Ticonderoga - Wall Pieces (2 Viewers)

[Sans Culotte]

now that my friend was a piece of history worth reading...thank you for your research...I never heard of this aspect of the battle...very interesting...

YES...THAT WOULD MAKE A GREAT FIGURE...I HOPE JJ IS READING THIS

I may send him this link...fantastic anecdote...



Sans Culotte...thanks for the confirmation on the wall pieces...what you have given me is good enough...but if you do find something else...I would appreciate your posting it...

Mike, I'm still looking for that elusive source. Parkman's narrative does state that the attackers were hit by both bullets AND grapeshot. Since the French did not add larger calibre guns until AFTER the battle, that can only leave swivel guns. In the annotated memoirs of Pouchot (of Ft. Niagara fame) there's also mention made of the use of grenades.

 

[mikemiller1955]

Mike, I'm still looking for that elusive source. Parkman's narrative does state that the attackers were hit by both bullets AND grapeshot. Since the French did not add larger calibre guns until AFTER the battle, that can only leave swivel guns. In the annotated memoirs of Pouchot (of Ft. Niagara fame) there's also mention made of the use of grenades.

Sans...if you have researched these guns...I seem to remember reading somewhere that the small swivel guns were considered more accurate than a musket at certain ranges...could that be true...can you confirm or deny this...

 

[mikemiller1955]

Not complaining about the weather here...as I know you guys up North have been getting slammed for a month now...but it was rainy and cold (40's -50's) here the last week or so and I have not wanted to go collect branches to finish my breast work...

anyway...the weather turned this weekend and I managed to forage some twigs to finish the wood work...

I would like to get some groundwork on it tonight...so I placed a fan in front of it to accelerate the glue drying process on the logs...

 

[Napoleon1er]

You sooooo made my day (a hard feat considering how bad it was:redface2:) When this is finished, it will be worthy of a space in Fort Carlion's museum! (I am not kiding- it's worth try!)
-Sandor

 

[thebritfarmer]

Beautiful Michael, I wonder how long it would have taken them to build a structure like that. Surely the enemy could be upon them before they had finished?

 

[RISORGIMENTO]

awesome Mike, really a hard job. I believe very true to life with those gnarled logs. We wait to see the 42th got snarled up in the abatis.
Carlo

 

[mikemiller1955]

You sooooo made my day (a hard feat considering how bad it was:redface2:) When this is finished, it will be worthy of a space in Fort Carlion's museum! (I am not kiding- it's worth try!)
-Sandor

I should really send the Director of Fort Ticonderoga a couple of pictures of Carlo's breastwork and abattis diorama...I bet they would flip over that and offer to buy it from him...for big money too...it would look great in their museum of artifacts...

Beautiful Michael, I wonder how long it would have taken them to build a structure like that. Surely the enemy could be upon them before they had finished?

Scott...they had a little over 3,00 Frenchies at Carillion to help build this...theirs was actually much, much, much, much, much longer and it was built in one day...

in one single day...

this breast work defense and the abattis is why 16,000 Brits...(more than the population of Boston and the biggest army ever assembled to date in North America)...was decimated at this battle by Montcalm...

General Abercrombies reluctance to attack immediately...to attack without any of the hundreds of guns he transported...coupled with some bad scouting reports on the ease of a frontal assualt as a successful method was their demise...

it's a weird but true story...

awesome Mike, really a hard job. I believe very true to life with those gnarled logs. We wait to see the 42th got snarled up in the abatis.
Carlo

I'll trade you mine for yours right now....^&grin...I love yours...I want yours...

 

[thebritfarmer]

Wow that is amazing and must have been a sight to see 1 day !! I still can't imagine that.

 

[Fraxinus]

Mike, beautiful work, can't wait to see the finished diorama!!!

The foam core is entirely hidden, not even a trace of it showing. I will have to figure out exactly how you managed to do the actual construction, still unclear.

But I must admit, I am tempted to ask how many times did you burn yourself with the glue gun.

If you have any, sandbags were part of the french breastwork.

