Slitherine

While the armament of these guys is right in my view, I think we do them a diservice by rating them as poor. Bearing in mind they hung around the borders I think they vast majority of them came from this background and were reverting to the lifestyle of their forebears. Ill disciplined and irregular they might have been but they seem to have been highly effective and motivated (they were doing it for themselves). Think Mosby or Quantrill and you get the idea. I think we should rate them the same as Border Horse of the earlier period - average.
John

marshalney2000 wrote:While the armament of these guys is right in my view, I think we do them a diservice by rating them as poor. Bearing in mind they hung around the borders I think they vast majority of them came from this background and were reverting to the lifestyle of their forebears. Ill disciplined and irregular they might have been but they seem to have been highly effective and motivated (they were doing it for themselves). Think Mosby or Quantrill and you get the idea. I think we should rate them the same as Border Horse of the earlier period - average.
John

I gave them Poor as they don't actually seem to have operated with the army that much so they are only there for colour. However, you may well have convinced me

A wonderful story of the Moss Troopers just before the battle of Inverkeithing (I was blissfully unaware of this small fight which took place just after Dunbar). Apparently the Moss troopers rode into the centre of Edinburgh, which was held by Cromwell, and under the shadow of the castle loaded up wagons with Cromwells supplies before calmly riding out again to delive rthem to the Scottish army.
John

Just to clarify my earlier note. Cromwell was besiging Edinburg castle and the Moss troopers rode into Edinburgh and delivered supplies to the castle. Apparently they bluffed their way in the city gate by having a man with an English accent at the front of the column.
John

marshalney2000 wrote:Just to clarify my earlier note. Cromwell was besiging Edinburg castle and the Moss troopers rode into Edinburgh and delivered supplies to the castle. Apparently they bluffed their way in the city gate by having a man with an English accent at the front of the column.
John

Confirms everything I suspected about Cromwell and the NMA - not very bright