Customer Reviews

Battle of the Boyne 1690: The Irish campaign for the English crown

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There has been a tendency among some reviewers and various professional nay-sayers on the internet to belittle Osprey's Campaign series as superficial and hence, of little value. Amateur historian Michael McNally's Campaign #160, the Battle of the Boyne 1690, should serve as ample justification for the value of this long-running series, which since 1990 has covered dozens of campaigns, and battles that have received scant attention in the recent past. Where else for less than $20 can a reader purchase a volume that includes color maps, order of battle data, a bibliography, capsule biographies, etc on such a wide range of military history? While the quality of individual volumes has varied, the series has improved over time and many volumes do in fact provide more than just a rehash of other secondary sources. McNally's Battle of the Boyne, which offers a very detailed look into a battle that has otherwise often just been glossed over, signifies the value of this series.

Since the background to the Boyne Campaign was rather complex, McNally provides a 7-page introduction, followed by 18 pages on the events leading up to the battle. The section on opposing commanders provides excellent capsule biographies of the key leaders and readers should enjoy the information and color uniform plates in the opposing armies section. Indeed, McNally does an excellent job outlining the strengths and weaknesses of both sides and shows that competent writers who know how to synthesize can pack a lot of data into a small package. A section on opposing plans also provides insight into the Williamite and Jacobite strategies. The strength of this volume also lies in its excellent graphic quality, with excellent maps and color plates. The five 2-D maps include the military situation in Ireland, January - June 1689; the siege of Derry; the military situation in Ireland, July - December 1689; the Battle of the Boyne; the Boyne campaign and its aftermath, June-July 1690. The two 3-D BEV maps are the Williamite attack and the Jacobite collapse at the Battle of the Boyne. The two color battle scenes are King James before the dates of Kerry; the death of the Duke of Schomberg. In addition, the author provides an excellent order of battle, a detailed campaign chronology and a lengthy bibliography.

The author's narrative of the actual Battle of the Boyne consists of 24 pages. Like most Americans who read European history, my knowledge of the Battle was fairly superficial and tended to encompass the Williamite view that the battle was a foregone conclusion (remember, victors write the history). However, McNally demonstrates that the Jacobite position, while desperate, was far from doomed and the battle was a hard-fought engagement that could have gone either way. Indeed, McNally's narrative is marked by an even-handed approach that provides perspectives from both sides. While some readers may complain that the military analysis herein is minimal (for example, the role of Williamite artillery in the battle), the author succeeds in detailing the Williamite envelopment, the confused Jacobite response and the climax of the battle. My only disappointment with this volume was the omission of any attempt to assess the total casualties suffered by each side in the battle - which makes it hard for the reader to assess how "decisive" a win this really was for the Williamites, since of course, the war in Ireland lasted for another year. While I understand that exact data was probably unavailable, I would have appreciated an educated guess by the author. By the time that I finished, the author had succeeded in changing my impression of the campaign and redefining my views on this phase of Anglo-Irish history - not bad for a volume just shy of 100 pages.

Since Dr. Forzyck (who wrote the very well-rounded Toulon: 1793) has covered the details, I'm content to report that The Battle of the Boyne is among Osprey's finest works. It's a gripping account of an interesting conflict that truly enlightened me on the Williamite (I didn't knew that word existed!) War in Ireland.

The maps are wonderful, the two 3-D maps especially (except that some of the action takes place on the book seam...fix that Osprey!!). However, the full-page illustrations number only two and they are not nearly up to Grahm Turner's high standards. To me, it seemed OBVIOUS to have a painting either of Dutch, Danish, or English troops crossing the Boyne, but Turner contented himself with drawing James II approaching the gates of Derry and the death of a Duke. Pah. Its always the bloody nobility and royalty which gets all the drawings!!

The true meat of Boyne: 1690 is its campaign and battle narratives. I truly hope McNally continues to publish with Osprey, being the budding, excellent writer that he is.

Mr. Mcnally, I'm eagerly awaiting Augrhim: 1691!!

I love the Osprey series which gives me great basic info on a subject that either quenches the thirst for knowledge or allows me to do further research w/ more expensive/expansive readings. For under $20 you can't beat the info/pics/colour plates on any subject.