Thomas Smyth’s brigade of the Union II Corps prepares to move out to seize the Bliss Farm in this portion of a miniature wargaming layout by veteran gamemaster and rules author Jim Kopchak of Parma, Ohio.  Jim is an old friend of mine, having played in several of my playtests of what became my Enduring Valor: Gettysburg in Miniature scenario books. While designed specifically for Johnny Reb 3, the popular scenarios can be readily combined, modified, or otherwise adapted for other rules systems, including Jim’s Civil War Commander rules.

At Fall-In 2009 in Gettysburg, Jim presented a game based upon a couple of scenarios from Enduring Valor, Volume 2 from the July 2, 1863 attack by James Longstreet’s Confederate forces upon the Union line on Cemetery Ridge from the Spangler farm northward to the outskirts of Gettysburg.

Jim’s miniature depiction of the William Bliss farm at Gettysburg, which was midway between Robert E. Lee’s main battle line on Seminary Ridge and Winfield Hancock’s II Corps awaiting on Cemetery Ridge. The battle for the Bliss farm is the focal point of an excellent book by Licensed Battlefield Guide Elwood Christ (“Woody”, a fellow hobbyist). It is also the subject of a new Brother Against Brother scenario I wrote for the upcoming Volume 2 of my scenario book series Brothers Divided: Skirmishes in the Gettysburg Campaign which Ivor Janci is producing.

In the true spirit of serving his players, Jim Kopchak arrived from the Cleveland area without a decent representative of the huge bank barns so common here in south-central Pennsylvania. He scoured the dealer hall at Fall-In, found a good-looking  15mm barn from Scenic Effects and painted it on Friday night in his hotel room! Now that’s dedication! The results are impressive!! Jim paints better in a hot rush overnight paint job than I do in a week-long effort to paint a miniature building.

Jim’s unique wargame had two distinct phases, meant to illustrate the versatility of the Civil War Commander rules in depicting both battalion-based gaming and  regimental-level gaming. In the first phase, small units from the 1st Delaware Infantry tried to capture and seize the barn and house to prevent their usage by Confederate sharpshooters. Meanwhile, to the left and right, other elements of the regiment were defending fencelines or trying to push oncoming Rebels from the Long Lane area (the sunken access road to the Bliss farm).

The Yankees were able to hold the Rebels off and win the first phase, albeit a Rebel unit cracked the Union right and almost swept to the Emmitsburg Road.

The second phase, the regimental-level fight, would prove to be another matter altogether. My hot die-rolling and that of my fellow commander to my left, eroded and hordes of Rebels readily swept through the Bliss farm, overrun the the Emmitsburg Road, and routed much of Smyth’s brigade.

The Rebels have overrun the 1st Delaware and brushed it aside. In the Emmitsburg Road, a nervous Union regiment eyes the oncoming “Johnnies.” It won’t be long before the Southern secessionists are upon this position en masse. With my die-rolling and my opponent’s skillful and aggressive attack, I was toast. Ironically, my opponent turned out to have lived in the same neighborhood that I did when I lived for many years in Mentor, Ohio, yet I had never met him. It is indeed a small world!

Jim’s miniature depiction of the Nicolas Codori farm along Emmitsburg Road at Gettysburg. Notice the nicely made, hand-crafted fences lining the road. Jim spent hours constructing yards and yards of fencing, both post-and-rail and the characteristic Virginia worm fencing that was common in the Mid-Atlantic region during the 19th century.

Rebel hordes bear down on the Codori farm. It will be a long afternoon for the Union troops as both the III Corps and II Corps will be forced back and the Confederates will rather easily achieve their objectives.

Civil War Commander is a rather easy system to grasp, combining some of the flavor of Johnny Reb 3 with the “beer-and-pretzels” feel and ease of Fire & Fury. The rules system is available directly from the author for around $10.

Part of the Union VI Corps line along the Georgetown Pike. This is Truex’s brigade in action defending the turnpike against the Louisiana Tigers. The veteran 8th Illinois Cavalry is in the foreground.

