Outpost III - AAR Thread

[DougCooper]

Re: Outpost III - AAR Thread

A note on the little things:

Rations on the fed side were perfect...meaning "not voluminous" - and tasked the soldiers with making them last for two days. In Company A we ate everything, even the ubiquitous onion and ALL the potatoes. Not even a coffee bean made it home with me. All worked together and all shared equally. Rod Miller made a fantastic potato stew that reminded us of the story "Stone Soup". Somehow he got the hardtack to turn into a noodle consistency. For his trouble he was promoted to regimental cook and sent down to HQ to work some magic. He went off rather dejectedly muttering that he really could not cook. Wrong.

The period maps!!!! Don Smith did a superb job here, and it likely gave us a real advantage.

Best ever drink: Tea with condensed milk given to me by our Adjutant for Co A as our second shift went on guard. It was enough to warm those going out and those coming in. Thanks Andrew!!

Noise: We were reminded again how well any noise travels at night. We could distinctly hear most conversations above a whisper from the reb pickets, including the horses in the CS cav. A cough could be heard at 200 yards, ditto cup hitting scabbard, horse whinnies and such. During the day, the rebel yell was not your friend, as it told the other federal companies what was happening out of our vision and we could gauge direction and unit size. You guys never yell when you are going backward, only forward :D

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: Outpost III - AAR Thread

Thanks Mssrs Scorchy and Woodburn for bearing with me. I can understand how the general Battalion report would take awhile and I'm sure it will be worth seeing.

Charles, based on my recent experience, that sort of message directed to certain moderators would draw a warning. But I'm sure you couldn't help yourself.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Outpost III - AAR Thread

I can't really add much to what's already been said...
I had a great weekend! I realized on my way home that it felt like it had been years since I'd thought about work or anything else. Isn't that what "vacation" is all about?

I would like to thank all the gentlemen of Company "D"! From our leader to each private, you all made the weekend for me! The early morning patrol with Lt. Craddock & Co. and the long afternoon on picket duty with Mess'rs Heath, Lewis, & Co. were great. There is no better way to get into the moment than being in a situation that requires your complete attention and you have no idea what to expect.

From anything I have ever read, there is a common thread that connects combat soldiers from the Revolution to present conflicts: Fatigue. Not "fatigue duty", but just being worn out. If there is any truth to this, then I (and many others) had a truly "authentic" experience. I have never before attended an event where an entire battalion flopped on their backs in an open field before dawn on Saturday morning and fallen fast asleep!

By the time I came off of picket duty on 2am Sunday, I was done in! I lay down next to a small fire and closed my eyes. What seemed like moments later, I woke shivering with cold and opened my eyes to see the cold ashes of the fire by which I'd fallen asleep. Evidently, I'd been asleep for more than 3 hours. I later learned that our 2nd Sergeant, Jim Conley, tried to wake me about 20 minutes after I'd gone off duty to ask me about the cavalry riding about out in the dark. He called my name and tried to shake me awake to no avail. I had ZERO recollection of it!

Events like this also provide us a chance to hone our field craft. On the way home, I estimated that I probably wore my knapsack for about 75% of the time I was there. Prior to the event, I scrutinized every item that went into my haversack or knapsack to reduce weight.

My knapsack contained:
A Federal Blanket, gum blanket, writing kit, comb (no comments, please), candle, candlestick, stocking cap, scarf, mittens, extra socks, some rope, housewife, a small tin containing rifle cleaning supplies, a large cup/boiler, and towel.

My haversack contained:
Tin plate, tin cup, knife, fork, spoon, handkerchief, can of "essence", matches, pocket knife, and the key to my van (...and rations, of course!).

As lightly packed as I was, not even all of this stuff was necessary. At one point on Saturday morning, we were instructed to pack up and make sure that nothing was making noise. After 2 tries to find a way to quietly carry my tin cup, I tossed the thing (muttering a few expletives). Jim asked me if I was "just gonna throw my cup away"... I replied "Yep! The @#$* thing is making too much noise". Jim correctly noted that, if I was coming to this conclusion in 2007, surely many soldiers arrived at the same conlusion in 186X.

While there were no real disappointments, I had expected the event to be more of a picket post. As it turned out, it was closer to a tactical. I don't know if this was by circumstance or by design. Whatever the intent, there were plenty of good moments and lots of great folks!

My sincere thanks to all who made this event happen!

I would also like to thank the folks at "Samboli's" Italian restaurant of Spring Hill. They made some awesome calzone's for Calloway, Farley, Gulley, and me before we stepped off for the event. The sucker was 12" long and in the shape of a semi-circle. None of us could finish one... and they were the "small" size! I'm not sure if I'd have made it through the event without that meal! Yum! I was really looking forward to another one on Sunday, only to learn that they were closed. I could've cried!

Thanks, folks!

