THE UNFORTUNATE DEATH OF MAJOR ANDRE - Official Trailer

  A bit silly, but great fun.  Besides I missed April fools day.

  What if you had a bunch of friends with Rev War uniforms and decided to make a movie.  That appears to be the background of this trailer.  My guess is the film never actually got made.  Too bad, it looked interesting.  Also it has great lines!  How many can you use in your next game?

https://vimeo.com/79040464

Von Germann and Stephen Strach

Captain Friedrich von Germann served in the  Hesse-Hanau regiment during the Saratoga campaign of 1777.  One of the many German auxiliary troops hired to fight during  the American Revolution by the British he arrived in Canada in 1776 and was present at the surrender at Saratoga 1777.

During the war, he painted a series of watercolors of American, British, and German soldiers. Most students of uniforms or the Saratoga campaign are familiar with his watercolors usually through the copies which are in the New York Public Library.  But these  are most likely 19th-century copies of von Germann’s watercolors, possibly by the artists E. Sack and Kail (whose names appear on the drawings). They were commissioned by the New York historian William Leete Stone to illustrate a personal copy of his translation of “Memoirs, and letters and journals, of Major General Riedesel during his residence in America.”

The late historian Stephen G. Strach located and had copies made of many of the original watercolors.  Stephen was a amazing researcher and historian with the National Park Service.  I was honoured to work with him on the American Battlefield  Protection Program and on various details to Saratoga National Historical Park.  I learned more from him and his wealth of knowledge then any other historian I worked with.  An battlefield walk of the Freeman Farm area helped to better understand the action there and will live on in my memoires.

 The original water colors are located in the archives of the city of Brunswick in Germany.  There were more water colors done then previously though and additional views of other British regiments were available.  Stephen had been working on a history of von Germann and his water colors as well as the uniforms of the Saratoga campaign.  He was kind enough to share with me many of these water colors, and I promised to not share these until his publication.  Unfortunately his untimely death in 2005 ended the project and our friendship.

I recently found the copies of the von Germann water colors Stephen gave me.  As he will not be publishing his work I feel I can now share these wonderful and informative water colors.  I hope that they can be of use to students of the Saratoga campaign.  My only request is please give credit to Stephen G. Strach for finding and placing these in the public view.  I hope it is one small way I can help my late friend and perpetuate his memory.  Thank you.

No time, New time....

No painting or playing with my toy soldiers....
How sad!

  Aside from Cold Wars it's been a bit quiet here on the blog.  That is because in addition to my vacation, birthday and Cold Wars my shift at work has changed.  This has given me no time in the morning to paint, or anything. Get up, walk the dog then off to work.  Due to weather and such our flights have too often been delayed inbound.   This gets me home later with no desire to do anything.  So it's walk the dog then go to bed.

  But in April shifts change slightly and I will be getting a bit more time.  So planning ahead it should be a fun month.  I have a game night with my old club which I am looking forward to.  I volunteered to put on a War of 1812 game.  In addition I have primed and ready more 1812 and also some Rev War figures for painting.  Lastly I am planning a campaign based on Greene and Cornwallis's 1781 campaign.

So please stay tuned there is more to come.

"Thirsty work ahead lads!"

Cold Wars: Till next year

  Well another Cold Wars is finished.  As is usual it was wonderful and a great time was had by all.  As mentioned before Cold Wars is my all time favorite convention.  Good friends, many vendors colorful and beautiful games.

  My favorite part of Cold Wars is meeting up with old friends.  I look forward to getting together with George and Ed.  Our conversation on gaming and history is exciting and gets me on track for that years projects and goals.  In addition it is an opportunity to met with old comrades and friends one does not see often.  I was delighted to run into Robert Mulligan (i.e. The Dread Pirate Roberts).  Always a delight to see him and a high point of my day.  Robert is most tired of hearing this but his talk years ago on "High and Low Life in the Eighteenth century" was one of the three best interpretation programs I have heard.  During my time with the National Park Service anytime I prepared a program, walk or presentation his was always in the back of my mind on how to do it right.  I also ran into Tom Vogely who I knew far too many years ago.  Tom was a member of the 43rd regiment back then, but is now with the 1st New Jersey.  Over the years (since high school?) We have run into each other.  Again it's one of my highlights to see Tom again.  And Tom if you read this drop me a line.  I owe you a buddy pass so you can fly up here and we can get together for a chat and a couple games.

 The dealers area was outstanding this year.  I stocked up on bases from the 4G people who sell bases by the bucket.  Prices range from small bucket which us expensive to really big bucket which is dirt cheep.  On Military Matters had the Charles S. Grant

 campaign books on his imagination nation games.  These are filled with great pictures, interesting text and suggestions for interrelated games which form a campaign.  Thanks to Sergeant Major Miniatures for stocking the Knuckleduster miniatures War of 1812 line.  Andy is wonderful.

