tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2591229843590982581.post1645206686327074862..comments2024-03-28T11:28:58.010-07:00Comments on JJ's Wargames: Battle of Salamanca - Peninsular War Tour 2019carojonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11826580638291659193noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2591229843590982581.post-31255805128383519872021-12-01T08:01:21.041-08:002021-12-01T08:01:21.041-08:00Hi Mike,
First thing I should say is thank you for...Hi Mike,<br />First thing I should say is thank you for your contribution to Napoleonic Wargaming and historical writing over the years, I have many of your books which have been a constant turn to resource when constructing my own scenarios and I really appreciate the opportunity to express my gratitude to you as my Talavera and Oporto projects in particular would have been much more challenging otherwise.<br /><br />Thank you for your comment, Miguel should be congratulated for his input into the preservation of the Salamanca battlefield and the information provided around it which was very helpful and if the opportunity to return presents then I would be very pleased to take you up on the offer.<br /><br />I fully understand the issues around supporting information centres for historic battlefields and it's great when individuals care enough to create them in the first place and we are rather fortunate in this country to have the folks at the Battlefield Trust doing their great work to protect our own history.<br /><br />Thanks and kind regards<br /><br />JJ carojonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11826580638291659193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2591229843590982581.post-68139955359616507242021-12-01T04:09:06.294-08:002021-12-01T04:09:06.294-08:00Wonderful to recall my own experience of visiting ...Wonderful to recall my own experience of visiting Salamanca - I enjoyed your account of the trip and battle. I may be able to offer an explanation as to why the Los Arapiles centre was not open. The centre was conceived, initiated and carried to fruition almost single-handedly by a good friend of mine, Miguel-Angel Martin Mas. Miguel was also largely responsible for the way the battlefield was eventually treated when the authorities decided to drive a road through it. Virtually all the protective measures and visitor information facilities were taken at his instigation. Miguel has a small family and a career in education which take much of his time. Sadly, he could not persuade anyone reliable to attend the Los Arapiles facility and so it does not always open when it should. If you ever plan a return to Salamanca, please let me know and I will try to arrange for you and he to meet.<br /><br />He was my guide on my trips to the battlefields and was instrumental in arranging visits to key locations and people. My trip to Albuera when writing my book was particularly fruitful from this aspect.<br /><br />Regards,<br />Mike OliverMike Olivernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2591229843590982581.post-74433088817282552592019-08-12T03:02:46.139-07:002019-08-12T03:02:46.139-07:00Hi Bill,
Thank you, this was a holiday that was a...Hi Bill, <br />Thank you, this was a holiday that was a life-time in the planning and so I decided to record my thoughts about what I saw in a way that would be fun to look back on and also as a reference for wargamers as I always want to view these places in terms of 'what do I need to know about this place to model it on the table?'. <br /><br />The places featured are very much in that theme and I intend to use them myself at some stage.carojonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11826580638291659193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2591229843590982581.post-31665901148650455902019-08-11T18:34:57.131-07:002019-08-11T18:34:57.131-07:00Great post. You bring the entire battlefield to li...Great post. You bring the entire battlefield to life with your photographs and commentary. And what a nice-looking hotel!Bill Slavinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05056237500818603134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2591229843590982581.post-2500798319668139612019-07-12T01:54:52.332-07:002019-07-12T01:54:52.332-07:00Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed the read.
I...Thank you, I'm so glad you enjoyed the read.<br />If you and the family are looking for a different vacation, Spain and Portugal would be excellent choices, with great food, weather, countryside and of course the odd battlefield.<br /><br />Cheers<br />JJcarojonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11826580638291659193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2591229843590982581.post-45709361232425083092019-07-04T07:05:54.167-07:002019-07-04T07:05:54.167-07:00That was a great read, thank you from the states. ...That was a great read, thank you from the states. If my family decides to go on vacation, I suspect I will mention Spain as a nice spot- as there looks to many great battlefields to check outCuradhhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11293944868710717798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2591229843590982581.post-85677348427115337712019-07-03T23:17:49.677-07:002019-07-03T23:17:49.677-07:00Hi Jeremy,
Thank you.
I was 'knocked out'...Hi Jeremy,<br />Thank you.<br /><br />I was 'knocked out' by how relatively 'unspoiled' Salamanca is even when allowing for the vandalism of the quarrying at the back of the Greater Arapile, and reading Captain Synge's description of the wall atop it and seeing it just as he describes, whilst imagining his horse 'Ronald' (by the way who calls their horse Ronald!) leading the storming party up that forward slope was astonishing in that the setting looked like just yesterday that all this had happened. Absolutely incredible.<br /><br />Likewise, as you say, walking the ground really does enable a better understanding of the sight-lines and how Wellington made best use of the ground to mask his movements and protect his soldiers.<br /><br />The choice of 'surprisingly accurate' are Muirs words and I think refers to his comments in the book looking at all the previous maps from the various histories, French and English, including what I thought was the best, Fortescues, where he includes contour lines.<br /><br />In his analysis he shows the wide variation in distances between landmarks illustrated in the various maps offered compared with the modern numbers and given all the technology available to today's mapmakers, Oman's stands up very well - so I guess you can call it an inverted compliment to the late great Sir Charles.<br /><br />Cheers<br />JJcarojonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11826580638291659193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2591229843590982581.post-66554888997932857142019-07-03T12:51:43.071-07:002019-07-03T12:51:43.071-07:00Another excellent post - as expected - although de...Another excellent post - as expected - although describing Oman as "surprisingly accurate" is certainly damning with faint praise. Salamanca is a wonderful battlefield - arguably the best of the Peninsular War - and it really benefits from walking the ground. You can be totally hidden (and unaware of British Heavy Cavalry) in a number of folds in the terrain.Jeremy Ramseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12250118143994161913noreply@blogger.com