[Micah Trent]

Re: Outpost III - AAR Thread

Hats off to the WIG for an event that none of us will forget!
As part of Scuba Steve's Co. B, I still believe we covered more ground then the Critter's did, especially Sunday's force march that put us behind Confederate lines, on what I believe was their far left. As much noise as we made going though the thickets and brush and crossing the creek, it wasn't a wonder that we didn't get spotted sooner.
The moment that stuck out the most for me was when myself and the boys from the Liberty Rifles were getting ready to releave a group of our pickets when Capt. Ewing comes up and says we have guys missing at post. Ewing takes off quickly and literally disappears. Moments ealrier Commander Sorchy had made his way down there making a grand round and we never saw him return! When we made our way down to the post, there was no one to be found, not even Ewing or Sorchy. All we saw was an abandoned fire with clothes and gear scattered on the ground. It was one of those "Oh, sh*t!" moments. The feeling was one that was uncomfortable and we fell back to camp to report to Sgt. Cornett. When we arrived, here comes Capt. Ewing out of nowhere telling us everyone had been found. Our thought was, "Where the hell did you go!"
We then made our way back to the post to find everyone there that was suppose to be there. Come to find out, a few of our men (Calloway and Mason) snuck into Confederalte lines...what they did I have no idea.
Anyway, an awesome event.
Want to say a special thanks to Terry Sorchy. Despite the pressure, you did a good job! Oh, and the pies friday night hit the spot!...Terry promised and delivered.:wink_smil

[Hairy Nation Boys]

Re: Outpost III - AAR Thread

Doug,

When was this stew made? All I got was half a boiled potato. Must have been when my section was out.

[Jim of The SRR]

Re: Outpost III - AAR Thread

How many registered for the various units, and how many of those attended?

What did the morning reports show for Saturday and Sunday?

If either side issued ammunition or rations, how did that work out? Did you use period forms and procedures or something tailored for the event?

Did specific rules of engagement exist to cover the tactical encounters? Did the event use OCs or umpires? If so, how many? If not, how did the units engaged determine the outcome of different engagements?

Did the commands have specific objectives to accomplish and, if so, how well did each perform? Who decided whether or not the objectives of the exercise were accomplished?

How closely did the event reflect an actual encounter?

Apart from that, I would appreciate hearing about anything related to paperwork under field conditions.

Thanks!

Michael,

We were Co. C on the Federal side. We functioned with 34 men.

Rations were issued friday evening. Some forage was also shared with us from the cabin that was raided (but not much).

Our Sgts also kept careful track of ammunition counts throughout the weekend. Extra ammunition was brought up once from the wagons when we ran low.

Our company used Morning reports. We also used Guard Mount reports for our Guard rotations.

Rules of engagement were that we were to react appropriately and take approriate hits. That is what I really enjoyed...is that everyone reacted in an appropriate manner to each situation. No OCs were used. Prisoner exchange was handled in an organized manner by the Staffs. We took our wounded out of action for 1-2 hours (it varied depending on where the whole battalion was moving).

Our staff and officers used our maps (courtesy of Don Smith as our Topo man) to come up with objectives. On Saturday our objective was a location. On Sunday our objective was to destroy the enemy.

Paperwork is never fun in the dark.

Regards,
Jim Butler

[Charles Heath]

Re: Outpost III - AAR Thread

Speaking of haversack contents...for those who haven't cleared the trash from their trusty feed bags, this could be a great day to remove those green onions before you-know-what happens in a few days. Not that this has ever happened to anyone before.

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: Outpost III - AAR Thread

Thanks, Jim. I appreciate the tone :)

I had wondered about the OC situation. My own experience leads me to think that it's better to do as you all did, without them, especially if you have the right folks to begin with. The honor system seems quicker and more flexible than waiting for, or getting past, an OC.

Despite my interest in paperwork, I don't especially enjoy doing it, especially in the dark. I suspect that in a tactical situation such as the one you all portrayed, most everything would have consisted of short, penciled notes, written up more formally later, if at all.

Sounds like a great event all round. Hope to see you in the field again some time.

[Andy Ackeret]

Re: Outpost III - AAR Thread

Doug,

When was this stew made? All I got was half a boiled potato. Must have been when my section was out.

Holler,

2nd section didn't see any stew either.

[Silvana Siddali]

Re: Outpost III - AAR Thread

First of all, I want to thank Carrie Craddock for inviting us to participate. It was a real honor to be allowed to join in. Carrie did a fantastic job organizing the event and deserves a lot of credit for her hard work. The WIG staff (Art Milbert, Patrick Craddock, and others) repaired the roof of the cabin, and built us a nice handy little outhouse and a chicken coop. That was a great deal of work and must have taken several weekends of their free time. Thank you very much to all for these comforts, and if I’ve left off anyone’s name, please let me know. The cabin was furnished with beds, tables, chairs, and lots of homey touches.

