Saturday, February 23, 2013

Fort Ward Fare-thee-well

I've previously posted a couple of pictures of my Sculpey Fort Ward bastion.  As it is drying out, shrinking and cracking with age I thought I'd take some time to give it its due before it gets plowed up and paved over to make room for a 54mm Walmart, as do so many historic places.


Fort Ward is  a one of the Civil 
War ring forts which defended Washington DC.  It is in Alexandria Virginia and is maintained as a state park.  Much of the fort is in a remarkably good state of preservation and an entire bastion has been restored to its Civil War appearance complete with three 30-pounder Parrot guns.  Its really worth a visit if you find yourself in the Washington area.



My version of Fort Ward has three embrasures for Armies in Plastic 30-pounders.  Revetments are made with sandbags and gabions, all sculpted from Sculpey (European friends can use Fimo)

The guns overlook a menacing no-man's-land of chevaux de frise; ouch!


 If this gun looks menacing from this angle...




its even more so from the business end.



What's this?  I didn't realize the position was manned.  These officers seem to be zeroing in on a target.




"Action front!  Case, 850 yards!"



I'll leave off here lest the faint of heart swoon at the terrible destruction about to be wrought by this wrought-iron monster.




Cracked, and showing its age, my 54mm Fort Ward has now had its day in the sun.


Here's hoping we all do.

Soldier on!

Mannie

Postscript:
Many comments on this post reflect a concern that I'm going to somehow destroy this piece; not at all I'm merely "retiring" it to let gravity, age, and the environment have their way with it.  Sounds like a parable for all of us.