There are several new items on the market that will undoubtedly be of interest to our naval enthusiasts. First of all, Richard T. Houston at Lyzard's Grin has been very busy lately producing more vessels for our use. His newest releases include the important Unadilla class Union gunboats, a typical Union mortar schooner, a Union balloon boat with balloon, the CSS Chattahoochee, USS Eastport, USS Tuscumbia, USS Chillicothe, CSS Virginia II, CSS Jackson, CSS Louisiana, CSS Mississippi, CSS Wilmington, and CSS Midgeville, as usual, all to scale! Richard now has about seventy ship models in his 1/1200 ACW range, most priced from $1.70 to $3.00 each. Mr. Houston is a rather meticulous person and his fine work definitely reflects this. I have many of his ACW ship models and can honestly say that they are well worth his asking price.
Richard has also recently released an impressive model of Fort Morgan in the same 1/1200 scale as the ships. Fort Morgan guarded the entrance to Mobile Bay, and was a large pentagon shaped star fort. The model, cast in numerous lead pieces which have to be assembled to make the fort, includes the outer works surrounding the fort itself, the fort, the circular "citadelt' barracks building at its center, a lighthouse, a seven gun water battery, fifteen guns and crew for the outer works, and sixty guns and crew for the main ramparts of the fort itself. The model has very nice detailing for a structure of its scale, and looks very nice upon completion. The completed Fort Morgan kit measures about ten inches square, sells for $18.00, and includes assembly and painting instructions. That's quite a deal!
Last (as far as Lyzard's Grin is concerned), Richard has released a range of 25mm ACW naval crews and guns, including a 7" Armstrong on barbette carriage. I haven't actually seen these, so I can't comment further about them. If interested in any of the above products, write to Mr. Houston at Lyzard's Grin, P.O. Box 14522 / Oklahoma City, OK 73113.
Also worthy of note is the Volume XVI issue of "Civil War", the magazine of the Civil War Society, an issue totally devoted to the naval war, and well illustrated too. Articles include Fort Fisher, Port Royal, Trent's Reach, Raphael Semmes, the death of the Albemarle, and Captain John Maffitt. If interested, contact The Country Publishers / P.O. Box 798 / Berryville, VA 22611.
Another item that I want to make you aware of is a new book by noted naval author, Paul H. Silverstone, entitled "Warships of the Civil War Navies". I just found out about it recently and ordered it, but have not as yet received the book. It was described to me as containing vessel particulars, brief vessel histories (including former names and ultimate fate), armament of each, and about 200 photographs and line drawings, 372 pages in all. It is said that this book is destined to quickly become THE standard reference book for its subject. With a list price of $37.00, if interested, contact your favorite ACW book dealer.
I'd like to end this short article by appealing to those of you who are interested in ACW naval gaming to write to me. I want to be sure that my efforts are entertaining to you and that someone out there is indeed interested. I'd like to know what you'd like to see in THE ZOUAVE regarding the naval aspects of the war. Tell me what rules system you use for your naval battles, whether it be AGE OF IRON, IRONCLADS/SHOT AND SHELL, or some other rules set that I (and perhaps many of our readers) am unaware of. Do you want to see historical and/or hypothetical naval scenarios in THE ZOUAVE? Come on all you armchair admirals, pull out that pen and paper and drop me a line! If you don't, we may have to assume that interest in the naval war is too low to justify its space in this magazine.
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