Carrie, Liz, and Kim treated us like family. I will never forget the many kindnesses they extended to us. More to the point, the event was interesting and enjoyable, too. These ladies faced a scary situation (being surrounded by rough-and-tumble federal cavalry and a coffee-less Terry Sorchy) with bravery and humor.

For us, the event was a real lesson in the experience of civilians living in the path of opposing armies. Because the cabin is situated next to a creek in a little hollow we were somewhat isolated from the fighting. We certainly heard it all weekend. Sometimes we would climb the ridge to find out what was happening, but couldn’t see much. So we had to wait for news, just as people did then. After a while the constant sound of fighting became commonplace and we learned to ignore it. Mostly we spent our time cooking, cleaning, doing our needlework, and fending off Remarks by the cavalry who had stationed themselves in our yard. I want to say that although those fellows have a scary reputation, I found them pleasant, funny, and friendly. I was touched to hear them talk about their families and realized that even the most intimidating guys have attachments to home and hearth. At least -- when they had enough coffee in their systems.

I do wish they hadn’t broken the pitchfork, because that made it impossible to keep up with the vast mountains of horse patooties that seemed to pile up in front of our cabin.

Coffee seemed to be the theme of our time there. Between Mr. Musgrove kicking in the cabin door to try to force us out of bed to make him a pot of coffee, and Mr. Sorchy (who is normally a very pleasant man) fixing me with a steely glare while demanding that I make coffee for his entire regiment, we were kept busy with the beans.

We had a little excitement when the prisoners were brought back to our homestead. We recognized a few of them and tried what we could to help make them comfortable. I felt sorry for the poor boy who was tied by the neck to a tree. And I was deeply touched when Brian and Patrick came to camp under a flag of truce to inform poor Liz that her husband had been killed. Their demeanor was so moving that we were all left feeling quite sad and shocked.

Greg raised a good point (a few pages ago) about civilian/military interactions at such events. For some time now I’ve been studying the way civilian women would have behaved in situations where they were confronting an occupying force. While my own reading has mostly dealt with Missouri, I think there are probably some parallels in Tennessee, another border state with a divided population. This isn’t the place to go into a long discussion, but in summary, my feeling is that civilian women who became too violent (verbally, tobacco-ly, or otherwise) risked having their houses burned down or other terrifying consequences. From diaries & memoirs I’ve read, most respectable women were probably too frightened or too worried about their belongings, homes, and families to behave very aggressively. If they were told to make coffee they’d make coffee. I’ve seen enough references to federal soldiers asking women to play the piano or to sing; I believe that military/civilian interactions may have been more civil and certainly less abusive than is often portrayed at events. (At least, let’s say in 1862.) An example: when Greg asked me for milk I tried to make a bargain with him, but he didn’t have anything to trade that we really needed (chiefly, some kind of fat to use for frying.) In the end it was easier just to let him have it, and he responded by taking only what he needed and making polite conversation.

To sum up, I had a wonderful time with Anna (as always), Carrie, Liz, Kim, and Paul, and learned a great deal. I feel that I made excellent new friends. Thanks for all your hard work and your kind hospitality.

[Andy Ackeret]

Re: Outpost III - AAR Thread

Holler,

2nd section didn't see any stew either.

Mystery solved. What Doug was served as "stew" was evidentially drained to become a pot of potatoes which were handed out to the men as single boiled potatoes.

[Rmhisteach]

Re: Outpost III - AAR Thread

Holler,

2nd section didn't see any stew either.

Andy, Holler and the rest of Co. A. The stew was for Sgt's mess. We had planned to make such a combonation long before we had to fall in . I made it in my porriger and there wasn't all that much of it.

RM

[DougCooper]

Re: Outpost III - AAR Thread

As usual, one of the great advantages coming out of an event like this is training and experience. Training as a battalion is one of those. On Friday at the US camp, Commander Terry Sorchy called out the officers, 1st and 2nd Sgts and Guides and gave us all a piece of string corresponding to the length of a company front. For the next hour we maneuvered through the school of the battalion. It was invaluable and helped cement the various parts of the battalion together...and came in very handy on the "debatable ground."

[Charles Heath]

Re: Outpost III - AAR Thread

Oh, to H--l with your d--mned yankee 'tater stew, cuz Iron Chef WIG passed out some finer than quartered frawghair boiled rice that was to die for. At the time, we didn't realize the good sergeant major was fattening us up for the upcoming slaugther on a forkful, but I digress.

Quote not heard, "Hey, they are going to die anyway, so let's grab their canteens for reissue."

Portion Control Mess,

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Outpost III - AAR Thread

Best "mugging" I ever had... or ever will, I suspect. ;)

So much great stuff... where to start???

Huzzah for Outpost III as the best!!!

Your comrade -Johnny Lloyd