- Joined
- Feb 23, 2013
- Location
- East Texas
Indeed, and she was a very interesting character to whom I hope to devote a few more photos in the future.
Please do!!!!!
Having already introduced my old reenacting friend Iris Welch to you, for this week's Throwback Thursday, I thought I'd answer @JPChurch , though I doubt this was exactly what he had in mind! As previously noted, Iris was a proverbial live wire; the first time I met her she was wearing a costume of her own design that looked suspiciously like Civil War Nurse Barbie, appropriate since she was an RN herself. This was back in the 1980's around the time of the 125th Anniversary events; in fact in the photo above I'm still wearing on the breast of my frock coat the red shamrock Second Corps insignia for Caldwell's division that we received at the Gettysburg event for the Wheatfield scenario, making it likely this was also in 1988.
Iris was scarcely built for the role of soldier, but she was adamant about being one, and was in fact even working on a potboiler romance novel about a girl who runs away from home to join the army. Since I was at the time chairman of our North Texas Reenactment Society as well as captain of our Union infantry contingent, she was something of a pest. I finally gave in and introduced her into one of our unit drills in Dallas' Old City Park, using the excuse that she was doing research for her novel! Wearing the uniform she had bought for her unenthusiastic husband Tony and carrying my original '42 musket and accoutrements Iris toughed it out during drill as these photos record. I'd hoped that the wool uniform and carrying the long ten-pound musket would cure her of her ambitions, but she even made it at one of our later events the next spring onto the battlefield at Pleasant Hill, Louisiana, fodder for another time!
Anyone else having (preferably) old Civil War-related photos, mementoes, or memorabilia from reenactments, vacations, or other or travel is welcome and encouraged to post them here in this weekly thread!
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