I ran a 15mm miniature wargame of the Battle of Monocacy at the annual Fall-In convention in Gettysburg on November 5.  The rules were Johnny Reb 3, and the scenario featured three Union players (1 brigade of Lew Wallace’s army and 2 brigades of the VI Corps of the Army of the Potomac) against five Confederate players (John B. Gordon’s division, McCausland’s brigade of dismounted cavalry, and one of Rodes’ brigades).

The Confederate right flank is shown here (Clement A. Evans’ brigade of Georgians).

The scenario was written by author and wargamer Scott L. Mingus, Sr. and appears in the current issue (#25) of the CHARGE! newsletter, published each quarter by the Johnny Reb Gaming Society.

In the foreground are the charred and smoking ruins of the burned covered bridge over the Monocacy River, burned by Union troops to prevent its usage by Robert Rodes’ division of Confederate infantry.

Major General John B. Gordon led the afternoon attack in which his division forced back Ricketts’ Union VI Corps division. Gordon had risen steadily in the Confederate command structure, having once been a private and finishing the Civil War as a corps commander reporting directly to Robert E. Lee.

In this scene, the model Monocacy River was made by Doug Kline of Battlefield Terrain Concepts, with modifications and added foliage and scenery by Scott Mingus.

Another view of the 15mm layout of Monocacy by Scott Mingus of the Johnny Reb Gaming Society.

Author and blogger Scott L. Mingus, Sr. stands in front of one of dozen or so World War II and World War I tanks that on the grounds of the First Division Museum at Cantigny, a fascinating free museum in Wheaton, Illinois.

I am in Chicago on business this week while visiting suppliers and customers and speaking at the Specialty Papers Conference 2009. I took an afternoon to meet with my good friend and long-time wargame scenario book publisher Ivor Janci and his charming wife Frani. Ivor and I toured the First Division Museum, which is on the grounds of the estate of millionaire newspaper baron Robert R. McCormick, who owned the Chicago Tribune and became known prior to World War II for his isolationist ideals.  During the first world war, he served in the 1st Battery, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, with the First Infantry Division and served in several battles, including Cantigny in northern France. He later named his sprawling estate for the battle and the grounds now house the wonderful First Division Museum.

The museum boasts several excellent walk-through dioramas featuring “The Big Red One” in action in World War I in the trenches, in World War II at D-Day and the Battle of the Bulge, in the jungles of Vietnam, and in Desert Storm.

This is one of the 90% scale dioramas of the World War II section of the First Division Museum at Cantigny.

Graphic designer Ivor Janci stands by the Desert Storm diorama.

Ivor was an artist for TSR in some of the early classic wargames they published and with Frani has owned Marek Janci Design for many years. He caters to businesses that are looking for excellence in graphic arts and layouts for brochures, catalogs, and advertising pieces. Among his sidelights are producing beautiful wargaming scenario books, including my Johnny Reb 3 series and the Brothers Divided book he published this past spring for his Brother Against Brother rules system.

The D-Day walk-through diorama is particularly impressive!

In the entrance lobby / foyer to the FREE museum are mannequins dressed to represent soldiers of the American Revolution, the Civil War, and the Spanish-American War.

No, the First Division was not in the Civil War, having been organized decades later. However, some of the ancestors of Illinois members of the famed division served in the Civil War, including in the 8th Illinois Cavalry. That distinguished unit was part of John Buford’s brigade and its defense of McPherson Ridge during the Battle of Gettysburg (the subject of one of the wargaming scenarios Ivor published in Enduring Valor: Gettysburg in Miniature, Volume 1.

The First Division Museum at Cantigny is open year-round (until 5 PM in the summer and until 4 PM in the fall and winter months). Admissionis free; parking is $5. The grounds are open for walking even after the museum is closed.

Thanks Ivor for a great day!

I was fortunate to be a guest author / signer at the recent Gettysburg Militaria, Relics, and Book Show at the All-Star Complex near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. My host was Jim McLean of Butternut and Blue, a Baltimore-based dealer of toy soldiers and Civil War books. Among his specialties are 55mm figures from The Collectors Showcase, which are among the finest (and more expensive) collector figures on the market today.

