Nice enough gal, she's helped my wife out a bit. I believe she's the nurse who donated a period clothes line to her. If so, I believe, I last saw her at the Cannon Falls Encampment.
I'm horrible w/ names, always have been... I have to admit that's one thing I miss from the military. At least everybody wore name tags.
__________________ Few take the trouble to understand or to view the American scene with perspective. And we Americans love to find ourselves guilty of something. However, it is never I who am guilty, but those other Americans, the past or present government or the other political party. Americans almost never find other countries guilty. It is always ourselves or our fancied influence in other countries. Louis L'amour
Yes, Shane, I did give your wife the clothes line at Cannon Falls. It is always a pleasure to help where and when I am needed.
I would like to invite you to celebrate Christmas in 1862 at the Stevens House in Minneapolis on Dec. 7 & 14.
Crystal will be there and she just loves your daughter.
Welcome to the board and thank you for the opportunity to visit your web site, which I must say, impressed me very much, especially the period biographies you provide.
I hope you will join us on this board in expressing your experiences in reenacting and your views on the many topics debated here.
I consider it a real pleasure to have met you on this board.
YMOS,
Unionblue
__________________ "The American people and the Government at Washington may refuse to recognize it for a time but the inexorable logic of events will force it upon them in the end; that the war now being waged in this land is a war for and against slavery." Frederick Douglass
"Loyalty to our ancestors does not include loyalty to their mistakes." George Santayana
Mrs Gilbert and I start talking on another message board hmm about 4 years ago. And She has adobted me in to her family as a 2nd son. We have bothed educated each other in areas of the civil war that the other didnt know about.. For me it was the medical field. and for her. Well for someone who never even heard about the Battle of Franklin when we first meet, she has now understands my passion for that hollowed ground. And God willing this next october if she comes down for the 140th Franklin event we will finaly get to meet each other in person for the first time..
Welcome to Board Mom.
Your beloved son in Gray,
Steven
__________________ Steven Noel Cone Living Historian and Battlefield Preservationest
"Silver Spring Mess" ; "Citizens of the Bonnie Blue" ; "46th Tn Inf. Co. K"
Isn't it amazing the people you meet and the friends you make while doing this hobby? I do hope you and Mrs. Gilbert meet up and share experiences in person. I know you will have a great time doing so.
Reminds me of the time I met one of my most dear friends in reenacting, Laura Arnold. I was going down to Huntington, WV, in the month of November to a reenactment being held in the small town of Guyandotte, just east of Huntington. The event is a very exciting and unique one, as the enactment is conducted right in the town's streets and is based on an actual Civil War event, the Raid on Guyandotte by Confederate forces.
I had been reenacting less than a year when I read about this event and became interested in it. For one thing, it had a large role for civilian reenactors and the local VFW was providing FREE meals to all reenactors for the entire weekend! Never one to pass up free food, I made it a 'must attend' event.
I was lucky enough to have a friend drive the 90 miles south with me and we showed up, after some creative map-reading, at the event site. Registration was held inside the VFW building and I thought it very nice, as we got tons of information, site maps, free tickets for a steamboat ride and tickets to the dance and chits for free food (of course!). But the excitement of two Yanks checking in was all out of proportion I thought. We shook numerous hands, got pounded on the back and many a "Thanks for comin'!" thrown at us. A little later, the next day in fact, I found out why.
After finding the Union camp, my pard and I set up our wedge tent, gathered straw and firewood, as it got really cold on the Ohio River in November, threw down our gum & wool blankets, and slept on arms for the night.
Saturday morning was way to early and FAR to cold as my pard and I were roused by the drum. We fell in for inspection and were informed we would be part of the 30th OVI for the weekend. We shook hands all around and noticed there was about 12 loyal Union men in our company, and one of them our officer, a Captain.
After inspection, we headed up a slight hill, crossed a busy city street and proceeded to have a good breakfast at the VFW. Here we noticed a lot of civilian reenactors, mainly women, with a scattering of civilian men among them, including the town's mayor, the town sheriff, a business man from up North, and the town drunk. I also spotted the town doctor and a few farmers. But no one in rebel grey.
Back at camp, our small company of blue drilled for about an hour or so and then we rested while we were informed of the event scenario.
