Battle of Second Kernstown 1864

With an upcoming campaign using Altar of Freedom rules, I decided to play a small affair. I have not actually played the rule set before, so it will be a learning curve for me.

The battlefield is just three feet by three feet. The Union deploy in the north, A-C 1, and the Confederates in the south, A-C 3.

My interpretation of the battlefield looking north, Kernstown lower right. The main pike runs north/south with minor roads/tracks shown in grey. Creeks are in blue, difficult to tell apart from tracks in this photo, but clear enough in real life.

Hoge Run is bridged at Kernstown, Opequon Church is lower left, centre, with Kern Farm upper right corner.

The pike passing through Kernstown and over Hoge Run.

Crop fields shown in yellow. Looking from the south west corner.

Looking from the west, Glass Farm is bottom, Toll Gate is left centre with Kernstown upper right.

From north west corner, Kern Farm is lower left, with Toll Gate lower centre.

Whole table from the west, with all the troops awaiting to be deployed.

Troops on the table, Union away to the north.

Rodes' Infantry and Vaughn's Cavalry Divisions, hidden behind a rolling hill.Wharton's Division under General Breckinridge at Kernstown and finally Ramseur's Division with army commander General Early in the centre.

Union General Crook with his HQ (tents upper centre left) with Mulligans Division. Nearest camera is Averell's Cavalry Division and Thoreburns Infantry Division. Top left are Duffie's Cavalry Division with Duval's Infantry Division.

View of the Union deployment.

What the troops can see ahead of them to the south.

General Crook's view.

View of Duffie's Cavalry Division.

View from General Breckinridge's command at Kernstown.

General Early at Opequon Church.

Ramseur's Division, just west of the church.

Cavalry and infantry divisions behind the hill.

'Colonel Mulligan is mistaken. 
I have full and accurate information.
There is nothing in his front but a few bushwhackers.'

Major General George Crook.


General Jubal Early and his corps of 16,000 men, were falling back up the Shenandoah Valley. Union commanders mistakenly assumed he would abandon the valley and rejoin Lee at Petersburg, Operating under this assumption Major General George Crook and his corps of 10,000 men were to screen the rebels and trail along behind them.

Early quickly realised that the force pursuing him was considerably smaller than his own, he changed direction and marched 15 miles to the north. Initial contact with Union pickets was made just south of Kernstown. Crook refused to believe Early's entire corps was just ahead of him. Instead of beating a careful retreat, Crook ordered a full attack at 1 pm.

More for the summer painting table.

I am preparing the items that I hope to get painted over the summer. I do have the pieces for the board game War of the Rings to paint, almost 300 of them as well as the fighters from Star Wars Armada.
I also want to finish my 6mm ACW armies too. So some partially painted generals, flag bearers with Corps Flags will be worked on.

I am also a bit light on cavalry, so a few horse holders.

Dismounted cavalry and casualties.

A whole box full of primed casualty figures.

On to 28mm, with enough troops hopefully, to create a Crusader army of the Second Crusade. These boxes have sat on my shelf for nearly two years.

I do already have an army of Saracens led by Saladin, so they will finally get someone to fight.

I shall base them in the same fashion, in fours, twos and singles. It will allow me to use many rule sets.

Not a huge army, but big enough for my needs, I only need to add a metal miniature of Richard the Lionheart.

A small American Civil War Battle

Setting up for a small fictitious battle. A sleepy town somewhere along the Pennsylvania and Maryland Railway (P&M).

The town of Barnett's Meadow

Deep in the Union heartland.

The railway line carries vital supplies to the Union Army of the Potomac, currently far to the south.

After a long, sweeping ride, a Confederate cavalry brigade with attached horse artillery arrives in the town. Its mission to close the line and prevent further supplies reaching the Union troops.

A Division of Longstreet's Corps has been diverted from Lee's Army to take over the defence of the area and it is hoped to draw in Union troops currently attempting to track Bobby Lee's main force.

I shall use Black Powder for this encounter with the Glory Hallelujah supplement.

Work has begun on the ACW reinforcements.