I had a chance to look over several of these figures that Jim had for sale on one of his vendor tables in the dealer hall at the All-Star (the soccer barn). The attention to detail is unbelievable, and the quality of these metal castings superb. While not cheap (a 3-figure set of infantry retails for $79.50 US, for example) the value per dollar is high relative to many other makers of this generic genre of 55mm – 54mm Civil War figures. I think some of the competitive figures on the market today are rather cartoonish and not well proportioned, but The Collectors Showcase toy soldiers are indeed as advertised “fine museum quality.”

Notice the wonderful detail on this set of Union artillerymen! Hide the bases with a little flocking and this might be a photo of an actual gun crew in action.

Butternut and Blue has long been one of the leading dealers of toy soldiers in the Mid-Atlantic region, and many CHARGE! readers undoubtedly have book titles from B&B in their personal libraries (I have several books published by Jim over the years). These photos are from Jim’s excellent website, which features an extensive catalog of books for sale, as well as toy soldiers from The Collectors Showcase and W. Britains.

Do you collect 54mm toy soldiers?  If so, what is your favorite manufacturer and why?  Conte?  St. Petersburg?  Britains?  Collectors Showcase?  Some other maker?

The Maps of First Bull Run: An Atlas of the First Bull Run (Manassas) Campaign, including the Battle of Ball’s Bluff, June-October 1861 is a new Civil War book by veteran author Bradley Gottfried.

As a long-time Civil War buff and miniature wargaming enthusiast, I am always looking for well-crafted maps that depict the deployment and movement of troops during various stages of Civil War battles. Often, period maps are lacking in detail or intermix movements from throughout the various stages of the engagement, often “muddying the waters” in terms of gaining an understanding of which regiments were in what position at what time in the battle. This new book is an invaluable resource to help demystify the often fluid situation at First Manassas where positions often changed hands, troops were shifted frequently, and official reports and records unclear in recounting the timeline of what transpired that summer day.

The text is well written and easy to comprehend, and the corresponding map offers a useful depiction of the general terrain in terms of the road network, streams / creeks, farms and houses, and major terrain features such as the hills that played a key role in the troop depositions and movements. Unencumbered by contour lines that are often unncessary in other maps for a wargaming scenario or for a general understanding of a battle, Gottfried’s full color maps in this book are clear, precise, and uncluttered. In their own understated simplicity, they convey the essential information that a battlefield tramper or tabletop miniaturist will need to understand the battle.

The author’s earlier work on the maps of Gettysburg has proved to be a useful reference work on that 1863 conflict; this new book is sure to become an even more valuable resource in that there is far less documentation in the historiography of First Bull Run. Not only does the author thoroughly cover the actual battle itself, but he also includes strategic maps that help set up the movements in the Shenandoah Valley that allowed Joe Johnston’s army to outmaneuver an aged Union general and arrive via train just in time to play an important role in the fighting at Manassas. Also included are maps and narrative on the skirmishing along Blackburn Ford that preceded First Bull Run, as well as some of the fighting that ended the summer excursion by McDowell’s Union army.

Priced at an affordable level, this book is sure to be a cornerstone of the series of map books that the author will be producing in conjunction with Savas Beatie, a series that will be welcomed by gamers, trampers, Civil War buffs, reenactors, battlefield tourists, and general military enthusiasts alike.

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Savas Beatie (June 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193271460X
• ISBN-13: 978-1932714609

Another long-time CHARGE! reader and wargamer contacted me to ask if I would publicize the fact that he is offering for sale a complete, 128-volume hardback bound set of the The War of The Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. This is the 1971-72 republication (a limited edition of 1,500 copies) published by the National Historical Society. The books have been opened and read, but are still in excellent condition. As he is selling his home of 30 years and downsizing, the seller is looking for a new owner for these valuable reference and resource materials. These could be purchased and donated to your local historical society or library if you so desire.

