With pick & spade 2010 - aar

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

WOW...this event has already come and gone. I trust that everyone had a good time at the event, I know as a member of the NCO Engineer Corps - I had a blast.

The park personnel, are still in awe over what was acomplished - and those 3 CDF are quite impressive!!!

My thanks to all those who came; you came with good attitudes and a desire to learn something new, and do something 'out of the box'. The event organizers would appreciate feedback direct/indirect about the event, as we're looking to improve our process/organization.


Just what was acomplished over the weekend???

3 Chevaux-de-Fris were built from scratch,
15 Fascines were assembled,
8 Gabion Baskets were woven,
2 representative Abatis were constructed,
Parapet was built up using Gabions/Fascines Constructed,
The Embrasure for the Gun was cut, and the revetments along it installed using the Fascines, sandbags and fill-earth.

A more thorough AAR to follow...probably from the Captain.

Paul B.

[Busterbuttonboy]

Re: With pick & spade 2010 - aar

Heard stop three looks awesome. Make with the photos already!

[Marc29thGA]

Re: With pick & spade 2010 - aar

Looking forward to finding out more on how this event went as I wanted to attend, but unfortunately it fell on my Guard weekend and couldn't get out of it. Oh-well, maybe next time...

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: With pick & spade 2010 - aar

All:

I've started uploading pictures to the WP&S Picture Album under my AC Profile...more to follow.

Paul B.

[Busterbuttonboy]

Re: With pick & spade 2010 - aar

Gun Embrasure and the gabions look great!

[jmbyrnes]

Re: With pick & spade 2010 - aar

Paul,

Clint and I had a great time at the event, and should you guys hold another we definitely want to be on the list. My students were beyond grossed out by the 13 total blisters on my hands when they saw me Monday morning. I pulled off more than 20 ticks from various places on my body. My highlight of the weekend was working my hands to the point that I was unfit for duty. Brian's idea of working throughout the night should be explored, but the schedule should reflect that change if you all decide to make it. All in all we had a blast like I said and I've got no complaints other than the fact that we had to leave.

job well done to all involved!

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: With pick & spade 2010 - aar

Jared,

Seeing your hands Saturday evening was hardcore...I cannot believe you continued to work with such mutilated hands!!!!


Night Works: Yes, lots of ideas for next time...including more rotations of getting guys on work, and off work, and of course night work (which may well have been when the greatest amount of work was being completed - we have a few references to this, including posting of the CDFs under cover of darkness).

Thanks again for all your hard work!

Paul B.

[Tucker49th]

Re: With pick & spade 2010 - aar

I want to thank the men of the first section for all of the hard work you guys did .
I set a goal for you guys that some thought would be hard to meet and you exceeded it .

Jared and John both worked so hard they had to wrap rags around their hands because of the blisters and they still continued to work .

I hope you all had a good time and come back for round two.
Do you think we can make four in a weekend?

Nick Medwid

[FloridaConscript]

Re: With pick & spade 2010 - aar

hated to miss this one. Professor made our final take home. sucks.

[csaprivate]

Re: With pick & spade 2010 - aar

I'm with Paul, it is hard to imagine that this event has come and gone after over a year's worth of planning! Despite the soreness and blisters (yes, even the Captain got a few blisters although not as many as Jared and John), this was one first rate event. I had two favorite moments. The first occurred when we stopped about half way into our march on Friday night. It was pretty intimidating to see the looks on the boys faces when I halted them to inform them that they had been transferred to the 2nd Regiment from their home regiment and not knowing whether we were walking 5 miles or 1 mile (the march route was about 1.4 miles in total). The second moment came late on Saturday, when we finally had enough gabions and fascines to install on the wall. It was awesome to see the entire company pitch-in with enthusiasm even-though it had been a long hot day. All of the participants should be commended for their good attitudes and willingness to work hard. You guys made the event what it turned out to be, and your Captain will be forever grateful.

I'll be back with a formal AAR later this weekend (after my body and brain recovers), but before I close I need to thank several people who really worked their butt's off to make this event happen:

#1 - Grant Gates (Interim Park Chief of Interpretation) - You guys can probably imagine the red tape that could be thrown in the way of an event like this one with the National Park Service, but Grant really made this one easy. I wish each of you could have seen the look on his face Saturday evening!

#2 - Tom Carlton (Petersburg City Guard) - Tom and I have been pards for over a decade. Tom was the manpower behind this event. He was on-site from Wednesday afternoon through Sunday afternoon. If you liked the tools you used throughout the weekend, there is a good chance it was one of Tom's.

#3 - Paul Bolden (23rd VA) - Paul was instrumental in crafting the event vision and getting the word out about this event. He also dedicated his property and time to get the NCO's ready to produce the implements months before the event.

#4 - Nick Medwid (23rd VA) - Nick took on the hardest task at the event, which was to lead the production of the CDF's. I'm still impressed he was able to get 3 10' CDF sections built through the weekend, and we didn't pre-drill any holes! Nick also was the carpenter in training during our event preparation as he manufactured the the two shaving horses and various other implements we used throughout the weekend.

