Travelogue: Civil War Re-Enactment, Part 7

Battle of the Schoolhouse

Event: Civil War Re-Enactment
Date: Sunday, February 16, 2014
Location: Calico Ghost Town

Schoolhouse

The yellow ropes are back.  This time, Union soldiers occupy the upper road at the top of the main hill.  Their cannons point across a gully, toward the Confederate cannon on a second hill, where the old schoolhouse stands.  A Union soldier explains the ropes are for our own safety.  The gunpowder's real, and it's dangerous.

"Why don't you use real bullets, too?" quips a member of the audience.

"We'd have a hard time recruiting new people," the soldier replies.

Union Cannon Faces Confederate Cannon

I can't see the schoolhouse at all--one of the restaurants blocks it off.  The best I can do is peer across the gully from cannon to cannon.  The Union troops wait in lines, as the cannon is loaded.  Warning is given.  The cannon blasts.  At the same time, a unit of Union soldiers breaks off from the main group and makes for the schoolhouse.

It takes me a minute to figure out why.  The barrage of cannon fire gives the infantry cover.  They can march more safely when everyone's distracted by the Boom!  Sure enough, each time the Union cannons fire, another unit of foot soldiers take off.

Union Barrage

The Confederates fire back.  I don't know what kind of gunpowder they're sticking in, but their Booms! seems exponentially louder than the Union's.  Maybe it's because I know when to expect a blast from the Union cannon--I see the men load it and hear the leader shout "Fire!"  The Confederates take me by surprise; that makes the noise louder.  So I start to watch the Confederate cannon very closely.

Boom! goes the Confederate cannon

Boom! replies the Union cannon.

Suddenly, cheers break out from the audience.  I turn my head just in time to see the last unit of blue-coated soldiers go running down into the gully.  The flag bearer stands tall, as Union troops kneel and fire.  Snap, snap, snap.  Smoke wafts around them.



Charging Across the Gully

The artillery can't deal with this.  It's up to a few Confederate gunmen to hold the hill from the advance of Union troops.  There's something very Western about the scene.  The Confederates play a feisty group of bandits, the Union is the long arm of the law.  As the blue-coats fire their riffles in unison, a Confederate falls.  The audience Awws sympathetically.

Other stuff's going on, too.  The cannons keep firing.  Union soldiers sent out earlier are most likely conducting some awesome raid on the Confederate camp that I can't see at all.  Some green-coated Union sharpshooters invade the gully itself but die before they reach the cannons.  (I question the veracity of the term "sharpshooter.")



Fighting in the Gully: Confederates and Green Coat

Mostly, though, I'm entranced by the drama taking place at the base of the hill.  It's a shoot out!  Even though the Confederates have the high ground, the Union's superior numbers prove to be too much.  The Confederates drop like flies, until only a single soldier remains.

It looks like a firing squad.  The Union blasts at the lone Confederate, smoke pouring forth from their riffles.

Fun fact!  Do you know that the riffles in the Civil War were atrociously inaccurate?  Why, only a few hours earlier, some of the Confederates told me that getting hit with a bullet was considered an act of divine providence--if a minie ball pierced your heart, God clearly meant you to die.



Last Stand

And so, despite the fact that the lone Confederate is maybe ten feet away, not one of the Union soldiers can bring him down.  The Confederate gunman shoots a pistol into the thick of blue-coats.  Same result; not one of the enemy dies.  It's almost comical how close they stand and yet can't kill each other.  This would be a good time for bayonets, but those are banned for safety reasons.

At last the valiant Confederate receives a shoulder wound.  He holds his ground, but it's over.  The Union soldiers shoot, and he falls into the dust.  Now the Union soldiers are free to capture the cannon.

Union Takes the Hill

From the furthest edges of my vision, I see the porch of the schoolhouse.  Union soldiers have taken it.  They march to the Confederate cannon to join their brothers in claiming victory.  The star-spangled banner flaps triumphantly in the wind.

Then, as if on cue, the dead soldiers rise zombie-like from the ground.

The audience applauds.

Confederate Cannon

* * *

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer: All quotes are approximate.

Travelogue: Civil War Re-Enactment, Part 6

Grant's Press Conference

Event: Civil War Re-Enactment
Date: Sunday, February 16, 2014
Location: Calico Ghost Town

On the main street stage, General U.S. Grant is having technical difficulties.  The same electronic equipment that gives him access to the microphone also plays soft but distracting frontier music.  Eventually, Grant just shuts it off, to the applause of the audience.

Grant on Stage

"I never did care for music," he says.  "The military band wanted to know my favorite song, so they could play it during dinner.  I told them I have two.  One's 'Yankee Doodle.'  And the other one isn't."