Please contact Scott Mingus at scottmingus@yahoo.com to be placed in direct e-mail contact with this wargamer, and help him out if you can.

Mark Severin of Scale Creep Miniatures in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio, area was kind enough to send me a few packs of his new line of 15mm artillery pieces. The figs came well packaged and in a timely manner. Each gun pack has a pair of very nicely sculpted miniature Civil War artillery, which are easy to assemble. Well cast and well molded, the guns fits together nicely with minimal effort. The castings are of high quality pewter alloy, with little flash and no signs of miscasting.

Scale Creep’s new artillery crew figures come in three separate styles, either bare-headed or wearing slouch hats for those Western Theater armies or kepis for Eastern Theater batteries. They can be intermixed for more variety. The figures are compatible with other makes of guns and with AB and Battle Honors gun crews, as well as Old Glory. Adding in Mark’s new castings again will add more poses and variety to your existing armies, either North or South.

The artillery crew comes with eight figures per package for only $4.50 US. They had a bit of mold flash, but it was easy to remove with an Exacto-type knife. There are four poses, a rammer, bucket boy, loader, and gunnery sergeant. The figures are quite proportional and again, they are well sculpted and cast. (The very nice woods piece is by John Mayer of Little Round Top Miniatures; it was reviewed in a past issue of CHARGE! newsletter).

Mark Severin’ s interesting and informative website is chock full of goodies for the Civil War miniature wargamer or dioramist. Check it out today! Be sure to tell him you saw the review from the Johnny Reb Gaming Society’s CHARGE! blog.

The guns come two to a package for again, only $4.50 per set. There are three sets currently – 12-pounder Napoleons, 3-inch Rifles, and 10-pounder Parrott Rifles.

Great additions to your line, Mark! Best wishes from the Johnny Reb Gaming Society, and thanks for your recent additions to the fine hobby of miniature wargaming!

Scale Creep Miniatures

(513) 728-9808

info@scalecreep.com
Mailing Address:    P.O. Box 8742 – Cincinnati OH 45208
Store Location:      3130 Wasson Road – Cincinnati OH 45209

This new museum is facinating and well worth a visit by wargamers during the upcoming Fall-In wargaming convention. It is stuffed full of neat artifacts that are unsual and interesting.

HBO Developing Lincoln Miniseries Project reunites Homicide’s Simon, Fontana

By Marisa Guthrie — Broadcasting & Cable, 9/15/2008

HBO is developing Manhunt, a miniseries from David Simon and Tom Fontana about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the frantic 12-day hunt for his killer, John Wilkes Booth. The project reunites the network with the creative forces behind two of its former critical hit series—Simon created The Wire and Fontana created Oz—as well as the two writers themselves. Simon and Fontana have not collaborated since Fontana turned Simon’s book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets into the cop drama Homicide for NBC. “The chance to put another project on the boards with [Fontana],” Simon told B&C, “there’s something psychically cool about that.”

The would-be mini comes at a time when HBO has continued to find critical and viewership success with miniseries while struggling to mount new, enduring series hits. HBO posted a less-than-spectacular open for its most recent series debut, the heavily marketed vampire drama True Blood, which attracted 1.4 million viewers to its Sept. 7 premiere. It was an anemic debut compared to recent HBO drama premieres including Big Love (4.6 million), Rome (3.8 million) and the failed John From Cincinnati (3.4 million).

It also comes on the heels of another HBO miniseries in the American history genre, John Adams, which enjoyed critical and viewership success, and piqued Fontana’s attention. A history buff, Fontana’s historical métier is the American Revolution and the Lincoln assassination. Fontana, in fact, grafted his Lincoln obsession onto one of his Homicide characters. Simon also possesses more than a passing interest in the Lincoln assassination. “So when HBO did John Adams, I was like, ‘What? You did John Adams without me? How is that possible?’” Fontana told B&C. Executives at HBO Films brought Manhunt to Simon, and Simon says he knew whom to call. “I have hundreds of books about the Lincoln assassination,” Fontana says.

