Damn Rebs

[sdennan]

Hi Everyone

I have begun working on my Confederate markers.

I have a question regarding colours.

I use Vallejo paint and decided on Neutral Grey as my colour for Number Ones. As in Generals are in uniforms of neutral grey.

Then for the rank and file ihave the following greys

Stone Grey
Medium Grey


I read a suggestion for butternut as golden brown. Well it is what it said on the box, golden brown. Not sure if that is what butternut is.

My question is the following. Should pants and jacket be of different colours or stick with one colour on both but have each figure a different consistent colour? It seems ok with the different greys but the golden brown is rather bold compared to the greys.

Thanks in advance.

Simon

[FierceKitty]

Since butternut was home-made, I'm sure you can allow a lot of variation without doing undue violence to history.

[paulr]

I would suggest mixing colours of pants and jackets

One way of toning down and providing variety to the butternut would be to use a different highlights

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Think butternut is named after the outside of a butternut squash.
Dead tasty, especially in butternut and sweet potato soup!

[FierceKitty]

Or cook it in sections next to roast pork.

[Hertsblue]

Doesn't wear too well though.

As far as home-made dyes are concerned, they were probably vegetable-based and therefore not particularly stable. They would probably fade badly over the weeks on campaign, so you can use a variety of shades of beige for your infantry.

[Subedai]

Doesn't wear too well though.

As far as home-made dyes are concerned, they were probably vegetable-based and therefore not particularly stable. They would probably fade badly over the weeks on campaign, so you can use a variety of shades of beige for your infantry.

I would agree with that. The greater the range of colours, the better they look in my opinion.

[howayman]

Vary the greys as well, no such thing as a uniform uniform colour once the war got started.
Union trousers and jackets were used by the rebs if they needed them, so put some blue in there as well if you want.
Butternut was used later in the war 64/65ish as the coastal blockade bit deeper.
Hope to see them posted here once they're done.

[Leman]

From my reading over the past 40 odd years on the ACW I have learnt a couple of important points about Reb uniforms, ao for what it is worth:

1. Uniforms were initially distributed in sets, but trousers wear out much faster than jackets.

2. The greatest use of butternut uniforms was 1862/3, after which time the Confederacy became much more proficient in acquiring grey uniforms.

3. As the war progressed the armies in the east, in particular, began to be supplied with quite a darkish blue grey uniform, which led to a number of friendly fire incidents, including the wounding of Longstreet in the Wilderness.

4. There were also friendly fire incidents against Confederates wearing union blue trousers, which led to an order requiring captured union uniforms being re-dyed.

To reflect this I now tend to give my units an overall colour scheme, be it grey or brown, with a small amount of variety in the jackets, and a little more variety in the trousers.



In this picture from a recent Longstreet campaign the rightmost Confederate unit has started the war in a mid-grey uniform, complete with havelocks. In this second battle some uniforms are being replaced by frockcoats (this is still early 62), and the shades of grey are changing.

[Hertsblue]

Nice looking game, DP. But being hit in the Wilderness must have been really painful!

[Leman]

You know hoe thick the bush is in that area.

[FierceKitty]

I thought GWB was thick wherever he was.

[Leman]

He probably thinks the Wilderness is somewhere in Iraq, a desert country bordering Switzerland, where the Zulus live.

[Techno]

You know hoe thick the bush is in that area.

Don't call me a hoe ! 
Cheers - Phil

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

LOL!