Confederate Memorial Hall - Civil War Museum - New Orleans, Louisiana

On a recent trip to New Orleans, I found time to hit the Smithsonian-quality World War 2 Museum, as well as some of the famed above-ground cemeteries. But this little place was one of my favorite stops in town. 

 I've been playing a lot of War of Rights lately, which has decisively reignited my love for ACW gaming. Heavily researched, one thing I'm impressed with in the game is how dark Confederate uniforms are. This was true of the examples I've seen below. 

When I started painting ACW troops in the 80s, I just had the one volume American Heritage Picture History of the Civil War by Bruce Catton, a couple of Ospreys, and a Time Life History with Currier & Ives Illustrations called Brothers Against Brother. This was well before the works of Kunstler and Troiani became ubiquitous. 

Like folks new to painting Napoleonic French, blue is blue, and any blue will do, I used any old gray, typically ones that were quite pale. I'm not about to repaint anything, but I have a better sense of the actual colors through all the new sources available today. I'll darken them up quite a bit going forward. Indeed, I have a 25 man 15mm unit from Essex, primed and ready to go, who will be the first to get the best of my current knowledge on. 

In any event, I do recommend going to this wonderful place - I was pressed for time and couldn't take as much as I wanted. I noticed this clever little confection at the counter right away!  

This is a typical gray color I was aiming for. I'm not saying this was not common, but I prefer the darker colors seen below.

I'm obsessed with zoaves - especially Confederate ones. But like Tiger tanks, they were far rarer than my imagination allows. I've painted up whole regiments of them instead of the standard company size in which they were fielded and will likely continue to do so. 

That is a federal uniform at right here. 

They had quite a section of overpriced 54mm "collectibles" in the gift shop. 

Not zoaves at all, but what became the 1st Texas Cavalry.

Someday soon I will post my ACW Confederate collection. I've posted the newer stuff before but not the original, pre-internet, units. 

My take on conventions lately has been a little sour, so I'm glad to have the opportunity to express unconditional admiration for something. If you're ever in New Orleans, come and spend a couple of hours here. I can't imagine anyone regretting it. 

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