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If you are a reenactment fan (and if you ain't, you should be) let me describe a few scenarios that played well.
Most reenactments start with a cannon fire exchange to kick things off, and that is fine but it gets too predictable sometimes. I attended a reenactment at the Liendo Plantation in Texas that began with our confederate troops sitting around camp entertaining visitors, family, and friends. Everything was cool and relaxed. The designated battle area was close by with only a fence between. As the time neared for the battle to begin we were told to just stay put until further notice. I was serving with the Texas Dixie Grays, a segment of Seldon's battery. I was eating a taco sitting in my camp chair with my feet propped up on an amunition box. The weather was fine, just a nice cool autumn day. There were quite a few visitors milling around in camp as usual.
Suddenly, with out warning, a cavalry videt came riding hard into the camp yelling the "Yanks are coming! The Yanks are coming and are just over that hill!"
Well, within seconds all was bedlam and panic. The cavalry bugler began blowing "Boots and Saddles." Officer of the infantry began yelling orders, soldiers and civilians were running around in chaotic disorder. Mommas were grabbing up their little ones and trying to get clear of the stampede. I saw one woman running with a very small child under one arm and another by the hand, some were falling down and crying. I'm sure the small kids had the daylights scared out of them - what with soldiers running around grabbing up their weapons, haversacks, canteens cartridge boxes and all kinds of other accessories, all the while trying to hear and follow the orders of the officers. The screams and yells and bugles were something to witness.
Within minutes, the cavalrymen, the first line of defence, were mounted and in formation and went pouring through the gate to the battle area. We cannoneers grabbed canteens, knives, side arms if any, and sprinted to our guns, the while trying to sort ourselves out and get organized.
The pony soldiers managed to meet the Yankee cavalry at the crest of the rise and engaged them. This gave us time to get our stuff together and guns deployed in a battle line.
This whole thing was scripted and staged by the event hosts but they purposely did not let us "lesser creatures" in on the thing. Well sir, I do believe this was about as close to the real thing as I have seen. It was hair raising, interesting and altogether fun, except for the little kids.
A few skinned knees were the only casualties. I am sure in the real war scenes like this were not that uncommon. Anyway it was a different way to commence to wage warfare, don't you think? Maybe someone out there in blogger land can give us some of their own experiences as to how to kick off a good fight.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Another opening scenario that I liked went like this.
Again I was with a cannon crew and we opened with answering fire to Yankee cannon fire. Our infantry was forming up behind our battle line and they had about twenty Yankee captives in a small pen with guards around. On cue, the Yanks made a break for it, overpowered the guards, and burst upon the scene with the guards' guns and began firing at us cannoneers.
Some of our men had small arms and we had our own little battle as an opening. Our infantry soon recovered and took up the fight, killing about half of the Yanks. The other half escaped and hi-tailed over the hill. The Yanks who were killed, of course, were galvanized Rebs and the bodies were dragged back into some woods where they ungalvanized and, out of site of the gallery, they joined their own units.
The only down side to this was the fact that I had to take a hit and spent the entire battle as a wounded soldier. Some of our dead were carried to cover and resurrected and joined their units. Anyway, I thought the new opening was an interesting variation.
Again I was with a cannon crew and we opened with answering fire to Yankee cannon fire. Our infantry was forming up behind our battle line and they had about twenty Yankee captives in a small pen with guards around. On cue, the Yanks made a break for it, overpowered the guards, and burst upon the scene with the guards' guns and began firing at us cannoneers.
Some of our men had small arms and we had our own little battle as an opening. Our infantry soon recovered and took up the fight, killing about half of the Yanks. The other half escaped and hi-tailed over the hill. The Yanks who were killed, of course, were galvanized Rebs and the bodies were dragged back into some woods where they ungalvanized and, out of site of the gallery, they joined their own units.
The only down side to this was the fact that I had to take a hit and spent the entire battle as a wounded soldier. Some of our dead were carried to cover and resurrected and joined their units. Anyway, I thought the new opening was an interesting variation.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Howdy Bloggerites. I thought I would toss out a reading list for lovers of the politically incorrect.