Grant is wearing a black coat with shiny buttons on it.  It's a civilian frock with the military insignia's sewn on--a duster, like he saw Zachary Taylor wear.  He's got a cigar in his hand; after being asked a question, he puts it to his mouth, pausing for reply.  A man in the audience asks why he smokes cigars.  Grant answers in this day and age everyone smokes.

  But he's very ardent that doesn't drink.  Not at this time, toward the end of the Civil War. (Though drinking did cause him disgrace earier in his military career.)  Someone in the audience starts to press him on this matter.  Here the impersonator breaks character and says that as a former Marine and someone who followed Grant since he was 8, he's convinced that General Grant could not have run a successful military campaign if he were drunk.

There are many other stories.  Like the time Grant took his son to a hotel and no one knew who he was until he signed the guest book.  Thereupon everyone made such a fuss that he couldn't eat.  That same night there was a reception for his upcoming promotion, but someone forgot to invite.  Someone whisked him away at the last minute.  The room parted like the red sea when he arrived; they made him stand on a sofa so everyone could see him. Lincoln spoke to Grant afterwards and expressly told him not to give him his military plans, because Lincoln, by his own admittance, was a terrible gossip.

A Terrible Gossip

But my favorite vignette is brief and telling.

The Battle of Shiloh, 1862. The first day of fighting didn't go well.  The Confederate general took Grant by surprise.  The expected reinforcements didn't come in until later that evening.  In the midst of all this chaos, Grant sat under a tree, whittling.

"We lost today," Sherman commented.

"Yep," Grant calmly replied.  "We'll whip 'em tomorrow."

And they did.

* * *

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer: All quotes are approximate.

Travelogue: Civil War Re-Enactment, Part 4

Battle of the Ruins

Event: Civil War Re-Enactment
Date: Sunday, February 16, 2014
Location: Calico Ghost Town

I remember a comical episode from the First Battle of Bull Run and Manassas.  It was summer of 1861, the war had just started, and confidence ran high that the Union would whip the rebels quick and go back to business as usual.  The war was all so amusing that Northern picnickers sat in the fields behind the Union lines in order to watch the festivities.  It grew less amusing when Union troops lost the battle and broke into a frenzied retreat.  Thereupon the picnickers realized they were closer to the action than they liked, hauled up their baskets, and scrambled away before Union and Confederate troops alike trampled their beloved blankets.

That's sort of how I feel right now--like one of those picnickers eager to exploit the war for my own selfish entertainment.  The scent of popcorn fills the air as bystanders claim their seats upon the rocks.  I'm irritated because no matter where I go, I can't get a perfect view.

Ruins and Stage

The Union troops occupy the ruins of Chinatown.  I look at the maze of crumbled orange walls and my mind thinks "fort."  The ruins are the battlements, the center stage is the inner keep, the log fence is the outer wall, and the stairs leading into the fort is the main front gate.

A Confederate cannon sits a few feet from my newly imagined gate.  Unfortunately, I can barely see it, because a stupid tree blocks my view.  I also wouldn't mind getting closer to the fence, so as to take better picture of the blue-uniformed soldiers, but no, a yellow rope cuts me off.  At last I give up and find a nice rock to sit on.

Later I do get a good picture.  BOOM!

I'm chatting with my dad about Pickett's Charge, when the blast of the Confederate cannon loudly announces the start of the battle.  It sounds like a firecracker and makes me jump.

In response, a battalion of perhaps 12 Union soldiers form a line along the wall and open fire on the cannon.  Their guns sound rather less fearsome.  Sort of like snapping.  White smoke discharges from their guns and wafts around them.  I suddenly wonder if whoever coined the phrase "fog of war" meant it literally.

The cannon replies to the gunshots.  BOOM.  There's a pause as everyone reloads.  The Union opens fire.  Snap, snap, snap.  Pause.  BOOM.  Pause.  Snap, snap, snap.  Pause.  BOOM.

Union Soldiers Open Fire

The snapping reminds me of the popcorn.  But soon after I think it, the air begins to reek of rotten eggs, and I'm vividly reminded that one of the three main ingredients in gunpowder is sulfur--the other two being charcoal and potassium nitrate (saltpeter).

I can think about things like the ingredients in gunpowder, because the action thus far hasn't been gripping.  The Confederate's frontal assault seems neither imaginative nor very well thought-out.  A lone cannon to take out a fort?  How do they possibly expect to--

"Get out, you Yankee Dogs."

Confederates Emerge from Behind

My head snaps away from the tree--er, cannon.  A gang of Confederate soldiers have emerged from out of nowhere behind the Union line, pinning the blue soldiers between their guns and the cannon.  The taunt gives the Union troops time to pull into a defensive position.  The rebels open fire.  Snap, snap, snap.  BOOM! I flinch as the cannon goes off again.

