Klingle Farm at Gettysburg available from Buildings in Turmoil at Fall In!

 

John Mayer of Buildings in Turmoil will have this impressive model of the Klingle Farm available for sale as an unpainted kit at the 2012 Fall-In wargaming convention in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

The farm was just across the road a short distance from the Scherfy farm. It was recently restored to its original appearance. John will also have some other new items available at the show which he is not announcing at this time.
For more information on John’s entire line of 10mm Gettysburg buildings, visit his website for Buildings in Turmoil.

AVAILABLE NOW FROM THE AUTHORS WHO BROUGHT YOU So You Think You Know Gettysburg?

So You Think You Know Antietam?: The Stories Behind America’s Bloodiest Day

By James and Suzanne Gindlesperger

Administered by the National Park Service, the Antietam National Battlefield contains nearly 100 monuments, each with its own story. So You Think You Know Antietam? honors those who took part in this darkest of days in our nation’s history by telling the stories behind the monuments.

§ Who designed the monuments and what do the symbols represent?

§ Why are no Confederate soldiers buried in the national cemetery?

§ What connection did Clara Barton have with the battle?

§ Who was Johnny Cook and what did he do?

So You Think You Know Antietam? answers the above questions and more. Readers will learn some of the lesser known stories about Antietam and the human side of war through poignant vignettes that reveal the ironies and tragedies not normally found in typical guidebooks. Featuring close to 300 color photos, 10 color-coded chapters and maps, and GPS coordinates of all monument locations, So You Think You Know Antietam? is a well-organized, attractive book meant to enrich the reader’s experience.

Available wherever books are sold or at http://www.blairpub.com.

Trisina Dickerson, Sales & Marrketing Intern

John F. Blair, Publisher

1406 Plaza Drive

Winston-Salem, NC 27103

800-222-9796

Manassas battlefield threatened by highway construction

2012 marks the 150th anniversary of the Second Battle of Manassas, one of a series of bloody engagements in the summer of 1862 in which the fortunes of the Civil War briefly swung in the Confederates’ favor. Here, as in the first battle in 1861, the Rebels triumphed convincingly.

Now, a portion of the battlefield is threatened by a proposed Washington outerbelt. While it is clear that the traffic in the DC metro area is horrendous (as I have found out painfully many times this summer, including a 4-hour delay coming through DC after my Florida vacation in June), locating an interstate on a battlefield does not make sense if there are other alternatives on less historic ground.

Stewart Schwartz is a descendant of famed Confederate horse artillerist, John Pelham, known as the Boy Major. He fought at both battles at Manassas, and now his descendant is fighting another battle. Schwartz is the Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth, a lobbying group which is trying to spread the word of the threatened battlefield and help develop other plans. Click here to visit his website and here to sign a petition to protest the planned route.
Stewart writes, “Please see the joint press release below explaining the significant concerns of preservation groups about the proposed highway at Manassas.  This is shaping up to be the biggest battle to protect Manassas since the Disney fight in 1994.

The joint comments on the draft Section 106 Historic Preservation agreement are attached along with VDOT’s letter and the draft agreement with the National Park Service that we find to be significantly flawed.  Attorneys at the Southern Environmental Law Center and National Trust for Historic Preservation played a key role in drafting our response.”

Stewart Schwartz can be reached at stewart@smartergrowth.net.

Three new wargaming titles from Osprey

Osprey has launched a new series of books in August 2012 which are self-contained wargame rules, replete with typically impressive Osprey artwork for which the company is famed, as well as well-designed scenarios and playing aids. The first two of these small books, 64 pages in length, are the works of veteran gamers Daniel Mersey and Paul Eaglestone, and are sure to provide a popular foundation for expanding the series further.

Eaglestone”s A World Aflame: Interwar Wargame Rules 1918-39 offers the gamer a chance to use a single, cohesive set of rules for those series of conflicts set between World War I and World War II. Players can wargame the bloody Irish War of Independence, the many civil wars in China, the Spanish Civil War (no special rules for Ernest Hemingway!), and other confrontations of note.

To read more about the game mechanisms, click here. To order a deeply discounted copy from amazon.com, click here.

A few random 15mm ACW photos

I have been away from the wargaming scene all spring and summer as I focus on an expanded role within the company I work for, as well as getting a couple of  Civil War book manuscripts ready for the publishers. Here are few photographs of some past games I hosted, starting with a couple of shots of the award-winning South Mountain game I presented at the HMGS-East 2002 Fall-In convention in Gettysburg, Pa.

