"Perry Miniatures - Plasic Union Infantry Preview " Topic

Perry MIniatures presents the 3-ups for their plastic Union infantry command

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Amicalement
Armand

Nice to see the private purchase sack coats in the set. Although normally seen in the officer/NCO ranks, other enlisted could and did purchase them and use them, especially as the outer pockets came in quite handy.

One pet peeve of mine: Officers rarely used cap pouches and pistol cartridge boxes on their belts. First off, officers purchased their own kit, and it was another unneeded expense as well as an encumbrage on the march. Primarily, though, officers would carry a small tin of pistil percussion caps in a pants or vest pocket, and one or more (rarely more then one, however) blocks of pistol rounds in a breast or coat pocket.

Keep the belt clean. A foot officer pattern sword and a holster are all that is required. Give them an officer's pattern haversack and a canteen, and perhaps a blanket roll or a hobo roll (short blanket roll on straps, slung over the shoulder with a leather strap) for the company grade officers.

Again, those re pet peeves of mine. The cluttering up of the officer's waistbelt is a reenactorism that should have disappeared long ago but, like jock itch and athlete's foot, keeps hanging on.

But yeah, nice sculpts. Very nice indeed.

One more thing……. those commercial sack coats on the federals can also be used for confederate officers, NCOs,etc. The commercial sack coat was a common item on both sides, and found all through the ranks and not just the officers.

Why do companies continue to add drummers?

Wargames tradition. All my units (except my zouaves) have them even though I know they shouldn't be there.

Well I for one heartily welcome this addition to the ACW hard plastic world. Long awaited, and looks like they meet every expectation!

Nice looking figures! I'm pleased to see the officers carrying pistols. I've never quite understood why American Civil War officers are always shown with swords, while colonial officers, just 20 years later, are depicted with pistols.

Grelber

Tim,

Amen brother to everything.

John,

"Why do companies continue to add drummers?"

I don't know. It boggles the mind.

" I've never quite understood why American Civil War officers are always shown with swords"

Well, they always carried a pistol and sword… both unless they dropped it, had it taken away or… some other thing which is just as unlikely as the ones I came up with.

Don

Yes, why no buglers?

Thank you, Cleburne!

When did regiments in the ACW stop using drums? Did they ever have drums?

They always used drummers and fifers (Both) which were called "Field Music". The members were commonly young men or boys, but not always. The Field Music was repositioned when the firing started and were NOT near the fighting. So… putting drummers in a 'command group' is like having a battleship parked on land. Historically it looks wrong but many gamers like to see them for some odd reason.

A bugler was positioned near the regimental commanding officer to 'trumpet' his orders to the line officers in case they could not hear spoken commands.

Officer's swords are they not used to visual show orders ?
Point the sword above your head to the right = right wheel, to the left = left wheel and straight ahead to advance.

ACW re enactors can clear this up.

The sword waving orders was not a thing. It's reenactor stuff. Besides, how can you wave a sword with orders when you are behind the regiment with complicated commands? You might order a company to "By Files right" if you have already yelled out the order, to reinforce the direction but not he exact order in mind. Waving the sword to the right could also be misconstrued to mean "Break 3 files to the right" or "On the right, by company/battalion into line".

Not a fan of plastic. I prefer metal figures.

Sash and Saber make buglers in their ACW range.
I too am guilty of putting drummers on my command stand….my thought was /is that the drummer could issue commands by certain beats just as a bugler has different calls for his bugle….And I like both plastic and metal, but prefer metal over plastic any day.
That being said, the new plastics look amazing.

Well at least you have a reason for thinking drummers should be there – me I do it because I've paid for them!

As for officers with pistols.

If our little men are in the Line of Battle, just what do we think they are firing at when the rank and file open up at twice (or more) the effective range of their pistols?

Hello
I'd like to add that there is a bugle arm on the command frame as well, but I haven't shown it on the pictures of the samples. The main infantry frame had gone off a while ago so I didn't have the right bodies or left arm to attach it to to complete a sample to show.
Alan

"just what do we think they are firing at when the rank and file open up at twice (or more) the effective range of their pistols?"

Not sure if you are referring to officers firing pistols or not but… good officers would NOT be picking out targets with their pistols and firing.

Good/well trained officers during the war would be standing behind the line of soldiers making sure everyone was staying in line, loading and firing properly, directing the fire, shouting orders perhaps to volley fire or any other orders for firing by commands, getting the other officers and NCO's to ready for fixing bayonets, looking to senior officers in case of a charge or falling back, checking/keeping track of ammo levels, making sure men move up to take places of front rankers gone down, etc.

Drummer models are GREAT for markers of all kind instead of slips of paper, pipe cleaners, plastic rings, dice and glass beads which ruin the 'look' of the table top fights.

I never use them.

In fact, I have a "handfull" in 15mm for sale(cheep) if anyone wants them.

imbecile1488@aol.com

avidgamer?

Yeah that was my point! :o)

Most of our drummers are mounted singly as '+1' figures to denote better quality units but there are a few on the regiment bases because – like Trajanus – we've paid for them!….looking forward to being able to add more buglers though.

"Yeah that was my point! :o)"

DOH!

Happy you like them boys! (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

What do you have against telling us the scale? Preferably in the title.

Perry makes 28mm plastics which is what I believe these to be.

What Tony L have said…

Amicalement
Armand

I can't wait but yeah, BUGLERS, we need BUGLERS! Dixon has a variety and a few others but everyone seems to think that a "command group" is an officer, a standard bearer, and a drummer. Drummers generally (in action) were detailed with the other musicians as stretcher bearers or in other ways to help the wounded. Signaling was done by the buglers.

Nice animation on the figures though, I love Perry's sculpting and really love the variety you can produce with their plastics.

Glad you like them too my friend.

Amicalement
Armand

Well since there is an option for a bugler I guess I'll just have to hold off and wait.

Joe,don't you ever get bored with making that post every time a plastic release is announced ?