R.I.P. Bill Hawthorne (a.k.a. wzh55)

[Gil R.]

I learned from his son today that Bill Hawthorne, who several months ago had become a beta-tester for FOF and was also contributing to the bios project, has died. I know that Bill had been very sick in late November and for a time appeared to be recovering, but succumbed to his illness on Dec. 11. I thought you would all want to know this sad news, since Bill was a regular participant on the forum.

He wrote two bios that appeared in the most recent patch (Charles P. Stone and Braxton Bragg), and I have three more that still need editing, and will be prioritized. In addition, Bill had recently volunteered to start working on new Legendary Units for FOF. It was always WCS's intention to create new ones once the game had been released, but other chores have kept me from doing this. Bill's plan was to produce a lot more, and these were either going to be included in the expansion pack we hope to release one day, or else would be added to a future patch. This project hadn't gotten far, but Bill did produce two, and I've decided to make them available right away for any who wish to download the file, and then to add them to our next patch. (The file is uploaded as an attachment below. It needs to be copied into the Data sub-folder. You'd be wise to back up the file that's there, just in case I introduced some error, as sometimes happens. Perhaps someone can confirm that it's working?) (Edit: Downloading .txt files from this forum isn't easy. I find that opening the attachment and then right-clicking lets me download the file, but its name gets all screwy. Be sure to rename the file as "AcwSpecUnits.txt" or else it won't work.)

Here are the new LU's:

Perry’s Saints / Continental Guards (48th New York Infantry)
The 48th New York Infantry Regiment was also known as the “Continental Guards” Regiment or “Perry’s Saints.” The former designation referred to the multi-state composition of the unit, while the latter honored the regiment’s organizer and first commander, Col. James H. Perry. On July 24, 1861, Perry received authority to recruit a regiment of infantry at Brooklyn, by Sept. 16 his regiment of men from New York City and New Jersey was fully mustered. Because of Perry’s prominence as a Methodist minister, the 48th attracted a different kind of recruit: included were many seminary students and others from strongly religious backgrounds. Perry contributed to the unusual composition of the unit by discouraging the consumption of alcohol. In June 1862, however, the regiment was at Tybee Island, near Savannah, when a quantity of alcohol washed ashore from a stranded ship and many of the men consumed these spirits. Perry died of a heart attack the next day, but whether this was the result of the previous days’ activities is unclear. Perry’s Saints participated in several heated battles during the period, including the bloody, ill-fated assault on Battery Wagner, which guarded the Southern approaches to Charleston Harbor, in July 1863. (The unit was part of the same brigade that included an experimental black regiment of free men, the 54th Massachusetts.) In February 1864, the Saints fought the Battle of Olustee (Florida). That April, the unit was transferred to Virginia and the Army of the James, fighting at Bermuda Hundred and Drewry’s Bluff before joining with the Army of the Potomac at Cold Harbor, Deep Bottom, Strawberry Plains, Hatcher’s Run and finally Petersburg. By the end of the Civil War, the 48th was a shadow of a once mighty thousand-man regiment, its proud flag in tatters and its men having suffered 859 battle casualties. Having done their duty to save the Union, in spring of 1865 the survivors went home. (Contributed by Bill Hawthorne, deceased)

Brigade Special Abilities: Obedient (16), Steady (14) (because of “religious background”)
Brigade attributes: Pioneers (8)

Weapon: Improvised

Province: Brooklyn


Rush's Lancers (6th Pennsylvania Volunteer Cavalry)
The 6th Pennsylvania Cavalry Regiment, known as Rush’s Lancers, was one of the finest volunteer cavalry regiments of the Civil War. Formed in Philadelphia in November 1861, many of its officers had served in an elite militia unit called the Philadelphia City Troop, an organization that traced its roots to George Washington’s bodyguard during the American Revolution. While the regiment was being formed by Col. Richard H. Rush, grandson of Founding Father Dr. Benjamin Rush, Gen. George B. McClellan sent a note to him that asked, “How would you like to organize your regiment as lancers?” Since there were no other weapons available to the unit, Rush had little choice but to agree to McClellan’s request. The men initially had been armed with Colt pistols and light sabers, but after McClellan’s request the Austrian lance was chosen – a weapon nine feet long with an eleven-inch, three-edged blade and a scarlet swallow-tailed pennon that weighed nearly five pounds. Subsequently, twelve carbines to a company were added to its arms for picket and scout duty. The lance was cumbersome and impractical in the wooded terrain, and it made the men of the regiment a laughingstock for the rest of the army, the pennants being called “hospital flags” as they were a handy target for Confederate sharpshooters. However, the lances set the men of the regiment apart, and they proudly wore the name Rush’s Lancers. Finally, in May 1863, the regiment realized the burden they were carrying and turned in their lances for Sharp’s carbines. The Lancers earned a reputation for being a highly trained and reliable unit, despite being armed initially with antiquated weapons, and left their mark on key battlefields, including Antietam, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Brandy Station (where they conducted one of the most famous charges of the war and suffered the highest casualties of any Union unit present), and Appomattox Station. (Contributed by Bill Hawthorne, deceased)

Brigade Attributes: Quality Horses (17), Scouts (12)
Special Abilities: Chargers (13), Disciplined (1)

Weapon: Improvised

Province: Philadelphia

[Erik Rutins]

Very sorry to hear about Bill's passing. I'm sure you let his son know that he made some great contributions to our team. We'll miss him.

[cesteman]

Sad news for everyone. My condolences.

[Missouri_Rebel]

My prayers go out for Bill and his family. May they find peace during this difficult time.

[RyanCrierie]

Is there a picture of Bill available? It would be a nice memorial if he was available in the game, along with his own "special" brigade of 100-250 men; so what if it's not historical?

[RyanCrierie]

Added the last two units to Flag Mod 4.0 (which has a modified famous unit file)

[Gil R.]

ORIGINAL: RyanCrierie

Is there a picture of Bill available? It would be a nice memorial if he was available in the game, along with his own "special" brigade of 100-250 men; so what if it's not historical?

I don't have one. His avatar doesn't look like it would be him.

Maybe Eric can add a Bill Hawthornesville to the list of possible HW place names. It would put him in the game, but not create something so ahistorical that it would bother people.