Vote For the February Cover

[Dale Beasley]

Re: Vote For the February Cover

Three has got it, I like the beat it was easy to dance to.

[Shockoe Hill Cats]

Re: Vote For the February Cover

I'm casting my vote for No. 3 as well. Marc and Shaun did an excellent job of researching and portraying the Fire Zou-zous for the 1st Bull Run event this past summer (http://www.myrtle-avenue.com/firezou/). The photograph does an excellent job of encapsulating the spirit of the event. Recreating the constantly shifting waves of engagement between our guys, the 1st Fire Zouaves, and the 69th New York was really the highlight of the event for me.

[Footslogger]

Re: Vote For the February Cover

I had to go for No 2 it was a tough choice this time all three, are superb images, but there is something about a superb hard bitten frosty looking Western Federal impression that just pips the rest for me.

Steve Boulton
Lazy Jacks Mess
Volunteer Company Infantry (UK)

[148sny]

Re: Vote For the February Cover

Boy oh boy, can't wait to see what you have in store for us next month boys. Yeah, i am so torn between pictures 2 and 3 and i too hate "going with the flow" but 3 gets the nod for me. Excellent picture lads!

Corey Gavette
148th New York Volunteer Inf. Co.E
Sons of New York

[zouavecampaigner]

Re: Vote For the February Cover

Thank you, most kindly, for the kudos, ladies and gents. Its not often that we Zouaves are lauded with compliments these days!

Marc, Greg, and I had that photo taken after the Sunday's action at 145th Manassas by Robert Szabo. It just turned out so well, as did the other plate Mr. Szabo took of members of our mess, which was submitted previously. I agree, its something about the eyes that often can make (or break) a period photo.

Regards,

[12thTennPrvt]

Re: Vote For the February Cover

I picked number 3 like most of the rest. Something about the picture looks so real, it is almost scary.

[FranklinGuardsNYSM]

Re: Vote For the February Cover

As per administrative request for the "why" and the "wherefore" of our images, reposted from last month:

Image #3 was our impression of the 11th NY "Fire Zouaves" as they would have appeared in the late spring of 1861.

By that point, they were in their second-issue uniforms, including dark blue trousers and red overshirts, apparently not of the firefighter/plastron-front style. While it's known that that type of shirt may have been initially worn with the uniform, it was likely a piece of the soldier's own wardrobe. There are accounts of them, once they were organized in the field, being issued red shirts. There is no mention of those shirts being anything particularly special, and the Castle Pinckney POW photos support this.

The kepis from the first-issue uniform remain on two of us, with the company letter and "1Z" insignia, based on the photographs of Francis Brownell of Co. A.

Our neckerchiefs are a common affectation of New York firemen, and one that was kept by some during their term of service, again based on the Castle Pinckney photos.

We were also going for the "our leader is dead, and we're eager for blood" mood -- the mourning band on my left arm and our glares represent the somber cloud that hung over the regiment after the death of Ellsworth -- without resorting to the "Chin-up Punk Rawker" pose, as Mr. Wickersty calls it, all-too-common in reenactor images.

The badge on my shirt is the 1860-pattern NY Fire Department Engine Company-style, worn by the regiment in large numbers into the field. So many, in fact, were lost in the field at Bull Run that the men were ordered to dispense with the practice of wearing them after that point. It is interesting to note that they appear in the Castle Pinckney photos, and thus were not confiscated by the Confederate captors.

[John of the Skulkers Mess]

hmm

I am logged in, but when I try to 'view' the nominees I get a popup asking me to log in. I do and it does nothing but returns to the log in window. That, and/or I get a log-in error message - when I'm already logged in....


User error?

John Pillers

:baring_te



P.S.
As I cannot get it to come up, is No. 2 the image I submitted of Seley, Meyer and myself? I can provide details behind the image.

[Eric Tipton]

Re: Vote For the February Cover

Marc:

Now THAT is the type of description we are looking for in this discussion. The "look" is sometimes the most difficult thing to capture in these images and it just shows again what research can do for an impression.

John, not sure why you are getting that error, except I occasionally get the same thing when editing a post. I usually log in a second time and the ghost in the machine allows me to work.

[John of the Skulkers Mess]

Skulkers 3

Thanks Eric, and points for the Police refer.

FWIW,
The image was taken at Bentonville, N.C. in 2000 by R. Szabo. From left are Shane Seley, Ryan Meyer and myself. We were portraying the 86th Ill. Inf. of the 14th Corps. An ID badget (acorn-shaped) is attached to my hat. A friend hammered it out of a minie.

I was a sgt. (ha) The use of rank insignia in the 86th had lapsed so the big bugs issued an order for stripes to be worn, even in it required using excess material from their (sky blue) trowsers. That's why mine are so trashy, that and they were poorly used.


John Pillers

[Tom Ezell]

Re: Vote For the February Cover

#2, hands down. After all, the Real War was out here in the West!

:D

[Eric Tipton]

Re: Vote For the February Cover

Congratulations to Marc Hermann for his submittal of Co. E, 11th NYSV (1st Fire Zouaves) by Robert Szabo, July, 2006. Excellent image and well-deserving for sure. Thanks to everyone for participating again this month. We would like to see this "contest" continue to evolve into a more-detailed discussion about impressions, materials, etc. The comments from Marc and John regarding the specifics of their images are appreciated.

I will have the new cover up in a couple of days. This thread is officially closed.