Smith's Brigade

The smallest Brigade in Early's division at only 4 stands. Also a picture of the 2 pieces of artillery attached to the Division. Not too sure if I got the carriages the right shade of green but I like the look of them.



I managed to finally base up the cavalry. Just need to purchase some dismounted figures and a horse holder. They will take on the role of Hampton's Brigade. Most of the figures are Lancashire apart from the command from peter Pig. Size wise they match up well, though the Peter Pig horses are more chunky.



Finally 2 Divisional Commanders representing Early and Birney. These models are both from Warrior miniatures, nice figures and match in well with the others.

Hay's Brigade - Louisiana Tigers

The last Brigade for Early's Division is that of Hays, or as it was more commonly known, The Louisiana Tigers. The Tigers started as a common nickname for certain infantry troops from the state of Louisiana. Originally applied to a specific company, the nickname expanded to a battalion, then to a brigade, and eventually to all Louisiana troops within the Army of Northern Virginia. Although the exact composition of the Louisiana Tigers changed as the war progressed, they developed a reputation as fearless, hard-fighting shock troops.

I'm looking forward to this as I can paint up a couple of stands of the Zouaves, adds a bit of colour. Whether any of the units were still in Zouave uniforms or had adapted the Grey colours is open to debate. The unit strength is only 6 stands.

I've also started on the 2 artillery pieces that I need to finish off my first division.

De Trobriand's Brigade

Some pictures of my first Union Brigade from Birneys Division. The figures are all old glory, which despite looking a little rough as bare metal, paint up surprisingly well.

At Gettysburg this brigade was made up of the following units
- 17th Maine
- 3rd Michigan
- 5th Michigan
- 40th New York
- 110th Pennsylvania

I've got a second union Brigade undercoated and hope to get them completed over the next few days. It's 11 stands. I've also managed to finish Smiths Brigade and the rest of my cavalry. Will start on the artillery and Hays Brigade to finish Early's division.

Gordon's Brigade

A couple of photos of Gordon's Brigade. This is a 9 stand unit and also forms part of Early's Division.



I have also managed to paint up my first union brigade, that of De Trobriand, which was part of the 1st division of III corps. These figures are old glory 15's. They are slightly larger than the Peter Pig figures, mainly due to the length of the bayonets. They have painted up okay and are now awaiting basing.

A new package also arrived from Peter Pig with some artillery and crew as well as some mounted command for the handful of confederate cavalry that I have. The 2 spare figures may be use for either a second unit or form part of a Corp stand for Ewell.

Daniel Sickles

Daniel Sickles was a Major General in the Army of the Potomac and was in command of Union III corps at Gettysburg. III corps is made up of 6 brigades split into 2 divisions.

Gettysburg was to mark the effective end, of Sickles's military career. Meade had ordered Sickles's corps to take up defensive positions on the southern end of Cemetery Ridge, anchored in the north to the II Corps and to the south, the hill known as Little Round Top.

Sickles was unhappy to see a slightly higher terrain feature to his front, the Peach Orchard. Perhaps remembering the beating his corps took from Confederate artillery at Hazel Grove, he violated his orders and marched his corps almost a mile in front of Cemetery Ridge. This had two effects: it greatly diluted the concentrated defensive posture of his corps, by stretching it too thin; and it created a salient that could be bombarded and attacked from multiple sides. Meade rode out and confronted Sickles about his insubordination, but it was too late. The Confederate assault by Longstreet’s corps, smashed III Corps and rendered it useless for further combat.

During the height of the Confederate attack, Sickles fell victim to a cannonball that mangled his right leg. Carried by stretcher to an aid station, he bravely attempted to raise his soldiers' spirits by grinning and puffing on a cigar along the way. His leg was amputated that afternoon

Gordon's Brigade

Just finished painting the Brigade of BG John Gordon. this is the largest brigade within this division at 9 stands. A very effective unit. At Gettysburg this brigade consisted of the following regiments.

- 13th Georgia
- 26th Georgia
- 31st Georgia
- 38th Georgia
- 60th Georgia
- 61st Georgia

I'll post some pictures when I manage to finish basing the unit. I also managed to finish enough cavalry to give me 3 stands, not much but its a start. This unit will eventually reach 6 stands once some command figures arrive.

Next up I'll be painting Smith's Brigade and 1 of the union brigades (not sure which one yet)

The road to battle

A picture of the road into Gettysburg where the fighting was to begin. You can image the soldier in the picture pointing and saying "there the enemy be"

Jubal Early

Just a quick profile of Jubal Early during the Gettysburg Campaign. Most of this was obtained from Wikipedia, a very useful source of information.

Early commanded a division in the corps of Lt. Gen. Richard S. Ewell. Approaching Gettysburg from the northeast on July 1, 1863, Early's division was on the leftmost flank of the Confederate line. He soundly defeated Brig. Gen. Francis Barlow's division (part of the Union XI Corps), inflicting three times the casualties to the defenders as he suffered, and drove the Union troops back through the streets of the town, capturing many of them.

During the second day at Gettysburg, Early assaulted East Cemetery Hill as part of Ewell's efforts against the Union right flank. Despite some initial success he was repulsed due to the arrival of Union reinforcements.

On day three, Early detached one brigade to assist Maj. Gen. Edward "Allegheny" Johnson's division in an unsuccessful assault on Culp's Hill. Elements of Early's division then covered the rear of Lee's army during its retreat from Gettysburg on July 4 and July 5.

Avery's Brigade

A couple of photos of the first brigade painted, that of Avery. Next up is Gordon's Brigade, 9 stands. I have also painted the Divisional commander Jubal Early, but I'm awaiting a package from Warbase to allow me to base him up. I've also started painting 6 Lancashire Miniatures Raider cavalry, not the best sculpts but add a little variety to a predominately infantry game.

First unit

Decision made and the first brigade I am painting is that of Colonel Isaac Avery of Jubal Early's Division. This unit is only six stands for Fire and Fury. Each stand will have 3 figures, giving a total of 18.

At Gettysburg this Brigade was made up of the following regiments.
- 57Th North Carolina
- 6Th North Carolina
- 21st North Carolina
- 1st North Carolina

I should have this unit finished tomorrow and will try and post some pictures before I base them up.

For bases I am using 25mm x 20mm MDF obtained from http://www.warbases.co.uk/ They are very reasonable and offer a quick turn around on delivery.

Welcome

I've set this blog up to follow my creation of forces for the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. Between four of us, Mick, Mike, Jon and myself, we have split up the forces for Gettysburg. We will be creating the battle 15mm and using the original Fire and Fury rules.

The forces I have been allocated are the Confederate II corps under Ewell and Union III corps under Sickles. I will also try and complete Buford cavalry division. This should give me about 14 confederate brigades and 9 union brigades for the game.

For figures I will use a mix of manufacturer. I'll probable post some sizing details for compatibility. So far I have some Peter Pig and Old Glory infantry and about 12 Lanacashire cavalry (very old sculpts but use able)