How to Set Up a Franklin Mint Civil War Chess Set
In 1983, the Franklin Mint released a commemorative edition chess set remembering the Civil War. Each piece of the set is made of pewter and individually sculpted to resemble one of the key players in the war. Rather than having white and black pieces, the set is split into blue and gray, with each piece being marked with a strip of colored enamel paint around its base.The playing board is also colored blue and gray.
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Instructions
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1
Place the chess board on a flat playing surface.
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2
Divide the chess pieces up between the two players. One side will play as the blue pieces, or the Union. The other side plays as the gray pieces, or the Confederacy.
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3
Start on the left side and place one cannonball piece for the gray side on the top row of the board and one cannon piece for the blue side on the bottom row of the board. These represent the rooks.
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Place one knight piece next to the rook. The gray side has J.E.B Stuart, the Calvary leader who lost his life at the Battle of Yellow Tavern, and Joseph Wheeler who went on to fight in the Spanish-American War. The blue has George Custer, who would famously see defeat years later at the Battle of Little Bighorn, and Phil Sheridan, the calvary leader who was arguably the third most famous Union commander (behind Grant and Sherman).
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5
Place one of the bishop pieces to the right of the knight. The Confederacy is represented by Thomas
Stonewall" Jackson, who gained his nickname during the First Battle of Bull Run, and Brigadier General, P.T. Beauregard, who commanded the Confederacy at that battle. The Union is represented by George Meade, the victor at Gettysburg, and William T. Sherman, who led the "March to the Sea" in 1864. -
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Place the queen piece next to the bishop. Confederate spy Belle Boyd and Red Cross founder Clara Barton represent the gray and blue sides of the game.
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Place the corresponding king piece next to the queen. This chess set has Ulysses S. Grant, who went on to become the 18th President, and Robert E. Lee, commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, representing their respective armies.
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Place the remaining pieces in the following order: bishop, knight, and rook.
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9
Line the second row of each side of the board with pawns. There are eight pawns per side and represent the Union's Iron Brigade and the Confederacy's Stonewall Brigade.
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