Sunday, January 22, 2017

'East' from ChristopherS: Aftermath in the East Woods


I've had an enduring passion for the American Civil War since a boy really and just about every challenge I try and include at least one ACW piece and while I was reading up on Antietam again the idea came to me for the "East" bonus theme round.



Just to set the mood I thought I would include the soundtrack "Ashokan Farewell" in the youtube clip below assembled by Curt Franz made famous by Ken Burns monumental American Civil war series. Enjoy the photo's in the clip and listen to the song while you read the post if you wish. Personally I find the song just seeps into your bones and pulls you right into 1860's America.



Antietam or Sharpsburg as known by the confederates occurred on September 17, 1862 and was the bloodiest single day of combat in the American Civil War resulting in a staggering 22,717 dead, wounded, or missing. This was the South's first invasion of the North and resulted in the confederates achieving a remarkable tactical draw when one considers the enemy commander had your plans and had considerably superior numbers of 87,000 men to your 38,000! That said, it was a strategic victory for the union as the confederates were forced to withdraw the following morning having not the men or materials to press the invasion.


So how does the East Woods fit into all this some may ask? The East Woods is where the first infantry engagements took place during the battle starting with the evening exchanges between pickets prior to the battle and moving on into a full on infantry slugfest in the morning between parts of Hooker's Corps and Jackson's division. This went on for about 3 hours with each side changing control of the woods until reinforcements of the union 12th Corps finally pushed the confederates out, but at high loss of men including their commander Gen. Joseph K.F. Mansfield.


"The shells crashing through the trees and fluttering overhead as well as the musketry… all contributed to mark the time, and place, fixed in one's memory forever."
Diary of Sergeant Charles Broomhall, 124th Pennsylvania Infantry

Ambulance Corps

Other then disease and direct combat soldiers often died simply by waiting for medical attention while wounded on the battlefield. Wagons were employed to gather the wounded to cut down on losses, but the problem was that often these early wagons had issues with corruption of the drivers who required payment to carry wounded, stole from their passengers and some were just flat out to lazy to gather the wounded. Also it didn't help that often the wagons were so lightly constructed that riding them was very uncomfortable due to damage to the roads from weather and shells not to mention some even turning over causing further harm to the wounded


The situation dramatically improved with Dr. Jonathan Letterman's system which increased the weight of the wagon, number of horses and increased passenger load. Additions were given to the wagon like compartments to store medical supplies, stretchers, water, and removable benches and seats that adjusted with the number of passengers. Also units started to train ambulance crews and have routine inspections. Letterman's system became so effective that all wounded were gathered within 1 day at Antietam and inspired the formation of the ambulance corps after the battle. The confederates adopted a similar system, but was not as effective mainly due to shortages of men, supplies and wagons.
 

The uniforms of medical officer/surgeon was dark blue frock coat or whatever coat he liked with emerald green epaulettes with "MS" inserted, emerald green sash and an 1840's medical staff sword. His stewards(NCO's) usually wore frock coats with inverted half chevrons of emerald green with yellow edging and a red sash. Privates typically wore normal union infantry uniform with perhaps a green trim on the kepi if at all.


The model itself is from Perry miniatures and has been on my to do list for some time. A bit tricky to construct and clean, but works out nicely in the end.


I painted the piece using mostly Foundry colors with some Vallejo and MIG pigments for the stones. I decided to have some fun with the horse and went for a "painted pattern Appaloosa". Appaloosa horses are something quite American so I included one to round out the piece.


Thought I would include an old fashioned looking sepia picture to further add to the atmosphere.


All are 28mm so I think this gives me 15pts for wagon, 30 pts for full figures, 5pts for lying down figures, 10 pts for the horse and 50 pts. for the bonus round for a total of 110pts.

Thanks for viewing!:-)
Miniature Company- Perry Miniatures

27 comments:

  1. A poignant entry, extremely well executed. Well done!

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  2. As Evan says, a very poignant vignette. Great work Christopher :)

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  3. Superb work on this reflection of the reality of warfare. Love that horse pattern. Very nice indeed. cheers

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  4. That is some amazing work, especially on the Appaloosa.

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  5. An excellent entry, showing the true colours of war. Top marks Chris!

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  6. I would expect you to do well in this bonus round. It just ticks all the right boxes.

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    1. Hard to say Clint as there are quite a few lovely entries, but I'm grateful for the optimism.

      Christopher

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  7. Stunningly realised, well done Christopher.

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  8. Nicely done. I particularly like your "paint" horse.

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  9. What a fantastic entry. Works very creatively with the theme of the round. As good as the entry is the backdrop, the woods behind the fencerail are quite good.
    The medical museum at Antietam at Pry House, the site of Maclellan's HQ, is well worth a visit.

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    1. I've been there Micheal and it is fascinating. The battlefield is remarkably well preserved while it may not offer everything that Gettysburg does(what does?)it sure is more natural and quite peaceful to walk.

      Christopher

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  10. This is just amazing. Wow. I'm blown away by not only the rich, well-thought out details, but of the consummate skill in bringing it all together. You have my vote on this one, sir.

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    1. Thank you Curt I appreciate it and very kind of you.

      Christopher

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  11. Very nicely done, Christopher!
    I like the vignette. I had no idea the Perry's even had this. Really good brushwork and you set the scene perfectly.

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    1. Thank you and yes indeed David the Perry's make quite a few great little vignette pieces which I regularly peruse to see what else they come up with.

      Christopher

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  12. The whole piece works so well, it is just a really well-done vignette! And I found the back story just as interesting. Fantastic work!

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  13. Wonderful work Chris, very evocative! The painting is top otch as always, but what I really like is your arrangement of the scene. The casualty being loaded into the cart, the one sitting against the stone being examined and the other two waiting for pickup, all very well thought through and arranged for maximum effect. I also very much like the horse, it simply says 'Anerica' very distinctly,

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    1. Thank you very much Nick it did take me a bit to figure out how I wanted to arrange so I really do appreciate the affirmation.

      Christopher

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  14. Very nice vignette you've created here. The painting is really crisp!

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  15. Terrific work, Christopher! The painting is wonderful, but what really brings it to life are the other little additions and details in the modelling and the post: The worn track, the stone against which the wounded soldier is resting, the sepia photograph. Really fine work!

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  16. Well done indeed and a reminder of the harsh reality of war.

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