I usually do not play in games conventions.  Since I do not know many commercial rules I worry I will slowdown a game.  I instead browse to get ideas for future games.  Peter Levitt put on a breathtaking Napoleonic game which looked outstanding.  Sad to say my camera was not working so no pictures.  There were also

two winter battles which looked great;  one Napoleonic the other Franco Prussian.  And although not a miniatures game I did play in Ed's card based game Nuclear War which in spite of its terrible implications was surprisingly light hearted and entertaining.  I cannot believe I am saying this but you have to try it.

There are a lot of comments on line about the location of Cold Wars.  While I do not wish to debate HMGS policy or convention location I will say this.  I like the Host, and have always had a great time there.  While the lighting could be better I think there is ample room for games.  Food service there is good.  I am not looking for five star

dinning.  But what they offer is good.  Prices are what you pay if you go to a football or baseball game or concert event.  The staff was hard working and pleasant. If you want there are hundreds of other places within walking distance.  I know we walked to them.  I did not stay in the Host but down the road so cannot comment on the rooms.  As to parking again we walked up the hill to the Host each day.  And to the two gentlemen who were in line behind me and complained the entire time about how things are not as good as they were in the past all I can say is lighten up!

So another Cold Wars is gone.  But here is looking forward to next year.

Cold Wars part 2

   A wonderful time is being had at Cold war.

We check into our hotel....

and ur rooms.

The Host, the location of Cold Wars

Individuals games that look interesting*

The dealers area

Entering the dealer's area with our hard earned cash.  Planning our purchases

More to come.....

*pictures from internet as my camera not working.

Cold Wars 2017

  Not the weather, but the convention!  It is almost time.  To me this is my most favorite wargame convention of all time.  Just when the winter is at its most dreary and spring is not yet here  Cold Wars arrives to cheer me up.

    This is the third of the big three conventions put on by HMGS  (Historical Miniature Gaming Society).  To me it is ideal convention and my favorite.  Attendance is slightly lower them the other two, but just as many games and vendors are there. So it has more of a smaller convention feel then the others but with everything the big conventions offer.  People seem more

relaxed and more friendly then the other high pressure conventions.  Perhaps it is that after a long winter we look forward to renewing friendships and looking up comrades.

in addition to the usual array of outstanding games Cold Wars offers two unique events.  There are lectures by military historians.  This year author Peter Panzeri will speak about the little big horn battle;  and offer a presentation where the audience is the jury in Custer's courtmarshall (if he had survived).  There is also a Hobby University which offers classes in painting and modeling.  They are outstanding and extremely knowledgeable.

So Thursday morning my old comrade George picks me up and we  drive to Lancaster Pennsylvania.

 There we will meet up with Ed (of Mr Ed's War game Meanderings) and spend the next two days at the convention.  Sadly it will end too soon and back we drive Sunday with memories for the rest of the year.

Guilford Courthouse

Guilford Courthouse 15 March 1781
Along the first line:

  " As at Camden, the British went forward as soon as they were in line. Captain Peter led the 23rd on as acting commanding officer, with the regiment effectively in two wings under captains Saumarez and Champagne. As they went forward, one of them noticed the ‘field lately ploughed, which was wet and muddy from the rains which had recently fallen’.

On they trudged towards the fence that marked the end of Hoskins’ cornfield and the beginning of the woods to the fore, observing as they grew closer that the rails were lined with men. MacLeod’s cannon opened fire, sending their ballwhooshing into the American lines. Colonel Webster, on horseback, trotted to the front of his brigade and called out so that all could hear, ‘Charge!’ The men began jogging forward, bayonets fixed and muskets levelled towards the enemy. A crackling fire from their left, Kirkwood’s riflemen, began knocking down a redcoat here or there, but did nothing to check their impetus. When the British line was little more than 50

yards from the North Carolina militia everything seemed to stop for Serjeant Lamb: … it was perceived the whole of their force had their arms presented, and resting on a rail fence … they were taking aim with the nicest precision. At this awful period a general pause took place; both parties surveyed each other for the moment with the most anxious suspense … Colonel Webster spurred his horse to the head of the 23rd and bellowed out, ‘Come on my brave Fusiliers!’ Some of the Americans started to run, but most held on for a moment; there was a rippling crash of American musketry when the redcoats were at optimum range, 40 to 50 yards away. Dozens of Webster’s men went down as the musket balls cut legs from under them or smashed into their chests. Lieutenant Calvert worried for an instant how his men might react to such a heavy fire: ‘They instantly returned it and did not give the enemy time to repeat their fire but rushed on them with bayonets.’ Captain Saumarez noted with pride, ‘No troops could behave better than the regiment … they never returned the enemy’s fire but by word of command and marched on with the most undaunted courage.’..."
Quote from;
Fusiliers:  The saga of a British Redcoat Regiment in the American Revolution  by Mark Urban