An the Limber's Have Stopped Rolling Along

 

Two Union artillery limbers, wait in an artillery park.

After serving and restocking ammunition, they will be ready to join an artillery battery for the next engagement.

As these are for 12pdr "Napoleons," they will carry 28 rounds each.

These are plastic pieces I painted this week.

War Between the States Queen of Battle

As Napoleon said, "Cannon are the Queen of the Battlefield." This was never truer in the 19th century than during the American Civil War.

Here we have a mixed battery of Confederate artillery pieces.

Left to right- a 10 pounder (2.9 in) Parrot Rifle Cannon (max effective range 1850 yards) and two 12 pounder bronze smoothbore "Napoleons" (max effective range of 1680 yards) Napoleons were very popular and the most common field pieces of the war.

These are all plastic pieces I painted in 2020.

Time Waits for No Man

      Ahh to be young again...

This picture of me and "Paint" at the family cattle ranch in California was taken circa 1974, at the same time I began to paint military miniatures.

                          

A few years later I painted these metal 15mm (.59in.) Kentucky Cavalry of the War Between the States (These were the first Civil War pieces I painted as my first armies were Napoleonic and African Colonial Scrubby "N" scale miniatures). I painted the third man from the left as me based on the above photo. As Levi Jackets weren't common in the East that time. I'm wearing my leather jacket and red shirt.  I doubted Pintos were common in Southern Cavalry, so I painted my horse as a black Morgan like my Great-grandfather rode at the 28 July 1864, Battle of Ezra Church. 

50 years and 26,000+ figures later, I still have fond memories of those college days, early painted armies and countless miniature battles. My hair is grayer, and I need glasses, but I still have a passion for painting figures and miniature games. It seems that some things don't change with time LOL.

Blue & Grey (Butternut Actually) at it Again

 

A Union Zouave faces off against a Rebel infantryman as the bloody War Between the States continues its path of destruction through the country. 

While the Union man is wearing the fancy French stye North African uniform, the Southerner is reduced to wearing home spun clothing dyed in "Butternut. With the lack of grey dye in the South, most of the soldiers of the Confederacy were reduced to using Butternut Dye for their uniforms. Butternut came from the crushed bark of trees and nut hulls, and when used on cotton clothing, gave a soft brown hue to the clothes.

While their uniforms vary greatly their weapons are basically the same, the .58 cal. muzzle loading rifled cap and ball musket. The muskets .58 cal. "Minie Ball" could bring death to a target hundreds of yards away. While many older as well as the latest repeating firearms were used in the war, the rifled muzzle loader continued to be the main infantry weapon of both sides.

These are old 1970's metal models that I recently found in one of my bits boxes.

Living History War Between the States Style

 Did a little presentation this week for my 8th grades on what life was like for a Union soldier in 1863.

This is my 38 year of school presentations to Elementary-Middle-High and College students and adults in addition to countless reenactments. 

Tanks, Infantry and Artillery WIP

To the left are North Korean Infantry from the Korean War, in the Middle are two British World War Two North African Front tanks and to the right a mixed  battery of Confederate artillery pieces. If you look carefully above the larger tank you'll see a blue based Star Wars Rebel female.

The North Koreans are almost finished, with just a few touch up details to add. The Crusader and Valentine tanks have their primer brown as does the Star Wars figure. The 12 pdr Napoleons and Parrot Gun and the Southern artillerymen are in their second stage of colors, metal for the guns and flesh for the men. It is normal for me mix of periods and equipment like this, it's too boring to paint just one type of figure at a time. This picture is from January 2020.
 

USS Monitor-3D

Pride of the Union Navy, the ironclad warship USS Monitor.

The first warship with a rotating turret, the Monitor changed naval history.

This piece started as a 3-D printer design created by one of my 8th graders.

The ship was cast in two pieces, is 4 by 1.5 inches and took a little more than an hour to print.

Massed Battery - July 3, 1863

As a prelude to the most famous attack of the War Between the States, "Pickets Charge," the massed artillery batteries (more than 140 cannon in all) of the Army of Northern Virginia bombarded the Union lines at Gettysburg.

Most of the cannon were 12 pounder smooth bore and a mixed bag of rifled artillery pieces.  The ensuing barrage was the greatest the Southern forces ever attempted.

Unfortunately the gunners largely overshot the main Union lines and the hail of shot was largely ineffective at weakening the forward infantry units.  The Rebel infantry attacked, the "High Watermark" of the Confederacy was reached as was the key turning point of the War.

The actions of the massed battery has been largely forgotten as it was over shadowed by the famous disaster of Pickets Charge.

These are 15mm metal pieces from Heritage Miniatures. I painted them in the late 1970's.

Tiger Zouave

On the eve of the War Teen the States, the regimental standard bearer of the Lousiana Tiger Zouaves awaits his flag.

I painted this 25mm metal piece from Hinchcliffe in the 1980's.

Rebels on Watch

In the Western Theater of the War Between the States a small outpost with its watch tower is manned by a small detachment of the 1st Kentucky Regiment of the Confederate Army.

The watch tower gives a 360 degree view above the stockade walls.

When an enemy is sighted, the captain can call out commands to his command.

Overhead view of the stockade with watch tower. The tower is movable and is the first of the additions to my stockade that will change the design and use of the post.

CSS Kentucky Battle Damage

Some after action shots of the damage from enemy cannon ball hits on the CSS Kentucky. The proof of the quality of her armor is clearly evident. Port side, aft of second gunport no penetration. Bow, port side of main gun-no penetration. Starboard, fore of first gunport two hits no penetration.

CSS Kentucky (aka Skeered A' Nothing)

The powerful CSS Kentucky (affectionately known as "Skeered A' Nothing" by her crew) puts on steam as she prepares for battle. She is the first of a new class of fast, heavily armored warships that will make the Confederate Navy the master of the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts.

The Kentucky is armed with two 9.5 inch Armstrong RML cannon on tracks that allow them to be trained two to port or starboard or one each to the bow and stern. This great savings in weapons weight allows the Kentucky to have the thickest armor (over 8 inches of iron on 24 inches of live oak on the angled casement) afloat on a ship her size.

Kentucky has a new and more powerful steam engine that allows her to reach speeds of over 15 knots (on smooth water).

Another new invention on the Kentucky is the double armored gunports, in hot actions the small swivel port (8 inches of iron thick ) opens allowing only the cannon to be exposed to enemy fire. For more long range angled fire the massive double armored gunports (10 inches of iron thick) can be opened. While reloading, the cannons are retracted behind these massive barriers.

Kentucky is a scratch built warship for VSF, War Between the States and Steampunk battles. To see how she was built check my post- "CSS Skeered A' Nothing WIP"

CSS Skeered A' Nothing WIP

The CSS Skeered A' Nothing, begins as a simple casement design warship.

The initial armor deck planking is in place.

The casement is now covered with armor.

The engine vents, stack and black primer have been applied. Two guns, armored gunports,deck hatches, and bridge are all visible. Secondary gunport covers and rivets-lots of rivets have been added. How the swiveling secondary gunport works is visible on the bow cannon. Ready for painting. Last coat of black primer and first drybrush of gunmetal, pewter and silver to follow.