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I have written three or four AAR's and junked them all. I had another long AAR that was destroyed when my notebook ran out of power. In hindsight that probably saved your eyeballs and the AC site a few gigs of memory.
I could entertain you with stories about my escape from the Federal Camp and the inside jokes with 2nd platoon, but I have decided against it. You had to be there and those stories are really the privilege of the people that actually hit the field and they will be told around camp fire for years to come. I would like to note that no trees attacked me in Louisiana, if you went to Rich Mountain as a Confederate, you would get that joke too.
BGR was an honest event. What do I mean by that? Unlike some living history or mainstream events, it was a true campaigner event. You took everything you needed or didn't to the field. There was no skulking back to the car for a second blanket, no sneak off trips to the restaurants, no fresh TP and flush toilet on the trail.
No big sutlers to resupply your losses. No savory food vendors either.
So this was a learning experience. Not so much on drill or material culture, more on cooperation between men and surviving in the field. The big key was the "mess." Hal Meritt said it best, "messes were necessary to the survival and well being of the Civil War soldier."
When we first arrived at the event, 80 percent of us acted as individuals, we may have shared a fire, but there were 10 frying pans, with everyone trying to cook their own meals, sleeping alone, "doing there own thing." It wasn't until the third day (Friday) that we started to get the idea that "going at it alone" sucked.
We started to share details, look out for each other, combined our food, shared tools and supplies, shared candles and pipe tobacco, and finally we slept as one mess under one lean-to near the fire.
Being hardcore and toughing it out isn't what campaigning is all about. It's really about a group of men taking a rough situation, and not just surviving it, but living well with very little. They had to, the combat and marching was dangerous enough. Staying warm or cool was a challenge, staying well fed and getting a good sleep was important element to surviving combat and the marches.
BGR killed the myth for me that the CW soldier was "hardcore", he was actually smart, sociable and he took care of his mess mates and himself. He had the best survival tool out there, ten other men with the same goal and genuine concern for each other. If it was loaning your coat to another mess mate for picket duty, or making coffee for the platoon, everyone had some skill to share or a duty to perform. One "outsider" would make life intolerable for the rest of the platoon. A good soldier was very valuable, when we lost people in battle, we noticed the difference in our quality of life.
Time was limited after the march, having everyone doing the same detail at once was inefficient, Details should be dispersed to take advantage of the remaining daylight. Having the entire platoon clean weapons, was an example. Cooking, gathering wood, constructing shebangs, repairing equipment, issuing rations, re-filling canteens, they all had to be done. There was very little "down time" for this event.
I could have well researched the event and packed accordingly, I could have left behind the writing kit and the shaving gear and the extra shirt, however; I decided against that and I packed according to what I thought a CW soldier needed, I didn't bring a lot of exotic or extra rations, no special ingredients etc. At one point I discarded a few things from my knapsack on the trail to include a very wet shirt, one pair of socks, a deck of cards, one very large bag of coffee (from rations) and a few other knick knacks. It probably only saved 4 pounds at the most, but it was the psychological factor of "lightning the load." The pack wasn't really heavy, I was just very tired. It could have been filled with feathers and the exhaustion would make it feel like an ox yoke.
In regards to the "first person" impressions, I was just myself, with a different background. I had no quarrel with the South, but once I was captured and witnessed my comrades dying, I was really mad at "Johnny" for killing those fine men. Now that sounds funny coming from the "SC Tiger", but that the way it was. I was a Union man from Illinois for those four days. The key is to forget your beliefs and be yourself with a different set of circumstances. (I am now back to being SC Tiger, it will take a lot more than four days of reenacting before I become a Yankee.)
The only safety concerns I had at BGR, were the following. The pace was sometimes too fast for the terrain we were in and resulted in one sprained ankle. The pace later slowed down over the rough areas and the injuries decreased. We were walking down the trails with loaded muskets, that were capped. While going down hill, if someone was in front of you at right shoulder shift , the muzzle that used to be above your head was now pointing at your head. Muzzle bad. Keep it out of my face.
During the battles, we should have stopped firing around 100 yards, anything closer with ramrods and cartridges and someone could have got seriously hurt. I am not against using a ramrod, considering the experience of the people around me, we should have put better safety measures in place to limit any possible accidents. The fact that both sides were armed with Enfields in 1864, I believe most of the shooting would have occurred before they reached the 200 yard mark, any closer and the casualty rate would have been high. These were not smooth bore muskets. The Union should have withdrawn once the gray ghosts emerged from the woods and we caught sight of them. In most cases we did, but beating a hasty retreat up a steep hill or across a creek was a desperate experience I will never forget.
Building obstacles and breast works aided the soldiers in delaying a pursuing enemy.
2nd platoon, "Beavers"" 81st Illinois, did just that. We got tired of seeing Johnny having a cake walk and matching our speed. So we began to throw logs, limbs, briars, rocks and anything lose on the trail, while we were the "rear guard." There was no order from the command to do this. We did it for the delays and to inconvenience the Rebs. It was also a psychological morale booster for us.
I am also relieved that there were no female soldiers in disguise (although we did suspect Chase) at this event. The only women were out in the civilian camp. Having any woman in camp would have seriously altered the social environment and freedom that we enjoyed. We went two days without seeing a female at all. That made it seem like a vacation in some respects. When we did meet the civilians, it was brief and most of us were respectful. It was great to be a free man, if only for a day I really enjoyed the humor and the banter between friends. Once you get a camp name, like Goose, you know you are accepted (everyone except Chase). Thanks to all my comrades in 2nd platoon.
There are a lot of myths about campaigning in this hobby. In the field it wasn't about jackets types or "material culture" it was more about cooperation and comradeship than anything. That's why we had a great time being miserable. I wish more people could have attended.
