Scottish Baggage
Reading books doesn't half cause problems, and I don't just mean finding shelf space for yet another book.
Glenn Price (Soldiers and Civilians, Transports and Provisions) argues that a significant hindrance to the Scots armies manoeuvring in Scotland, was the quality of the roads - their baggage and supplies had to be carried on pack horses rather than carts in the main part, roads were often impassable to carts. Which ultimately means a bit of a rethink on my Scottish and Irish baggage trains.
My Covenanter army has a couple of pack horses (one hander to one horse), and a four wheel heavy cart. Fine for the lowlands and their excursions south of Hadrian's Wall, but no good for campaigning in Scotland.
Throw into the mix Magister Militum shutting up shop, I decided to pick up all the remaining packs of pack horses. I also purchased some two wheel carts from Museum Miniatures. With a little reorganisation, this gives me a slightly more appropriate baggage train.
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Two, two wheel carts were added to the train too, with Peter Pig dragoon horseholders as drovers (with obligatory blew bonnet headswaps.
Montrose's baggage train consisted of just one four wheel wagon. This has been supplemented with two pack horse trains.
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Lovely work. I'll be interested in your Irish baggage. In relation to O'Neill's Ulster forces there are still references to creaghts and that means cattle herds. There is a tenuous link between Irish horseboys, Irish in Spanish service and the eventual cattle herding in the American settlements. Although many of the cowboy accroutements were clearly Spanish in influence, I like to think of my Irish horseboys as prototype cowboys!
ReplyDeleteThanks Dex.
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