The American Civil War Diaries (6 Viewers)

It's great seeing you playingcatch up Reb and as I've stated earlier was happy to hear you and Trudi were enjoy your vaction in sunny FL and your photos. Got a hunch we're in for another outstanding diodrama headed our way along with your last chapterot The America Civil War Diaries......The Lt.
 
UKReb said:
Sunday AM May 8th 1864. The Crossroads at Spotsylvania CH
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Top notch Bob. Love the road. Wish I had your diorama building skills. I did buy a yard of canvas the other day and some dowel rods and will try to make a tent like you did.

Glad to have your new season start :)

Randy
 
aujj65 said:
Bob, I agree with Simon, and also me thinks this must have taken a while to set up. The walls and archway - who makes these? As per usual this is a most entertaining thread.

Jeff
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Thanks for all your comments guys much appreciated. I was pleased with how the crossroads came out although it took forever to design and put together.

Jeff the walls are a mix of Britains & ONWTC and the archway was a lucky find in a Christmas shop in St Augustine FL- had to remove the snowmen off the columns and splash some paint on it but fits quite well with the walls.

The road material is a mix of model railway cinders and coffeee grouts-always looks good for 19th century dirt roads and I must recommend John Gittens new packs of bracken that I picked up at the London Show in December they look simply superb as ground cover.

I did not have a mounted JEB Stuart figure-I had looked at the Del Prado and was not impressed although it was cheap as chips-finally decided to go K&C and was pleasantly surprised to find that he is a closer scale to the Britains & Conte horsed figures than I had originally thought. Good purchase.

Reb
 
Glad your back and settled from vacation, look forward to more dioramas and great story telling.
 
The highlight to any visit to the Forum is another episode of "The American

Civil War Diaries" glad to see another chapter! Hope it is as much fun to

produce as it is to read!:)
 
Harrytheheid said:
Aye,
Ye've done no a bad job there Reb - I suppose......
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Simon....shhh! if the Heid's back I can handle his over exuberance and I wouldn't want to chase him away into the cyber wilderness again.

Thanks H- VG to see you back even if it's just a brief celebrity appearance.

Reb
 
Sunday AM May 8th 1864. The Crossroads at Spotsylvania CH



Superb photography Reb. what kind of light did you use, flash?
 
debrito said:
Sunday AM May 8th 1864. The Crossroads at Spotsylvania CH



Superb photography Reb. what kind of light did you use, flash?
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Hi Rod hope you are well my friend

I kept the flash off for those particular shots-now that the troops are out of the dark wooded area of the Wilderness where it was necessary to use the flash to shoot through the trees and shrub- I found that my dio main strip lighting and halogen spots lit the area up enough without having to use the gun. Using a single 100watt spot at about 18" distance produced a reasonable result of imitating good early morning shadow effects off of the mounted Stuart thrown against the stone wall and grass verge on the last shot.

Reb
 
UKReb said:
Simon....shhh! if the Heid's back I can handle his over exuberance and I wouldn't want to chase him away into the cyber wilderness again.

Thanks H- VG to see you back even if it's just a brief celebrity appearance.

Reb
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Och, just thought I'd contribute a wee comment - seeing as ye were girnin' an' greetin' aboot nae too many responses tae yer nae-bad lookin' photies - like.

Cheers
H
 
The lead squadron of Brig.Gen Wesley Merritt's 1st Union Cavalry Division came into Spotsylvania at the gallop.
Stuart's cavalry opened fire as they reached the courthouse area-the men in blue, believing this only to be local militia reacted quickly- determined to drive this rabble from the strategic crossroads.

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Returning fire and with swords drawn the planned Union sweeping of an expected part-time soldier force swiftly became a fierce fire-fight

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They very swiftly realised these were not local militia- this was Confederate cavalry-Stuart's cavalry- and fighting exactly like their demonic reputation

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Merritt had always boasted to his officers that he thought his cavalry could "fight anywhere except at sea" But this position being lined with stonewalls restricted the manouvreability of mounted troops and was fast becoming a trap. And behind those stonewalls were dozens of Reb rifles pouring a blistering salvo into the horse-soldiers.

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The hand to hand fighting was savage-gone was all sense of humanity. This was combat at it's ugliest. Although Confederate cavalry combat doctrine usually favored the pistol over the sword, and especially if engaged whilst dis-mounted, at this close quarter the Rebs slashed furiously at the mounted men in blue using saber and Springfields fitted with bayonet.

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The Reb cavalrymen rushed at the Union troopers horses grappling for the reins in an attempt to unseat them. The men in blue cut and thrust with their sabers valiantly trying to extricate themselves from the clutches of these yelling wouldbe killers.

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As the battle raged General Stuart quickly scribbled a message which read.
General Lee
I have encountered enemy cavalry advancing on Spotsylvania Courthouse. I have dismounted my men and am holding my ground. However, my scouts report that two divisions of whom I believe to be Warren's V Corps to be also advancing swiftly along the Brock Road. I am in desperate need of infantry and artillery support if I am to hold this position.
Respectfully
JEB Stuart
Passing the message to his aide Major Tyreen- Stuart said
"Major! Locate General Lee and deliver this message with my compliments and Major-ride like the wind".

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As Stuart watched Tyreen ride off a large proportion of the Federal mounted combat had subsided into a dismounted fight-now all they had to do was hold until their infantry arrived.
Exactly the same plan as Stuart's.

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What! We have to wait for the next episode?You drive us crazy.You must produce TV shows.You are a master of the cliffhanger.Well done.
Mark
 
Hey Reb,

You're getting quite good at this now aren't you? :eek::D

Appreciate you going to the effort of giving the forum its ACW fix.

Simon
 
Reb,

Very good, it will be hard to wait for the next installment. I enjoy each installment.
 
I am left to repeating myself but I have to say another beautifully scripted, arranged and photographed installment. I am particularly impressed with how you tell different parts of the story with different camera angles of the same arrangements. Well done as always mate. I am all ready for the next one.
 
What a nice way to enjoy an English cup of tea once again by being entertain with another outstanding chapter in the series. Thanks Reb and nice seeing you back in form after your short R&R stateside and...........The Lt.
 
Always a pleasure to see another update from The Reb!
 
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