In November of 1861 (as I recall), the town of Guyandotte was the location of a Union recruiting site, the building of which is still standing today. The town's feeling for this Union effort was mixed, with some of the leading citizens supporting the Union, such as the mayor, but it seems a majority of the plain folks didn't side with the North, but the South.
Trying to follow the same events of 1861, our Union company was to set up a headquarters and recruiting station in the town center, in the same two-story brick building that had been the actual site in 1861. All livestock and grain was to be taken with receipts given to the owners of said property and a guard placed on it. We were also to guard the recruiting site and keep the town's citizen's under control and law-abiding.
My friend and I were posted outside the main door of the building with orders to allow no unauthorized persons in. Other guards were posted on the bridge leading into town and one other on the back road into town. The rest were free to 'wander' about with no duties to perform. All arms not being used were 'stacked' in the yard of the recruiting station.
About an hour after taking our posts, a crowd of civilians began to gather in the street in front of the building. It was mostly women, but a few men, to include the town drunk, were among them. Then the women began to make loud comments on how 'theiving Yankees' had taken their cows and grain and they wanted them back. Then it started getting ugly. The crowd of women began to press to the entrance of our building and we as the guards had no instructions on how to handle angry Southern females! All we could think of to do was to fix bayonets, cross our barrels in front of the door and deny entrance to the ladies until our officers showed up!
Our comrades who were off duty and lounging about, made very much sport about our situation and also threw jokes at the ladies who in return launched insulting comments about the mens parentage and such.
Finally, after suffering huge amounts of loudly expressed verbage, our Captain came out on the street and talked to the ladies, telling them that he would see would he could do to return portions of the property taken.
It was at this point, shots were heard in the distance. The crowd seemed much concerned and made for cover on both sides of the street in ally ways and on the porches of homes located there. The Captain called for all the men to gather quickly and arm themselves as it seemed a 'motely group' of rebel farmers were firing at one of our pickets. He expressed total confidence in handling these troublemakers.
Our little squad formed ranks, left turned and marched down the end of the street towards the ruckuss, turned the corner and met our supposed 'motley group.' What I saw was at least thirty mounted rebel cavalrymen, with revolvers drawn, screaming at the top of their lungs, and galloping at full speed straight for me. I had no problem deciding what to do next. I RAN!
Just like all of us did! We scattered to the four winds, without firing a shot. I heard the desperate cry of the Captain to fall back to the recruitment building but figured I needed to take care of my own hide first as I now saw reb infantry pouring out from behind their cavalry! I ran from house to house, ducking, hiding, running (and fighting with the town drunk to let go of me as he drunkenly threw his arms around me asking what was going on) until I reached the fence around the building. There, with others of my company, we tried to put up a defense, firing and reloading as fast as we could.
But it was just too much for at least thirty cavalry roamed the street, charging us down, while over a hundred infantry surrounded us on all sides. With wounded and dead comrades all around, we gave up and were taken prisoner.
We were disarmed and marched up to the second floor of our recent recruiting station and their placed under guard. We were searched, relieved of money, watches, food and other personal items and then left to hear the chanting of the crowd below screaming, "Yankee go home! Yankee go home!" After a few minutes of this screeching, I could stand it no longer. I thrust my head through the open second floor window and yelled in response, "I can not go home, you won't let me!" It got a good laugh from the crowd but not much else.
Revenge was swift for those who were loyal to the Union. I witnessed the mayor hung from a nearby tree as he cried out, "God save Abraham Lincoln!"
Desperate to improve our lot, one of our men who was unhurt, escaped out a back window, vowing to swim the Ohio river and bring help.
And at this point the scenario was stopped for the day and the crowd of spectators who had been viewing all of this from ropped off areas around the street, broke into applause.
What a day that was! As I was about to head back to camp, after shaking hands with our rebel foes and civilian friends, I had to take a path through the civilian camp to get back to my own. And here I met Laura.
The woman I first saw was in a wonderful, mint-green colored dress and wonderful feathered hat, hoops correct, gloves and wonderful looking period shoes. I tipped my hat to her and complemented her outfit as one of the best I had ever seen. She turned her head to me and with a big smile thanked me and asked me my name and where I was from. It was then I noticed Laura was blind.
