TO Eric Weider, Publisher Armchair General

Dear Eric;

Once again Armchair General has hit one out of the park. Please forward my appreciation to Abraham Rabinovich on his outstanding article on General Moshe Peled, a truly gifted armored commander. I also enjoy Bob Leonhard and Ralph Peters, two very bright out-of-the box thinkers.

Thought I might share with you a sidebar story of the battle of Front Royal, Virginia, the subject matter of John Antal’s latest Cold Steel and Iron Courage epic. This is the only battle of the Civil War, of which I am aware, that two regiments of the same designation engaged each other directly in battle. Those units, the 1st Maryland USA (today’s 115th Infantry) and the 1st Maryland CSA (today’s 175th Infantry) are currently brigaded together in the 3rd Brigade, 29th Infantry Division, Maryland Army National Guard. After the misunderstanding between the states they fought side by side over the beaches of Normandy and throughout Europe. Both units have long memories, and don’t always share the most cordial of relationships. Both my son and I had the honor of serving in the 115th Infantry. The battle site at Front Royal is long gone, but the fried chicken at Belle Boyd’s Restaurant makes it well worth the trip.

I don’t know if you are aware of the service your magazine provides to our armed forces. Your staff contains the “first team” of soldiers that can explain tactics and the operational arts, in a way no field manual or Power Point presentation can hope to do. No wonder it is a best seller at the Fort Carson Post Exchange. Keep up the good fight.

Well ACG arrived only today and already I am looking forward to the next issue.

CHUCK TREESE