Tin Soldiers of Antwerp to refight the Battle of Stones River at annual Johnny Reb III megagame

The Battle of Stones River or Second Battle of Murfreesboro (in the South, simply the Battle of Murfreesboro), was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. Of the major battles of the Civil War, Stones River had the highest percentage of casualties on both sides. Although the battle itself was inconclusive, the Union Army’s repulse of two Confederate attacks and the subsequent Confederate withdrawal were a much-needed boost to Union morale after the defeat at the Battle of Fredericksburg, and it dashed Confederate aspirations for control of Middle Tennessee.

Now, 150 years later, the Tin Soldiers of Antwerp, a long-time gaming club in Belgium, will present a miniature wargame of the Battle of Stones River using the popular Johnny Reb III rules set. Thousands of scale soldiers will be used on a massive playing surface in this multi-day megagame. Registration has now opened (for a modest 20 euro fee) for this international event which attracts wargamers from across western Europe as well as a handful from the United States.

For more information, as well as many photos of past megegames (including Gettysburg and Antietam) lick on the link to the club’s website for the event.

Here are some of those photos to whet your appetite…

Units labels for Battle of Bald Hill scenario from Charge! issue #34 (Feb. 2012)

Midwestern wargamer and scenario designer Lowell Hamilton has contributed another well crafted regimental-level ACW scenario for Regimental Fire & Fury. This one covers the July 1864 Battle of Bald Hill (pictured above) from the Atlanta Campaign. The scenario appears in Issue #34 of the Charge! newsletter published each quarter by Debi and Scott Mingus of York, Pennsylvania, as a courtesy to the membership of the Johnny Reb Gaming Society.

Lowell has produced full-color labels for each unit in the battle. Note the labels in the photograph of the terrain table shown above. These labels help identify the regiment or battery, as well as key commanders and leaders, and provide information on strength, morale, etc. as a playing aid. They are color-coded to help easily identify which brigade each regiment belongs with on the table (for command and control, etc.).

Download the printable Excel file by clicking the link below.

Copy of Bald Hill OoB-1

Today’s photos

A patrol of Confederate cavalry crosses over a stone bridge over Goose Creek in Loudoun County, Virginia, in 1863 in this miniature depiction by Scott Mingus of York, PA. Figures and house painted by my friend  Larry Reber of www.gettysburgsoldiers.com.

New owners of Dave’s Baggage Train offering 10% discount for Charge! readers

Phil and Robin Spera have assumed ownership of Dave’s Baggage Train following Dave’s passing away. They are offering all Johnny Reb Gaming Society members and CHARGE! blog readers a special 10% discount for all orders placed between now and Cold Wars 2012! Simply mention the code word “scott mingus discount” when you place your order to receive this special pricing. Visit their website at Dave’s Baggage Train and then decide what you want to order. Talk with either Phil or Robin, and receive your discount when you order. Or, you can e-mail Phil at phil@davesbaggagetrain.com.

I have used this system for several HMGS-East conventions, and have added to my collection of trays and cases. Here are photographs at some of my Civil War miniature wargaming items as stored in the trays that I purchased for use with the carrying cases.

Here is a quick look at the armies in their new home. They are mounted on metal bases for Johnny Reb 3 and the plastic army trays are lined with magnetic sheeting. Figures were painted by Scott Mingus and by Larry Reber of Gettysburg Soldiers.

And now a few more pix…

New Osprey Civil War book – Ride Around Missouri: Shelby’s Great Raid 1863

Osprey Publishing has issued Volume 25 of their “Raid” series, this one entitled Ride Around Missouri: Shelby’s Great Raid 1863. Written by former archaeologist and now full-time writer Sean McLachlan, the book covers a daring raid into Missouri by the Confederate Iron Brigade cavalry under famed leader Jo Shelby. Shelby, a devout pro-secessionist, had fought and killed Kansas “Jayhawkers” before the Civil War, and had served in some of the earliest battles in the Trans-Mississippi Theater. He had never forgot his passion for Missouri, however, and itched at a chance to lead a raid into the state to liberate it from Yankee rule. Governor-in-exile Thomas Reynolds and other Confederate officials were titular only, because the state had never seceded from the Union, and Federal troops maintained firm control over most of the state. Shelby hoped to change that.

In July 1863, the war news was discouraging for most Southerners — Vicksburg had surrendered; the Mississippi River was under Federal control; Robert E. Lee had lost a major battle in Pennsylvania at Gettysburg; and none of the border states had joined the Confederacy. Federals pushed deep in Arkansas and seized Little Rock. Shelby launched his raid to disrupt the oncoming Yankees. After several small engagements, Shelby managed to break through pursuing Federals and ride back into the Confederacy.

McLachlan gives a thorough overview of the strategic situation, the troops involved in the raid, some insight into Jo Shelby’s personality and previous experience, and the Northern (and Southern) reaction to the daring incursion. Lavishly illustrated, like all Osprey books, Ride Around Missouri includes an array of vintage period photographs, original maps commissioned for the book, bird’s-eye views, first-person accounts drawn from primary sources, and the usual excellent color illustrations of men, uniforms, equipment, and events.

