Antietam vignette, 54mm Verlinden

tonydawe · Jul 19, 2009

I bought this little ACW vignette from Verlinden last year and decided to have a go at it while my eyes can still cope with 54mm.

The Union officer is a Captain from the 9th New York (Hawkins) Zouave Regiment holding a drawn sword in his right hand. He's standing over the body of a dead Confederate soldier from the 1st Virginia Regiment at the Battle of Antietam. Thanks to Steve for his help with the research on these two figures.

Both figures have been base coated,and I've done some shading and highlighting on the dead Virginian, but no weathering as yet. The Zouave officer has just been base coated so far, no highlights or shadows done yet.

I plan to some more research on the look of the actual battlefield at Antietam before I decide where to place the officer and what type of groundwork and vegetation to add.

Hope you like it so far.

housecarl · Jul 19, 2009

Tony, found this on Wiki, don't know if it will help.
Battle of Antietam
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"Antietam" redirects here. For other uses, see Antietam (disambiguation).
Battle of Antietam
Part of the American Civil War

The Battle of Antietam, by Thure de Thulstrup, depicting the charge of the Iron Brigade near the Dunker Church
Date September 17, 1862 (1862-09-17)
Location Near Sharpsburg, Maryland
Result Tactically inconclusive; strategic Union victory.

Belligerents
United States (Union) CSA (Confederacy)
Commanders
George B. McClellan Robert E. Lee
Strength
87,000 45,000
Casualties and losses
12,401
(2,108 killed
9,540 wounded
753 captured/missing) 10,316
(1,546 killed
7,752 wounded
1,018 captured/missing)

[show]v • d • eMaryland Campaign

Harpers Ferry – South Mountain (Crampton's Gap) – Antietam – Shepherdstown

The Battle of Antietam (also known as the Battle of Sharpsburg, particularly in the South), fought on September 17, 1862, near Sharpsburg, Maryland, and Antietam Creek, as part of the Maryland Campaign, was the first major battle in the American Civil War to take place on Northern soil. It was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with about 23,000 casualties.[1]

After pursuing Confederate General Robert E. Lee into Maryland, Union Army Maj. Gen. George B. McClellan launched attacks against Lee's army, in defensive positions behind Antietam Creek. At dawn on September 17, Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker's corps mounted a powerful assault on Lee's left flank. Attacks and counterattacks swept across Miller's cornfield and fighting swirled around the Dunker Church. Union assaults against the Sunken Road eventually pierced the Confederate center, but the Federal advantage was not followed up. In the afternoon, Union Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside's corps entered the action, capturing a stone bridge over Antietam Creek and advancing against the Confederate right. At a crucial moment, Confederate Maj. Gen. A.P. Hill's division arrived from Harpers Ferry and launched a surprise counterattack, driving back Burnside and ending the battle. Although outnumbered two-to-one, Lee committed his entire force, while McClellan sent in less than three-quarters of his army, enabling Lee to fight the Federals to a standstill. During the night, both armies consolidated their lines. In spite of crippling casualties, Lee continued to skirmish with McClellan throughout September 18, while removing his battered army south of the river.[2]

Despite having superiority of numbers, McClellan's attacks failed to achieve concentration of mass, allowing Lee to counter by shifting forces along interior lines to meet each challenge. Despite ample reserve forces that could have been deployed to exploit localized successes, McClellan failed to destroy Lee's army. Nevertheless, Lee's invasion of Maryland was ended, and he was able to withdraw his army back to Virginia without interference from the cautious McClellan. Although the battle was tactically inconclusive, it had unique significance as enough of a victory to give President Abraham Lincoln the confidence to announce his Emancipation Proclamation, which discouraged the British and French governments from potential plans for recognition of the Confederacy.

unknown01 · Jul 20, 2009

Great start, Tony.
It seems to be a wonderful vignette, doesn't it?
I expect progress of your work.

Mitsutaka

tonydawe · Jul 20, 2009

G'day Carl,

Thanks for the information you posted on the Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg). What a bloody massacre it must have been. No such thing as a good battle to be in, but this one seems to have been a particularly chaotic and bloody affair with huge losses on both sides. It's interesting to speculate what the outcome might have been had McClellan been more aggresive and committed the full weight of his forces at Antietam. Perhaps he could have ended the war much sooner had he crushed Lee's forces there.

Hi Mitsutaka, thanks you once again for showing your interest in my latest modelling project. I will post a few more photos in a couple of days.

Major_Goose · Jul 20, 2009

You are definately on the good way my friend. I bet when finished will be a beautiful small vigniette . Take care on the shiny oils !

mil-mart · Jul 20, 2009

Tony , great start, like the colours chosen for the Reb.
For the groundwork at Antietam, http://www.madminutegames.com/MadMinuteBB/viewtopic.php?t=7224
the 9th NY fought near the Lower bridge just south of the town of Sharpsburg. Hope it's of use.
Cheers Ken

tonydawe · Jul 20, 2009

Hi Costas, thanks for your comments mate. The shiny colour is actually from Vallejo acrylics. I haven't used any oils yet. I'll try to eliminate the shine by diluting my oils in white spirits and spraying Dull Coat over the figure once its finished.

Hi Ken, thanks very much for your comments and particularly for the link. I found some excellent photos of the Antietam battlefield and have saved many for future reference. I'll have a go at scratch building one of those distinctive fences that runs around the perimeter of the cornfield.

eissteban · Jul 20, 2009

Hi Tony,
very nice start ... The dead man is great , i'll follow your work very close my friend

tonydawe · Jul 20, 2009

Thanks very much for your comments Seb,

I did some more work on the vignette last night and will post some new pics soon.

tonydawe · Jul 21, 2009

As promised, here are a few progress pics.

The base is now covered with modelling clay and I've started building the fence. It's going to be a tricky construction job as the fence rails need to be horizontal to the ground and spaced apart. I've inserted spacers to maintain the separation while the glue dries.

It's a delicate job but should look good when it's done. I'll add the groundwork and vegetation once the fence is secure and painted. I made the fence rails and posts by splitting wooden satay skewers with my hobby knife and cutting them to look like they were split by axe.

The Union officer is coming along, but I'm struggling to get a flat finish. I've used pastels and dullcoat and its still shiny. Bugger!

Marcel · Jul 22, 2009

Tony, it's coming along nicely!
Looking forward to your next steps.

Marcel.

tonydawe · Jul 23, 2009

The Next Step

Hi Marcel,

Thank you for your comments mate. Here is the next step.

I've built the fence and placed the second figure on the base.

It still looks very raw and unfinished. There is no weathering, groundwork or vegetation yet. That's the next step.

I hope you like it.

garyjd · Jul 23, 2009

Here's a painting by Keith Rocco of the 9th NY at Antietam. The title of the painting is "Always ready". ~Gary

Click on the thumbnail.

tonydawe · Jul 23, 2009

Thanks Gary, it's a very stirring image. Keith Rocco's paintings are extremely useful for insiration and also as reference.

Antietam vignette, 54mm Verlinden

tonydawe A Fixture

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