ACW Units

My enthusiasm for painting has been at a low ebb since before Christmas due to several different reasons.  But lately I've been getting a little more painting done.

I acquired the figures that were used in these two regiments back last year, intending to use them in a skirmish level force.  But that project kinda went by the wayside.  So I decided to construct a Confederate and a Union regiment for large scale battles.  These two units were completed back in late March for our Champion Hill "recreation" battle.  My good friend Lord Sterling ran the battle using his massive 25mm ACW armies.  I added these two regiments to his order of battle.  And just last Saturday, they were part of our "recreation" Battle of Chickamauga, even though neither was even close to the battle!

36th Mississippi Infantry Regiment

The 36th Mississippi Infantry Regiment wasn't at the Battle of Champion Hill, being part of the actual Vicksburg garrison.  But since it was the regiment in which my great-grandfather served, I couldn't resist constructing it.  It is flying a "Van Dorn" flag even though no one knows for sure what type flag it carried.  Since many of the Mississippi units that served in Van Dorn's (later Pemberton's) command were presented "Van Dorn" flags, I've given one to the 36th.  The 36th Mississippi participated in the battles at Iuka and Corinth in late 1862 before they were assigned to the Vicksburg garrison were they participated in the siege.  The regiment was reconstituted after the parolees were exchanged and assigned to the Army of Tennessee where they fought from Resaca through to Nashville.  After the disastrous retreat in the winter of 1864/1865, the regiment was assigned to garrison at Mobile.  They were included in Lt Gen Taylor's capitulation on may 4, 1865.  My great-grandfather was a casualty during the siege, was paroled to his home in Copiah County, Mississippi, and never returned to the colors.  I think he probably never received notice of the exchange since their were probably no newspapers "out in the countryside."  Either that or he felt he had done enough.  Either way I'm glad because he missed the slaughterhouses of Franklin and Nashville, thus living to have children, grand children, and great-granchildren (me!).

4th West Virginia Infantry Regiment

My Union regiment is the 4th West Virginia Infantry Regiment.  One of my co-worker's ancestors was a member of this regiment.  Originally part of the Dept. of the Ohio, the regiment was assigned to the Army of the Tennessee's XV Corps during the campaign and siege of Vicksburg.  The 4th West Virginia and the 36th Mississippi even opposed one another during Grant's second assault on May 22.

Both regiments are composed of Custom Cast figures.  Most of the figures were purchased already painted.  I traded with Lord Sterling for a few figures to fill out the two regiments and painted them as well as touched up the ones I bought.