The first part of the book is an excellent study of the weaponry and effects of that weaponry from 1630 to 1850 (not 1750 as the title on the Amazon store page would indicate). It is quite in depth and well written yet easy to understand. It is in the second half of the book where the reader may lose interest. There are several chapters in which the author recounts a number of battles where enough data is available to attempt to determine the effectiveness of the weapons. Each time the author goes through what happened during the battle, then attempts to reconcile theory with the historic accounts. After a battle or two this can get tedious for the reader. Overall it is recommended for the more serious student of the period. ( )

A very useful book, as Mr. Hughes has conducted some important trials of period military equipment. The actual size of an artillery target at varying ranges, for one thing, the amount of smoke liable to be produced on a battlefield during use was another. It is a book full of gems regarding the equipment of the Napoleonic Wars and earlier. I would that many more historical novelists had read this one! ( )