Butternut vs Union Blue

 

A Union Zouave faces off against a Rebel infantryman as the bloody War Between the States continues its path of destruction through the country. 

While the Union man is wearing the fancy French stye North African Zouave uniform, the Southerner is reduced to wearing home spun clothing dyed in "Butternut. With the lack of grey dye in the South, most of the soldiers of the Confederacy were reduced to using Butternut Dye for their uniforms. Butternut came from crushing the bark of trees and nut hulls, and when used on cotton clothing it gave a soft brown hue to the clothes. An unintended aspect of Butternut uniforms was that they foreshadowed the later introduction khaki unforms that made soldiers less of a clear target on the battlefield.

While their uniforms vary greatly their weapons are basically the same, the .58 cal. muzzle loading rifled cap and ball musket. The muskets .58 cal./14.73 mm "Minie Ball" could bring death to a target hundreds of yards away (up to 400 yds/366 m for marksmen). While many older as well as the latest repeating firearms were used in the war, the rifled muzzle loader continued to be the main infantry weapon of both sides throughout the war.

(The two soldiers are old 1970's. 25mm metal models that I painted.)

War Between the States-Living History

 

 Did a little presentation this week for my 8th graders on what life was like for a Union soldier in 1863.

Getting my equipment ready for my Living History Demo. All the equipment (except the glasses-sorry can't see without them nowadays) is either from the time period, as is my bayonet, or authentic reproductions like my cap and ball rifled .58 cal. musket. 

Explaining what life was like for a Union infantryman circa 1863, has been a passion of mine for decades.

As this is my 38 year of Civil War Living History Presentations to Elementary-Middle-High-College students and adults in addition to countless reenactments. 

Lebel Fusil Modele 1886

 

In the Great War the standard arm for the French in the early years was the 8mm Lebel rifle. When it was introduced in the late 19th Century, the Lebel was the most advanced military shoulder arm in general use. It was the first small bore, high velocity, smokeless powder, repeater to be accepted by a major power. But for combat use it had a major flaw, it was tube loaded. This was a slow process as the loader had to be careful loading the center fire cartridges to avoid an unfortunate explosive incident. A further complaint was made about the sight being both too short and too small for combat use. By 1914, the Lebel was out classed by most of the standard rifles of the major powers. The French Poilus took this in stride as they rose to the need to defend France from the invaders. Poor equipment would be a hinderance but would be overcome by the soldier's bravery and tenacity.

French Foreign Legionnaires armed with Lebel Fusil Model 1886 advance against the Germans in August 1914. These are metal 28mm pieces I painted for the "Great War" Centennial.

Some Fools are Always Fooled

 

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time."

 Abraham Lincoln

The miniatures are plastic pieces I painted in 2011 to represent the soldiers of 24th Michigan of the famous War Between the States Union Iron Brigade.

Vietnam 1962-the Advisors Phase

 

Vietnam 1962-the Advisors Phase

Armed with the reliable .45 cal. M3 Submachine Gun, popularly known as the "Grease Gun," this model of an American Advisor has taken an active part in an Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) patrol. In the last years of the Eisenhower Administration some 700 US military advisors were active in South Vietnam. In 1962, the new Kenedy Administration sent an additional 500 to assist the ARVN. in an effort to prevent a Communist takeover of South Vietnam.
 

With continuing requests for more advisors and support personal from the South Vietnamese Government and US military, the numbers of American forces committed grew steadily, reaching 11,000+ by the end of 1962. To that date 53 US military personnel had be killed in Vietnan. More troops were seen as needed by the American Government to prop up the South Vietnamese government and prevent the success of the dreaded " Domino Theory" that foretold the fall of surrounding countries to Communist take overs once South Vietnam fell.

Within a year the number of American service personnel in Vietnam had reached 16,000 and the next phase of US escalating the war into full combat involvement was on the near horizon.

This is a kit bashed 28mm plastic piece I painted in January '23.

The Beauty of Bronze

From the Renaissance to modern times, bronze has been a popular metal for both for the work of artists and craftsmen. Paris is a perfect city to find both types of works outdoors, for wherever you look in Paris, you find bronze in all its glory:

From a giant elephant (at the d' Orsay)

to a life size rhinoceros (at the d' Orsay)

and the workman's companion (also at the d'Orsay).

Fountains galore-here a memorial to Delacroix in the Luxembourg Gardens.

Detail of the doors at the Pantheon show the craftsmanship of the 18th century bronze masters.

The cannon of the King with the royal Fleur de Lys (Invalides collection)

Louvre masterpieces.

Maillol's Art Deco 1925 monument to Cezanne (near the carousel).

Balconies like this one on the Louvre (Lion Pavilion), and

streetlights (at the Garnier) to

simple door handles, bronze beauty is everywhere in Paris.

HAPPY NEW YEARS-1918 Style

 

  Another New Years' Celebration full of lights in the sky. But on January 1, 1918, the fire in the sky wasn't from fireworks.

Rather it was from two sets of massive warring forces the Allies vs the Central Powers. Here an Imperial German 77mm field gun.

And its opposite number the famous French Soixante-Quinze (75) mm. None of those fighting in the Great War knew that 1918 would be the last year of the terrible conflict. Yet it was and New Year's Day 1919, saw a World that while not at total peace, as least saw the guns of the Great War silent.

These are metal pieces from Old Glory that I painted for my Great War Armies back in 2010.

May 2023 be a good one for you and yours, and hopefully the current guns of war will fall silent as they did in the Great War 125 Years ago.