The mini is based on James L. Swanson’s best-seller. HBO Films optioned the title from Walden Media, which scooped up Manhunt before it hit stores in 2006 with the intention of turning it into an action film. Simon and Fontana are writing the miniseries script, and if production is greenlighted by HBO Films, will serve as executive producers along with Lawrence Bender and Kevin Brown and Walden Media. Representatives for HBO and Walden declined to comment. Simon and Fontana will explore the assassination not from Lincoln’s or Booth’s point of view, but through the eyes of the little-known players, according to Fontana. “If you use Sept. 11 as the touchstone,” he explains, “I don’t want to see the story of Sept. 11 told through Rudy Giuliani’s eyes. I want to see it told through the fireman and the teacher and the guy working in the bakery on the corner and the wife sitting in Connecticut wondering how her husband is. That’s the approach we’re taking.”

When the project was being developed as an action picture, Harrison Ford was attached to star as the heroic cavalry officer who finally corners Booth near Port Royal, Va. That option ran out, and it’s highly unlikely that he will be re-approached given the new direction of the project in Simon and Fontana’s hands. Says Simon, “I don’t do action.” For Simon, Lincoln’s murder took on new relevancy with the Bush administration’s post-9/11 policies. “People have been fascinated by the Lincoln assassination since it happened,” he says. “It’s a pivotal moment in American history. The stakes were extremely high for the nation as a whole. The characters are grandly dramatic. So there would be reasons enough to be interested even if it were all an anachronism. But I don’t think it is an anachronism. If you look at everything from Guantanamo to the Patriot Act to the debate over military tribunals versus civil prosecution, there’s a lot of analogous stuff.”

New York, NY— On October 19, 1781, British General Charles Cornwallis surrendered to the American Revolutionaries at Yorktown, VA, effectively ending the American War of Independence. To commemorate this event and celebrate America’s rich military heritage, W. Britain has teamed with Osprey Publishing and Casemate Publishing to organize the first-annual Military History Weekend in Williamsburg, Virginia. It will be a two-day affair, October 17-18, at the Hospitality House in downtown Williamsburg.

“We have felt for a long time that fans of military history need an event that bridges the different segments of the hobby, notes W. Britain general manager, Richard Walker. “In the one corner you have ‘metal heads’ like me who paint and collect toy soldiers. In the other you have Ph.D. historians who chase down things like the names of General Washington’s body guard. And in between you have reenactors, wargamers, and armchair historians. There are plenty of shows that serve each of these groups separately. We hope that our event will be the kind of ‘big tent’ under which everyone can come together.”

It is the responsibility of show manager, Larry Weindorf, to carry out the vision of the show’s organizers. Says Weindorf, “One thing that I feel strongly about is making this a show that will be welcoming to the whole family. To that end we will have a tranquility suite with chocolate and wine pairings and full English tea. We will also have activities for children such as a ‘make and take’ area where kids can learn how to paint toy soldiers and build military models.” A variety of vendors will be on hand for the weekend, selling military history-related products. “There will be book publishers, toy soldier dealers, sutlers [those who sell gear for reenactors], remote-control vehicle dealers, and military memorabilia merchants,” says Walker.

More importantly, the organizers have announced a number of non-retail related events for the show. There will be vintage WWII-era military vehicles, living historians, and several WWII veterans, including a member of the “Band of Brothers.” In addition, there will be someone on hand each day to help attendees evaluate their military memorabilia. “It will be a bit like Antiques Roadshow,” says Walker. “We’re asking attendees to bring one or two heirlooms for evaluation (no guns or explosives please) by a military relics expert that will be on site.” “We also plan to have on hand an expert in family history,” says Casemate CEO, David Farnsworth. “Jonathan Gawne has written a book called ‘Finding Your Father’s War’ that explains and shares the techniques he uses to research archives, libraries, veteran associations and myriad other sources of information to track down the wartime career of an individual. Attendees will be able to sit down with Jonathan and receive tips for researching their own ancestor’s military service.” A range of publishers will be on hand.