 

[GICOP]

Superb work Michael

Cheers

Martyn

 

[mikemiller1955]

Wow that is amazing and must have been a sight to see 1 day !! I still can't imagine that.

Scott...I did a typo in my earlier post...I just noticed it...I'm sure you knew I meant 3,000 French and not 3,00...sorry about that...but thanks again for your interest in this project...

Mike, beautiful work, can't wait to see the finished diorama!!!

The foam core is entirely hidden, not even a trace of it showing. I will have to figure out exactly how you managed to do the actual construction, still unclear.

But I must admit, I am tempted to ask how many times did you burn yourself with the glue gun.

If you have any, sandbags were part of the french breastwork.

Ken...hahaha...no burns this time...I didn't use a hot glue gun on this...I used white glue...the hot glue can melt and disfigure the foam pretty quickly and severly...

other than running out of logs twice...because I grossly underestimated how much I needed...(over 150 logs on this piece)...I had to let a few sections harden before I could proceed because it kept falling apart as I worked...

I doubt I will make or use sand bags...but I would like a couple of wall guns stationed where the French on the ramparts can access them...

Superb work Michael

Cheers

Martyn

Martyn...thank you so much...

 

[thebritfarmer]

Ah yes I knew what you meant Mike (actually I never noticed as I must have just seen the 3, and the brain takes over from there)

Still amazing

 

[Napoleon1er]

Mike, beautiful work, can't wait to see the finished diorama!!!

The foam core is entirely hidden, not even a trace of it showing. I will have to figure out exactly how you managed to do the actual construction, still unclear.

But I must admit, I am tempted to ask how many times did you burn yourself with the glue gun.

If you have any, sandbags were part of the french breastwork.

I hate to say it, but you defiantly need the sandbags. They were used in an unusual way- they were place on top of the wall, with spaces in between, and boards/logs were place over them, creating loopholes. An essential part. Sorry I forgot that.
-Sandor:salute::

 

[Fusilier]

I rounded up a ton of branches today...making some progress on gluing timbers to the green foam...here's some pictures...it sure is easier building this thing with something to glue to (the foam) instead of building it free standing...I will notch the highest timbers with loopholes for musket protection...I'm happy with the way it's progressing...

You should be happy with your efforts. They look great!

Noah

 

[mikemiller1955]

Moving at "Warp Tortoise" speed...:rolleyes2:...or even slower at a "Snail's Speed"...

I actually did some stuff on my breast work diorama for Carillion the last couple of days...

Last time I showed a picture...I had finished the ramparts for Le Frenchies to fire from...

but have since built a frame (rough cedar pickets sanded smooth) that I stained and varnished...which are extremely lightweight by the way...

I extended both ends of the diorama 12"s...as the table was too small...

and glued down a coat of groundwork...just coffee machine grinder ground dirt...

I see a lot of spots where I didn't apply enough dirt...and will touch that up...

then at the blistering pace I'm moving at...hahaha...I will begin detailing the terrain with shrubs...brush and undergrowth...soon I hope...

I know I'm moving slow...but I have reached the point where things should start progressing a little faster...

 

[mikemiller1955]

I started the ground work on my abattis today...first thing I wanted to put on was the chopped down trees stumps...then I'll start with branches, grass, moss and undergrowth...

my base is foam...and I was using one of those wood engraving pencils to poke/burn/melt a suitable size hole for each stump to glue into...

what a piece of junk...the first one I got broke in one day...the replacement broke after I planted 30 stumps...hahaha...now I'm using a soldering iron to melt holes for the stumps...

 

[mikemiller1955]

I got some grass down today...gonna start on the debris for the abattis next...

 

[RISORGIMENTO]

WOW....exciting proceeding!!! Why we are not neighbours? ...I could help you, discreetly of course, you are the artist!
Carlo

 

[marco55]

Looks good Mike.A 10 as usual.
Mark

 

[The Lt.]

Looks great Sir Michael

I got some grass down today...gonna start on the debris for the abattis next...