Indiscriminate? Well perhaps but let us not confuse the precision of the bombing and strafing abilities of a World War One RAF Handley Page bomber with that of an F-18E/F and its laser guided munitions. True indiscriminate bombing was an art form perfected by both the allied and axis air forces in the 1939-1945 rematch.

That's indiscriminate, even by the Luftwaffe's herding of refugee standards. As I recall, the reinstated Sec'ty Churchill wrote to his subordinates in the field that if what happened got out, it could bring down the gov't. I see in wiki that the Brits also used WP bombs on Shiek Mahmud's Kurdish 1924 rebellion, so the empire did seem to be experimenting with the RAF as cost effective crowd control. TE LAwrence might have seen more imaginative and pop-centric uses than 'whack-a-mole'.

For close air support of troops in contact, I think we're more likely to risk the armored land-based A-10 over a carrier-priced F-18, or the gold-plated JSF35. We took only half the lesson from VN, that pilots shouldn't be risked to 'send Ho a message', and have expanded that to prohibit exposing jets or AC-130s to daylight ground fire, while the reaction force has to lumber in w/ rotary gunships that are somehow expendable. A-1's proved over and again that an FW gunship could reach, loiter and defend overmatched ground personnel, until the choppers arive.

There is a middle-ground CAS niche between a Cobra or Apache operating at WW1 fighter speeds, and a supersonic interceptor. Unfortunately, Col. Boyd lost his war with SAC, the missile generals, and platinum hardware salesmen, and the Navy buys Navy jets for the Marines.

Didn’t we already determine recently that the CAS gap you mention would be nicely and cost effectively filled by a 21st Century version of the Skyraider? With modern materials, power plants, avionics, ordnance, and the ability to loiter for long periods it seems like the ideal solution. The only problem I see is getting its price up to thirty or forty million bucks a copy so as to interest the Navy.

The picture is a Model 1853 British Enfield, a .577 muzzle loader and the favorite instrument of easily the finest armed body of men this country ever produced the infantry of the Army of Northern Virginia.

What do you think JPWREL, that rifle looks in pretty good shape and the picture ain't that old. You don't suppose it's a copy manufactured in the Peshwar region, probably Darra, back in the early part of the 20th Century? I've seen some neat stuff come out of there in the "old days."

Anecdotally, LtGen. Tom Jackson's foot cavalry were known to have covered 30 miles in a single day over the cross-compartmented terrain of the Shenandoah, and once covered 646 miles in 48 days of campaigning - the Stonewall certainly understood about strategic economy of force! : )

No doubt Jackson's men could move partly because they carried far less impedimenta than the Federals. However, if Caesar's Commentaries are to be believed his legions in Gaul carrying even more equipment than Jackson’s infantry could cover even more ground on poor to nonexistent roads.

Anyway, my great-grandfather who in his final years lived with my father while he was in his teems served with the 108th NY Vol. Inf. (Rochester, NY) and fought at Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg and the Wilderness. According to family legend he told my father many stories of his service but always held the Confederate troops in extremely high regard and never ceased to be amazed at their élan, durability and sacrifice even when in tatters, unfed and shoeless.

About the Enfield I think you are likely right. But I have an original London Armory Enfield (1862) imported by the Confederates through Wilmington, NC and issued to a Va. Regt. hanging on my wall that is in superb condition. I still get unsolicited emails to buy it from antique gun dealer’s back east that know about it and want to buy it.

Judging from the stories I heard, Jackson was a martinet, and his death was attributed to a hex put on him by the widow of a man he ordered shot for leaving without permission.

LITTLEMANTATE - If you are interested in Gen. Lee's most capable lieutenant, LtGen Thomas Jackson, you will find no better source than in the book, "Stonewall Jackson The Man, the Soldier, the Legend" written by Professor James I. Robertson Jr.

No doubt the Stonewall was a strict disciplinarian with his men, and found many of his subordinate commanders wanting. However, I find no other personality that comes close to embodying the spirit of the southern soldier than him and few that could gage the ebb and flow of a battle and turn events through that keen sense.

Incidentally, my Great Grandfather rode against a noted dashing Civil War General, George Armstrong Custer, but sometime later when Custer was a Colonel, at the Little Big Horn.

Now I am going to sound obstinate, but don't mean to.

Custer hung some of my relatives in Virginia for being guerillas. ;)

I bought property in Spotsylvania years ago, and before the developement, with a close eye, one could pick out folds and creases in the terrain that showed traces of fighting positions, which overtime had become worn away.

The way we could tell who was where was by the minie balls we dug up, which had turned white with age. The bullets we found on one side would have three gas rings (southern) and only two rings (northern) were found on bullets on the other side. So, simple riddle solved on who was shooting at whom and on which side!

Life is a hoop and comes full circle - hecheto aloe (it is done). : )

Relief in place has always been a tricky evolution, and an opp'ty for the opposition.

Listening to George Packer this morning, I was reminded that the lid came off both ends March 28-April-2, 2004, as relief forces were taking over in Fallujah and central Baghdad. The first Najaf uprising took place while Dempsey's 1st Armored DIv. was de-camped, road-marching and nearly loaded out of Kuwait. JAM jumped the gun, allowing Dempsey to counterattack; but perhaps team Sadr felt the need to steel a march on their internal Badr rivals.