| Powder Monkey January 2009 |
The War for Southern Independence's Naval Side.
A monthly scenario and/or information about the
naval side of the war.
A monthly scenario and/or information about the
naval side of the war.
A day firing of the National Civil War Naval Museum's
original 7" Brooke cannon off the CSS Jackson. Fired
many times during the year.
original 7" Brooke cannon off the CSS Jackson. Fired
many times during the year.
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| Wargaming Civil War Navals by Roger Campbell |
Tired of your kids not learning anything in school? So was I when I retired as a
government school teacher. Schools are now structured to teach the test. It’s up to us to
ensure the future learns about the past. What actually happened and not what version
the local school board wants to pretend occurred.
During a recent School of the Sailor held at the National Civil War Naval
Museum in Columbus Georgia we utilized something I used when teaching American
History. I now volunteer there. The kids had a great time as they learn about the War
for Southern Independence, the method was gaming. There’s a new group of middle-
schoolers who can tell you the difference between a casemate and a monitor. How
each worked in battle, each’s advantages and disadvantages and why they favor one
over the other.
I’m going to focus on using miniatures to teach the naval side of the war. Having
played many land battles, what I mention about the sea usually applies to the land.
Lets start with the best way to see and do small scale unit engagements,
miniatures. Scaled pewter or lead based figures. Plastic is now becoming popular.
This is the genre I have enjoyed for 31 years. There’s something about 3 Dimensional
figures and terrain that board games and computers cannot match. IT LOOKS REAL!
The sight of that 300 figure Roman Legion stretched across eight feet moving into
combat was beautiful. Flat paper chits are not on the same planet with 3D models. A
correctly painted model of a sailing ship with full sails and lines captures everyone’s
eye.
Besides looking good miniatures offer the chance to learn history. Gamers who
paint their own figs look up how the unit should be correctly painted. During that they
learn the history of the unit. Where it was stationed and how it fought. Do you know
why the Union’s City Class had different color stripes on their smoke stacks? How it
helped in combat? (Unit identification). Why did the Zouaves wear those funny
looking uniforms? (Fashionable in France at the time.) What was the official color
scheme for the Union Navy during the war? (Gray. But not one ship appears to have
been so painted.) Why did gray become the color for the Confederacy? (The color of
the US Militia before the war.)
Do you know how many different types of ships there were during the war? Most
people know of the Virginia I and the Monitor. What about the other 90+ class types?
What was the CSS Virginia’s sister? The one the Union turned into a three turret
failure. (USS Roanoke) Heard of the Hunley? How many other subs were there? (5+)
How was the tiny David able to send the giant New Ironsides to the yards for eight
months? (120lbs of gunpowder) Why did the Union keep a fleet on the Mississippi
River long after any real threat was gone? (The CSS Missouri) Why were northern
vessels able to partake in numerous battles while the southerners did not? (The
blockade) Which side put more new ideas into action? (The CSN’s use of new
innovative ideas to try to overcome the USN’s advantage in construction scared
everyone.)
Once the ships are placed on the table the next act of learning starts. Which was
better a Southern casemate or a Union monitor? In equal one on one combat the
casemate almost always wins. The Virginia I out hit the Monitor 22 to 20. Why was the
USS Hartford often turned into Swiss cheese and never sank? (Luck!) A good set of
rules and dice for that random factor will highlight how items were used. It also shows
how much Lady Luck influences things. Why was the union’s Sassacus class so good?
(Double-enders. They didn’t have to turn around in narrow rivers.) Whose guns were
better, the south’s rifled Brookes or the north’s smoothbore Dahlgrens? (The larger,
not as accurate Dahlgrens were better at close range. The yankees always drove to
close the range.)
And a nice thing about navals? It’s not costly. You can start with as few as one
ship each.
Your child having trouble with basic math? Gamers are used to looking at tables.
They know which factors are often used, which are rarely used and how to add them
up quickly. As the kids play more games logic can be seen. Why move the ship in what
direction? What is the other guy going to do? What will your team mate do?
Interaction - both on the table and with other players - is often self taught.
And navals are great for What If? What if the USS Dunderberg had been finished
in time? (After the war she was bought by France to keep Prussia from obtaining the
monster.) What if the CSS Muscogee had sailed in April 1864? How would that have
changed the Battle of Mobile? What if the CSS Tennessee II had had a full squadron to
back her? (The ironclads Nashville, Baltic, Huntsville and Tuscaloosa were not fit for
duty.) What was the best ship? The south had 176 and the north had @700 to pick
from. (Everyone has their favorite.)
Besides miniatures there are a number of great board games. Board games are best
when large arenas or number of units are going to be contested, such as Gettysburg.
