August 2001
Sic Semper Tyrranus Richmond, VA
It is that time again, the mega, big Civil War event of the year. Pray for good weather. Here is all the info you will need to attend. I have gotten a few emails from various sources. I have paired them down to give you the needed info. To start here is the schedule for the weekend.
1:00 PM Speaker: Dave Frantum, for the Loudoun Museum - "First Blood - Loudoun County
Men at First Manassas"
2-4 PM Horse-drawn Artillery Competition and Cavalry Competition
4-5:30 PM Napoleonic Tactics Demonstration
6:00 PM Speaker: Tom Clemens - "Artillery at Manassas"
8 PM-12 AM Activity: Dance w/ Southern Horizon (Open to the public)
8:00 PM Activity: Candlelight Tours
8:00 PM Speaker: Bob Zeller - Civil War Stereoviews
Book Signing to follow
at the Barnes & Noble tent.
8:00 PM Liaison Committee Meeting
8:00 PM Living History: Dr. Pierre's Medicine Show
Saturday, August 4, 2001:
9:00 AM Living History: Magic Show w/Mike Mescher
10:00 AM Speaker: Cissy Rorro - Period Garment Construction
10:30 AM Living History: General & Mrs. Jackson - Letters from Home
11:00 AM Speaker: Don Troiani - Artwork Question & Answer Session
Book Signing to follow at the Barnes & Noble tent.
12:00 PM Speaker: Kim Holien - "The Battle of Balls Bluff"
Book Signing to follow at the Barnes & Noble tent.
1:00 PM Speaker: John Hennessy - "1st Manassas"
Book Signing to follow at the Barnes & Noble tent.
2:00 PM Speaker: Glenna Jo Christen - Period Etiquette
2:30 PM Speaker: Virginia Mescher
3-6 PM Reenactment: The First Battle of Manassas
6:30 PM Living History: Military Funeral
7:00 PM Living History: Southern Generals Jackson, Johnston and Longstreet
8 PM - 12 AM Activity: Dance w/Potomac Thunder (Reenactors only)
Sunday, August 5, 2001:
9:00 AM Living History: Church Service
9:30-10:30 AM Speaker: Robin Reed - "Early War Uniforms" (Tentative)
10:30-11:30 AM Speaker: Robert Krick - "Stonewall Jackson"
Book Signing to follow at the Barnes & Noble tent.
12-2:30 PM Reenactment: The First Battle of Manassas
3:00 PM Living History: Curt Holbrith - Confederate Major
4:00 PM Living History: General and Mrs. Jackson discuss her visit to the battlefield
I will see you all at 1st Manassas.
First
Sergeants Report
We will be cooking Saturday morning, Saturday evening, and Sunday morning. Bring ones and your frying pans. “Some members have been slated to bring coolers full of ice. If anyone else would like to bring an extra please feel free.”
I received a letter from the Reenacting Coordinator of First Manassas, the following is what was included in the letter:
Directions:
Rt. 15 South from Frederick MD- before reaching the Leesburg by-pass, take a right on to Tutt Lane and follow signs to the event.
Rt. 15 North By-Pass ( from Rt. 7 or I-66 )- Follow Rt. 15N bypass just to the edge of town (immediately after bypass split, road turns into 2 lane) take your first left on the Tutt Lane and follow signs.
Registration:
Aug. 1 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.
Aug 2 6:00 a.m. until Sat., Aug 4 at 12:00 noon
Unloading
Vehicles:
You have got 45 minutes to unload in camp. All cars must be out of camp by Sat. Aug 4 at 7:30 a.m. During the Friday Aug 3 Tactical from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00p.m. no cars will be allowed in camp.
Significant
Rules:
Do not dig fire pits. All fires will be on top of the
ground. (get rocks)
Always wear your medallion.
Manassas
Updates
(Out of the JD Newsletter)
The Acting Commander of the Stonewall Brigade will notify his units if their assignments. The 22d Bn and CoA, 33d VA will combine as one company. Co. F, 21st VA and 4th NC will combine under the command of Capt. Jones. The 17th VA will be with Co A, 4th VA. We will be part of Col. Cummings’ Regiment and will consist of 9-10 companies with about 360 men. Other units in the Regiment Chris Anders’ Liberty Rifles, Dave Pridgeon’s 5th Bn and Mike Hendricks, Independent Volunteer Rifles. Here are the current strength reports:
SWB
2A – 4
2E- 11
4A – 40
5A- 6
27D- 18
33A- 30 (15 civ)
33E- 12
33H- 10
22BN- 20
Total- 151 (+15 civ)
JD
17 VA- 7
21F- 20
4NC- 15
Total- 42
5th BN- 35
IVR- 37
LR- 90
TOTAL-
355
The site is just north of the US 15 and US Business 15 split, north of Leesburg , VA. Take Tutt Lane to the west for about a mile and then follow the signs.
There is NO shade at the campsite, so A frame tents and tent flies are encouraged. No dog tents please. The regiment will be laid out with company streets and I will be there to direct you to the correct street. As you may have heard, there is an abundance of poison ivy at the camp, so buy/bring straw to sleep on.
Manassas SCENARIOS:
by Capt. Galleher of the SWB
(Edited for content, by Capt. Jones)
Read for content and see the F Company
note at the end.
