Living History War Between the States Style

 

Living History War Between the States Style

 Did a little presentation this week for my 8th grades on what life was like for a Union soldier in 1863.

This is my 38 year of school presentations to Elementary-Middle-High and College students and adults in addition to countless reenactments. 

Happy New Years-1918 Style

 

  Another New Years' Celebration full of lights in the sky. But on January 1, 1918, the fire in the sky wasn't from fireworks.

Rather it was from two sets of massive warring forces the Allies vs the Central Powers. Here an Imperial German 77mm field gun.

And its opposite number the famous French Soixante-Quinze (75) mm. None of those fighting in the Great War knew that 1918 would be the last year of the terrible conflict. Yet it was and New Year's Day 1919, saw a World that while not at total peace, as least saw the guns of the Great War silent.

These are metal pieces from Old Glory that I painted for my Great War Armies back in 2010.

May 2023 be a good one for you and yours, and hopefully the current guns of war will fall silent as they did in the Great War 125 Years ago.

Tank, Cruiser, Mk VII, Cromwell (A27M)

 

What a mouthful of a title, let's just stick with "Cromwell." During the Second World War, British tank designs were designated as either "Infantry Tanks" or "Cruiser Tanks."  The former were slow AFV's (Armored Fighting Vehicle's) designed to travel with and give close support to infrantry foreces. While crusiers were fast attack tanks designed to creat breakthroughs in the front or contain enemy assualts. With only 4000 units built, Cromwell's were not the most common tank in the British Army. Yet with its high speed of 64kn/h (40 mph), good armor of 76-100mm (3 to 4 inches) and a reliable 75 mm (2.953 inch) main gun, the Cromwell was popular with its crews. Cromwell's saw heavy service from 1944 to the end of World War II in Europe, as well as action in the '48 Arab Israeli War and the Korean War. After World War II, some Cromwell's found service with the Greek, Israeli, Polish and Portuguese Armies. By the mid-1950's, they were no longer frontline units in the British Army.

This is a plastic piece that I put together and painted in July '22.

Is it a Revolution or a Rebellion?

 

Revolution - Rebellion, Who Will Win?

 

Bacon's Rebellion 1675-76,Early Success Leads Death And Failure

Virginia Colony in 1675, was in turmoil. Native American troubles on the frontier, dissatisfied farmers, restless indentured servants, freed Blacks and slaves, a worried Gentry Class and a seemingly dysfunctional Colonial Royal Governor led to the first armed revolt in Colonial North America. 

The main protagonists were 70 year old Royal Governor Sir William Berkeley and his cousin by marriage, 28 year old land grant owner Nathaniel Bacon Jr.  Governor Berkeley, wanting to avoid another bloody war like the Anglo-Powhatan Wars (1610-1646), tried to appease friendly tribes and at the same time establish a defensive zone around the colony to protect against "bad Indians." Trade with the natives was strictly regulated and taxes raised to support the enhanced military protection.

Bacon, on the other hand wanted to attack the "Indians" with his own militia of unhappy frontier farmers and settlers. He did so after his foreman was killed in a raid. Unfortunately for all concerned he attacked an innocent, friendly tribe.  The situation continued to worsen. An angry Berkeley called on Bacon to give up his command and submit to his orders. An equally enraged Bacon gathered his forces of frontier farmers, indentured servants freed ex-slaves and even slaves and marched on the capital, Jamestown. Berkeley fled, after saving colonial documents, Bacon burned the capital, which lost him much needed support.

Soon after abandoning the ruined capital, Bacon suddenly died of "Bloody Flux and Lousey Disease" (Dysentery and Body Lice). The rebellion collapsed, 23 of its leaders were hanged, Governor Berkeley was recalled to England to explain the fiasco to the king and in 1699 the capital was moved from rebuilt Jamestown to Williamsburg. The first American revolt was a dismal failure for all concerned.


Glorious Revolution 1688, Success At No Cost

When the beloved British King Charles II died in 1685, without a legitimate child, his loathed brother, James II came to the throne. James was married to a Catholic, acted like a Catholic and introduced laws like the "Declarations of Indulgence," that eliminated punishments for "nonconformist" religious groups. The birth of James' son, Charles, who would be raised as a Catholic, threatened the supremacy of the Church of England and the vast majority of British Protestants. 

 

In response to James' rulership and faith choices, religious and government leaders invited William Duke of Orange (James' nephew and son-in-law) and his wife Mary to replace James as ruler of the British Empire. They accepted and landed in 1688, to the adoration of the crowds. James with little political support called on the army to keep him in power, the army joined William and Mary instead.  James fled to France, William became King William III, and Parliament passed a law preventing Catholics from taking the throne. Without a drop of blood being spilt, the Glorious Revolution replaced an unpopular king and changed British history forever. More direct British government involvement in American colonial political and military affairs was on the horizon.

As a side note, the term "Revolution" is usually used when the revolt succeeds while "Rebellion" normally denotes that those in revolt lost to the established government. The Glorious Revolution, American Revolution, French Revolution and Russian Revolution all were won by those in revolt. Bacon's Rebellion, Shays Rebellion, the Whiskey Rebellion and Confederacy Rebellion were all lost to the government of the time.

Native American Wall Painting

 

Ten Virtues

The Victorians were often enamored with the glories of Knighthood, the Middle Ages and the Gothic style of architecture. 

These late Victorian stained glass windows are a fine example of the19th century artwork that evokes the works of the Middle ages.

This 19th Century stained glass windows of the ten knightly virtues is now located at the Huntington Library-Gardens of San Marino, California.

 

Ohh Gargoyles

Middle Ages Gargoyles in Paris

Monsters that protect buildings from rain runoff.

Beast or demon?