How common were "snake" rail fences in the ACW really?

[Pan Marek]

Gotta be careful of post battle photos.  Those were taken after the troops took down the rail fences to get from point A to B, for firewood and for hasty breastworks.

As for soil type.  I must disagree.  My reading on snake fences is that making post holes was (and still is) a huge pain and consumer of time, and snake fences did not need them.  Although such fences consume more wood, America had plenty of wood, and the initial fences used the timber cut down when clearing the fields.

[Leman]

If the troops removed snake fences for firewood, hasty defences and to aid manoeuvrability then it seems that the average wargame table should have very little fencing on it.

[tin shed gamer]

 
Thats a very fair observation.

It's one of the peculiarities of gaming. Portraying Realism can look sinfully dull, plus it can dampen the tactical nature of the terrain.Unless your intent on portraying a specific battle a table should be more of a reflection of a period so its possible to explore the nuances of the period armies.Otherwise there's vey little difference to your period games and your back to a GW blank table and a shed load of dice.
Plus starting with items on a table doesn't mean you can't factor in their removal into your game .

[vtsaogames]

If the troops removed snake fences for firewood, hasty defences and to aid manoeuvrability then it seems that the average wargame table should have very little fencing on it.

That depends on how long the troops have been there. At Shiloh, one can presume all the fences had been used up before the battle. At Gettysburg, most troops arrived after the battle was under way. The sturdy fences on the Emmittsburg Road certainly were obstacles for Pickett's charge.

[Pan Marek]

Note that I said "after" the battle.  While we game "during" a battle.   When I game AWI or ACW, I have a rule where the troops can dismantle fencing to speed movement of those following.  We then remove a section of the fencing terrain.
So, it disappears over time.

If gaming historical battles, one can surmise as to what condition fences were in at the start of the fighting, as was pointed out about Shiloh.

[sepoy1857]

That depends on how long the troops have been there. At Shiloh, one can presume all the fences had been used up before the battle. At Gettysburg, most troops arrived after the battle was under way. The sturdy fences on the Emmittsburg Road certainly were obstacles for Pickett's charge.

VERY good points. They were plentiful in pre-war America, but fence rails (especially the less sturdy snake rails) were the first thing to be burned by the troops. It was one of the main complaints of farmers that their fences were destroyed.