Tales of Events

Wow you guys. That is so ..... Ok...rare moment. I'm speechless. Very impressive. Envy is practically dripping from mt keyboard.
I ...Wow.......admits to wanting more...is that wrong of me?
I have a question....How do you decide your rank? Your weapons? Uniforms etc?

YMOS
tommy

[unionblue]

Dear Tommy,

Civil War reenacting is like a club. When you first join, you are the new guy or 'fresh fish' as the Civil War term or slang would have termed you.

The club or unit is organized, usually with Robert's Rules of Order and a unit Constitution and by-laws. Officers and NCO's are elected by the voting members. I myself started as a lowly recruit, working my way up from private, to corporal, sergeant, first sergeant, second lieutenant, to finally captain of my company before my health forced me from that position. I have also held the unit positions of secretary, civilian coordinator, newsletter editor, and President. Again, I am no longer active due to my recent bout with health issues, but I hope to rejoin the ranks sometime next year.

Most units are based on actual ones that fought in the war itself, such as my current unit, the 76th Ohio Volunteer Infantry. Our members are fortunate that there are several written references and unit histories about the 76th and this is what we base ourselves on when dressing and equipping our reenacting unit.

For instance, the uniform of the 76th during the war was well described in the book, A Boys's Service With The 76th Ohio, by Charles Willison, a member of the unit during the war. He describes the men favoring the blue forage cap, four-button sack coat, sky blue pants or trousers, leather brogans or 'Jefferson bootees' with wool socks and most of the men wore shirts from home instead of army issue ones.

The men were also equipped with black leather belts that were used to attach the rest of their 'leathers' or equipment, such as the black leather cartridge box that held forty paper rounds, and a smaller leather pouch that carried percussion caps, along with the scabbard that held their bayonet. The men also had a haversack made of tarred black canvas to carry three days worth of rations and a tin canteen, covered with white canvas duck cloth. In the haversack a man would carry a knife, fork and spoon and a tin plate and on the outside of the haversack, he would hang one of his most important items, his large tin cup he used for everything from coffee to help dig a hole while under fire.

Add to all of this a wool blanket, a shelter half and a gum blanket that doubled as a raincoat and a ground cloth and you have the basic equipment we try to duplicate when we reenact as the 76th Ohio.

As for weapons, again we go to written articles and unit histories and we discover that the 76th was at first given Belgian smoothbore muskets of about .70 caliber! They were very inaccurate and kicked so hard they bruised the shoulder! But while the unit was in training, it was reissued the modern, .58 caliber Springfield rifle, which they used throughout the entire war.

We even get lucky and find old photographs of the soldiers in the unit and get to compare them with our attempts at matching their equipment and uniforms. Our unit does OK, within limits. We try to even get the exact weave and texture of the wool that they wear so we can experience as close as possible what they wore. We even try to eat the same types of food, from hardtack crackers to saltpork and green coffee beans issued raw or unroasted and we do like they did, roast them over a fire, crush the beans in our tin cups with our bayonets and pour hot water over them and drink around the beans!

It is all in an effort to experience what they did and what they sacrificed so we can better appreciate what we have today. Even though we don't experience the body lice, the sickness, the hunger and exhaustion they did, some days we can just barely glimpse the hell those boys (and women disguised as men in the ranks), both North and South went through.

It is one hell of a hobby and I hope I can return to it soon.

Sincerely,
Unionblue

Robert's rules of order? You actually understand it? I bow to your genius.

I can see it is a hobby not taken lightly. I have to admit though I am not comfortable with it being termed a hobby. While I have often fought in armor with the SCA and would consider that a hobby/sport, I see a serious transcendent difference in much of the CW reenactors. Granted I am sure you get a lot of guys use it as excuse to .....act out....I would think those who are committed, do it exactly for the effort to...for brief moments transcend reality in order to experience another reality. To me it seems more than a hobby. Of course it is also a great service, given freely to the people.

YMOS
tommy

[unionblue]

Tommy,

You've got the right idea about this 'hobby' being a transcendent difference. Many of us reenact to capture what we term, the 'Magic Moment' where we feel we can almost experience a kind of time travel back to that troubled period.

I have had only a couple of magic moments in my reenacting experience. Remember my above post about the National event in Orange County, Virginia? How great my first day was? If you can bear it, I will tell you about my Second day and how I came to have my first 'Magic Moment.'

After spending a wonderful evening around my company campfire and experiencing the awesome sight of hundreds of campfires in the Union camp of thousands of men, I awoke to Sunday morning and the scheduled spectator event of Saunder's field, a recreation of that fight during the Wilderness campaign.

Again I found myself in the long ranks of blue, marching under the hot Virginia sun until we came to a clearing in the woods. Our generals and colonels confered while us soldiers in the ranks were given, "In place, REST!" which we took advantage of to take a long pull from our canteens, wipe our sweaty brows and peer across the field into the woods beyond. We could see nothing, but we knew 'they' were in there, somewhere.

