It is over… the Gettysburg reenacment (solo wargaming to a point) took me 63 “days” in real time… not continuosly OF COURSE!… there were real life intrusions on the project (trips, business, contracts… you name it!)… but the obvious bonus fact of having a permanent big table (green top if you like)… payed off. It has been a long life project… I wanted to do Gettysburg for years (even when I was napoleonic wargaming in 25MM).
Well, as the expected anticlimax I give you 3rd day PartII. I was satisfied with the result (you can not have it at regimental level… but you can wargame at regimental level parts of it).
Pics will show you “Pickett’s charge” (because Heth was inconscious) it has gone down in History with that name… but was a pell-mell of scraped brigades from Ist Corps and III Corps… and Pickett’s were the only “fresh” troops of the lot.
Lee gambled hard and lost… the conflict would last for nearly two years more but the men the South lost as casualties were not there anymore. Stonewall Jackson had already said that the South lacked the manpower to explote a victory…
A sad affair (as war always is)… you are deeply affected even wargaming it!
The advancing Confederate Brigades as on parade!Union artillery fire starts disrutping the charge…Union musketry becomes to play on too…The clash!The High Water Mark…General Lee receives his men with the heartfelt apology “It was my fault… not yours”… with hindsight they would have had to search for peace there and then… but History is different!
The third day of the battle General Lee after having attacked both flanks on previous days… designs a grand attack by 13 brigades (as much as a Corps but amalgamated from Ist and IInd)… Picket’s Division been the only fresh troops for the attack.
It would be preceded by an Artillery action of a massed guns battery. It would be effective to a less degree than hoped, much overshooting the target… (and quite defective ammo sometimes).
The Confederate Cavalry tries to join the main battlefield on the rear of the Union… but would be stopped in a draw fight (inconclusive)… and prevented by the Union Cavalry to complete that objective.
The battle is ready for the grand final…
Enjoy!
The Confederate Grand battery…The shot and shell mainly affects the rear area of the Union position…The Union cavalry stops Jeb Stuart tired troopers…Custer wons his reputation that day (among others)…End of the Bombardment…
The second day at Gettysburg saw hard fighting, it has been said that General Lee intended an envelopping attack clockwise: first Longstreet, then Hill (Anderson Division) and then Ewell.
It went like that more or less in my tabletop.
The Peach Orchard, the Whratfield and the Valley of Death were a place of hard fighting… IIIrd Corps (Union) made a gallant defense but was spent and had to retreat. Luckily for General Meade reinforcements come on in the nick of time.
Little Round Top (truly enough) went like an History book… Vincent had very good dice throws.
Anderson also did a half hearted attack (not for the real men involved I guess).
And Ewell was not at his best but nearly one Brigade went through the Union defenses… but there no fresh troops available and the Union quickly plugged the gap.
It was hard work wargaming it (so to say) SOLO… but now Dusk has fallen and the Confederate Army has not broken the Union line.
Hope you enjoy!
IIIrd Corps fight!Anderson’s Division advanceThe Center of the Union Line.Ewell troops advance upon Culp’s HillThe Valley of DeathHard fightingLittle Round TopA near breakthrough!Dusk puts an end to hostilities…
At last Longstreet attacks with his two divisions. Ewell would delay his for two more hours.
As a reenactment, it proved quiet right about Hood he was wounded early in the fight… curiously the dice favoured Union III Corps and they offered an spirited fight.
The morning in Culp’s hill has been well employed entrenching the position.
The start of the fight on the souther part of the field.Union II Corps is retreating but fighting.On the other flank entrecnhments are done.The Confederates are up Big Round Top.Another view of Culp’s Hill (a very hard nut to crack).Aerial view at mid afternoon 2 of July.
Excellent orders of battle.The book to read imperatively…Perfect at Brigade level.So much detail… perfect if you would like to play a particular fase of the big battle at regimental level.Very helpful to paint your minis even in 6MM
As it is, with the current NAPOLEON movie creating a bit (or a lot) of disturbance in the pacific waters of History I have decided to refresh this Post from long time ago.
I went to see the movie in a theater, in fact I was invited by my eldest son&family… so I could not decline (I planned to go for the Blu-Ray extended version or director’s cut if it ever is commercialized…). You see… I am a fan of Ridley-Scott movies… since I saw THE DUELISTS!… Blade Runner… Gladiator…Black Hawk Down… are very good too. BUT: one thing is “MOVIES” and the other History (different from actual facts sometimes too often)… I think it is a mistake to judge NAPOLEON by its History standards (which are very much distorted or incomplete)… I am grateful for an epic movie even if it is a bit too dark for my aesthetic taste… Kubrick was not able to do it (to his credit)… and I think it is fairly impossible to resume Napoleon Bonaparte in a 2 or 3 hours film… the period is too long to condense… and if you loose precious footage decapitating Marie-Antoinette etc even worse…
From an strictly cinematic experience it was boring, full of cliches, too many flags and a lovely lass!… would not go to a theater to see it again. It is a pity in a way because it could have been so much better. Would I still buy the Director’s Cur?… of course matter of fact!… KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is much better in that format too!. Joaquim Phoenix can not represent a young Napoleon and a sick Napoleon 25 years later as hard as he tries… not a bad actor… a bad script!… as for the battle sequences any Napoleonic Wargamer will tell you ad nauseam all the mistakes… me included! (but we are a minority… a learned minority perhaps in the napoleonic period… but I confess I am not an expert neither in the Romans (well a bit) or The Crusades (only have read an interesting book about it!). It is the same with the Little Big Horn or Greasy Grass … I own (and have read more than a hundred books about it… I just hope Ridley-Scott does not a film about it!).