Wondered why Lee didn’t try to go around? Why did Beauregrad stop the advance at
Shiloh? Why was the north scared of the Virginia I? Who did win the battle, the
Virginia I or the Monitor? Why did Farragut delay the Battle of Mobile? Could you
have won your favorite battle? Most land and sea contests could have gone either way.
I’ve only heard of one good computer game for the naval side. There are several
good games for land warfare. Computers, for home use or via the internet, are getting
better. But as also a retired naval officer, and I have the gray hairs to prove it, I do not
think this genre has been able to capture the feel of taking a ship into combat. An 1,800
ton, 185 man 1864 ironclad is not the same as a 35 ton, 4 man 1944 tank.
The fourth method of wargaming the Civil War, Role Playing, is best done by
reenacting. Get out there and really get your feet wet. Learn to love wool in the
summer’s heat.
Check out your local wargaming shop. There you can ask one of the staff about the
different types of games. Find the one that suits you. Usually there’s someone who
plays each type. If none are in your area there are several stores on the web offering a
wide selection.
Wargaming the civil war with miniatures offers the players a chance to see the
war from a different advantage, over head. It gives us an advantage Lee, Napoleon and
Caesar would have love to have, being able to see the entire arena. Reenacting gives
you a real life feel only surpassed by actually having been there. But only what you can
see. Board games lets you see the problems of moving around many units. But paper
chits? The random factor created by rolling the dice recreates the uncertainty found in
every battle. Painting your own miniatures lets you research and learn more about the
ships or men. Actually moving them about in combat provides a realistic
understanding of what happened.
Adults and kids learn more about the time period they are playing by gaming than
can be taught in any class room. At home or the club they have time to go into much
more details. Everyone loves talking about their favorite unit. Whether you are north or
south your kids need to learn what actually happened. Not what is politically
correct.
Everything in the photo is 1/300th
scale, 1 mm equals a foot. The vessels
were made by the author for gaming. The
CSS Richmond and USS Monitor are @
8 inches. The CSS Hunley, CSS Squib,
CSS David, a torpedo boat and the USS
Alligator fill the middle.
The 1/600th models are @ 3 inches
long. The CSS Jackson belongs to the
Museum. The USS Kearsarge was
painted by the author. Professional paint
jobs are not required for gaming.
The 1/600th scale models are on
exhibit at the Museum. The author wishes
he could paint this well. CSS Jackson
and CSS Chattahoochee. Models by Bay
Yard.
This is a good example of the type
of gaming tables put on at conventions.
Conventions and the playing room in your
local shop are great for meeting new
opponents, trying new games and playing
games too large for your house. The scale
is 25mm. A six foot man equals a 1 inch figure. The common size for small numbers of
figures combat.
government school teacher. Schools are now structured to teach the test. It’s up to us to
ensure the future learns about the past. What actually happened and not what version
the local school board wants to pretend occurred.
During a recent School of the Sailor held at the National Civil War Naval
Museum in Columbus Georgia we utilized something I used when teaching American
History. I now volunteer there. The kids had a great time as they learn about the War
for Southern Independence, the method was gaming. There’s a new group of middle-
schoolers who can tell you the difference between a casemate and a monitor. How
each worked in battle, each’s advantages and disadvantages and why they favor one
over the other.
I’m going to focus on using miniatures to teach the naval side of the war. Having
played many land battles, what I mention about the sea usually applies to the land.
Lets start with the best way to see and do small scale unit engagements,
miniatures. Scaled pewter or lead based figures. Plastic is now becoming popular.
This is the genre I have enjoyed for 31 years. There’s something about 3 Dimensional
figures and terrain that board games and computers cannot match. IT LOOKS REAL!
The sight of that 300 figure Roman Legion stretched across eight feet moving into
combat was beautiful. Flat paper chits are not on the same planet with 3D models. A
correctly painted model of a sailing ship with full sails and lines captures everyone’s
eye.
Besides looking good miniatures offer the chance to learn history. Gamers who
paint their own figs look up how the unit should be correctly painted. During that they
learn the history of the unit. Where it was stationed and how it fought. Do you know
why the Union’s City Class had different color stripes on their smoke stacks? How it
helped in combat? (Unit identification). Why did the Zouaves wear those funny
looking uniforms? (Fashionable in France at the time.) What was the official color
scheme for the Union Navy during the war? (Gray. But not one ship appears to have
been so painted.) Why did gray become the color for the Confederacy? (The color of
the US Militia before the war.)
Do you know how many different types of ships there were during the war? Most
people know of the Virginia I and the Monitor. What about the other 90+ class types?