As promised, I am showing all the reinforcements I ordered out of the bags. In fact, flash has been removed, there was very little of it, the bases filed flat, all washed and scrubbed in soapy water and finally stuck onto lolly (Popsicle) sticks. Last night I hand primed them, it has been to wet and damp outside to use a rattle can.


All the guys laid out ready for painting.

Dismounted Union troopers and horse holders.

Mounted Confederate troopers, enough for five regiments of nine figures, to be split in a 4 and 5 on 30 x 30 mm bases,

Dismounted Confederate troopers and horse holders.

Mounted Union troopers, exact same numbers as the Confederates.

Finally, the generals for both sides. I miscalculated here, I could have done with more flag holders, I only have a total of six. Baccus are fine if you contact them, which is what I will do in the new year and request a pack of 15 standard bearers. They will supply any pose you wish, to the same amount of figures and price of a standard pack.

They will do the job for now, as I really need a Union VI Corps commanders base for my ongoing campaign. I shall probably use all of them for the Union, as I do have enough Confederates for now.

ACW reinforcements arrive.

Probably my final update on this blog before Christmas, so season's greeting to all who read this, and even to those who don't.

My small Baccus order arrived this morning. It will allow me now to create some cavalry regiments for both sides on 30 x 30 mm bases, something I don't currently have. I was also a bit light in cavalry anyway, so these new boys will solve that problem.

I took the opportunity to order a command pack for both sides too, I needed some more divisional and corps commander stands.

The Corps flags will be placed with the Corps Commander, rather than the Stars and Stripes for late war era battles.

Sorry for poor photo quality, I will show them when cleaned up and ready for painting. The two command packs.

Dismounted cavalry and horse holders.

Mounted cavalry, enough for five regiments of nine minis each side.

As I am currently fighting a mini-campaign, the reports are over on the TtC Blog page. These guys will get bumped up the painting queue as I need the smaller sized bases for showing column.

On the painting desk from now until April.

I am now back home in the city for winter, and I now have access to my mancave once again. However, the large table has been disassembled as it was too large and heavy for wargaming, it was originally built for a model railway. With that out of the way, I now have a 5' x 2' 6" folding table. Though obviously smaller, it is far more practicable for this small room. A 6' x 4' piece of MDF or similar, will be purchased, and it can sit on top of the table for larger battles when required. At other times the table is both my paint station and computer station.

For the next three and a half months I shall be concentrating mainly, but not exclusively, on 28mm figures. I ordered the Conquest Games Normans to do battle with my Anglo-Danes and Vikings.

I went for a single box of Archers.

Two boxes each of Knights and infantry, that should give me all the troops I need. I also want these guys to double up as early crusaders, to battle against my Saracen army. I am not sure which way to go for basing yet, either singly the same as the Vikings and Anglo-Danes, or four infantry figures per base as the Saracens.

I am currently working on the 4 point Viking warband from Saga, these are the metal figures to go alongside my already completed plastics. I also have a 4 point Anglo-Dane set to paint up as well.

I can now also return to my Imagi-Nations project, I still have one cavalry and three infantry regiments to paint, as well as metal command figures and gun limbers from Front Rank.

With thoughts of a much smaller area once I return to the coast in April, I ordered a 10mm Marlburian British starter army from Pendraken. It all comes in one bag, with a couple of artillery pieces, limbers and crew, in a smaller bag. I have already cleaned these guys up and am very impressed with the sculpts. I need to order both mounted and dismounted dragoons and some mounted officers as they don't come in the starter bag, nor do any figures in the shooting pose.

Having now seen the quality, my next order will be the French starter army with the required extras as mentioned above. This will be my project over the summer to build the basis of two Wars of the Spanish Succession armies. Other nationalities will be added in due course.

Finally, I am awaiting delivery of an order from Baccus. I was very short of cavalry for my ACW armies, as well as officers for basing as Divisional and Corps commanders. The cavalry will be based on 30 x 30mm bases as opposed to the 60 x 30mm I currently have. This will allow for column on roads etc. much as I did with the infantry I completed last winter. I hope to do some work on these over the winter to enable me to take them all back with me in April. The 6 and 10mm are ideal for the small space I have available during the summer months. All the 28mm will remain here, for use over winter months.