While no "re-enactment battle recreation of a real Battle" goes anything like what we expect or remember reading in the history books, we are assuming the following: Bee's Brigade gets hammered, takes heavy causalities and has to retreat at least twice during the hour long re-enactment battle. Based on that, the Surgeons will establish the first, Aide Station (make shift hospital) a reasonable distance behind our battleline and the wounded will be taken there and treated. When the regiment is pushed back/retreats, this Aide Station with the Assistant Surgeon and one or two helpers will stay behind with the severely wounded and be captured. Stay in character and keep "playing the game." I'll explain.
We can expect our regiment to be pushed again and again. Surgeon Grabill and his volunteers will have established a second Aide Station (make shift hospital) however the causalities will continue to be heavy and when we have been effectively destroyed as a fighting organization and break...not routed but break and stream to the rear (to be rallied by our General to go and lend support to Jackson's Brigade on Henry House Hill), the Surgeon and this hospital and its volunteers and wounded should also be over run by the Federals. Stay in character and keep playing the game and maybe even get a chance to see the battle from a completely different perspective than you have probably seen in all your years of reenacting.
The reasons to keep "playing the game" and stay in character are: Your own experience and enjoyment; you'll probably give the Yanks a major 'Nut" because they have most likely never captured a working hospital before with (hopefully) dozens of wounded screaming and moaning, etc. They will have to deal with it...leave a detail or guard and maybe their medical staff will come over and join in "playing the game." And, finally the main reason to stay in character, if the battle ends anything like the original, the Federals should rout off the field and all the hospitals should be recaptured. How many times have we read in the memoirs about that sort of thing happening (Manassas, Shiloh, etc) during a battle?
We have volunteers from the SWB doing the medical. We have volunteers from the IVR to carry and help the wounded. NOW WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO TAKE HITS AND BE WOUNDED AND BE TAKEN BACK TO THE HOSPITAL(s) AND PROBABLY CAPTURED. Remember, we are doing the same battle twice and each day we get to do something different in the same battle. Our regiment will be several hundred strong, we can surely afford to have at least two dozen causalities left with the Assistant Surgeon and then again with the Surgeon later in the battle. Even more would be realistic, still leave the regiment with sufficient men to carry on and the more wounded the more stressful you make it on our medical staff and the limited supplies (also very realistic!!). We are also assuming that many of us will be in "full marching" order for this particular fight. Your blanket or ground cloth will be used by the medical staff to try and ease your discomfort as you lay there screaming with your entrails hanging out and the Surgeon trying to stuff them back in. The Colonel and other senior officers will do their best to help this scenario play itself out over the course of the battle, the surgeons and volunteers will be working hard to pull this scenario off for you boys. Make up your mind you want to play, talk a pard or two into doing it with you and plan on it.
On Sunday (5 Aug), we are the 33rd Va Infantry (Jackson's Brigade). That will be the "Battle" that the regimental Ordnance SGT will be conducting a cartridge distribution to approximately 5 companies of the regiment that have depleted their cartridges early in the fight.
In order to make the scenario work, actually create an "ammunition crisis", the regiment needs five companies to volunteer to want to play this out during the fighting on Sunday. The best situation would be to have "five" companies in the regiment actually run out of cartridges.
Any company in the regiment can participate but we would cut it off at five. If after reading the scenario, you want to participate, please contact Capt. Galleher.
In order to participate, the company would need one period ammunition box and wrapped cartridges (20 to 30 rounds per soldier). The ammunition box and cartridges would be turned into Ord SGT Mongold Friday evening (3 Aug) or early Saturday morning (4 Aug). SGT Mongold will be camped in the regiment's line of Sergeants. By Saturday morning, company letters, etc will have been determined and the ORD SGT will ensure the proper markings on the box for the appropriate company. Each company First Sergeant will be coordinated with late Saturday morning to verify status of the company's cartridges, the proper company letter and the method he will use to actually dispense the cartridges to your company during the battle.
SGT Mongold will make sure the boxes are either placed prior to the fight or are transported to the place of the fight and will then be responsible for issuing the cartridges as companies are pulled out of the battleline to replenish.
SCENARIO:
* Those companies participating in the scenario will be inspected prior to the regiment falling in and of the five companies, two will only have six cartridges per man. Three companies will only have 10 to 12 cartridges. This will guarantee that the companies don't exhaust their cartridges at the same time.
* The resupply will be located approximately 30 yards behind the battle line.
* It is expected that our portion of the battle on Sunday will be more of an offensive nature as compared to our role on Saturday, which is expected to be defensive and retreating.
* In order not to compromise the regiment's offensive power and movement, the cartridge resupply needs to occur early in the battle. And, the ORD SGT's job will be made easier as he won't have to try and keep up with the regiment with five ammunition boxes.
* Those companies participating can enjoy a new experience (running out of ammunition and having to depart the battle to resupply). The other companies in the regiment with full cartridge boxes can experience the sensation of being outnumbered and out gunned until their brother companies can return to the battle line.
F Company members please note. If you would like to participate in the 1st
Medical Scenario, that is up to each individual. It
sounds like a very worthwhile endeavor and I strongly support and encourage it. As to scenario 2, the logistics of making this
happen, will not happen this time. I have all
intentions of staying it out and holding the line, against overwhelming odds, while the
other companies go for ammo. I think I will
like that part of the scenario best of all. Maybe
it is the martyr in me, or maybe it would just take too long to unload all of Mr.
Gregory's rounds, initially. I am passing
this information along to you all so that you are prepared for what happens.
To see maps of the site and how to get to the site please see the company schedule page and follow the links.