A good place to start is "Hamilton's Curse" by Thomas Dilorenzo. This book takes one back to the beginning of this nation's troubles with an overreaching government.
"Red Republicans and Lincoln's Marxists" by Walter D. Kennedy and Al Benson, Jr. shows the connection of Lincoln's vision for this country and Marxists.
"The Real Lincoln" by Dilorenzo strips away all the myths, fantasies and lies associated with Lincoln and lays bare his real agenda.
"Complicity" by Anne Farrow, Joel Lang, and Jeneifer Frank gives you a better grasp of slavery as it was promoted, prolonged, and profited by the northern states until it was no longer profitable.
"Myths and Realities of American Slavery" by John C. Perry is a very good history of slavery in general and in the South in particular.
This should give you a good running start on becoming a disciple of the politically incorrect.
Oh, yer politically correct friends are goin'a love ya.
A good place to start is "Hamilton's Curse" by Thomas Dilorenzo. This book takes one back to the beginning of this nation's troubles with an overreaching government.
"Red Republicans and Lincoln's Marxists" by Walter D. Kennedy and Al Benson, Jr. shows the connection of Lincoln's vision for this country and Marxists.
"The Real Lincoln" by Dilorenzo strips away all the myths, fantasies and lies associated with Lincoln and lays bare his real agenda.
"Complicity" by Anne Farrow, Joel Lang, and Jeneifer Frank gives you a better grasp of slavery as it was promoted, prolonged, and profited by the northern states until it was no longer profitable.
"Myths and Realities of American Slavery" by John C. Perry is a very good history of slavery in general and in the South in particular.
This should give you a good running start on becoming a disciple of the politically incorrect.
Oh, yer politically correct friends are goin'a love ya.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
AND ANOTHER THING
One of my hobbies is to visit schools, if invited, to do a first person living history bit just to add a touch of realism to the usually dry subject of history. I dress in my reenacting uniform which is usually a Confederate Cavalry Captain. I usually display the various flags of the Confederacy, my accoutrements, such as weapons, equipment, etc.
One of my first questions is, "Ddo you students or teachers know what were the causes of the War?"
With out hesitation they all agree it was "slavery." Isn't it interesting how effectively the politically correct propagandists have brainwashed our young people into believing that the only thing that brought the two sides to warfare is slavery? They may not know anything about American history but the one thing they do know is that the Mean Ole South wanted to keep their slaves and the Heroic North came down here to free them. Nothing else is mentioned. Therefore all Southerners should hang their heads in shame and disgrace. I do my best to set this record straight.
Wow, our schools are doing a fine job. Right?
One of my first questions is, "Ddo you students or teachers know what were the causes of the War?"
With out hesitation they all agree it was "slavery." Isn't it interesting how effectively the politically correct propagandists have brainwashed our young people into believing that the only thing that brought the two sides to warfare is slavery? They may not know anything about American history but the one thing they do know is that the Mean Ole South wanted to keep their slaves and the Heroic North came down here to free them. Nothing else is mentioned. Therefore all Southerners should hang their heads in shame and disgrace. I do my best to set this record straight.
Wow, our schools are doing a fine job. Right?
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
The Startin'
To make a beginning I will confess I am not a computer nerd nor a computer nerd's son so to blog is a strange new world to me. I suppose one must codgitate, ruminate and meditate before blogitating. All of which sometime gives me a headache.
I have spent some 76 years on this planet, although for a good many years I wasn't actually on the planet I was driving an airplane some small distance above the surface of it, and during all those years I never really felt a need to go probing the blogosphere. But never being a thumb twidling type I said to myself, "Self you need a hobby." Self agreed with me, which he doesn't always do by the way, and so I commenced to explore the world of Civil War reenacting.
I came into this world with a fascination for this period of history. By the time I was old enough to start school I had already read Shelby Foot's narative of the said war. This whetted my appetite. As the years and books went clicking by I became more and more interested in this confliction. By middle age I could squint my eyes and see long columns of ragged but determined troops marching toward Shiloh. On a quiet day if I listened I could hear the distant thunder of Yankee guns along the Kennesaw line. Sometimes as I read, I could smell black powder smoke curling from the pages of "Battle Cry of Freedom". Usually at such a time I realized I had set my pant leg on fire with my cigar. Be that as it may, it finally culminated in my venturing too near a real life reenactment and getting so caught up in the action that I grabbed a Yankee's gun from his hands and hit him over the head with it, much to the surprise of his bewildered self. Now you may think this is a slight exageration but you would be wrong, wrong. It is mostly bald face lies with just a tad bit of truth thrown in to make it interesting.
