Reenacting in 2016? Where are you headed and what are you looking forward to the most?

Mdiesel

First Sergeant
Joined
Sep 28, 2010
Location
Maryland
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(That's me pulling the lanyard as Baltimore Battery of Light Artillery, USA)


Something special about getting ready for another year of reenactments & living history events.

In the fall you've satisfied the reenacting bug that drives your hobby & had your fill of it. But now with spring right around the corner you start to get that itch (probably cus you tried on those wool pants to see if they still fit in the waist).

Oh yeah, you've missed it and can't wait to get another season under way!

It's the travel & catching up with friends you haven't talked to for over 6months & sometimes much longer.

It's the Camaraderie of the encampment & exchanges with the public. It's the smell of the campfire & peaceful relaxing calm at night after the heat of the day is over. Someone plucking slowly on a banjo.

That's all cool... But the thing I miss the most is "playing" on the gun! For us that's a 10lb Parrott our group uses for the reenactments and artillery demos. And the schedule is out full with another season of events! This is an exciting time... It's like the moment the sports fan gets his season tickets in the mail. So much optimism about the season to come!

4th Maryland Light Artillery schedule:

April 8 - 10 Civil War On the Shore
Fort Whaley, Whaleyville, MD

April 23 - 24 Neshaminy State Park
Bensalem, PA

May 14 - 16 152nd Battle of New Market
New Market, VA

July 1 - 3 153rd Battle of Gettysburg
Gettysburg, PA

July 22 - 24 155th Battle of Bull Run/Manassas
New Market, VA

August 6 - 7 Pitzer Woods NPS
Gettysburg, PA

September 24 - 25 Pitzer Woods NPS
Gettysburg, PA

October 15 - 16 152nd Battle of Cedar Creek
Middletown, VA

November 19 Remembrance Day
Gettysburg, PA

Our schedule changes from year to year but we do have some mainstays. Of these my favorites are New Market & Cedar Creek in Virginia. I just love the Shenandoah Valley!

So what's your outfit, where you headed & what are you looking forward to the most?

If your not into living history but plan to attend a reenactment which one?

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(Again on lanyard, 150th Gettysburg as 4th Maryland Light Artillery, CSA)
 
I am Corporal with Scott's Battery. We're out of Rock Island, IL/Davenport, IA. We shoot a rifled replica 10 pound Parrott and an original 3 inch Ordnance.
We won't be making any National events this year, but we will be doing 8 events (anywhere from an hour to three hours away) plus one "Live Shoot" and a Memorial Day Ceremony at the Confederate Cemetery at Rock Island Arsenal.
I can't wait! :smile:
 
I'm going to keep an eye on this thread and watch for Illinois events. :thumbsup: @Albert Sailhorst, maybe we'll see each other!
That's possible!
April 23-24-Galena, IL
April 30-May 1-Delevan, IL
June 11-12-Manhatten, IL
June 25-26- Orion, IL (my unit is hosting this event)
Aug 20-21-Galesburg, IL
Sept 10-11-Mason City, IA
Oct 8-9-Princeton, IL
Oct 15-16-Minooka, IL
 
I myself am not a reenactor but enjoy those events very much. Thanks for the posts on upcoming events. It would be great to have a central source that compiles all annual reenacting events in all states.
 
I am Corporal with Scott's Battery. We're out of Rock Island, IL/Davenport, IA. We shoot a rifled replica 10 pound Parrott and an original 3 inch Ordnance.
We won't be making any National events this year, but we will be doing 8 events (anywhere from an hour to three hours away) plus one "Live Shoot" and a Memorial Day Ceremony at the Confederate Cemetery at Rock Island Arsenal.
I can't wait! :smile:

Which gun will you fire during the live shoot Albert? Which do you prefer?
 
Which gun will you fire during the live shoot Albert? Which do you prefer?
We live shoot the Parrott......Usually, I am Corporal on the Ordnance gun. I prefer the Ordnance, as we have few, if any, misfires compared to the Parrot. I think this is because of the primers and not the gun itself, though. Here is a Youtube link to a live fire we did a few years ago at my house:
and here is a Youtube link from Boscobel, WI last year. We had both guns at that event. Somewhere, you can see me with the Ordnance gun (at the beginning of the video, the Ordanace is the gun on the right of the screen, the Parrot is the gun in the middle of the screen. ):
 
I am with 1st Ohio Statehouse Light Artillery Battery A.

