Hits: 31
For those tired of my 6MM ACW Collection, wargames, and pics… there you have it… Gettysburg in 28MM.
Someone must have a very very very BIG wargames table… LOL
I did that with 25mm MINIFIGS eons ago… in fact First Bull Run/First Manassas… and it was “cramped” in my wargames table…
One of the reasons I went 6MM… that and the better quality of for example BACCUS minis.
Enjoy!
Hits: 16
It took me years of painstakingly collecting and even painting some things myself, but more than 90% the work of Robert Jackson (Greg) rgjackson100@gmail.com and Daniel Hodgson did the Ammo Wagons (Reveille chopperboydan@hotmail.com (Daniel did also all the Real State, terrain and Woods)… see ANTIETAM/SHARPSBURG Posts.
Not much to add, there are even engineers in shirtsleeves…
Enjoy!
PS: By the end of the ACW the Union Cavalry alone had more men that the whole Confederate Army… so… better refight 1862-1863
Hits: 24
You have recently seen them in action in the ANTIETAM/SHARPSBURG reenactment-wargame (SOLO).
I guess they are a bit difficult to photograph… one do his best believe me!
There you have the Infantry Brigades on the lower centre of the pic (by two different painters of minis), Artillery on the right of the pic, plus Cavalry mounted and dismounted, Division generals and Corps Commanders, and Robert E. Lee. There are also Cavalry fording a river (blue base) and even a stand with foreign observers.
Even if I used painting services, I added painting details here and there, and put the flags myself. At 71 I could not wait to paint them myself… lol
The standard recommended Infantry Brigade in some sets of rules are the two rows of 12 minis with 4 skirmishers in front… I did that or organize them that way until I realized there were a lot of possibilities around and the minis in the stands could add more feeling to the army. So then I did designs of my own mainly understanding that you do not need skirmishers behind earthworks and other circumstances… I hope you can zoom in on the pics. I do include one myself to make the point.
Cavalry is represented “charging” in line, but also in more conservative stances dismounted and in column of squadrons.
Some special stands to cross bridges and pontoons and of course supply wagons.
Hope you like them.
Enjoy!
Hits: 20
Some of you have been patient enough to follow this reenactment/wargame until the end. I will add some pics (final… you must be tired!) and then will give you my “conclusions”.
I was surprised that with minor variations the action or battle went so smoothly well (and not The Bolshoi Ballet syndrome at all). It was my first try of home rules ACW which I will not bother to explain in detail (and if I ever do… they will be downloadable for free as my book). The fact of introducing limits at what Brigade and Divisions could do before getting tired/spent/out of ammo and for how long was a success, the idea of throwing a dice per brigade stand to see if they engaged the enemy when close to it (there when the thing matters) was also a box of surprises but went quite well too. Minor things were the survival of Mansfield, the performance of the Irish Brigade (Union), the fast crossing of Burnside’s bridge… but overall quite “historical”.
I have had doubts before it, but now they are clear to me… I have more fun with the real characters of the ACW than with imaginary generals. For a solo wargame it went well and to my taste (HOW NOT?).
That one can have pleasure reenacting America’s bloodiest day is only a matter of perspective… no one died… my toy soldiers will live to fight another day… Brandy Station, Gettysburg and Trevilian Station are projects on the near future. Cavalry did nothing but to find a ford in the present one… and Stuart was an spectator. And after all I have all those Cavalry Brigade stands…
The ACW is for me the last of the “old wars” and even “romantic” to a point… morals were different back then… some protagonists were deeply religious… and some had been too much exposed to Walter Scott’s novels. I try to keep it that way a serious affair but with a bit of taste thrown in.
Enjoy! (some will enjoy the end of the series… lol)
Hits: 22
All right folks!… Here you have a more traditional approach to the ACW… Perry Miniatures in 28mm (Just for those tired of my 6mm ANTIETAM/SHARPSBURG battle… which is coming nicely to an historical conclusion).
Enjoy the bigger scale… I do too!
