Charge #19 mailed to JRGS members!

Photograph by Thomas M. Mingus of York, PA. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.

Issue #19, as with all previous issues of the hard copy Charge! Civil War newsletter, has been mailed on-time and should arrive in your various mailboxes within the next few days. Debi and I are winding up our fifth year of publication of this “fanzine,” which has become the most popular Civil War-only gaming publication in current print. We thank you, the readership, for your support all these years, especially when I was thinking of stopping the effort, and with renewed energy and passion, we look forward to the 6th year!

This issue ebgins with a revealing interview with gamemaster and Charles S. Roberts Award winner John Hill, whose authorship of the Johnny Reb rules have provided so many hours of entertainment (and a little controversy at times!) for thousands of ACW buffs and wargamers around the world. We present three original ACW 15mm scenarios that are convertable for other rules sets such as Regimental Fire & Fury, Mr. Lincoln’s War, Johnny Reb 2, Civil War Commander, A Glint of Bayonets, and others. These scenarios are for the battles of Cloyd’s Mountain (in the early campaign for what became the new state of West Virginia), Ezra Church (in the Western Theater’s Atlanta Campaign), and Peralta (way out west in the Southwest). Three widely different scenarios from three widely different campaigns!!!

“Reunited, and it feels so good!” NOT!

Peaches and Herb had a hit record many years ago when I was a kid entitled Reunited and It Feels So Good. I grew up in a lakeside resort town in southern Ohio, and the jukebox in one of the dance halls at the lake used to blare out that song. I got to the point where I was sick of hearing it. I heard it again recently on the radio, and, this time, what came to my mind (after all those pleasant memories of girl watching on the beach in back of my parents’ house) was the recent reunification of the Indy Racing League and the rival Champ Car circuit.

Old War of 1812 veteran’s gravesite in jeopardy

Photo by the Associated Press

There has recently been a controversial legal case in the news where a Vermont man purchased an old farmstead and wants to build a house on the site of an old family cemetery. Because the cemetery holds the grave of a veteran of the War of 1812 and his family, the proposed move of the cemetery to accomodate the prospective new owner’s wishes to use the site for his new house has created a firestorm of controversy. Once again, the bottom line seems to be property owners’ rights versus the historic interest of the general public. Not dissimilar to battlefield preservation efforts (but on a much smaller scale), this battle promises to be of considerable interest to ACW preservation buffs and anyone else interested in the topic of preservation.

The new owner bought the property on the contingency that he would be allowed to relocate the cemetery, although it is not clear exactly how many people are interred in the site. He is claiming individual rights as a property owner. The preservationists have been joined by a family member, who does not the land and her ancestors disturbed.

What do you think? Should the government allow the man to move the cemetery and build whatever he wants on his own land? Or, should the man be forced to keep the cemetery where it is, thereby negating his purchase contract? Or, what compromise would you suggest?

Some more photographs of my 15mm AWI gaming

Some of you have asked for a few more photographs of my 15mm American Revolution games. Here are some more, as taken by Tom Poston at a past Cold Wars gaming convention in Lancaster, Pennsylvania (the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish county). Click on the four photos to enlarge them for better detail.

British infantry masses for an attack on the American center. It should not take long to clean up this minor affair. The Americans are an undisciplined lot, and the training and experience of our officers and men will carry the day. “Steady, men, steady,” comes the reassuring word from the colonel. “God bless King George. Fix bayonets!”

American War of Independence

Continental dragoons attack the British flank.

(Click on the photos to enlarge them.)

Occasionally I will drag out my 15mm AWI figures and play a game either with the Sons of Liberty rules or with the Johnny Reb 3 variant Lee Barnes originally came up with for the horse & musket period.  I must confess that I know far, far too little about the American Revolution (at least compared to the Civil War), even through my 7th great-grandfather Moses Mingus fought in Colonel William Malcolm’s Regiment under famed general and politician Aaron Burr, and later reenlisted in the 1st New York for the duration of the war. Following the cessation of hostilities, he accepted a land grant in southern Ohio, which is how I came to be a native-born Buckeye as his descendants predominantly have stayed put in the Buckeye State.

