Event in Waxahachie, Texas

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Joined
Jan 9, 2010
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Texas
The Waxahachie Chautauqua Preservation Society
Presents
2012 Annual Assembly
The Civil War 1861-1865
The Ellis County Perspective
Honoring the Sesquicentennial of the War Between the States
September 21-22, 2012
Getzendaner Park, Waxahachie, Texas
Friday September 21st - Free Admission
A Unique Living History Educational Opportunity for Students of all ages.
From 10:00 am - 2:00 pm students, parents and chaperones are invited to tour the Military Encampment. From 2:00 pm until 5:00 pm the encampment will be open to the general public. Immerse yourself in the realities of life in the 1860’s. There will be many military tents in the encampment and a large contingent of military re-enactors and historic interpreters in period dress that represent soldiers, physicians, merchants, and north Texas citizens who were a big part of the Texas and local Ellis County effort during the War Between the States.
Throughout the Encampment and surrounding the Chautauqua Auditorium will be educational demonstrations and exhibits running continuously throughout the day, including:
· Texas battle flags – How they were made and used
· Confederate money, bonds and warrants used to finance the war and sustain commerce
· Artillery cannons used in battles
· Rifles and ammunition production
· Blacksmithing
· Camp fire black pot cooking
· Sewing and spinning
· Quilt-making
· Civil War medical practices
· 19th Century toys
· Hill College “Hood’s Texas Brigade Brass Band” playing authentic songs of the era
· Cotton raising and ginning and its role in the war
· Letter and Correspondence Readings
· 19th Century Women’s Fashions
· Blacks in the Confederacy
· Mourning – What happened when a loved one was killed during the war
Exhibition Tent: An Exhibition Tent will be erected in the park adjacent to the Chautauqua Auditorium to accommodate the “traveling exhibits” of area Civil War museums. Visiting museums and participating local area historical organizations will include the Pearce Civil War Museum, Corsicana; the Texas Heritage Museum, Hillsboro; the Texas Civil War Museum, Ft. Worth and the Ellis County Museum. Numerous private collections of Civil War memorabilia will be on exhibit as well. Many of the exhibitors will offer Civil War books and related historical items for purchase.
Picnic Areas: Ample park areas will be set aside for group/family picnicking. You may seek out a picnic table or bring a blanket and picnic on the beautiful tree shaded Getzendaner Park grounds as you enjoy your historical immersion in the 1860’s. Cold water will be available. Plan to return Saturday morning for the “Battle of Waxahachie Creek”!
Saturday September 22nd Morning Program - Free Admission
9:30 am - Continuation of the educational exhibits and demonstrations.
10:00 am and 10:30 am - Artillery firing demonstration
11 am - Watch a historically accurate Civil War Battlefield Engagement.
This skirmish entitled “The Battle at Waxahachie Creek” is fictional but will include soldiers from the North and South who will fight along the banks of Waxahachie Creek. This event will represent a battle similar to the ones fought by soldiers in the Confederate Army under Colonel W.H. Parson. Parson’s regiment, the 12th Texas Cavalry included three companies from Ellis County and the 19th Texas Cavalry (also in Parson’s brigade) had two companies from Ellis County. Experience firsthand the military realities of close quarter combat including the roar of canons, the rapid fire of rifles, and the flash of charging bayonets.
The Frontier Brigade Brass Band” will offer rousing music and finish off the morning’s activities with a short parade from the battlefield back to the Chautauqua Auditorium playing military music of the Civil War era.
The Waxahachie High School Band Boosters Club will have food and drink available all day Saturday at the Chautauqua Concession Stand.

Saturday Afternoon Program – Admission tickets required for Adults, Free to Students
The historically significant Waxahachie Chautauqua Auditorium celebrating its 110th year will again host the Annual Chautauqua Assembly. This year’s Lecture Series program includes distinguished authors, historians, researchers and educators. These experts will spotlight the significant role of the many heroes and leaders from Texas and Ellis County and their contributions to the defense of the Trans Mississippi Department of the Confederacy.

The program will include:
· “Ringing of the Bell” to announce the opening of the 2012 Chautauqua Assembly
· Opening Ceremonies welcoming Assembly attendees
· Presentation of the U.S. flag and pledge of allegiance
· Celebration of the continuing Chautauqua Movement
· 1861 Waxahachie Church Service with Prayer
· Events Leading to the War Between the States – Tommy Stringer, Historian
· Texans in Service – Danny Sessums, Author
· Parson’s Texas Cavalry Brigade – Anne Baily, Author
· Women In the War – Vicki Betts, Author/Researcher
· Looking Back and Looking Yonder, An African American Perspective – Robert Haynes, Museum Curator/Historian
· Speaker Panel Discussion and Audience Q & A Session will be held after the conclusion of the afternoon program
Saturday Evening Concert
7:00pm – 9:00pm Musical performance by the Frontier Brigade Brass Band” featuring music played by military bands from both the North and the South during the War Between the States.
Chautauqua Lecture Series tickets can be purchased on line atWaxahachieChautauqua.org Tickets will also be available for purchase at the Chautauqua Auditorium on Saturday September 22nd.
Adults All Lectures $10.00
Adults Single Lecture $5.00
Free to All Students
Some of us are going, planning on being Union Soldiers for this event. Some good speakers there!
Kevin Dally
 
Texans in Service – Danny Sessums, Author

Danny was a feller who really got the authenticity in uniform and equipage going way back when, in Texas. A couple of the guys I do events with have known him for years. I have not met him, so I look forward to doing that, and listening to what he has to say.