The Union soldiers back up against the wall.  Suddenly shots ring from the distant hills.  A couple Confederate gunman, like outlaws, open fire on the walled fortress.  Now the Union is beset by three sides.

Somehow the cannon's moved up to the fortress while I was distracted by the gunmen.  Wait!  It's not just a cannon.  There are Confederate troops as well.  (Curse you tree for blocking my view!)  The troops have breeched the gate and are climbing down the stairs.  They're taking over the ruins!  Union!  Get your act together!

Marching on the Gate

Everything's moving so quickly, even though none of the soldiers seem to rush.  The Confederate troops who emerged from behind the Union line ("Get out, you Yankee Dogs!") march between the yellow rope and the fence, turn the curve, and make for the front gate stairs.  They march--they don't run.  Yet I can't keep track of the action.  The blasts of gunpowder draw my attention from hills to cannon to Union line and back.  People end up where they're not supposed to be.  The fort is overrun.

The blue-coated soldiers fall back to the center stage.  They're rallying around the Union flag.  But it's too late.  The Confederates have moved in.  The Union gives ground and gives ground, until they're pushed out of the fort completely.  A few last shots from the hills, and it's over.

The rebels hoist their flag in the center of the fort and stand in solemn attention.  A lone bugle plays an anthem.  The Confederates have won this round.

Confederate Salute

* * *

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer: All quotes are approximate.

Travelogue: Civil War Re-Enactment, Part 3

A Soldier's Pack

Event: Civil War Re-Enactment

Date: Sunday, February 16, 2014

Location: Calico Ghost Town

My parents find the bayonet. 

An old Confederate soldier holds the long metal shaft in his hand.  He indicates the tepee-shaped tip, explains how when you stick a man through with it, the bayonet leaves an odd-shaped hole that a surgeon cannot easily stitch up.  So the wound festers and the man dies.  This is just one of the reasons why the bayonet was among most feared weapons in all the Civil War.

Also, it was very good for cooking meat.

The bayonet is one of many fun items arranged on the old soldier's table.  There is a square-headed tooth brush with a bone handle, tooth cleaning powder in a round tin, soap, small white candles, little sacks of rice and beans, and a tin cup with ice water--though the ice is probably not historically accurate.  Everything fits into the soldier's canvas bag, which is coated in tar.  The tar keeps the rain from contaminating the goods.

Fun stuff in a Soldier's Pack

I don't know how it happens, but suddenly I'm recruited into the Confederate army.  The old soldier puts a gray wool coat on me.  It's cotton-lined and not nearly as hot as it looks.  But it is a bit heavy.   

He has a blanket, too, which he's rolled up and twisted into an oval shape.  Some soldiers carry their blankets on their backs.  He prefers to loop it around his neck and demonstrates this tactic by sticking it on me.  The blanket oval goes over my head and through one arm.  It mildly chokes me.  He says it will flatten over time and then sticks a musket in my hand.

In the Confederate Army

The weight is beginning to add up.  I'm not falling over or anything, but it is uncomfortable.  The blanket oval reminds me of a harness.

"I feel like a pack horse," I comment.

The old Confederate lifts up his boot.  A horseshoe is nailed into the heel.

Soldiers actually did this during the Civil War.  The horseshoe broke up the ground and gave them better traction when marching over rough terrain.

We turn to the food.  I see what looks like a very large, very fat saltine cracker.

I become excited.  "Is that--?"

   
"Hardtack."



Hardtack.  Image courtesy of New Boston Historical Society.

Teeth Dullers. Worm Castles.

 Way back in high school I read about this Civil War ration with horrific delight.  A simple mixture of flour, salt, and water created this indestructible biscuit that soon became the bane of soldiers everywhere.  And now I have the chance to eat it!

But first I must break off a piece, and that proves to be about as easy as ripping a rock.  The darn thing will not crumble.  At last the old soldier manages to chisel me off a morsel.  I pop it in my mouth.

"Don't bite down," he warns.

I know.  I let the hardtack soften in my spit.  I'm surprised how quickly it dissolves.  For all the mythos regarding the hardtack, it really just tastes like a saltine cracker.

Of course this hardtack is new.  The soldier tells me his wife made it this weekend.  In the Civil War, hardtack would last for months.  Sometimes they'd acquire unexpected guests, which would wriggle out when the soldiers soaked the biscuit in their chicory "coffee."

"But I don't think the soldiers minded the worms," the old soldier tells me.  "Extra protein."

I can't imagine anyone wanting to eat worms.  But it's true the soldiers were in a perennial state of hunger, especially on the Confederate side.

A second Confederate soldier, popping in on our conversation, tells us how he saw Confederate uniforms on display at a museum, that they looked so small, they almost seemed fake.  "These were men who stood at 5' 6" and weighed about 130 pounds.  You could put your hands completely around their waist."

