14th Indiana..

William Harrow

You may remember that some time ago [click here] I painted up a sample selection of Newline Designs ACW infantry [click here] that I bought at the Colours show back in September.

I'd held off basing these as the search for the perfect set of ACW regimental level rules continued (DG & I are currently into move 3 of our latest game - this time using "Mr Lincoln's War") but over the course of the rules we've used to date it becomes clear that the basing guidelines are fairly similar for all these sets, and given I'm painting both sides I decided to chose one now...

Accordingly I have settled on 30mm square (same size base as I use for my War of the Spanish Succession troops) but because the figures are bigger, four infantry to a base. Cavalry will be two figures to a base. Artillery I'll decide when I get there!

Here we go then - this is them, based, and also with the addition of the regimental standard..

I've decided, as with all my projects, that I need a clear idea of what I'm painting - just so that I have an idea of when I've reached a target. In this case, for my start point I'm going to use the orders of battle for the Battle of Kernstown which fought on March 23, 1862.

This battle was the opening battle of "Stonewall" Jackson's campaign in the Shenandoah Valley. For me it has the advantage of being set early in the war (uniforms and regiments were more varied and colourful), and being a relatively small engagement... there will be other regiments dragged in as well purely because I want some Zouaves, but the battle also has the advantage of being all arms and nicely balanced..

Nathan Kimball

No doubt as I go along I'll get a clearer idea of what regiments wore what and when, but for this selection of mini's they are going to be known hence forward as the 14th Indiana Regiment of Foot..

Now, because they were a sample, they are not all wearing the same uniform, but what reading I have done would seem to indicate that uniformity was not strictly de-rigeur (and seems to have been positively frowned on in the Confederate ranks!) so I'm hoping I can get away with it for this regiment.. hence some of them are in frock coat, some shell jacket, and some sack jacket.. having said that, I am quite pleased with them!

At Kersntown their regimental commander was a man called (Lieutenant Colonel) William Harrow (that's him at the top on the left) who, I think it fair to say, was a fairly controversial character - he resigned shortly after the battle and wasn't reinstated until several months later. There were also (unproven?) rumours of drunkenness...

The brigade was commanded by a man called Nathan Kimball (that's him above and on the right) who had fought in the Mexican-American War, and volunteered the year before when war broke out. He had previously commanded the 1,143-man 14th Indiana Infantry, with Harrow as his Major.

At Kernstown, Kimball actually assumed command of the entire Union force on the second day of the battle, as the C-in-C had been wounded. Kimball had a "good" battle and at one point successfully counter attacked and pushed back Jackson - he was promoted to brigadier general on April 16, 1862.

By the end of the war, the 14th were one of the Unions crack regiments - at Kersntown however, they would have been fairly untried, this was only their first or second major engagement. Later on their brigade (still commanded by Kimball) would become known as the "Gibraltar Brigade" (because of their steadfastness), they and the rest of the brigade played a key role at Gettysburg in the attacks on Cemetery Hill.

I'll add more detail as and when I get it over on my ACW project page