Advice for a new reenactment's improvements

Rusk County Avengers

Captain
Muster Stunt Master Stones River / Franklin 2022
Joined
Apr 8, 2018
Location
Coffeeville, TX
Last weekend I went to the newest reenactment to compete in the Mortal Kombat of reenactments in Jefferson, TX (Third one to form!), and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. The property is one that contain a brick Confederate Powder Magazine, is thoroughly wooded, and my good friend in Jefferson has been turning up incredible finds of the Confederate, and apparently post-war Union camp there.

The landowner and originator of the enterprise strikes me as a good man, and is working to bring peace in the town of no battle but many reenactments, and after the rainy event he asked if anyone had any ideas to improve it. Besides the saloon the cavalry has asked for and may get.

Being local-ish and sharing mutual friends, my suggestion was to build earthworks on the field because Jefferson was an inland port, and inland ports in danger of attack had earthworks has got traction and we may start building at the end of the summer. Though some of the officers resist the idea, claiming that it limits the number of scenarios and will become stale, which raised my eyebrows and tilt my head in confusion as they literally do the exact same scenario at every single freaking event out here and have for decades.

I'm inspired by the hard work at Fort Blakely, but am thinking rifle pits and one earthen fort with shebangs, and I really want to do a scenario with digging and a sap rolling forward, something I think the authentics that come out will be eager to do and have already said they'd love, (but a lot of mainstreamers may not). I've already had the hairbrained idea of going to Vicksburg and taking measurements of Fort Garrott for this.

Any ideas or advice?
 
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Here's a link to the website for the event:

https://www.battleofjefferson.com/

Also why there a gentleman was making tintypes for free, and my good friend was set up with some of his goodies out of his museum. I got me a neat tintype holding his original Spencer Carbine:

20210606_154958.jpg


Don't mind the farby belt, my old farby leathers just won't die and give me an excuse to buy more. I lie the event, instead of porta-johns they've built outhouses, but the quarter mile from the reenactor camp to sutler row was an issue when the field was underwater.
 
I've always wondered why towns with no battles insist on doing battles, especially considering most are small events. It divides the ussually unrealisticly low numbers into two even more unrealisticly low numbered camps.

Why not simply do a garrison, training, or recruitment camp? I've been to some small ones that couldn't even muster a CW company strength combined.....yet insist on breaking it up between two camps.....then for the battle will divide up what isn't half a company strength per side, to try to protray multiple units....
 
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I've always wondered why towns with no battles insist on doing battles, especially considering most are small events. It divides the ussually unrealisticly low numbers into two even more unrealisticly low numbered camps.
It gets larger numbers of spectators to come to town and spend they're money.

I kind of like them in this case because you can get things going locally you want to do without driving all the way to the Carolinas or Virginia. I believe if an event is good enough, even a made up one, good numbers of reenactors will come out.
 
If there is sapping and other engineering work going on I would attend.
Dan Kohli
Its all in discussing phases, with a very promising outlook on it happening.

I don't know where your out of, but if you want to come all the way to NE Texas to attend everyone involved would be thrilled, the more the merrier after all.

I'll probably head over and us all plan it out next weekend and make sure we won't harm the actual camp site, and other original CW areas, and us maybe start building after August, so long as it don't interfere with my planned Fall reenacting season. I think the main engineering would just be the sap, and pre-build everything else. There's Fort Blakely, and various masonry forts to play in all over, but I think something based on Vicksburg works would be welcome to everybody, even if the event is made up. Least that's my theory.
 
Here's a link to the website for the event:

https://www.battleofjefferson.com/

Also why there a gentleman was making tintypes for free, and my good friend was set up with some of his goodies out of his museum. I got me a neat tintype holding his original Spencer Carbine:

View attachment 404633

Don't mind the farby belt, my old farby leathers just won't die and give me an excuse to buy more. I lie the event, instead of porta-johns they've built outhouses, but the quarter mile from the reenactor camp to sutler row was an issue when the field was underwater.
Got a haircut huh? :D
 
maybe start building after August, so long as it don't interfere with my planned Fall reenacting season. I think the main engineering would just be the sap, and pre-build everything else.

I'll be interested to hear when there's a time frame for this. I do plan a trip west in September or October.

Roy B.
 
I've always wondered why towns with no battles insist on doing battles, especially considering most are small events. It divides the ussually unrealisticly low numbers into two even more unrealisticly low numbered camps.

Why not simply do a garrison, training, or recruitment camp? I've been to some small ones that couldn't even muster a CW company strength combined.....yet insist on breaking it up between two camps.....then for the battle will divide up what isn't half a company strength per side, to try to protray multiple units....
Because they're entertaining for the crowd and fun for the reenactors, it is a hobby remember. There's plenty you can demonstrate with small numbers. I just participated in a small event over the weekend with about a dozen on each side. We had a brisk skirmish practicing our skirmish drill which was great for all involved and the large crowd watching loved it.
 
I've done some terrific reenactments which were centered around dug entrenchments and breast works. 2005 in Corinth, MS, 2012 in Raymond, MS portraying Vicksburg, 2014 at New Market Heights in VA, Ft Blakeley in AL twice, and little Plantation Liendo in Texas three times. My conclusion is such scenarios are a mixed bag for participants, and probably not as enjoyable for spectators as an open field battle where they can see more. A a reenactor inside breastworks, there's a lot of sitting around staring out. As an attacking reenactor, it is more active, as the actual assault can be lots of fun crossing the ditch and scaling an earthen wall. The first photo is at the Raymond-Vicksburg event, the other three at New Market Heights in Virginia.

Co BK 2 at Texas Lunette 12.jpg


Under the Head Log at NMH.jpg


NMH Trenches McB 2.jpg


USCT Leaping over Earthworks at NMH.jpg
 
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