What was the CSS Virginia’s sister? The one the Union turned into a three turret
failure. (USS Roanoke) Heard of the Hunley? How many other subs were there? (5+)
How was the tiny David able to send the giant New Ironsides to the yards for eight
months? (120lbs of gunpowder) Why did the Union keep a fleet on the Mississippi
River long after any real threat was gone? (The CSS Missouri) Why were northern
vessels able to partake in numerous battles while the southerners did not? (The
blockade) Which side put more new ideas into action? (The CSN’s use of new
innovative ideas to try to overcome the USN’s advantage in construction scared
everyone.)
Once the ships are placed on the table the next act of learning starts. Which was
better a Southern casemate or a Union monitor? In equal one on one combat the
casemate almost always wins. The Virginia I out hit the Monitor 22 to 20. Why was the
USS Hartford often turned into Swiss cheese and never sank? (Luck!) A good set of
rules and dice for that random factor will highlight how items were used. It also shows
how much Lady Luck influences things. Why was the union’s Sassacus class so good?
(Double-enders. They didn’t have to turn around in narrow rivers.) Whose guns were
better, the south’s rifled Brookes or the north’s smoothbore Dahlgrens? (The larger,
not as accurate Dahlgrens were better at close range. The yankees always drove to
close the range.)
And a nice thing about navals? It’s not costly. You can start with as few as one
ship each.
Your child having trouble with basic math? Gamers are used to looking at tables.
They know which factors are often used, which are rarely used and how to add them
up quickly. As the kids play more games logic can be seen. Why move the ship in what
direction? What is the other guy going to do? What will your team mate do?
Interaction - both on the table and with other players - is often self taught.
And navals are great for What If? What if the USS Dunderberg had been finished
in time? (After the war she was bought by France to keep Prussia from obtaining the
monster.) What if the CSS Muscogee had sailed in April 1864? How would that have
changed the Battle of Mobile? What if the CSS Tennessee II had had a full squadron to
back her? (The ironclads Nashville, Baltic, Huntsville and Tuscaloosa were not fit for
duty.) What was the best ship? The south had 176 and the north had @700 to pick
from. (Everyone has their favorite.)
Besides miniatures there are a number of great board games. Board games are best
when large arenas or number of units are going to be contested, such as Gettysburg.
Wondered why Lee didn’t try to go around? Why did Beauregrad stop the advance at
Shiloh? Why was the north scared of the Virginia I? Who did win the battle, the
Virginia I or the Monitor? Why did Farragut delay the Battle of Mobile? Could you
have won your favorite battle? Most land and sea contests could have gone either way.
I’ve only heard of one good computer game for the naval side. There are several
good games for land warfare. Computers, for home use or via the internet, are getting
better. But as also a retired naval officer, and I have the gray hairs to prove it, I do not
think this genre has been able to capture the feel of taking a ship into combat. An 1,800
ton, 185 man 1864 ironclad is not the same as a 35 ton, 4 man 1944 tank.
The fourth method of wargaming the Civil War, Role Playing, is best done by
reenacting. Get out there and really get your feet wet. Learn to love wool in the
summer’s heat.
Check out your local wargaming shop. There you can ask one of the staff about the
different types of games. Find the one that suits you. Usually there’s someone who
plays each type. If none are in your area there are several stores on the web offering a
wide selection.
Wargaming the civil war with miniatures offers the players a chance to see the
war from a different advantage, over head. It gives us an advantage Lee, Napoleon and
Caesar would have love to have, being able to see the entire arena. Reenacting gives
you a real life feel only surpassed by actually having been there. But only what you can
see. Board games lets you see the problems of moving around many units. But paper
chits? The random factor created by rolling the dice recreates the uncertainty found in
every battle. Painting your own miniatures lets you research and learn more about the
ships or men. Actually moving them about in combat provides a realistic
understanding of what happened.
Adults and kids learn more about the time period they are playing by gaming than
can be taught in any class room. At home or the club they have time to go into much
more details. Everyone loves talking about their favorite unit. Whether you are north or
south your kids need to learn what actually happened. Not what is politically
correct.
Everything in the photo is 1/300th
scale, 1 mm equals a foot. The vessels
were made by the author for gaming. The
CSS Richmond and USS Monitor are @
8 inches. The CSS Hunley, CSS Squib,
CSS David, a torpedo boat and the USS
Alligator fill the middle.
The 1/600th models are @ 3 inches
long. The CSS Jackson belongs to the
Museum. The USS Kearsarge was
painted by the author. Professional paint
jobs are not required for gaming.
The 1/600th scale models are on
exhibit at the Museum. The author wishes
he could paint this well. CSS Jackson
and CSS Chattahoochee. Models by Bay
Yard.
This is a good example of the type
of gaming tables put on at conventions.
Conventions and the playing room in your
local shop are great for meeting new
opponents, trying new games and playing
games too large for your house. The scale
is 25mm. A six foot man equals a 1 inch figure. The common size for small numbers of
figures combat.
