Into The Piney Woods AAR

[Hank Trent]

Re: Into The Piney Woods AAR

Marvin,
I saw the figure right after it was made by Hank & Kyle. It was good! :D

Kyle did most of the work. I only made the noose. We were not happy with Del! :D

Seriously, Marvin is good! And besides all the fun, I always take away some insight about the complexities of slavery. In this case, I realized the power that loyalty could bring. A slave who chose to be all the things that white people wanted, wasn't necessarily giving up all control of his life to the white race. He could be banking away power, to use when he wanted.

When it came time for the colonel to decide whether to believe his own loyal slave or some white trash he'd never met, he chose to believe his slave. And I suspect that's how it really would have happened, in more than a few cases.

By the way, did anyone notice my daring attempt to fool those dastardly Yankees? I knew that a lot of Taylor's men were Louisianians who knew their way, while Banks "wasn't from around here." So at about where the first hay bales were left, I wrote a sign with charcoal that said SHREVEPORT --->, pointing the wrong way, in the hopes that Banks would see it, realize he was going the wrong way, and turn around back towards New Orleans. Even though I didn't feel like being drafted, I was still contributing to the Cause. :D

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[NewHopeChurch]

Re: Into The Piney Woods AAR

By the way, did anyone notice my daring attempt to fool those dastardly Yankees? I knew that a lot of Taylor's men were Louisianians who knew their way, while Banks "wasn't from around here." So at about where the first hay bales were left, I wrote a sign with charcoal that said SHREVEPORT --->, pointing the wrong way, in the hopes that Banks would see it, realize he was going the wrong way, and turn around back towards New Orleans. Even though I didn't feel like being drafted, I was still contributing to the Cause. :D

Haha, that was you? Yeah we caught that in Company F. Seems I was the only one who voiced he opinion that it could be a secesh trick. :wink_smil

[Gallo de Cielo]

Re: Into The Piney Woods AAR

I enjoyed the little "Del" hoo-doo figure as well as the pile of skulls with a single skull on top of a stick with a note for "Mister Sorchey" stuck in its mouth.

Del done put a hex on things with all that. Probably why the rain came, the Major lost his keys, the banjo turned up missing, a lady broke two fingers, the officers went partially hungry, Murray ran out of bounce early-on, OX took a spill, the muleskinners each nearly got crushed, and Heath's mess pan took off on him.

Bottom line- Del is not one to mess with. Never know when he'll pop out of a hay rick or pile up some skulls on your behalf.

[Mgreer]

Re: Into The Piney Woods AAR

Mr. Bell i am also glad you missed, but with all do respect southerners are not known for accuracy. I have a prior engagement in May so unfortunately I will not be able to attend.

Mr. Heath is correct it had cameras mounted in trees and Mule cams I also dug bunkers all throughout the sight that’s why I never got wet and cold I also had a large surplus of food stored away. LOL. It was great working with you Charles.

As for Willie I should have turned you in too. But Hank it’s always a pleasure to work with you.

Col. Walker, Cody, and I made the voo doo hog skull stick figure I put the spell on it… unfortunately Fred let the cat out of the bag so I might as well confess. … I learned to work roots from my grand mammy who was a conjurer woman. Other then the Jonas that we had on both sides my voo doo was the cause of everyone’s misery

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Into The Piney Woods AAR

A slave who chose to be all the things that white people wanted, wasn't necessarily giving up all control of his life to the white race. He could be banking away power, to use when he wanted.

When it came time for the colonel to decide whether to believe his own loyal slave or some white trash he'd never met, he chose to believe his slave. And I suspect that's how it really would have happened, in more than a few cases.

That's a wonderful point, Hank. As 3rd Sgt. of Company G (Union) in charge of rations, when I saw a runaway contraband asking for food and not wearing a knapsack/haversack that I could see, I felt inclined to get him some food as it was the Christian thing to do and I had some left over. I heard thirdhand that he gave us info on the enemy strength/situation that I was inclined to believe strongly because I felt that as a contraband he would have needed our help.

This was a facsinating aspect of this event- how a runaway slave/loyal slave would have interracted with others and how people actually would have reacted with him. This was a "discovery beyond the history books" for me and a needed change-of-pace in our events that made the event more lifelike to what we study in our 1st person accounts for our individual period research. I shudder to use the word "diversity" based-upon modern popular connotations to political correctness, but this kind of diversity has been sorely lacking in most events that I have attended.

I never fail to learn something new or rethink my old attitudes about 19th-century history when I attend quality events. This is the prime reason why I attend them. :o

All the best- Johnny Lloyd:wink_smil

[PogueMahone]

Re: Into The Piney Woods AAR

A slave who chose to be all the things that white people wanted, wasn't necessarily giving up all control of his life to the white race.

