"Old Glory 2nd Edition Infantry - How should I paint them?" Topic

I'm quite new to ACW wargaming, despite having been a wargamer for a long time. Following a friend's recommendation I picked up a box of Old Glory 2nd Edition Confederate infantry.

When I paint a figure I try to make the paint match the uniform modeled on it. For example, if I was painting WWII Germans, I'd look at the figure and see how it was made. If it was carrying an anti-tank rifle, its uniform had pleated pockets, it didn't have Y-straps, etc, I'd conclude that it was meant to represent a soldier from 1939-1940 and paint it accordingly, with a "bottle green" collar and insignia-backing and so forth. If it was carrying a Panzerfaust, had a cloth helmet cover and a hooded smock, I'd think it was meant for later on in the war and use an appropriate paint scheme – a "tan and water" smock, etc.

Now, I can "read" WWII uniforms – Germans, Soviets, you name it, they all have their own distinctive features that can clue you in on what they're meant to represent. But I am completely out of my depth on ACW stuff. I understand that over the course of the war the uniforms changed, and I'd like to paint my figures in a way that makes sense.

So – if you have some Old Glory 2nd Edition Confederate infantry, well, what sort of "look" should I start researching? "1862 Eastern?" "1864 Western?"

Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

Well, for Confederates 1863 generic is not bad and you certainly would have lots of scope for gaming with them

Confederate uniforms did change a bit but mostly from 1861 on – after that a generic style works. Grey and brown coats, grey and brown pants and a mixture of caps and hats with black or brown straps

Hi Scott,

Welcome to ACW wargaming! As an old-timer to ACW wargaming, and with experience painting the OG 2nd edition figures you mention, I would offer the following observations.

1. The decision as to whether you want to research and create specific Confederate units from early war to mid- and/or late-war is entirely up to you. Same with Eastern v. Western theaters. Ask yourself which era and theater you have found most interesting. Is there a particular campaign or battle that especially catches your attention? Maybe there is a particular unit that you find fascinating.

My own general understanding of Confederate uniforms is that differences in the cut/shade/styling of jackets especially, but also in trousers and kepis/hats could be significant. There were several regional arsenals in operation, imports that were sourced from abroad, and captured items from the Union.

However, to what degree these would be evident in the 25mm figures you have is another matter entirely. When you look at these figures on the table from 2 or 3 feet away, subtle differences of this kind are not all that evident. The OG 2nd Edition figures in your possession were designed to reflect a generic Confederate soldier in the field, not any particular unit.

2. There is a growing body of solid research on the appearance of Confederate units throughout the war and in various theaters. I have greatly enjoyed consulting the wealth of books and articles (not to mention the outstanding artwork of talented people like Don Troiani and Rick Reeves). TMP is blessed to have several of wargamers who are part of this research community (many are re-enactors) and contribute their insights on a regular basis. If you go back and research specific questions on TMP, you'll see that there are not only some great insights to be gained, but also some ongoing debates over the finer details.

3. Finally, my own experience has taught me that MOST of the ACW wargamers I've encountered really prefer a more generic appearance to their masses of tabletop miniatures. Confederate units are painted in uniforms that show a mix of shades of grey, brown, etc. with some preferring a greater degree of uniformity, or non-uniformity. Figures are usually in brimmed hats with a smattering of kepis. Often units are more readily identifiable by the flags they carry, not the uniform details.The exception are those who want to create the colorful units at the beginning of the war (1861-62) with uniforms that were eventually replaced by more standard issue gear. Again, the generic Confederate figures you have purchased are not well-suited to these kinds of early war units.

Hope this helps you get a start.

Don

This is the topic that can generate an endless amount of debate and input. Having been a reenactor and student of Civil War uniforms and equipment, and a painter of historical minis, I have taken sort of the middle road with this one.

I had some really good discussions and brainstorms with TMP member Avidgamer, a super fellow, extraordinarily knowledgeable and we really are on the same wavelength.

We talked at length about what "average" or "generic" confederates should look like.