The book is 80 pages, including the index and bibliography. It’s a useful addition to your wargaming or Civil War library. It is available at leading hobby retailers, book dealers, and on the Internet direct from Osprey or via amazon.com.

Ride Around Missouri: Shelby’s Great Raid 1863

Sean McLachlan

Osprey Publishing, October 2011

ISBN 978-1-84908-429-1

Pennsylvania Dutch farm in miniature!

I have recently completed a small vignette for my wargaming table, as well as to use to attract attention to my table when I am selling and signing my Civil War books I have written. This scene shows a Pennsylvania German farmer, let’s call him Jacob, nervously guarding his barn as he spots a distant dust cloud which indicates the arrival of Confederate foraging parties in his neighborhood. “Here come the Rebels!” has been the cry for weeks, and they have not come.

Until now, that is.

Jacob has failed to take his horses to safety (they are in the stable in back of the barn). He will attempt to negotiate with the raiders. He has a yellow membership card to the Knights of the Golden Circle, knows their secret password and identifying hand signals. For this information he has paid $1 to a couple of men from New York City who have visited his farm. They sold him the ticket and secret signs and told him the Rebels would leave his personal property, livestock, and horses alone if he showed them he was a member of the Southern-sympathizing K.G.C.

Click on the photos for better views of old Jacob and his farmstead.

Gettysburg Miniature Soldiers’ expanded store!

Some time ago I reviewed John Zabawa’s Gettysburg Miniature Soldiers, one of my favorite stores in Gettysburg. Click here to see the photos of John’s previous store, which occupied less than half the space he now has since he expanded into a vacated adjacent business. Here are some photos I took today in Gettysburg as I dropped off some of my Civil War books to John (he now carries my autographed books Flames Beyond Gettysburg and the Louisiana Tigers in the Gettysburg Campaign, as well as the ACW naval rules River Wars which I edited and published).

Enjoy!

Converting Johnny Reb Scenarios to Regimental Fire & Fury

A typical Johnny Reb 3 terrain table; this one by Scott L. Mingus, Sr. of the Johnny Reb Gaming Society.

Lowell Hamilton is a long-time wargamer and gamemaster who is known for putting on his own excellent Civil War gaming layouts. He has been a leading proponent of my fellow HMGS Legion of Honor member Rich Hasenauer’s fine new rules set, Regimental Fire & Fury, which has rapidly gained popularity since its publication. There are literally hundreds of Johnny Reb scenarios that have been published over the past two decades (including several dozen that I have written). With a new generation of gamers moving over to Regimental Fire & Fury from the original brigade-level Fire & Fury, as well as many converts from the dozens of competing regimental-level ACW regimental rules sets, it has become clear that there is a growing need for a quick guide to adapting the older scenarios to make them usable for Regimental Fire & Fury.

Lowell recently filled that need with a fine article which first appeared in the limited hard copy print run of the JRGS’s Charge! quarterly newsletter. He has graciously allowed me to reproduce his original article, with Rich’s graphics and layout, here on my wargaming blog so that a much wider audience may enjoy his work.

Click here to download Lowell’s guide to converting Johnny Reb scenarios to Regimental Fire & Fury. You will need a .pdf reader (many are available for free on the Internet) to read this file. Thanks Lowell!

Converting JR to RF&F Article

And, keep in mind that the Johnny Reb Gaming Society accepts scenarios and strategy guides / painting guides / etc. for ALL regimental-level rules sets, not just Johnny Reb. So, please contact scottmingus@yahoo.com if you have fresh material for our consideration.

Enjoy!

Gettysburg East Cavalry Field in 15mm at Fall-In 2011

Here are a few photos from my 15mm Civil War wargame at Fall-In 2011 on Saturday morning in Lancaster PA. This view looks south from the northern edge of the battlefield toward the Rummel Farm (top center) and Cress Ridge (top right).

We had 7 players for the game; all are long-time members of the Johnny Reb Gaming Society and are veterans of many Johnny Reb 3 wargames at HMGS conventions over the past decade. The scenario was adapted from my book Enduring Valor: Gettysburg in Miniature.

Click on each photo to enlarge it for easier viewing and more details. I apologize for the picture quality; lighting was not great and I did not have a tripod set up (and autofocus was off unfortunately). At least you get an idea of the table layout.

Fall-In 2011

Here are a series of photos taken in the early afternoon of the first day of the annual HMGS Fall-In miniature wargaming convention in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Attendance seemed a bit lower than usual, but the enthusiasm level was very high in the gaming venues. There were several high quality games being presented from all sorts of military periods.

This year’s theme is Cavalry: From Horse to Helo’. Games represented medieval cavalry, Civil War, Napoleonics, Gnome Warfare, VietNam and AirCav, Custer and Little Big Horn, etc.

Click each photo to enlarge it for better viewing.