#4 Civil War Re-Enactment

Hello, All,

Staying over till Sat to watch the Civil War re-enactment was a really great decision. Fri evening we headed for the Visitor Center and the advertised bonfire and s'mores. Instead, we met Miss Debbie and her husband Jackie, primary organizers of this re-enactment event, who invited us to join them for dinner at their encampment. We ended spending the whole evening with the group. 

They live in different towns, but are friends who meet repeatedly on "the circuit". I hadn't realized It was so much a family affair, with roles for teens and youngsters as well as the adults. 

I could see that re-enacting could be an absorbing hobby. Education was the overall focus, with interests varying from pure history---what happened and when and where---to weapons and armaments, and costuming. Geneaology was a uniting factor. Most of the folks knew all about their own ancestors, right down to their company, rank and serial number in the war.

I asked lots of questions. Here are some of the answers. Most of the folks spend at least one summer weekend a month at some event. Some events are re-creations of specific battles, like Gettysburg; others, like this one, are more generic. Costumes and weapons are as authentic as possible. I was surprised to learn that most of the re-enactors had costumes for both the Confederates AND the Yankees, but as one young father told me, "when there aren't Yankees enough to make it look good, we have to wear that other uniform,...but our hearts aren't really in it!".

We were privileged to be given a personal explanation of the working of "Lee's secret weapon",  a fascinating repeating cannon, capable of firing up to 65 rounds a minute. Totally revolutionary, devastatingly effective. 

We watched the men preparing their charges: a twist of paper, a measure of black powder, but no accompanying bullet. They would be shooting blanks, with plenty of noise and smoke, but still would be careful to always aim well above head height. Marvin asked an important question, "In the midst of the battle, how do you know if you were hit?" He was remembering being a kid, playing cowboys and Indians: "Bang! You're dead!"...and the retort, "No, I'm not,...you missed me!"  We were told that in some battles, they used cheerios or oatmeal that would actually mark the uniform, so it was definitely harder to argue.

In addition to the scheduled battle, there were displays and demonstrations, like one about the use of herbs and other native plants for medicine, and another showing how the hoop skirt could be adapted for smuggling small items like medicines and notes. My favorite extra was presentations by "Mrs. Lincoln" and "Mrs. Davis", talking about their lives --- with the emphasis on similarities between the two First Ladies. Miss Debbie also pulled Marvin from the audience to demonstrate how the artful southern belle might use her southern charm to wheedle information out of an unsuspecting Union soldier. (Marvin could see through her game, and he wasn't giving anything away!)

The battle was for possession of a hilltop meadow edged with woods. There was no specific script 

 to follow, and the officers decided that the battle would be over when one side ran out of ammunition---(which wasn't going to happen with our Rebs, who had 300-400 charges each). The action was free-form, with troops from both sides moving into and out of the woods. There was cannon fire from the Wright's Repeating Cannon (very impressive!) and answering fire from the Yankee mortar (even louder).  The exchange of rifle and pistol volleys led to a charge on the repeating cannon and our Rebs beat them back. About a half hour into the battle, the officers spread the word that some of the soldiers should start "dying".  Soon there were "bodies" littering the grass. Some of them clearly played the same way as Marvin and his friends, because there were quite a few merely wounded, not really dead. The battle was over when the Yankee flag was captured. The standard bearer was then summarily executed by a Rebel firing squad (for me, that was an unexpected twist); then the action was really over. 

Later that evening, the Rebs "won" again, and this time the enemy was a small band of youngsters. When the Rebs again captured the flag, instead of facing a firing squad, the boys were "given a chance". They were forced to "run for their lives", but none escaped (which was a little depressing; they were just boys).  

All in all, I'd conclude that it was an experience I would repeat if the opportunity presented itself. 

 

I was mightily impressed with the Wright's Repeating Cannon. This replica was a repeater, but not mechanically complete. The speed of firing was slightly limited by the physical requirement of dropping the charges into the breech by hand. What is missing is the carousel of charges sitting atop the breech (resembles a slide carousel on a projector), which drops the charge as fast as the crew could clear the touch hole and swab the barrel. It was a formidable weapon. 

The other side was meant to have a mountain howitzer, but the delivery vehicle had a breakdown and this mortar was the best they could substitute on short notice.

 

 

 Plenty of smoke and noise. Notice the youngster with his fingers in his ears!

 

 

 

Some of the actors were specific characters, like General John Hunt Morgan, of Morgan's Raiders. He entertained the crowd with tales from his history, including how his preoccupation with the ladies led to  his being caught and killed.

 

Some of them played the same as Marvin's younger friends. There were more "wounded" than "dead", at least at first!

 

Most of the skirmishes seemed pretty random, but one Captain commanded his troops to "fire by twos", having every other man fire, while the other half re-loaded. The result was an almost continuous volley.

 

The capture of the flag marked the end of the battle---that, coupled with the fact that most of the men were sprawled "dead" on the grass. "Don't let the flag touch the ground!" was the cry. And, if one standard bearer was shot, someone else snatched up the flag---and immediately became a primary target. It was a dangerous business! But I was really surprised when the Yankee flag bearer was put up before the firing squad. And, I don't know if that was "authentic" or not...

Jackie, playing the outlaw Josie Wales, relaxed after cleaning an impressive arsenal of weapons. The other men were busy making their twisted "ammunition" and filling their bags with hundreds of charges.

Numerous small objects, like medicines and papers, could be smuggled by those brave enough to trust that under their skirts would never be searched.

 

Miss Debbie demonstrated how Southern women used their southern charm to try to elicit detailed information from Yankee troopers far from home. Fans and eyelashes fluttered for the Cause.