You have to imagine that all day, all of us were in first person or in the character of the men of that day. The persona that I use while I am in the ranks is that of 'Jeremiah T.' Hamilton, a part-owner in a whiskey distillery and ware house from a small town on the Erie Canal, south of Columbus, Ohio. Most of my 'product' is shipped up the Ohio feeder canal to be sold to the numerous saloons, tavern and hotels in the Capitol of the State, and I made a fine living before the war.

This role, or play acting, gets your mind in the set of a 19th century Union soldier, and remember, EVERYONE with you is playing their role too, trying as hard as possible to forget the 20th century and become part of the 19th century, particulary, a soldier in the ranks in 1864.

Finally, the generals and colonels have made their decesion. We will advance in line of battle, two ranks of men, thousands of men long, towards the unseen and unknowing danger in those far away woods. As a new 'fish', I am placed in the front rank, directly in the middle of the first line. I am NOT happy, not by a long shot, but I dare not show fear and let my comrades down. The command is given, "FORWARD, MARCH!," and off we step, over a thousand men at the same time.

I am squeezed from both sides, desperately trying to keep up and hold my place in the line and we march closer and closer to the woodline. I try not to look at my feet as not to stumble, but it is almost impossible across the rough ground. We get to about two hundred yards when suddenly a terrible sight greets us.

Almost as one, an entire line of rebel infantry steps up to the edge of the woodline and levels their rifles at us along with a battery of rebel cannon and I am in their direct path. Unbidden, the thought rushes to my mind, "I'm not going to make it!" For an instant, I have the sure and terrifying knowledge that I am going to die in that field.

And then I shake my head and realize, somewhat thankfully, that I am NOT going to die today, unless it is from heat stroke.

THAT was my first Magic Moment, and I will never forget it. If I never have another, I will thank God that for one instant I came close to experiencing what my Civil War ancestors had to experience, time and time again, before that cruel war was over.

I want to appreciate my life and the men who made it possible. When I sit my *** in my comfortable chair or turn on my air conditioner or argue on a civil war board about causes, I thank them for all they did and went through.

Its a bad summary, but like I said, I'm tired and punch drunk from returning to this shift.

I hope you got where I was coming from.

Sincerely,
Unionblue

(Message edited by Unionblue on November 12, 2003)

Bad summary? Your estimation of your tale is too far under rated. As I read it...I saw the camp fires...I bet the site of so many campfires is an amazing site. That would really transport you in time. Fire is primal. Are spectators allowed around camps at night?
I was step by step with you and felt the dread...The having to look where you walk but needing so bad to look forward with head high....splendid..It occurred to me you'd be a hell of a D&D player.
Twice you mentioned you are tired...I bet you will be dead to the world after you get off work. But it will be a good sleep I hope. For you have earned it.
YMOS
tommy

Steven,
When is the next Franklin event? Will it be this month?
YMOS
tommy

[scone]

Great stories by all and I must say I'm itching to get back the field. But I guess that will have to wait to spring.

Tommy, as Neil mentioned you try to match you gear to the units that you are portraying.

I look at it as being no different from any of the hobby dealing with reenacting. SCA, W.W.II, Colonial the list could go on. I just recently discovered that do Vietnam War Reenactments. I came across it on searching for something else.

I'll stop my rambling and get to me point : ) Its a hobby but you get out of it what you put into to .

For some they are just hardcore and try to be as accrete as posible as the soldiers back then . While others are more relaxed in their portrayal. and then you get get to the extrem laid back who arelest accrete of them all.

I know my unit and many others have a company uniform, leathers, gun etc.. for the new recruits to try out. The are plenty of events around and groups just have to do little looking.. To get a taste of what they went through, of course none of us will ever see the horrors those brave and gallant men did.
But it is enough give you a whole new respect of the common soldier.

Steven,
How many "skits" are there and do you practice them?
YMOS
tommy

[unionblue]

Dear Shane,

May I compliment you on an excellent, first-person, letter from the front in your above post? You have an excellent way of writing that duplicates the letters of the time with all the description and power that ability entails.

I look forward to hearing from you again, both in first person letters and your own event stories. I'll trade you a few things and skits we put together to give our events a bit of extra 'punch.'

Take care,
Unionblue

Heh Heh Heh.....Now I wonder why I did not think of this thread earlier. Shane, Neil is right. The first person letter was VERY well written.

Every single post of ya'll's has been some of the most enjoyable and enlightening reading I have done in a coon's age.

Neil, BTW...you were talking earlier about storms and Shiloh. Are you aware of the serious erosion problem? The park service had congress ok a million or so dollars to try to help save it. They also for the first time allow archelogical excavations this year I believe on the indian mound that is threatened there.

YMOS
tommy