I always enjoy watching AWI games at the various conventions I go to, but my time is usually so limited that I focus on the ACW gaming action, particularly of course any Johnny Reb games. However, the color and diversity of the AWI beckons me, and perhaps I will get more into the period as I get more time in the future.

The Gilder Lehrman Collection of Civil War documents and letters

For you wargamers that may not be aware, there are some excellent on-line resources available from The Guilder Lerman Institute of American History. The organization is sponsoring a temporary exhibit at the new Gettysburg Visitors Center at Gettysburg National Military Park, displaying several dozen “Letters from the War” in their gallery. Many are poignant and illuminating, shedding some light on the lifestyles of the average Civil War soldier.

Complete text of those letters can be found on-line at their website, which also features complete transcripts of many other epistles. Website visitors may listen to several audio versions of selected stories and other documents from the Battle of Gettysburg and other ACW events and campaigns. Also, they make available webcasts and podcasts from a number of leading contemporary ACW historians, professors, and lecturers.

The site is interesting and well worth bookmarking for future repeated visits.

An excellent evening!

I was invited to join a couple of Johnny Reb 2 wargamers from Louisiana for an evening of conversation and dinner at the Pub & Restaurant on the square in downtown Gettysburg, a short drive from my home in the adjacent county. It was a delightful evening, spent eating outstanding food and discussing the merits of JR2 versus JR3 and the changes in field artillery strength and realism, as well as the other nuances of the two gaming systems. I shared a few anecdotes from my manuscript, A Spirit of Daring: The Louisiana Tigers in the Gettysburg Campaign, which has been submitted from publication, and we briefly toured the Day 1 fields where the Tigers advanced with Ike Avery’s Tar Heels toward the XI Corps.

One thing I love about meeting wargamers from around the world is learning how they got into a love for ACW history and for wargaming / toy soldiers. These two new friends got their start with Airfix 1/72 scale plastic figures. I started with 54mm Marx figures and got really hooked on 20mm K+L / Thomas metal figures when I was in college at Miami of Ohio. One of the Louisiana wargamers is a direct descendant of George Ellsworth, the famed telegrapher for John Hunt Morgan during Morgan’s Raid of 1863. Ironically, the remnants of Morgan’s Raiders passed through the area where I grew up (Muskingum County, Ohio) as they crossed the Muskingum River desperately trying to evade Union pursuit and to find a way to turn south to West Virginia and presumed safety.

Lone Star figures from England

Recently, I dragged out one of my old cardboard boxes of vintage 54mm plastic figures for my little grandson to play with. As he rummaged through the box, he came across a metal figure, which he had a blast playing with, carrying it all over the rec room. I don’t recall where I first obtained the figure as a kid, and it may have been included in various collections I picked up from older neighbor kids when they tired of playing with toy soldiers.

The die-cast metal figure is of Chief Black Hawk. Does anyone know much about this company and its products? Any idea when this figure would have been made? Did Lone Star have an extensive line? How were the figures packaged and what was the suggested retail price? 

A new record!!!

10,789 page views in April, breaking the record set in March, which in turn was above the previous mark. I thank you for your viewership in making this the fastest growing Civil War wargaming blog in cyberspace!

Much more to come in the next few months!

Tommy Gilbert’s Hobby Shop in Gettysburg

Exterior of Tommy Gilbert’s Hobby Shop in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania 

For any of you wargamers, toy soldier enthusiasts, and dioramists that plan to visit Gettysburg this summer or autumn, I would recommend that you stop at Gettysburg’s leading stores that cater to the hobbyist. For toy soldiers or wargame figures, see John Zabawa’s Gettysburg Miniature Soldiers on Steinwehr Avenue and / or Charlie Tarbox’s Toy Soldiers, a little farther north of John’s store.

For modeling supplies, the best place in town is Tommy Gilbert’s Hobby Shop on Water Street (parallel to the railroad tracks a block north of U.S. 30). Tommy carries a complete line of Woodland Scenics terrain items, including flocking, ground cover, foliage, talus, model trees, and the like. He also carries other model railroad supplies that are usable for the wargamer or dioramist.

