| Powder Monkey July 2010 |
| The War for Southern Independence's Naval Side.A monthly scenario and/or information about the naval side of the war. |
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After last month's article several readers wrote in
for a little more info. Repeating this article seemed fine.
for a little more info. Repeating this article seemed fine.
Wargaming the Civil War.
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.
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.