I want to say that I really admire your historical awareness of your figures in terms of the time period of the war, the theater, etc. That goes a long way in determining the color choices you make for uniforms.

For confederate infantry, you can go with two schools of thought, or a combination of both.

As Frederick said, a generic style of browns, greys for uniforms you really can't go wrong. Throw in some captured sky-blue federal trousers on some of them and you have a pretty good average.

One thing that can really make a miniature confederate army come to life is if you throw in some sections of troops that reflect some of the exceptions.

What I mean is, while you are doing the majority of your confederates in a mix of brown or grey jackets and trousers, also put aside a few stands of infantry and purposely paint them in ALL matching gray jackets and trousers AND caps. This would reflect the times during the war where there was a consistent uniform issue to a large body of men, as did happen in the Army of Northern Virginia at times.

An example would be after Gettysburg, just before Longstreet's corps was sent to the western theatre to take part in the battle of Chickamauga, his entire corps was issued with new suits of bluish gray jackets and trousers, but the problem was they were on the much bluer side of gray, and looked a lot like weathered Union uniforms. Their uniforms did cause some confusion at Chickamauga because of the bluish color.

So in that instance, you have 1863 mid-war, and an entire confederate corps wearing more or less a consistent uniform, or at least it remained consistent until things began to wear out of course.

The other thing you can do in the middle of the generic ranks is throw in the occasional gray cap with the blue infantry band, which was issued on occasion.

For equipment you have some really clear and distinct options. Since captured federal gear was so common and so prevalent during the war, you can freely paint haversacks, canteens, and blankets in Union issue colors. same goes for knapsacks even. Union issue haversacks would be black, canteens would be covered in brown or tan cloth, blankets would be brown or brownish gray. Confederates also widely captured Union cartridge boxes and belts, which would all be black.

Another widely captured federal issue item was the federal issue rubber or gum blanket, which would be a glossy black.

You can paint some of the blanket rolls in glossy black to represent the issue rubber blanket being rolled on the outside of the bedroll.

In the mix of all the capture federal gear, you can also paint a fair percentage with actual confederate issue gear. The confederacy produced cartridge boxes in both black and brown leather (russet). They produced haversacks in the black waterproofed versions, but the most common they produced were plain white haversacks. Their issue canteens were often of the metal drum variety, so those could be painted a metallic silver.

As far as straps go, canteen straps could be white or brown to represent cotton drill, webbing, or leather.

Finally, for shoes, again the confederacy produced leather shoes in both brown and black leather, so a mixture of those is perfect. Confederates of course also used thousands of pairs of captured federal issue shoes which were of black leather.

Hope this helps!

Try this link for painting Rebs. It has some good stuff.

link

This is VERY helpful, thank you all very much!!

"Confederate uniform" isn't that an oxymoron?

I don't think it actually is an oxymoron. To some degree, there is a popular historical myth that Confederate soldiers relished their non-uniformity and ragged appearance. A lot of this notion took hold in the decades following the war in the context of growing romanticism surrounding the conflict and attempts to bolster pride in the Lost Cause.

Where possible, Confederate units did strive to achieve uniformity. This was partly dependent on the vicissitudes of the supply system, but also could be greatly influenced by the attitudes of commanding officers. Just as important, soldiers 'on campaign' and in the field for weeks/months at a time would take on a much more non-uniform and ragtag appearance. Troops in winter quarters (or just emerging from an extended time in camp) would obviously have access to reissues and appear more uniform.

Of course, resupply could actually occur in the midst of a campaign, as was mentioned above for Longstreet's Corps after Gettysburg! So, in the end, it's pretty hard to make sweeping generalizations on this topic.

Wow! Thanks guys, I just started painting my first box of Perry Confederates this month and your advice will help with the second box!

See my comments at the bottom of this thread:

TMP link

These may be useful as well:

TMP link

TMP link

V/R

The gum blanket was not REAL shiny -- say a satin finish -- especially after it got dirty. You could throw in some captured light blue pants and overcoats, also.

Hats were non-issue, so far as I know. Any civilian hat would do. Evidently the most common hat color was black, with various shades of gray, brown and tan also fairly common.