My recommendation?… go to see it and judge for yourself!… if not a moderate expert yo will probably enjoy.
More than 200 years… and still present in our collective memory for what it was… a genius (with faults and virtues) and I personally think quite ahead of its time. Nobody seriously studies Napoleon without noticing that it was not exclusively Napoleon fighting offensive wars (mainly) but defending France against old monarchies coalitions because of the ideas (seen as dangerous) of the French Revolution (which has also controversy attached). Of course having a military background (after all he was an Artillery Officer) and following the European tradition that Clausewitz will formulate a posteriori he went to war frequently enough (understatement) as it was the custom in Europe, nowadays he is still remembered for his Civil Code (nearly 200 years of life) and abolishing feudal privileges. He also reinstated slavery in the Caribbean Sea (to his shame). He was not perfect but had a great brain and “je ne sais quoi”.
This post has really a lot of pics!
Napoleonic wargaming was my passion for almost thirty years, in 25mm because I was stupid enough to do not choose 15mm in the first place (minis in the late seventies had no such vast offer and traders… even if MINIFIGS did 15mm too!) so MINIFIGS 25mm (after all I was coming down from plastic 54mm and up from AIRFIX 20MM) I went for… and no regrets, was quite happy with my collection who also extended to other periods and wars (I though it would be very difficult to paint such small figures in 15mm because of the lavish uniforms of the napoleonic wars!).
Was interested for many years (obsessed is a better description) with the battle of Waterloo, could the Emperor have won? In context and after years of reading about it, I arrived at the conclusion that it was a NO WIN – NO WIN situation, it would have been 1813 all over again… with Austrians and Russians and what not invading France which was exhausted… and that’s that.
Have some pics of my years indulging in that particular wargamers fetish. And remember the fact that I painted myself all the Waterloo minis!… LOL
Battling with my little brother… many years from now… yours truly on the left.Waterloo set on my “wargames room” in fact part of my office!… weekend well employed.Prussians arriving on the French right flank… 1815. The dark green area was a removable extension of the biggest table at my office.French Grand battery close up.Waterloo 1815 (Solo wargame).Another view.Waterloo lateral view.Waterloo view from the French side.The British Heavy Cavalry charge. Waterloo 1815.British “heavy” (in fact medium) Cavalry close up.Waterloo Allied Cavalry close up.Wellington under his tree…British and Hanoverian Infantry 1815.French Heavy Cavalry of the Imperial Guard + Cuirassiers on their left.French Light Cavalry of the Imperial Guard.French Grand battery (background out of focus)The fictional South Essex of Cornwell’s Sharpe (see right of pic).Ditto.Denmark Infantry. With a change of Command stand they become Swiss…The Prussians arrival!Austrian Grenadiers, Swedish Infantry and Russian Grenadiers.Portuguese Line and Light Infantry (Caçadores).The 9th Leger “L’Incomparable”Napoleonic units: early Spanish 1808 , Duchy of Warsaw and Wurtemberg Infantry.French Artillery.Different Napoleonic units: Kingdom of Naples, Saxons and Bavarians.Aspern-Essling 1809
After a deep crisis with 25mm wargaming I sold them all. After some years toying with Playmobil (75mm) conversions and quite classical 54mm toy soldier collecting I went back to wargaming but in 6mm this time! (see the other Posts). Cheers
I have been very lazy and tardly to show those 6MM Baccus proxies… they have been in the cabinet for months (or weeks)… and they deserved a Post. Probably the less mentioned action of Balaklava!
My collection of 6MM is slowly growing (under control I like to think… lol).
This action has always been a favourite of mine.
The Russians are in fact german cavalry from the Franco-Prussian war… used just to give a sense of perspective!
Enjoy!
View from the British sideGeneral Scarlett in front of the Scots GreysInniskillingsFrontal view from the Russian positions…
It has been a while since I first saw this pics from an awesome diorama.
I have been delaying getting into it and making a Post because in a way it is so much Military Modeling and sculpting that the term Toy Soldier did not seem to apply to it.
After much reflection I decided to make a Post… it deserves it in spades.
There are no comments on the five pics… they are self explanatory I guess.
November 2022… after a long reflection and no REPLICA in the works (yet)… I decided to contact Mr. Antony Spencer from Dorset Soldiers (Imperial Miniatures nowadays) about the possibility of completing some units as to have them organized in “dozens” – aka 12 minis each-).
No problem with “new” sets… you just order 12 minis units and the trick is done…
But it was different with the sets done by REPLICA a couple of years back… it was a task of finding the right hues of paint and the models themselves… mind, they are still in the Post… but have some pics to show you… so here they are!
Enjoy!
4 Toy Soldiers to complete the Guides set.4 Toy Soldiers to complete the Gurkhas set.Alternative set of Ensigns (GUARDS).An NCO and Dr. Watson (Conan-Doyle’s character) at Maiwand.A few good men for the kneeling set.Variations on a theme…Ditto…Maybe redundant but I will find a use for him… that ends my Kakhi Collection for good…
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).
Climax!The sunken road fight!Things are really hot but would petter out. Both sides been tired.Burnside attacking on the left flank (Union)