Our Schedule: (* State House cannons will attend)

April 23-24 Camp Putnam Spring Training, Marietta Ohio *

April 29 - Repose of Lincoln/Encampment, Ohio State House *

June 18-19 Fort Meigs, Perryville OH *

July 16 Capital Celebration - Ohio Statehouse *
(20th anniversary of the State House Renovations and 1st Ohio Battery A)

October 7-9 Perryville, Kentucky *

In addition, Battery members will be attending the following (with privately
owned guns)

June 3-6 Philippi, West Virginia

July 1-3 Gettysburg

July 8-10 McConnelsville, Ohio

August 13-14 Hale Farm, Bath Ohio
 
I've yet to do a western theater reenactment. But it's on the bucket list.

What's special about the Perryville event for you?
Most re-enactments take place on private property somewhere because the NPS does not allow it on their protected battlefields. Not so with State parks. Some State Park owned battlefields are opened to living historians, and Perryville is owned by the State of Kentucky, and they have been very gracious for many years to allow the battle to be re-enacted on the actual site.
Perryville is one of the very few places where you have documented fighting and troop movements on the original ground, and based on that documentation, those actions can be recreated on the actual sites where they occurred. This is due in part that the Perryville Battlefield is still for the most part in its original state, it has remained rural, without homes and businesses sprouting up where the battle occurred. Portraying what actually happened on the exact same ground on the anniversary date of the actual battle is a special experience that you just can't get anywhere else.

It is also special to me because the unit that I am part of (42nd Indiana) was engaged at Perryville, and it was their very first time to "see the elephant."
 
The group I'm part of is doing a monthly Living History at the Fort Vancouver National Historical Site, this being their 100th anniversary.The NPS is very enthusiastic about this. I'm looking forward to these far more than this summer's Civil War reenactments. The First Oregon Infantry and First Oregon Cavalry represent local troops called up to replace the US regular troops who went east to fight the war (some on one side, some on the other) and to keep us safe from the Indians, the Indians safe from us (unfortunately that function was rather neglected), and to counteract possible threats by the Knights of the Golden Circle and, in 1865, the CSS Shenandoah. (Early in the war, troops were raised in California because the Oregon governor was very anti-war and refused to raise any troops. Fortunately this situation changed after the next election.) The infantry and cavalry will drill (and fire the mountain howitzer on occasion) and we civilians will be dressed in historically correct fashion. Fort Vancouver was the headquarters for these activities during the CW. It also started up the Sanitary Commission activities out here, with which I expect to be involved.

For those farther east, my eldest son's group, the 6th Ohio Cavalry, is going to galvanize as Morgan's Raiders in a three-part event. My son is really looking forward to this. I've been teasing him that Morgan and his raiders ended up in the Ohio State Penitentiary at the end of their Ohio raid. I don't know if the reenactment will be that realistic, though. The event website is here: http://krazybytesdesign.wix.com/morganscavtrilogy
 
I'll be "dragging" my little sister with me to Perryville come October. Lord willing and the creek don't rise, that is.

Other than that, I haven't quite gotten my schedule planned out--my older sister's wedding comes first--but probably half a dozen or so of the more local events. (I'm located in Indiana right now and have no connections. Anybody know of a good Indiana/Mid-West based CS group looking for a nurse impression? :smile: )

Mr. Micheal W.--were you by any chance at Hartford City this past October? I've been using the 42nd's website as a base to jump off of looking for reenactment info. (And all of sudden I wonder if you mind being called "Mr." I'm a Southron born and bred and I've had more than one Hoosier gentleman tell me not to say that or "sir". I can't quite wrap my head around it; I only mean it respectfully...)
 
Most re-enactments take place on private property somewhere because the NPS does not allow it on their protected battlefields. Not so with State parks. Some State Park owned battlefields are opened to living historians, and Perryville is owned by the State of Kentucky, and they have been very gracious for many years to allow the battle to be re-enacted on the actual site.
Perryville is one of the very few places where you have documented fighting and troop movements on the original ground, and based on that documentation, those actions can be recreated on the actual sites where they occurred. This is due in part that the Perryville Battlefield is still for the most part in its original state, it has remained rural, without homes and businesses sprouting up where the battle occurred. Portraying what actually happened on the exact same ground on the anniversary date of the actual battle is a special experience that you just can't get anywhere else.

It is also special to me because the unit that I am part of (42nd Indiana) was engaged at Perryville, and it was their very first time to "see the elephant."

Yes I totally understand what you mean. We have the privilege of participation in the Reenactments of New Market & Cedar Creek. Neither of these are on NPS land & these reenactments also take place on actual battleground. It does make it special.