1st Annual Gettysburg Toy Soldier Show

The toy soldier set that got me started with my love for the Civil War and miniature wargaming - the granddaddy of them all. This dealer was selling a complete set of the Giant Marx Battle of the Blue & Gray playset for a little more than $1100. I still have many of the pieces from my own set, which I received for Christmas in 1963.

I spent Sunday afternoon tramping around Gettysburg, one of my favorite pastimes. As I was driving into town along York Street (U.S. Route 30 / The Lincoln Highway), I was surprised to see the trailer for Belle & Blade, one of my favorite purveyors of vintage military-related movies, music, posters, hats, and shirts. Curious as to why they were in town when there was no wargaming conventions (where I am most used to see them), I proceeded to the town square, where I parked and noted a sign for the 1st Annual Gettysburg Toy Soldier Show at the Gettysburg Hotel (the McClellan Hotel at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863).

I spent a couple of very pleasant hours tramping around the dealer hall and the separate manufacturers room, as well as the always impressive Belle & Blade racks of old movies. I ran into several old friends, including a couple of extremely talented wargaming pals of mine, two guys I really like despite the fact they always roll extremely well when whipping me at Johnny Reb 3. LOL!

Book review: General Lee’s Army

When I was asked to review Joseph T. Glatthaar’s latest book, General Lee’s Army: From Victory to Collapse, my first impression was, “What? Yet another book on the Army of Northern Virginia?” While not as abundant as books on Gettysburg or Abraham Lincoln, there have been plenty of previous works that dealt with Robert E. Lee and his men. However, this new work quickly changed my mind. It is, quite simply, the most complete overview ever written on the Army of Northern Virginia. Brilliantly researched, using a variety of primary sources not often used in other contemporary works, this book offers page after page of fascinating new information that adds depth to the historiography of Lee and the Army of Northern Virginia.

Are you a Yankee or a Rebel?

Your language and word selection says a lot about where you grew up and your heritage and influence of your parents, family, and friends. A quick and easy little quiz that is fun to take will give you some clue as to your cultural leanings. Even though I was born and raised in southern Ohio, I scored 68% Dixie on the quiz. Then again, southern Ohio does have strong Southern tendencies, and the Copperhead movement was quite alive and well there in the Civil War, as well as the KKK following the war.  Take the quiz and see if you are a Yankee or a Rebel!

Midwest Civil War show in early May!

For many years when I lived in Ohio, I used to drive from the Cleveland area down to Mansfield for the annual Civil War show at the Richland County Fairgrounds. I made the drive back a couple of times after I moved to York, PA, as my father still lived in SE Ohio and one of my sons was in college not far from Mansfield at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. This year marks the 31st Annual Ohio Civil War Collectors Show and 16th Annual Artillery show.

For those of you who live in the Midwest, this is an excellent show that you have to see at least once to appreciate. It sprawls across multiple fair buildings, and features antiques, ACW relics and artifacts, photographs, letters, diaries, vintage and modern books, autographs, and many other goodies too numerous to mention. I have some great memories of my Dad and I tramping around the fairgrounds, watching the artillery demonstrations, listening to my favorite musical group (the 2nd Carolina String Band), and perusing the thousands of items for sale.

This year’s show is May 3 and 4 in Mansfield, Ohio, at the Richland County Fairgrounds (located on U.S. Route 30 with easy access from I-71 between Columbus and Cleveland. Take the Trible Road exit; the fairgrounds is at 750 North Home Road). More than 100 of the finest ACW dealers in the USA will be present exhibiting and selling their wares.

Miniature World Maker - Ten Years Later

Back in the late 1990s, when I still lived in the “snow belt” northeast of Cleveland, Ohio, I sent away for several finished rubber terrain pieces from an Australian company known as Miniature World Maker. They were well done and ready to throw down on the gaming table, and my kids and I got a lot of initial use from them as is. I wrote an article on the company and its products of the time for the now defunct magazine, The Zouave, which started my relationship with its publisher, Ivor Janci, who I now consider a good friend. (Ivor and I of course are now collaborating on yet another full-color scenario book, this one for Brother Against Brother.) Miniature World Maker was kind enough to help sponsor a wargame of mine at HMGS-Great Lakes’ annual Advance the Colors gaming convention then held near Dayton, Ohio.

Years later, I still use MWM’s products for many of my wargaming activities…