Kevin Dally
 
I wish, but too far and missing a game (that means no photos in the paper!).....plus the expense of hiring a sub.....whew!

I can vouch for the 'too far' part. For folks who may not be familiar with Texas...it is freaking huge. I lived in Dallas once, for about 6 months, and Waxahachie is very near there. And I used to drive a big rig from Newark to El Paso and back, going through Dallas each time. Going westbound on I-30 from Dallas, it was hours and hours before I passed by Nate's area in west Texas on I-20, and even more hours and hours before I got to El Paso on I-10. For those who haven't done so, and wish to while away some highway hours, and bump up the mileage on your car's engine, take a spin through Texas from the Arkansas border westbound I-30 to El Paso. (and pack some sandwiches, soft drinks, toilet paper for those extra long stretches of pavement where there are no 'facilities', audio books, caffeine, radar detector, money for a room at Motel 6 in Midland/Odessa )
 
I've told this before....basketball district in Ozona once included Anthony -- 365 miles one way. Eldorado had to play 'em too....add 30 miles.

Of course, I'm the idiot who drove from Ozona to Andrews and then turned around and drove to Houston for our second Stephenville state championship game in the Astrodome. :smile:

Texans are funny. And I was lots younger. Can't handle this stuff as well any more.
 
I've told this before....basketball district in Ozona once included Anthony -- 365 miles one way. Eldorado had to play 'em too....add 30 miles.

Of course, I'm the idiot who drove from Ozona to Andrews and then turned around and drove to Houston for our second Stephenville state championship game in the Astrodome. :smile:

Texans are funny. And I was lots younger. Can't handle this stuff as well any more.
Don't say that too loud......the folks I work with all graduated from LaMarque.
 
If for some reason I wind up in Texas a month into my school year, with some form of transportation, I will stop by :wink: This seems like an amazing event. I expect someone to get some pictures.:throwball:
 
They always have some really good stuff down in TX...wish I could go..but school will have started and we have something going on that weekend....bummer
 
This event was really a fun one for me!
http://www.waxahachietx.com/news/wa...e-04fb-11e2-b635-001a4bcf887a.html?mode=story
I will tell you this, I have never talked to so many school kids in my life in one day!
We ended up having 1 or 2 of our boys do manual of arms, showing loading-firing of a rifled musket, how to handle them properly in the ranks...I was off to the side showing what the soldier back then carried, how he carried it, using a knapsack, or a blanket roll, what they ate, how they cleaned their weapon, and answered basic questions.

We had a small battle with the 9th Texas Inf boys about 11:00, no wind to blow away the smoke from firing, it sure obscured those boys when they fired by company. I wish I could have taken pictures from our ranks when that happened, but it would have been ridiculous looking on my part to have done so.

Some folk brought original relics to show off, there were tables set up with Muskets, equipage, belt plates, bullets, cartridge boxes...an 1842 rifled musket had bullet damage on the upper band, breaking a section of that band, denting the barrel. See photo) A friend of mine had his original Columbus depot Jacket there, an original Austrian Lorenz rifle, a cartridge box, and a rare Waco Guards belt plate.

The pictures are of some of the relics we got to see.

The last photo is one taken of me in full uniform and gear.

It was a small event, but a fun one, some good speakers were there!

Kevin Dally
 

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This event was really a fun one for me!
http://www.waxahachietx.com/news/wa...e-04fb-11e2-b635-001a4bcf887a.html?mode=story
I will tell you this, I have never talked to so many school kids in my life in one day!
We ended up having 1 or 2 of our boys do manual of arms, showing loading-firing of a rifled musket, how to handle them properly in the ranks...I was off to the side showing what the soldier back then carried, how he carried it, using a knapsack, or a blanket roll, what they ate, how they cleaned their weapon, and answered basic questions.

We had a small battle with the 9th Texas Inf boys about 11:00, no wind to blow away the smoke from firing, it sure obscured those boys when they fired by company. I wish I could have taken pictures from our ranks when that happened, but it would have been ridiculous looking on my part to have done so.

Some folk brought original relics to show off, there were tables set up with Muskets, equipage, belt plates, bullets, cartridge boxes...an 1842 rifled musket had bullet damage on the upper band, breaking a section of that band, denting the barrel. See photo) A friend of mine had his original Columbus depot Jacket there, an original Austrian Lorenz rifle, a cartridge box, and a rare Waco Guards belt plate.

The pictures are of some of the relics we got to see.

The last photo is one taken of me in full uniform and gear.

It was a small event, but a fun one, some good speakers were there!

Kevin Dally
Me and Bonnie Blue Flag were both there. We aked if anyone knew you , but no one seemed to know who you were. Sorry we missed you.
 
Boy, hindsight being what it is...
If I had to do it over again, I would have posted a photo of myself from the past in my Federal uniform, with my face being clearly seen, AND made it clear I was going as a Yank. A lot of times we reenactors only see each other once in great while, know faces, but names escape us!
Unfortunately, I didn't know the layout of the park, or exactly where we were going to be, we post no flag for our unit (we only had 5 of us) to mark our "territory".
I intermingled with the 1st US boys, and the 9th TX boys from time to time. In the skirmish we had, I was the second person in the rear rank of the 1st US, closest to the crowd.
I spent a lot of time going back and forth to the see the display tables, and talking to Danny Sessums, and some other folk about their displays, and talk history in general. Naturally you get stopped by folk to answer their questions, or someone wants to take your picture with their kids when you have your uniform on.
I wish I could find a picture of us in the skirmish, I don't like flipping out a camera during a battle!:nah disagree:

Kevin Dally
 
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