Very shortly I began to accumulate period stuff. Pantaloons with no rear pockets and held up with suspenders, goofy looking muslin shirts, wool shell jackets (I don't know why they call them that) black powder pistols, black powder rifles, black powder sabers, and gun powder tea. Period canteen was a must as well as tin plates, tin cups, and home made forks and knifes. I had to have a black leather belt complete with a Texas buckle to hang these accouterments on.
Learning to walk in a column of troops with out knocking some one down or punching them in the hindquarters with my rifle was no easy chore for a full growed man(you see I even began to talk period). My reenactor friends called me Farby Freddy. Sleeping on the ground with just a blanket with period ants crawling in my period mustache was so much fun I could hardly stand it.
Finally after years of this delightful hobby I began to think maybe I should write a book about life during this period, you know with lots of action, adventure, dastardly yankees and of course, lots of pretty ladies and ante-bellum romance. It took about two years of typing with my two fingers and an old worn out period typewriter but it is now on the market.
It is titled Tales of Travis Hawkins McCleod It may be purchased through Amazon or Barnes & Noble for around 18 Yankee dollars and I'll bet my last period cigar you will enjoy the read .
If not write and tell me anyways. I'm a sociable old cuss and like to jaw and argue.
Dale Roberts
I have spent some 76 years on this planet, although for a good many years I wasn't actually on the planet I was driving an airplane some small distance above the surface of it, and during all those years I never really felt a need to go probing the blogosphere. But never being a thumb twidling type I said to myself, "Self you need a hobby." Self agreed with me, which he doesn't always do by the way, and so I commenced to explore the world of Civil War reenacting.
I came into this world with a fascination for this period of history. By the time I was old enough to start school I had already read Shelby Foot's narative of the said war. This whetted my appetite. As the years and books went clicking by I became more and more interested in this confliction. By middle age I could squint my eyes and see long columns of ragged but determined troops marching toward Shiloh. On a quiet day if I listened I could hear the distant thunder of Yankee guns along the Kennesaw line. Sometimes as I read, I could smell black powder smoke curling from the pages of "Battle Cry of Freedom". Usually at such a time I realized I had set my pant leg on fire with my cigar. Be that as it may, it finally culminated in my venturing too near a real life reenactment and getting so caught up in the action that I grabbed a Yankee's gun from his hands and hit him over the head with it, much to the surprise of his bewildered self. Now you may think this is a slight exageration but you would be wrong, wrong. It is mostly bald face lies with just a tad bit of truth thrown in to make it interesting.
Very shortly I began to accumulate period stuff. Pantaloons with no rear pockets and held up with suspenders, goofy looking muslin shirts, wool shell jackets (I don't know why they call them that) black powder pistols, black powder rifles, black powder sabers, and gun powder tea. Period canteen was a must as well as tin plates, tin cups, and home made forks and knifes. I had to have a black leather belt complete with a Texas buckle to hang these accouterments on.
Learning to walk in a column of troops with out knocking some one down or punching them in the hindquarters with my rifle was no easy chore for a full growed man(you see I even began to talk period). My reenactor friends called me Farby Freddy. Sleeping on the ground with just a blanket with period ants crawling in my period mustache was so much fun I could hardly stand it.
Finally after years of this delightful hobby I began to think maybe I should write a book about life during this period, you know with lots of action, adventure, dastardly yankees and of course, lots of pretty ladies and ante-bellum romance. It took about two years of typing with my two fingers and an old worn out period typewriter but it is now on the market.
It is titled Tales of Travis Hawkins McCleod It may be purchased through Amazon or Barnes & Noble for around 18 Yankee dollars and I'll bet my last period cigar you will enjoy the read .
If not write and tell me anyways. I'm a sociable old cuss and like to jaw and argue.
Dale Roberts
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