Unlike the Impersonators

At the time of the Civil War, one woman describing the Confederate soldiers noted the "gaunt starvation that looked from their cavernous eyes" and further remarked: "That they could march or fight at all seems incredible." (Grant, 201).  Needless to say, after the battle, soldiers could often be found stripping supplies off the dead, friend and foe alike.

This brings me to the quiz portion of this blog.

Question:  What's the number one thing that soldiers would look for when foraging off the battlefield?   Is it:

a. money
b. food
c. ammunition
d. canteens
e. shoes

Surprisingly, the answer is d. canteens.  Next they looked for ammunition, followed by food.  However, if a soldier did see a dead man with money or a nice set of shoes, well, it wasn't going to do him any good, was it?

Confederate Camp

* * *

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer: All quotes are approximate.


Additional Sources:

Grant, R. G.  Warrior: A Visual History of the Fighting Man.  DK Publishing: New York, 2010.

Harding, David (editor).  Weapons: An International Encyclopedia from 5000 B.C. to 2000 A.D.  Diagram Visual: New York, 1990.

Travelogue: Civil War Re-Enactment, Part 2

Guns

Event: Civil War Re-Enactment
Date: Sunday, February 16, 2014
Location: Calico Ghost Town

I like old weapons.  Even the ones that aren't shiny.

Pretty.

The Springfield model musket-riffles are made of polished walnut and sit together in a line on a rack.  No glass separates me from these guns--I can reach out and take one and cradle it in my arm.  I consider it.  Will anyone actually stop me if I do?  Maybe not, but I decide to get permission from the man or the woman running the table, just in case.

So far my strategy of buzzing around the table like a fly has not been paying off.  No one's noticed me.  Boldly, I decide to approach one of the people and ask.  The man finishes his conversation, so I walk over to him.

"How do you load one of these guns?" I ask.

I ask because I really want to know; I was researching the weapons earlier, looking at pictures of cartridges and caps, with no idea how to fit them together.  I also ask because apparently I am not yet brave enough to say I want to hold the gun.

The man takes one of the riffles off the display.  "It's a six step process," he says, but neglects to number his actions, leaving me to guess which step is which.  This is what I've come up with:

1.  Take a paper cartridge, tear it open with your teeth, and pour it down the barrel.  (He doesn't actually break the packet, but mimes the action.  He tells me the cartridge holds a 60-grain black powder.  Soldiers liked to store extra ones in their pockets.)

  2. Stick in a ball or minie ball. * (I'd heard of these minie balls but had never seen one until now. The man holds up what looks more or less like a bullet.  Well, that's disappointingly common.)

3. Take a ramrod and push the gunpowder and bullet deep into the muzzle.  (Now I'm really paying attention because one of the things I never could figure out was where the soldiers hid the ramrod. The man pulls it out of the underside of the barrel.  I hadn't even noticed the thin unassuming pole. The man loads his gun with one clean push.)

4.  Take the ramrod out of the gun.  (Now things become confusing, as the man veers off topic in order to tell an anecdote about how soldiers would forget to take their ramrod out of the barrel and end up shooting it at the enemy.)

Exploded Percussion Cap

5.  Stick on a percussion cap to ignite the charge.  (Here's another mystery solved.  I'd seen these little golden caps--which remind me of thumbtacks--in my book, but I didn't know what they were used for.  Apparently, the gun's hammer crushes the copper cap, creating a spark that makes the gunpowder explode.)

6.  Ready, aim, fire.  (I assume.)

"Most soldiers could fire 3 shots a minute," the man tells me.

I wonder how the men protected themselves during that awkward 20-second loading phase.  The man explains that soldiers lined up in rows of two, one in front, one in the back.  To demonstrate, he gives me one of the guns.

(Yes!  I get to hold it!  Sometimes the subtle approach works!)

I'm in the front.  I get to fire first.  Boom.

While I'm pretending to fire, the man behind me is loading his riffle.  His commander gives him the order, so he sets the barrel of the gun onto my shoulder and shoots.  I feel the gun uncomfortably close to my head.

"Did anyone ever get their ear blown off?" I ask.

"Oh yes," he replies.  "And many of them went deaf."

I hand back the gun and go on my merry way.

In the Union Army now.

* Other sources suggest that gunpowder and bullet alike were wrapped in the same paper cartridge. If this is the case, I can't fathom what the second step would be.

* * *

To Be Continued...

Disclaimer: All quotes are approximate.

Additional Sources:

Grant, R. G.  Warrior: A Visual History of the Fighting Man.  DK Publishing: New York, 2010.

Harding, David (editor).  Weapons: An International Encyclopedia from 5000 B.C. to 2000 A.D.  Diagram Visual: New York, 1990.