Civil War Medical Diorama: Part I

Progress!

The first pieces of the Lee-Fendall House diorama are done! It's taken a little while to get these guys done due to classes starting up and several successive weekends at work. But I'm pleased to report that the first batch is ready.

First off, we have a soldier from the United States Colored Troops (USCT) standing guard over the evacuation area. Over 175,000 African-Americans volunteered to fight for the Union, which accounted for roughly one-tenth of the Federal army. We felt that these brave men should be represented in this diorama. He is just the first of several that will be in the finished product.

Also, please let me say that I'm really, really pleased with how this fellow turned out!

Next, we have some freshly wounded soldiers from General W.S. Hancock's II Corps (so identified by the trefoils on their caps). The figures at left and right will be included in a firing line at the beginning of the diorama. In the center we have an unfortunate fellow being wheelbarrowed to the aide station with the help of a comrade.

Now we have some soldiers getting ready for transport. I'm particularly pleased with how the artillerist in the blanket turned out. If you look carefully, not only will you see the red piping on the collar of his shell jacket, but you'll also see "U.S." stitched in the center of the blanket like the originals.

Lastly, we have a rather grisly sight to behold. This poor soldier's left arm has just been amputated by a surgeon who looks quite suspiciously like General George B. McClellan. His beloved limb is about to be thrown into a pile of other similarly separated appendages to be disposed of later.

These figures come from Architects of War's Uncivil War line. Despite the grisly subject matter, they were a real joy to paint up.

And that's it for the time being. It's only about a month until the exhibit opens, so please keep checking back for updates.

Thanks for stopping by! As always, comments and feedback are much appreciated.

New Project: Civil War Medical Diorama

Greetings all!

Since moving out to Washington, DC I have become involved in a number of historic sites. One of these is the Lee-Fendall House in Alexandria, VA. It was built by a relative of Robert E. Lee's father in 1785 and served as a private residence until the Civil War. The home became a Union hospital and saw hundreds of sick and wounded soldiers pass through its doors, several of whom later died. Their bodies were stored in a dead house constructed in the back yard before being taken away by wagons.

To commemorate this chapter in the home's history, the museum staff and volunteers are putting together a new Civil War exhibit. Featured prominently will be a diorama made by your's truly, which will show how wounded soldiers were evacuated from the battlefield and transported to hospitals in the Washington, DC area.

A fundraiser has been set up to collect money for this project. We don't need a lot....just $150 to cover the materials. You can check out the Razoo page at: http://www.razoo.com/story/Civil-War-Exhibition-Diorama

This is an exciting opportunity! I've dreamed of doing a museum diorama for years and now I finally get the chance to do it!

Stay tuned for updates!