Shiloh 1862 contest!!! Forrest Gump author’s new ACW book!

I recently received a copy of Winston Groom’s latest book, Shiloh 1862. Groom has utilized new sources to weave a highly readable account of the bloody battle fought 150 years ago this spring.

The publisher will give away 3 free books to Charge! readers. Here’s what you can do to earn a free book. Simply comment (below) on what you believe the best and worst generalship was in the battle. Who did well; who did poorly? What decisions were lame (or brilliant). I will randomly select the three winners from all of the comments left on this blog entry within 1 week.

And now, here is some more information on Shiloh 1862…

17th Virginia customized and painted by Pawel Chrzanowski

Polish wargamer and modeler Pawel Chrzanowski ranks among the finest painters of 10mm wargaming figures in the hobby today. He has been a frequent contributor to this blog over the past few years. Run a search for his last name in the search box to obtain a list of the links to previous articles and photographs.

Pawel has used a combination of Pendraken and Minifigs figures as the base for his excellent sculpting and conversion work. The rifles are from Chariot Miniatures.

Here are three more photos of the miniature 17th Virginia Infantry, a regiment which served in the Confederate army from First Manassas to Appomattox  Court House.

Old photos of a private Civil War diorama in Connecticut

Cannonball reader Mark Anderson supplied these photographs which first appeared in the Birmingham News supplement on June 24, 1956. Identifiable figure manufacturers include Bussler, Wm. Britains, and Tru-Craft.

The 1950s marked the beginning of the golden era of toy soldiers. So many manufacturers came and went in the 50s and 60s, with so many wonderful memories for a generation of boys. I had a huge collection of 54mm figures, which included Marx, Timpo, MPC Ring-hand, and so many others. My kids, and now my grandsons, played with them as well, so we have received three generations of fun and entertainment from the toy soldiers.

One wonders what ever happened to the Connecticut diorama shown above and below?

Scan of another page of the old newspaper article from 1956. Ike was in the White House, and interest in action-oriented themes was high. It was the era of Davy Crockett, science fiction, toy soldiers, cowboys and Indians, and the like.

Custer’s Last Stand — Little Big Horn 1876 Battle Anniversary Commemoration in 28mm

Game Day Invitation

CUSTER’S LAST STAND — LITTLE BIG HORN 1876

BATTLE ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION

Saturday 9 June 2012

FULL-DAY version of 1-1 wargame w/original Old-Glory 28mm miniatures as presented at ORIGINS, GENCON, HISTORICON & UK.

* LOCATION:   “FAIRVIEW GRANGE” – 6270 Tuscarawas Road, Industry, PA  15052 (Near Pittsburgh, PA)

 

* FEATURING:

 

1.  GAME MASTERS:  Paul Olszanski, Pete Panzeri and LBH Team.

 

2.  Multi-media Presentations by author/GM Pete Panzeri on

·        The Little Big Horn 1876 Campaign (Osprey, 1996) *[Book-signings@5pm.]

 

·        Plains Wars Tactics and Operations  (The Ohio State University, 1997)

 

·        “Crazy Horse Rules!” (SmallWarsPress)

 

3.   Pre-Battle Planning and Operations Sessions

 

4.  Mid-Battle “Camaraderie”

 

5.  Post Battle After Action Review & publication

 

6.  Video & Photo Sessions for Wargames Illustrated 300^th issue.

 

* Open to all BUT …

— PLEASE RESERVE YOUR SPOT IN ADVANCE.

 

* EMAIL:  peterpanzeri@yahoo.com. — for confirmation and further instructions. Note: It may be 4-6 days to confirm your spot as demand has been very high.

 

* Event is FREE, but a small donation onsite for facility/costs may be appreciated.

My temporary Civil War 15mm / N scale train layout

A local model railroad club recently invited me to set up and display my 15mm wargaming layout at an open house they were holding in York, Pennsylvania. Here are a few photos of what I came up with in mixing my wargaming terrain and figures with my railroad.

My interest in miniature wargaming stems from several factors, including a childhood love for toy soldiers, growing up near a railroad, and having a grandfather who worked for the New York Central his entire career. I have always enjoyed miniatures, whether it be a wargaming layout or a model railroad. Here are some photos of a temporary set up I presented a few weeks ago.

Enjoy!