Well, this white person didn't want to be robbed by the contraband, but that is exactly what he did. :tounge_sm

Commissary gods smiled upon Company G (Union) and provided us with candles, coffee beans, sugar and a can of condensed milk piled up in a pan. As Cpl. Willar and I returned to the company area, we were passed by "Del" going in the opposite direction. After a few more steps, Cpl Willar says "We lost our can of milk" rather matter of factly. I stopped and looked around, asking "Did we drop it?" "No, that black feller took it when he walked by." "Oh, he did, did he?"

I turned right about and found Mr. Quickhands helping with the commissary. I demanded the return of the can of milk. He denied knowledge. I insisted he produce it. He confessed he had it, but said he needed it to trade to someone else for something. I demanded it! His horse-trading would come second to the men of Company G! He pointed out its location and I recovered it. Realizing I had something of value, I carefully stored it in my pocket and covered it from view.

Later, I traded it back to him for 20 feet of hemp rope so we could build more shelter. I guessing he stole the rope from the teamsters, since it was cut into lengths. Hot coffee is still hot coffee without milk, but we needed rope to rig up shelters.

Despite the miserable conditions we were in, I got a smile from all that and it just added to the enjoyment of the immersion experience of getting the company fed, sheltered and warmed with hot coffee.

Marvin is alright, but that Del fellow is a thief! :wink_smil

[Charles Heath]

Re: Into The Piney Woods AAR

Ain't No BBQ in Northern Mississippi AAR: Part V of MCMXLVIX

Miss Alabama sho' has some bodacious...hush, now.

Days 6 & 7: Zippy Zip Zippin' On The Interstates

Plugging in a set of coordinates (somewhere) on Rob's TomTom, we moved out via interstate to Vicksburg. One of the things we wanted to do was visit the Iowa monument as a way to pay our respects to the Boys of '61-'65. Vicksburg is always a good place to stop rain or shine, and before we retired for the evening we dropped by the Welcome Center just over the Father of All Waters, and decided we needed to eat something or another. Rob Murray had found a good diner, but said establishment wasn't in Rob Carter's TomTom directory of good eats, so we opted for a local BBQ place. It may have been named Goldie's Trailside BBQ or something akin to that. The TomTom took us directly to a casino, so we hopped on the interstate and headed east to a Krystalburger; however, the TomTom was definitely vexed in Vicksburg. Nada. Jumping to the next exit, we spied the alleged BBQ joint. To make a long story short, we knew we were in trouble when we noticed the lack of hushpuppies on the menu. This is beyond wrong. Then, in a Heritage Violation beyond what Paul Boulden could even contemplate (shades of Westville 2008), the slaw was comingling with the Q. Oh, my Lord, but shredded cardboard drowned in sauce is not BBQ. We ate, departed, admired the CW relics on the wall, and made a mental note that good BBQ was at least a day's ride to the east.

We awoke the next morning, and hustled over to the battlefield. Maybe we ate at Awful Haus. Maybe we didn't. The good news was the NPS VC was open, and we had fun in the bookstore. I bought a copy of 98 Days, and was greatly saddened to learn author and topographer Warren Grabau had passed away. This book, by the way, recently received very high marks in our newsletter's most recent book review article. We noticed some fine Louisiana Army National Guard OCS Candidates in the bookstore, and Rob C. was fascinated by this. The candidates on their staff ride portion of the darn near final part of their 14-month trek towards that little gold bar. Bully for them.

We did the usual loop around the battlefield, and hearing Rob sing in the Illinois monument was a definitely highlight. I mentioned a few years ago that I'd love to hear either Rob Carter or Chris Piering sing in this structure. Well, that wish was well received. Since the drizzle was continuing, we finally learned how the floor in this structure actually drains. This was a mystery to myself, Steve Tyler, and Joe Caridi the last time we were there. This is my favorite monument on the Vicksburg battlefield. I went over to the 77th Illinois Infantry list of names in bronze and said a few good words. If you understand the battle of Mansfield, then you understand why. Mansfield, by the way, is on the CWPT list of Park Day clean-up sites for the coming weekend.

Visiting the USS Cairo is always a treat. How many times can a fellow go aboard a real CW ironclad these days? The relics in the museum are great, and no matter how many visits we have in that dimly lit place, we find something new for a marveling moment. Rob pointed out the enamelware saucepan, which was not too much different than the two pieces of cookware he purchased in Savannah, TN, a few days before. Yes, we had a Wal-Mart stop for a gift or two for the folks back home. Caleb wanted some mustard and pepper sauce bottles. We met Cornbread and Bobo in the parking lot and joshed for a while, and then drove through the National Cemetery. The magnolia trees are huge. The wisteria was already blooming.

We found the Iowa monument and had our photo op, and said a few good words. After a brief tour of the Fort Landrum Battlefield (vicinity of the KY monument and Square Fort) we took off for points back east. Rob needed to get to New Jersey. Caleb and Will had the long stretch to Rhode Island. Billy and I just needed to get to Maryland. Me by South Mountain, and Billy on the DelMarVa across the Suzy Q River.