I could entertain you with stories about my escape from the Federal Camp and the inside jokes with 2nd platoon, but I have decided against it. You had to be there and those stories are really the privilege of the people that actually hit the field and they will be told around camp fire for years to come. I would like to note that no trees attacked me in Louisiana, if you went to Rich Mountain as a Confederate, you would get that joke too.
BGR was an honest event. What do I mean by that? Unlike some living history or mainstream events, it was a true campaigner event. You took everything you needed or didn't to the field. There was no skulking back to the car for a second blanket, no sneak off trips to the restaurants, no fresh TP and flush toilet on the trail.
No big sutlers to resupply your losses. No savory food vendors either.
So this was a learning experience. Not so much on drill or material culture, more on cooperation between men and surviving in the field. The big key was the "mess." Hal Meritt said it best, "messes were necessary to the survival and well being of the Civil War soldier."
When we first arrived at the event, 80 percent of us acted as individuals, we may have shared a fire, but there were 10 frying pans, with everyone trying to cook their own meals, sleeping alone, "doing there own thing." It wasn't until the third day (Friday) that we started to get the idea that "going at it alone" sucked.
We started to share details, look out for each other, combined our food, shared tools and supplies, shared candles and pipe tobacco, and finally we slept as one mess under one lean-to near the fire.
Being hardcore and toughing it out isn't what campaigning is all about. It's really about a group of men taking a rough situation, and not just surviving it, but living well with very little. They had to, the combat and marching was dangerous enough. Staying warm or cool was a challenge, staying well fed and getting a good sleep was important element to surviving combat and the marches.
BGR killed the myth for me that the CW soldier was "hardcore", he was actually smart, sociable and he took care of his mess mates and himself. He had the best survival tool out there, ten other men with the same goal and genuine concern for each other. If it was loaning your coat to another mess mate for picket duty, or making coffee for the platoon, everyone had some skill to share or a duty to perform. One "outsider" would make life intolerable for the rest of the platoon. A good soldier was very valuable, when we lost people in battle, we noticed the difference in our quality of life.
Time was limited after the march, having everyone doing the same detail at once was inefficient, Details should be dispersed to take advantage of the remaining daylight. Having the entire platoon clean weapons, was an example. Cooking, gathering wood, constructing shebangs, repairing equipment, issuing rations, re-filling canteens, they all had to be done. There was very little "down time" for this event.
I could have well researched the event and packed accordingly, I could have left behind the writing kit and the shaving gear and the extra shirt, however; I decided against that and I packed according to what I thought a CW soldier needed, I didn't bring a lot of exotic or extra rations, no special ingredients etc. At one point I discarded a few things from my knapsack on the trail to include a very wet shirt, one pair of socks, a deck of cards, one very large bag of coffee (from rations) and a few other knick knacks. It probably only saved 4 pounds at the most, but it was the psychological factor of "lightning the load." The pack wasn't really heavy, I was just very tired. It could have been filled with feathers and the exhaustion would make it feel like an ox yoke.
In regards to the "first person" impressions, I was just myself, with a different background. I had no quarrel with the South, but once I was captured and witnessed my comrades dying, I was really mad at "Johnny" for killing those fine men. Now that sounds funny coming from the "SC Tiger", but that the way it was. I was a Union man from Illinois for those four days. The key is to forget your beliefs and be yourself with a different set of circumstances. (I am now back to being SC Tiger, it will take a lot more than four days of reenacting before I become a Yankee.)
The only safety concerns I had at BGR, were the following. The pace was sometimes too fast for the terrain we were in and resulted in one sprained ankle. The pace later slowed down over the rough areas and the injuries decreased. We were walking down the trails with loaded muskets, that were capped. While going down hill, if someone was in front of you at right shoulder shift , the muzzle that used to be above your head was now pointing at your head. Muzzle bad. Keep it out of my face.
During the battles, we should have stopped firing around 100 yards, anything closer with ramrods and cartridges and someone could have got seriously hurt. I am not against using a ramrod, considering the experience of the people around me, we should have put better safety measures in place to limit any possible accidents. The fact that both sides were armed with Enfields in 1864, I believe most of the shooting would have occurred before they reached the 200 yard mark, any closer and the casualty rate would have been high. These were not smooth bore muskets. The Union should have withdrawn once the gray ghosts emerged from the woods and we caught sight of them. In most cases we did, but beating a hasty retreat up a steep hill or across a creek was a desperate experience I will never forget.
Building obstacles and breast works aided the soldiers in delaying a pursuing enemy.
2nd platoon, "Beavers"" 81st Illinois, did just that. We got tired of seeing Johnny having a cake walk and matching our speed. So we began to throw logs, limbs, briars, rocks and anything lose on the trail, while we were the "rear guard." There was no order from the command to do this. We did it for the delays and to inconvenience the Rebs. It was also a psychological morale booster for us.
I am also relieved that there were no female soldiers in disguise (although we did suspect Chase) at this event. The only women were out in the civilian camp. Having any woman in camp would have seriously altered the social environment and freedom that we enjoyed. We went two days without seeing a female at all. That made it seem like a vacation in some respects. When we did meet the civilians, it was brief and most of us were respectful. It was great to be a free man, if only for a day I really enjoyed the humor and the banter between friends. Once you get a camp name, like Goose, you know you are accepted (everyone except Chase). Thanks to all my comrades in 2nd platoon.
There are a lot of myths about campaigning in this hobby. In the field it wasn't about jackets types or "material culture" it was more about cooperation and comradeship than anything. That's why we had a great time being miserable. I wish more people could have attended.
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