Starting project about VSF Confedarates and Union - help with flags!

[Fjodin]

I've just recieved an order of ACW minis for wich I want use for GASLIGHT. In my VSF Universe ACW was over in draft. There was no victorios side, because bouth countries was exhaustied. So CSA and US territories was same as at beginig of war.

SO. Sould someone help me with banners and flags of CSA and US at beginig of war. Because I know that they was changing diring the war (new star for each state)

By the way, it this map right?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c3/US_Secession_map_1865_%28BlankMap_derived%29.PNG/800px-US_Secession_map_1865_%28BlankMap_derived%29.PNG
The Union: blue, yellow (slave);
The Confederacy: brown
*territories in light shades; control of Confederate territories disputed


Here are my Confederate 15mm colonel.

[Fjodin]

Also could someone tell me WHAT COLOURS was CSA troops trousers? Grey or blue? The reason I am asking is that different pics from google have different colours. And Why on different pics Confederates wear kepis and on other pics they wear hats?

Sorry but I am noob in ACW

[chantyam]

F I'm no expert on ACW but at the start both sides often went ito battle in colours that you would expect on the "other" side as Millita companies often joined up in the uniforms they were currently using with both blue and grey being popular thus plenty of confusion and "friendly fire" at the start, the supply to the south meant colour varation and use of captured material  added to this, the North being the side more consistent in the supply and replacment of clothing and  material -kepis and hats on both sides again were the norm often to the whims of supply or taste  -CSA grey blue and butternut with variations of all shades.

[former user]

light blue, grey and butternut
sometimes even dark grey and also dark blue at the start
other colours for Zoave uniforms too

Confederates used to be very irregular in appearance due to constrained logistics
Kepis were regulation, but You could buy more practical hats everywhere

[BaronVonJ]

In theory, confederates had trouser stripe and kepi bands in the service color. Red for artillery, blue for infantry, and yellow for cavalry. This wasn't always the case in practice. Rebs grabbed whatever they could, but if you're talking really early war, you can throw in even more variation as units could be equipped with whatever was locally available.
-J

[Tommy20]

All of the above is good advice.

In regard to the blue trousers on Confederates, they're over-represented (I blame reenactors who wear the same trousers for Union or Confederate portrayals).  Although supply problems could certainly lead to some rebels in captured clothing, and trousers would wear quickly on campaign, the bulk of them should be gray or butternut, depending on your whim.

As for flags, you should be able to find a number of flags for 1st Bull Run (Manassas), which should be representative.  If your ACW stalled after that, those flags would do nicely.

[ushistoryprof]

As with many wars you had what was regulation and what was reality.  As France was seen as the major army power at the time (1860's) the American uniform was strongly influenced by the French style of the day.  Hence the kepi, Zouave units and the like, some units even went into battle with white Kepi covers that went down to the neck like the Foreign Legion wore (these were so unpopular that the soldiers cut them up to use as bore wipes to clean their rifles).  As the war progressed Union manufacturing produced more and more standard uniforms while the South suffered from less and less supply to the point where many men simply wore clothes  from home or what ever they could pick up, grey and blue dyes became rare and expensive so butternut became the most common "uniform" colour. Soft hats were more popular in the Western armies but were worn in all theaters as they were much better protection from the sun and rain.  Even straw hats were worn by many men in the hotter climates in the Deep South.

Check here for some interesting US Army prints of the era: http://www.history.army.mil/html/artphoto/pripos/pripos.html
and here for lots of uniform information on both armies:
http://www.ushist.com/american_civil-war_uniforms_confederate_cs_f.shtml
this site sells uniforms but they are based on the real regulations of the period.

[Fjodin]

As for flags, you should be able to find a number of flags for 1st Bull Run (Manassas), which should be representative.  If your ACW stalled after that, those flags would do nicely.

War is not stalled. It was just like real ACW, but  at the end CSA was able to win some last battles ands started to recapture its lost territories. Aster very heavy casualties it was decided to make a truce... for time.

[Fjodin]

I also found this page in one of the books



1) original CSA trooper with blue trousers
2) with grey trousers due to material shortage
5) very late trooper

[Barry S]

I can't add much to what's been covered above but these sites provide pictures of some of the works by Don Troiani. As well as being great resource, they are also a great for inspriration!
http://www.historicalimagebank.com/gallery2/main.php/v/album01/
http://www.historicalartprints.com/

I also like the work of Kieth Rocco and I quite like his recent release:
http://www.keithrocco.com/home.php

Here are some site with information regarding the various flags used by the Confederacy, in no particular order:
http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/us%5Ecv.html
http://www.usflag.org/confederate.stars.and.bars.html
http://www.civilwarhome.com/confederateflags.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flags_of_the_Confederate_States_of_America
http://www.fact-index.com/f/fl/flags_of_the_confederate_states_of_america.html

Finally, below are couple of links to free downloadable ACW flags for your miniatures. I can't vouce for their authenticity but a great recource which is greatfully appreciated:
http://www.krigsspil.dk/download/download_4.html
http://www.warflag.com

[Fjodin]

Stupid question. Here are US Berdan Sharpshooter (not my mimi)


Does Confederates have an analog of snipers?


2 Barry S - WOW THANX!

[Fjodin]

CSA Standart bearer ready. P be tomorrow vy Australia time. US Sharpshooter is on the way

[Fjodin]

Here are TERRIBLE MACRO photo of my 15mm US Sharpshooter. My first attempt of making bushes on base.

[ushistoryprof]

Very nice work, the bushes look great.

[Cory]

Does Confederates have an analog of snipers?

Almost every regt., North or South, had snipers, called sharpshooters in those days. There were companies that would be organized as the such and such rifles at the beginning of the war, but these were not specifically marksmen units.