"Who would you place next to US Grant?" Topic

Although, generally speaking, it could be asked about all ACW generals, for wargames purposes, who would you place on a command base of General Grant?

A standard bearer with his HQ flag

A bugler

Staff officer

Regimental officer

Some combination of the above?

What figure scale, and base size? We're talking mini-diorama composition here. It matters.

whatever really. kinda depends on what the rules recommend and the scale.
I follow the RFF suggestions so my leaders are:
Bregmental command: 1 officer with 2 flag bearers if USA and 1 flag bear and 1 musician if CSA.
Brigade General: one officer on horse
div and corp commands: 2-3 officers on a horse, usually pointing at things.

I tend not to put flags on the higher commands so they can be used for any scenario.

I sort of play around and mix. As an army commander. An aide on a horse, a cavalryman as a courier, then maybe a infantryman running through or a mounted figure with appropriate flag. I then will also mix.

Not sure about Grant, but I know what figures I'd put next to Joe Hooker.

That would be a fun command stand.

I guess Hooker's headquarters was a fun place also so it fits.

That Indian.

Depends on the rule set but for Fire & Fury I would use Grant, two staff officers and an escort trooper

Lt. Col. Ely Parker was on Grant's staff beginning in 1863 and became his military secretary in August 1864. He wrote out the surrender terms Appomattox. As Robert E. Lee noted that day while shaking his hand, he was a "real American," a full blood Iroquois. Parker's reply was "We are all Americans."
Brigadier General John Rawlins, often Grant's staff officer, his friend and adviser. Before accepting the job with Grant, he asked that Grant promise not to drink for the duration of the war, and generally viewed it as his responsibility to keep Grant on the straight and narrow. Depicting him smashing a bottle of whiskey would be amusing.

Grelber

I'll be doing 40mm but feel free to give suggestions for 15mm and 28mm ideas too.

I, personally would have a couple of officers, or some other staff member.

On the whole I feel he should be…understated, as a true professional should.

Possibly a waiter with his hourly tipple ?

As figure size increases the number of figures has to decrease or the base becomes a saucer. At 40mm you'll probably want to cap out a 3 figures.

Grant
A near peer in rank. Brigadier at least
A staff officer capt/maj clearly dressed in campaign garb doing something staff'y, like writing.

I was thinking of this mounted Grant figure with maybe the mounted std bearer or the mounted cavalry officer.

I guess I could use the Sash and Saber 40mm mounted Union staff officer set but I think the S&S horses might be noticeably smaller than the Foundry horses.

link

The standard bearer if he used that mounted, and not just on the headquarters tent. ADC. Possibly courier.

Sadly, it's going to lack color. For a McClellan base, you could toss in a foreign observer or so, but I can't think of anyone in a really eye-catching uniform around Grant.

Which was sort of the point, of course.

I think unmounted, although Grant was an outstanding horseman, I have not seen many photos of him mounted.

A general officer holding a map. An orderly standing by with horse. It does depend on scale. At 40mm he could be by himself with other bases adjacent.

"2-3 officers on a horse"? I thought Grant commanded an army, not a circus.

He never specified Grant in the East. We also have Grant at Donnelson, Shiloh, Vicksburg Campaign, Missionary Ridge, etc. So Grant mounted would not be out of place in those theaters. I am fairly sure having him mounted for the East would be fine as well.

A telegraph operator.

Is there a dismounted Grant Somewhere?

In 40mm, I am stuck with only a mounted Grant. But ideas for others are welcome in all scales and either mtd or on foot.

Which miniatures companies make the nicest ACW characters, command, vignettes in any scale?

Grant stands alone.

Nice touch Bill N

As a side. How would Grant have been rated by historians, if he had never been sent East to face Lee? Given the Eastern Theater bias of the media of the time and those who wrote history later. That bias is even reflected today, most wargamers paint and fight 2 armies. Army of Northern Virginia and Army of the Potomac.

No bugler -- he was tone-deaf.

Interesting drawing, by Walton (?) Tabor, my favorite artist from Century Magazine/Battles & Leaders. I had not seen that one before. The image of Grant there is obviously taken from the familiar photo of him standing in front of his tent, but reversed. That's Sheridan standing by the horse, and Meade is the other standing figure facing us.

No bugler -- he was tone-deaf.

Presumably the rest of the army wasn't though. Aren't they the ones who have to react to bugle calls?

I wish I could remember the series on like AHC or whatever cable channel that really handled grant's Western campaigns well with some great maps.

What books really handle his Western campaigns in a compelling manner?

I'd have him sitting on a log whittling a piece of wood and add Sherman standing next to him.

Another famous pose is Grant leaning against a tree

True, about the bugle, but I seriously doubt that an army (or higher) commander transmitted orders by bugle.

Kuntsler has a print of him mounted at the Wilderness. He is riding with Meade, a couple of Riders carrying standards and another officer. Troiani has an 1863 print of Grant during Vicksburg campaign mounted. Both out on the web. Kunstler's would be an excellent example to paint your command stand from. I trust Troiani's accuracy more. But you are painting for a war game and actual action photos are slim to none due to cameras of the period(you could not move). So who can question your accuracy? Hope this helps. I mean after all, you pretty much paint a Napoleon command stand based off of paintings and drawings and who can say how accurate that artist was?