 2008 5:34 p.m. PST |
You will find that information for the early part of the war isn't so difficult -- basically up to the 2nd battle of Puebla. Then it all peters out, so that it is very hard to find much stuff about the period of occupation onwards. Much of what I have seen in English from the later period is, sadly, rather inadequate. So you can find great information about the troops in Vera Cruz in 1861 -- which saw no fighting of any note -- but nothing about the heavily fought siege of Queteraro, for example. The Avenal book is a prime example of this, being excellent on the first two years, and skimming lightly over the rest. What little there is of military detail has a tendency to be in French and about the French. This is also true of uniform details. I'm a fan of the period, but I don't recommend it for those who want the history in easily digested format. (BTW, it wasn't really a "French-Mexican War". Apart from the the first battle of Puebla, and a few actions surrounding the second battle -- actually a siege -- the "French" side was often as Mexican as the "Mexican" side. It is much better to refer to it as the Maximilian War or French Intervention.) |
| Mark Plant | 22 Feb 2008 5:40 p.m. PST |
This is an incomplete and inaccurate list of the actions during the war I drew up:
link Note how after the fall of Mexico city -- mid-1863 -- how few actions involve substantial numbers of Frenchmen. |
| Saginaw | 22 Feb 2008 6:24 p.m. PST |
Mark, that is a very handy and informative link you've provided for us, especially concerning the War of Reform, which is a pretty non-existent subject outside of Mexico! Thanks for the info!  Another tidbit of info is that the Mexican dictator, Porfirio Díaz, who was in office from 1876 to 1911, was a principal participant of the Battle of Puebla in 1862, which eventually became the celebrated "Cinco de Mayo". |
| The Virtual Armchair General | 22 Feb 2008 8:33 p.m. PST |
DUH! I managed to forget to mention that Andrew Preziosi has some 20 OB's for the French Intervention in Mexico, all available through TVAG as part of the Preziosi OB's Collection. Go check out French Campaigns and look for the Mexico listings to see just what is available. The product of years of research in several languages, these are the most complete and up-to-date OB's currently available anywhere. TVAG |
aecurtis  | 23 Feb 2008 12:33 a.m. PST |
Travellera: message sent! Allen |
| agplumer | 23 Feb 2008 8:22 a.m. PST |
The Wargames Illustrated articles are available on line at :
link The site also has quite a bit of additional information. It is a great FREE resource!!!! I'll second the old Houston range at the London War Room. They are good solid figures. I have hundreds. Andrew |