I was utterly fascinated and introduced myself and began asking a hundred questions. I found out Laura made her own outfits, sewing them herself after her husband and friends told her what the color and patterns were. She helped cook and take care of the camp and was a joy to talk to as she knew her history and her facts.
From that time on we have been friends and been on many a reenactment together. I often tell people, Laura is blind, not crippled. And there is a big difference.
Steven, you are right, you meet a lot of great people in this hobby, and if you didn't say, I will!
Sincerely,
Unionblue
(Message edited by Unionblue on November 14, 2003)
__________________ "The American people and the Government at Washington may refuse to recognize it for a time but the inexorable logic of events will force it upon them in the end; that the war now being waged in this land is a war for and against slavery." Frederick Douglass
"Loyalty to our ancestors does not include loyalty to their mistakes." George Santayana
ROFL! (rolling on floor laughing!) Oh Neil, this story of Nov. 14 had me absolutely in stitches! You DO tell a good tale! I can just picture you and all these antics transpiring around you!
And Tommy, this is one of the BEST threads anyone has ever introduced! Thanks for thinking of it.
__________________ Thea
No one has permission to use any material from any of my posts on any CWT forum, the archives, or any other forum without my express written permission.
Lmao Neil...that does sound like a unique senerio to act out. One made up of interesting...scenes. I have a technical question. How do cavalrymen die? I know, you never see a dead cavalryman. But how do they fall off horses and what does the horse do? It seems cavalry would almost have to be except from death.
It is obvious that ya'll have great fun doing it. I think I have just as much fun hearing about it.
YMOS
tommy
Just remembered....I was reading a diary by a female named Emerson. From Virginia I believe. Anyway the Yankees were plundering everthing and they were in the spring house and took it all and came to a jar. The jar was what they kept tar in. The soldier asked what it was and she said Blackberry preserves. He stuck his finger in and tried to eat it with expected results. Very upset he told his Captain, who replied that he was disappointed, he thought Yankees were smarter than that.
(Message edited by aphillbilly on November 14, 2003)
A Wisconsin unit does some superb work w/ taking hits from horseback... IIRC they hired a stunt man to show them how to fall off a runing horse w/out getting hurt. It's pretty impressive to watch, if a bit scary if you've been around horses. Getting horses used to gunfire is pretty difficult as well, takes some time and a well trained horse... lots of $ & time. Which is probably why we see so many dismounted Cav...
The first re-enactment I attended that had the soldier steal the Majors horse... the man was a professional Cowboy, CW re-enacting was his only hobby. I think he prety much lived the life of a CW soldier while out on the range. I envy his knowledge.
__________________ Few take the trouble to understand or to view the American scene with perspective. And we Americans love to find ourselves guilty of something. However, it is never I who am guilty, but those other Americans, the past or present government or the other political party. Americans almost never find other countries guilty. It is always ourselves or our fancied influence in other countries. Louis L'amour
Thea, I am so glad you like the stories, even more so because they are true! I have a wonderful time reenacting and love it at the end when all the 'dead' men rise up, and shake hands, telling each other how great they were and how well they fought and 'died.' Then everyone hopes to see each other back next year!
An interesting point I forgot about the Guyandotte reenactment was that the mounted police there dress up and reenact as Confederate cavalry to train their mounts to get used to gunfire! What a neat and cheap way to train the horses!
Tommy, most of the time, guys who pretend to be shot (called 'taking a hit' in the reenacting world) while on horseback just slump down in the saddle and wander off. It's considered too dangerous to try and fall off and leave a horse go off on its own. It might trample someone in the crowd of spectators or stomp a reenactor playing dead himself.
Shane's fact about a unit being trained by a stunt person is the first I have ever come across and sounds like a great idea! But I wonder if they would have the horse trained to stand by their fallen master or some such?
Unionblue
__________________ "The American people and the Government at Washington may refuse to recognize it for a time but the inexorable logic of events will force it upon them in the end; that the war now being waged in this land is a war for and against slavery." Frederick Douglass
"Loyalty to our ancestors does not include loyalty to their mistakes." George Santayana
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