New Markets a cool event as very year the cadets of VMI reenact the charge across the Bushong Farm & "Field of Lost Shoes". Pretty cool seeing that.
 
We live shoot the Parrott......Usually, I am Corporal on the Ordnance gun. I prefer the Ordnance, as we have few, if any, misfires compared to the Parrot. I think this is because of the primers and not the gun itself, though. Here is a Youtube link to a live fire we did a few years ago at my house:
and here is a Youtube link from Boscobel, WI last year. We had both guns at that event. Somewhere, you can see me with the Ordnance gun (at the beginning of the video, the Ordanace is the gun on the right of the screen, the Parrot is the gun in the middle of the screen. ):

That's awesome Albert thanks for posting those!
 
90% of my units' events are in Michigan.
But a splinter group of us are doing the Hesston Steam Museum in June, and Hartford City in May.
 
Albert Sailhorst: I had been hoping to come down to Delevan from North Dakota this year, but it won't work out this time. I'm hoping to be in Illinois in September. Perhaps we can meet up while I'm there? I'd love to meet some other reenactors while I am home. I'd be in Eureka, so I won't be all that far away.
 
Albert Sailhorst: I had been hoping to come down to Delevan from North Dakota this year, but it won't work out this time. I'm hoping to be in Illinois in September. Perhaps we can meet up while I'm there? I'd love to meet some other reenactors while I am home. I'd be in Eureka, so I won't be all that far away.
It'd be great to meet up!.....I posted my Unit's schedule, so let me know when & where you would be!!.....Nice to meet ya! :smile:
 
I'll be "dragging" my little sister with me to Perryville come October. Lord willing and the creek don't rise, that is.

Other than that, I haven't quite gotten my schedule planned out--my older sister's wedding comes first--but probably half a dozen or so of the more local events. (I'm located in Indiana right now and have no connections. Anybody know of a good Indiana/Mid-West based CS group looking for a nurse impression? :smile: )

Mr. Micheal W.--were you by any chance at Hartford City this past October? I've been using the 42nd's website as a base to jump off of looking for reenactment info. (And all of sudden I wonder if you mind being called "Mr." I'm a Southron born and bred and I've had more than one Hoosier gentleman tell me not to say that or "sir". I can't quite wrap my head around it; I only mean it respectfully...)
Yes, MissREP, I was at Hartford City last fall. And no, don't know of any CS impressions as I am a Union man. If you would be willing to become a turncoat, I'm sure something would turn up. :smile:

If you are on FB, look up the "Army of the Wabash" page as they have a schedule of events for this general area. The 42nd (we are a VERY SMALL unit) are part of the AOW and fall in with them in most events. Hartford City has been moved this year to May 13-15. This is mainly due to two reasons. First, Perryville always falls either a week before or on the same weekend as H.C. Since Perryville is going to be the big event in the West this year, H.C. decided to move it in order to still have some respectable numbers show up. Secondly, Conner Prairie dropped their annual CW event this year (some controversy is stirring as to WHY), and HC decide to take advantage of this by moving into their normal time slot.

If you don't mind me asking, where in the South were you "born and bred?" And finally, no, I don't care if you address me as Mr., Sir, or "a member of the hated Yankee nation." Just don't call me late to dinner. :wink:
 
Yes I totally understand what you mean. We have the privilege of participation in the Reenactments of New Market & Cedar Creek. Neither of these are on NPS land & these reenactments also take place on actual battleground. It does make it special.

New Markets a cool event as very year the cadets of VMI reenact the charge across the Bushong Farm & "Field of Lost Shoes". Pretty cool seeing that.
Yes it is. I actually did Cedar Creek quite a few years ago, the weekend of the event I was on vacation out East hitting up Antietam and a few other places, and knew the event was going on, so I had packed my gear and showed up as a "walk-on."
I knew absolutely no one, which was slightly uncomfortable. It was made worse because here I was, a Western impression Federal, with heavily tarnished buttons, dirty and faded uniform, homespun shirt and non-regulation hat thrown in with a spit and polish Eastern Pennsylvania unit wearing all regulation uniform accouterments, regulation white shirts, kepis and even wearing white dress gloves in the field. They were impressed because I camped campaign style, or "progressive", I guess, I slept in the open while they slept in oversized tents with cots and modern sleeping bags. Their families (kids and wives) slept with them, and as I watched them eating out of their coolers I thought to myself, "Man, I am in the WRONG place." But the event itself was really cool, as you said, taking place on the actual ground.
 
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