ACW Heavy Artillery: Finished Models

Here are my assembled models, painted and gloss varnished before final matt coat on carriages.

The TA Miniatures pieces are excellent. Featured here is the 8" Columbiad on casemate carriage. These are big guns. The surface area is 6" x 4 " and the curved rail in 2 sections is 6" along the curve.

TA also makes a very small Mountain Gun, shown here for comparison. It is also a great model.

The next gun on a naval carriage is a Crimean War Russian 36 pdr by Great War Miniatures. It is the best gun I could find in 28mm scale to represent an ACW 32 pdr broadside cannon. It is also a fine model, available from North Star Figures. Foundry also makes a 32 pdr British gun but I have not seen it up close.

ACW Heavy Artillery

I am painting some heavy calibre casemate artillery for my ACW army, for the really heavy guns using TA Miniatures. I have the 8 inch Columbiad and 24 pdr guns. I found these replicas (or maybe originals) on-line. The colour of the carriages seems to be a different shade of green from the usual olive green of the field artillery. Is this a trick of the lighting or a conscious decision to portray maybe a naval artillery colour? The TA miniatures appear in an almost pea green.

My models have been primed and I'm waiting for the paint I decided upon. Frank Patterson recommended Plaid Delta 2095 Ceramcoat Acrylic Paint "English Yew Green"

The following pictures are from TA's on-line catalogue which I will use as a guide to my own guns. I'll post pictures of my guns when they are finished.

Fire & Maneuver: ACW Confederate Cavalry

My latest unit for Fire & Maneuver is a regiment of Confederate cavalry. This fine unit uses 28mm metal figures by Redoubt Enterprises and was painted mostly by Frank Patterson. I painted some of the horses and handled the basing.

Redoubt makes some very nice figures for the American Civil War. It is an extensive range with many unusual pieces, lots of excellent animation and variety with head and arm swaps. Their service is excellent. The flag is by GMB Designs.


I asked Frank to paint this as a "smart" mid-War regiment when CSA regulation uniforms were more available. They are armed with a variety of pistols, shotguns, rifles and carbines. I think they will serve well.

Fire & Maneuver: ACW Union Troops

With the help of Frank Patterson, I have made good progress building a new wargames army. This is an ACW Union "force" using mostly Redoubt Miniatures 28mm metals with a few Perry pieces. Unlike most of my collection that sits in cabinets and seldom sees the miniature battlefield, this new army was made with gaming in mind. 

I have used durable metal bases per Fire & Maneuver basing conventions.  In the past I have always used Litko wooden bases. I did most of the basing and helped paint some of the ordnance and horses. However Frank gets full credit for painting most of the figures and showing me how to paint to a good wargames standard. The flags are by GMB Designs.

We have one more infantry brigade to complete and a few wagons. The Redoubt figures are very nice, loaded with character and fun to paint.

The Battle of Perryville, October 8, 1862

On a recent visit to Kentucky, I was able to visit the battlefield at Perryville. This battle between Confederate General Braxton Bragg and Union Major General Don Carlos Buell was the largest fought in Kentucky.

I spent two half days walking the battlefield. The series of ridges crossed by the attacking Rebs as they routed regiment after regiment of raw Union troops is breathtaking. The battlefield is beautifully maintained as a State Historic Site with the trails carefully cut through the grass or field cover to allow access to all of the principal features of the battlefield.

Since the second of the 2 visits was on my birthday, December 2nd, the visit was all the more special. I was the only visitor to the park that day and enjoyed myself immensely. Don't miss this if you are in Central Kentucky!