Hits: 18
Yesterday was the climax of the battle… Mansfield stabilized the right flank (Union)… Sumner was involved in a great firefight against the Confederates in the sunken road… Burnside did cross the bridge and went to the other side…
I expect to continue for a few more moves and see if DH HIll Division comes from Harper’s Ferry on time as in the real battle. I tend to allow that possibilitiy a high average of success because it did happen.
For those interested in the real thing instead of my ramblings read A LANDSCAPE TURNED RED by Sears… or even the Osprey would do.
For me it was like seeing a movie and understanding a lot of things… I would probably bore you till the end of it…
Enjoy (if you do).
Hits: 17
Today was a fantastic series of historical moves and actions!
Not only Hooker was wounded (and replaced by Meade as in real life!), Burnside troops crossed the bridge of his name in their first try!… part of the troops were heading for the ford anyway… Sumner is going to pitch against the sunken road… the last division of Hooker’s Corps is entangled with Hood’s Texans…
I am enjoying myself immensely… and glad to say so… it was worthwhile collecting allthose minis and stands.
Enjoy!
Hits: 26
Well, an update was needed… Hooker’s first and second Divisions are tired/spent and Mansfield is coming up. Six Union Brigades depleted are going to the rear area and would not intervene in te battle again.
Same on the other side, Jackson’s Eight Brigades are gone to the rear spent/tired/out of ammo (whatever in my rules)… and concentrate around Sharpsburg… Funnily enough (say dice are wise) The Louisiana Tigers did put a fierce show until forced to retire.
We are in for Sumner’s attack and Burnside’s crossing the bridge of his name…
I may be accused of making the rules as things develop which is not true… by luck they do function but will adjust once this particular reenactment is finished.
Enjoy! (If you are interested in this series)
Hits: 15
There are seven Posts so far… but that does not mean it equals seven turns or seven hours… so do not extrapolate please… it is a slow and quite parsimonious tale.
After chaotic fighting for the cornfield Hooker’s First Division retires and he throws in his other two divisions supported by Artillery. The Confederates also replaced their tired troops by fresh one’s and the fighting continues.
Sumner is advancing as planned and so is Mansfield!
The morning goes on… but the day is young yet… Burnside continues doing nothing… (except sending cavalry patrols to find a ford) McClellan is worried by his imaginary inferiority in numbers (THAT is very difficult to translate to the tabletop… but I guess having Franklin and Porter in RESERVE account for that!).
I can only play about an hour or so a day (and not everyday because real life intrudes a lot… but it is fantastic to have a permanent table in a safe place!… you know what I mean…no one is messing with the tabletop at all… but me)
So far so good. satisfied… still working on mechanisms but the battle flows quite right!
Enjoy!
Hits: 31
As promised… a division of Hooker’s Corps goes forward, a Brigade simply refused to move so instead of 4 brigades only 3 make the attack… Confederates have their problems too. All that because one thing is “to move around in the countryside” and other to move against an enemy. (Dice involved simulated field of vision and local orography… but also excuses -read officer’s characteristics-to do not move…).
So I used red and blue dices to show the relative strength in numbers of Brigades. Those are added to a six sided dice result and there must be a real difference in pips to have a decisive result (one or two pips difference are ignored)… More in following attacks. Brigades have a tendency to stand or even recoil quite easily… more difficult to press attacks… There was even a case of enfilade fire that did not succeed!… I had fun (not guaranteed)!
As I have said before 4 turns is the maximum “time” (time is flexible again) a Brigade can stand on the frontline fighting… afterwards must retire tired even if victorious… some exceptions will be worked on further on. This is shown with the use of white and black mini dice. So in fact I micromanage the fights that seems “hours” to participants… while the rest of the Corps (both sides) await results.
Quite if not completely satisfied with the first experimental solo rules… ties where resolved with the turn of a card for each side… if that also (it did not happen) was a tie I have gone to the deck of ultra rare or unpredictable tides of war situations that happened in real life.
My kind of “game” is quite impartial and develops like a film or scene… I am an spectator of it… but I expect Armies to behave like the Historical one’s. So far so good.
More next days.
Enjoy!
