Waggin' the Blog

Having just featured my new Blue Moon 28mmWagons earlier this month, some of the older versions of my Transport Corps deserve some brief exposure here as well.

This is a pair of fairly militarized appearing transport wagons.

I'm pretty sure these are "new" Minifigs, 25mm. 

Note the Limber like arrangement of the teams, and the corresponding small front wheels.

The drivers are once again absent, but this does allow use on the tabletop across a wide timespan!

Next up is a forage wagon. Once again, I am fairly sure this one is "new' minifigs. 

I must have had this cart for at least 20 years before finally getting around to adding the "hay" this month!

Sliced up fibers from a natural Fiber doormat were used to make the "hay", which was then coated liberally with watered down white "PVA" glue ("Elmer's" in the US). 

In the pre-industrial era, surely transport logistics were very challenging, as horses consume and enormous amount of fodder, and yet must also haul at least part of it as well. When you add the horses of the supply trains, artillery, cavalry, officers, etc,, it must have been a wonder for any grass to be left after an army passed through an area!

Finally, we have the service de santé des armées; the Army Medical service. This is one of the "Flying Ambulances" designed by Baron Larrey.

The French Napoleonic armies probably had the best organized medical services of any army up until that time, including physicians, surgeons, and even pharmacy officers. It was doubtless still woefully inadequate to the task at times, as well as suffering from the very poor understanding of disease, hygiene, etc., that plagued Medicine at that time. 

It looks like the Corpsmen have a client!

The ambulance was painted back when I was still in High School, years before I had any serious intent of pursuing Medicine as a career.

The Ambulance was painted to commemorate an incident in our very first Warplan 5/5 Campaign in the early 1970's. The climactic battle of that campaign was the Battle of Wheeling. That battle was huge, requiring and 18 foot long table, and notable for many incidents, including the presence of a Fortress on the tabletop (Fort Wheeling), and the arrival of an enemy Siege train opposite it, followed by a Guard Infantry Division to assault it. Elsewhere on the battlefield, the Sovereign of one of the two countries (the Yellow faction, in this case) opposed to my own two country alliance also arrived, at the head of his newly painted troops (Westphalians). His (also newly painted) personal command figure placed himself at the head of his troops and charged at the enemy. The first blast of cannon fire inflicted heavy losses on the new troops, and their commander was hit. A die roll determined that he was Seriously Wounded, and had to be taken from the field, damaging the morale of his men. Thus the figure on the stretcher is Prince Charles the Grey, painted in the uniform of the command figure and with the general features of the player! "Prince" Charles would later become my college roommate my last year of college, and then also have one of the rooms in the 4 bedroom Condo I shared with 3 others my last 3 years of medical school. We actually didn't do much gaming while we were at school, but he did design and build the two shooting Catapults that I still have (and use). . 

Her's a train made up of these older horse drawn vehicles. 

Supplies, Fodder, and Medical care on the way!

Maybe these will see use in our upcoming Winter 1807 Snappy Nappy campaign?