In addition to Casemate, which publishes a wide array of operational histories and militaria collectible guides, Osprey will have a display of its new and bestselling reference books. There will also be a representative of Concorde publishing, which specializes in how-to books that aid modelers, painters, and wargamers in their respective hobbies. Attendees are also invited to participate in a dinner gala on Saturday evening. A veteran of the 101st Airborne who was at the WWII battles of D-Day, Market Garden, and The Bulge, Col. Edward D. Shames, will give a keynote address. In addition all attendees will receive free a custom figurine from W. Britain. There will also be a silent auction during the gala.

Tickets for the event are $46.00 per person. Entry from 12:00 PM-6:00 PM Saturday and 10:00 AM-4:30 PM Sunday is $5.00 for adults and families (up to 6 people). Entry fee is good for both days. Children under 16 enter free. Veterans and active military enter free. Osprey and W. Britain club members also enter free.

More information about the event and advance ticket purchases can be obtained at (888) 771-5576 or usclub@wbritain.com.

For press information, please contact Katharine Carroll at (914) 788-1005 or ktc2000@aol.com.

The Historical Miniatures Gaming Society, East presents a “Games-in-Education Day” on  Saturday, September 26, 2009, from 9 am – 10 pm at the Baltimore Convention Center, One West Pratt Street, Baltimore, Maryland.

HMGS members are urged to invite teachers, educators and college students to this inaugural FREE event.

http://www.bccenter.org/index.php

Camden Lobby – Camden Terrace – rooms 345-350 *** Enter through the Otterbein Lobby ***

Currently Planned:

• Over 50 HISTORICAL EVENTS! (room for more than 100)

• FLEA MARKET ($10:  one table per member; first come/ first served)

• HISTORICAL VENDORS

• OPEN GAMING

• PARKING ARRANGEMENTS: To be announced soon

• EVENT REGISTRATION ON-SITE

• FOOD CONCESSIONS 11am – 8pm

• BAR OPEN 5pm – 11pm

• EVENT INFORMATION TO BE POSTED SOON ON http://www.hmgs.org/ged.htm

To register an event or reserve a flea market table, please send an email to games.education.day@gmail.com

* FREE ADMISSION *

Debi and I are pleased to announce that yet again, for the 24th consecutive time, we are mailing the most recent issue of the CHARGE! newsletter on time, as promised when we first started this not-for-profit endeavor. You should receive your copies within a week to 10 days. Articles include a neat old treatise on wargaming from the 19th century, a couple of scenarios for regimental-level ACW miniature wargaming, some terrain tips, a tour of a new Civil War museum in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and other goodies! Enjoy!

Here is the third installment of selected photos sent to me by Polish wargamer and figure painter Pawel Chrzankowski. He heavily customized the figures to add baggy pants and other details. His painting quality is among the very best that I seen to date.

Now, carefully check out this stand of Johnny Rebs -aren’t they painted magnificently? Shadowed, highlighted, and washed: these are simply terrific!

Pawel not only paints sweet looking American Civil War figures, but he also does some of the best looking Napoleonics that you will ever see. Check out these horsemen!

And, not to be satisfied with just showing the fancy cavaliers, here are some grunts – the common foot soldier. There’s nothing common about the painting of these wee warriors! And, now back to something I know far, far better than Napoleon, Wellington, Blucher, and Ney — the American Civil War!

Figures from the impressive collection of Pawel Chrzanowski.

All photos were taken by Małgorzata Gozdyra.

These Union zouaves are welcome to  fight on my tabletop any day! WOW! Remember, these are 10mm figures, and they are painted to the level and quality of a 25 – 28 mm figure! I am so jealous (and admiring of Pawel’s talent!). Great job!

Just look at that tiny drum! What detail!

Now, that’s perhaps the single most impressive 10mm artillery stand that I have ever seen! What amzing detail! The stack of shells ready to be loaded is a nice touch.

All photos are courtesy of Pawel Chrzanowski; these are some spectacular figures!!!!

More photos from Pawel to come in an upcoming blog posting!