Our trip from there on was uneventful, save for Will's discovery of something more like BBQ in the vicinity of White's Truck Stop in Raphine, VA. Rob and I stopped near Sam Houston's birthplace, but it wasn't for the history, let me tell you that much. From the time we left Kisatchie, we had a non-stop discussion about the event's good, bad, and ugly portions, and how extended play events take on a life of their own.

The youngsters beat us back to The Bunker and were mostly unloaded by the time we arrived. The geriatric mess pulled in, and heard about Caleb eating a bunch-o-burgers. Chef Bev makes sure people, especially the transients, gain weight around here. This was no exception.

The road trip was wonderful, and as much a part of the event as ITPW itself. We didn't have Johnny Lloyd's truck for freight, so we had to compromise. We didn't have Brian Luscombe's big family van for passengers, to we had to compromise. Ditto for the Carthagenian who had to stay home due to a job interview on a short fuze. We had pared down our personal gear to the bare essentials, and made a go of it. The other stuff, well, it took up a lot of room.

We had very high expectations going into this event. Few events in the hobby promised and delivered what ITPW did, and it certainly rates in the top four of all time best events in CW reenacting. Those who missed out -- really missed out.

Thank you Tom and Fred.

[kylethebrass]

Re: Into The Piney Woods AAR

Smotherman,

I am sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the bugle. Few know and understand the bugle calls which were vital to the armies on both sides. Meaning life or death.

[tmdreb]

Re: Into The Piney Woods AAR

Hank,

The white trash didn't do themselves any favors by pointing fingers all around. That's how they all ended up getting interviewed by the colonel.

I've got to agree that Marvin's presence added a lot to the event. At first, I think a lot of us were a bit uncomfortable as we weren't sure how to handle the situation. We did figure out eventually that Marvin's a great sport and I think all of us on the CS side of things ended the event with a tremendous amount of respect for the man. Notwithstanding some killer acid reflux Thursday night, I also enjoyed the canned tomatoes.

[ohpkirk]

Re: Into The Piney Woods AAR

Phil, your acid reflux was what kept me from getting a good night's sleep in the rain on Thursday night.....not the cold or the wet feet, it was my concern for your well being after you ate those tomatoes.

Pobrecito.

[tmdreb]

Re: Into The Piney Woods AAR

See? That's why you were such a good replacement Sgt. Major. You're such a concerned soul.

[western reb]

Re: Into The Piney Woods AAR

Phil, your acid reflux was what kept me from getting a good night's sleep in the rain on Thursday night.....not the cold or the wet feet, it was my concern for your well being after you ate those tomatoes.

Pobrecito.

Anyone from Texas, NM, AZ, or CA could certainly attest that Cody has used this Spanish word quite well for the ordeal he must have endured.

Phil-glad you enjoyed the continual burning pine log (and it's never ending black smoke) that provided warmth on that Thursday night. If you noticed come Friday morning, most of that log along with our wooden fortification we had built the night before also disappeared as it was slowely fed into the fire.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Into The Piney Woods AAR

Smotherman,

I am sorry to hear you didn't enjoy the bugle. Few know and understand the bugle calls which were vital to the armies on both sides. Meaning life or death.

Kyle,

Many Civil War soldiers lacked an appreciation for buglers, as indicated by every single lyric to "The Upidee Song". Here's a taste:

But soldiers, you are made to fight
Tra la la! Tra la la!
To starve all day and march all night
Tra la la la la
Perchance, if you get bread and meat
That bugler will not let you eat

:wink_smil

[PogueMahone]

Re: Into The Piney Woods AAR

Wickett,

Mr. Brass and I were inmates at the McBride Hospital at the same time and I was pretty upfront about my hatred of bugle music. I told him he was the second most hated man in the battalion. The dang bugle always meant someone had to do something. A man can't get no rest for all that bugling.

Kyle's a good fellow and takes a ribbing pretty good. He jumped in and helped the Cousins (Phil and Hank) with water and running errands for Mrs. Cousin Phil during his hospital stay.

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Into The Piney Woods AAR

If one is the bugler, then the hatred with it comes with the job- same for the fifers and drummers. Your job is to tell people to be on-schedule in a sleep-disturbing/meal-disturbing/personal time-disturbing way.

At least we could eat the chicken that was constantly crowing at about 0545 every morning...:o

Can't readily do the same for the human musicians...

All the best- Johnny Lloyd:wink_smil

PS- I had a similar problem in Iraq when I lived less than 500 yards away from the Syrian border- a donkey on the Syrian-side of the border would hee-haw at about the same time every morning- 0545 and it would wake us up every morning like clockwork. We couldn't shoot it because it was in Syria, unfortunately.