#5 - Byron Faidley (23rd VA) - Byron took on and owned probably the hardest (lowliest) task in production of the abatis. I was never prouder of my NCO's at the event than when Byron headed off after the Saturday Officer's Meeting to finish the first section of abatis in the dark by himself! That my friends is dedication! Byron also gave up his Thursday to help Tom and I on-site prior to the event.

#6 - Joe Caridi/Pete McCarthy - These guys were the unsung heroes of the event. I told Joe last year that I was going to give him the rations/cooking duties at and before the event and that he was to run with it. Joe and Pete didn't just run with it, they made it look easy. I didn't have a worry about food at all during or before the event. In fact, there cooking wasn't half bad either!

#7 - Mike Hendricks - Mike was the 1st Sgt. for the Company and he did an outstanding job. The Company ran extremely well and he took good care of the men. Despite the fact that we had 38 guys swinging sharp tools in 90 degree heat, we didn't loose a single man to an injury or a heat related problem. That is something to be proud of!

Thanks for a wonderful event. Photos will be up on the website within the next week.

Regards,

Brian McPeters
With Pick & Spade 2010
Petersburg City Guard

[MacCaithaigh]

Re: With pick & spade 2010 - aar

Fellows,

Thank you all for an outstanding weekend. I was and am dumbfounded that I was able to be there and sleep at Petersburg. Wow. I have slepts on many battlefields but this one was inspiring. Thanks for the opportunity to serve. Blessings to all who were there and I am sorry if you missed it.

[sam H]

Re: With pick & spade 2010 - aar

This was probabally one of the better if not the best living history I ever attended. I walked away feeling more worn out than any march I have ever done. I learned more than I ever imagined I would. I can't wait to put some of this knowledge into action at before the breakout this fall. It gave me ten times more of an appreciation of what the job of engineer actually was. Like Jared, My only complaint was having to leave. I felt like we were just starting to get in the groove. Something like this would make an AWESOME week long event.

I also would suggest more working at night. Something about it being 92 degrees at ten in the morning kicked my ass. I can not wait to continue improving stop 3 through more events of this nature. I gotta give a huge thanks to Brian, Paul and the rest of the guys who helped make this event happen. I think all the guys in my mess could say the same thing. Those who did not come missed out in a huge way. Hopefully folks will have a chance to get back out on the Dimmock line soon enough.

[Moose]

Re: With pick & spade 2010 - aar

Well,
I really didn't do much for this one, just sat around a cooked. Really, all my work was pre-event, come game day, it was all gravy for me. So, in that light I really don't have much of a critique for the men working, but I can say this, you all did a pile of work, and it was impressive to see how efficiently the work got done.

As far a food is concerned, we had a very simple meals, very issue meals. Beef and bacon, cornbread and ships-bread. Peas, cabbage, onions, and potatoes. And of course coffee, sugar, and vinegar.

We had a few boxes sent from the 'Richmond YMCA' which contained a small cross section of sundries and food stuffs. One box had an excellent blue cheese, aged to perfection. And no, the roaches were not planned for.


A few historical notes on food:

1. From my research, the men in the early trenches of late spring/summer of 1864 were getting half the ration in bacon and biscuit, and half in beef and cornbread. This was the reason for both. I realize that it was lost on people that they were receiving different types of carb and protein at one event. How often does that happen?

2. YMCA boxes were being sent to the front from the Richmond YMCA War Committee, and there were long lists of 'thank yous' I found in the Richmond Daily Dispatch naming people personally for their contributions. Most items given however were of a non-food nature, the most actually being socks. So, in light of getting 100 pair of socks to give out I went with food items.

3. Wm. P. Munford, who 'wrote' a note in the box, was in fact the head of the YMCA War Committee, not a made up name.

4. The Southern Express Label on the boxes, is an original I found online from Richmond. It is a facsimile.

5. J.F. Gibson, the 'man who filled out the express label',was the real Express agent in Richmond, not a made up name.

6. The Southern Express of Richmond was sending boxes to the front for the YMCA War Committee paid for in full by them. Found the directive in the Richmond Daily Dispatch.

That's all the notes from the kitchen...

Cheers,

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: With pick & spade 2010 - aar

Joe,

An excellent job on the food and the boxes from home!!!

It was a relief to be doing a garrison-like event where one didn't have to concern themselves with the duties of stoking the fire, cooking, cleaning...and doing it again. On that note, I often wonder why we don't see more communal cooking beyond garrisson life?? Really think about it, if mess kettles were being purchased/issued, and presumably used - that's cooking food for more than 1 mess at a time.

Boxes From Home: It was cool seeing the label, and opening the box with stale bacon, moldy bread and EXTRA Blue Cheese...all that coupled with a most awesome letter from some random cav. company that devoured the contents of the box prior to the event. The good box came complete with peanuts, ginger snaps, peaches, condensed milk, and...roaches, yes roaches. Did someone really race roaches @ the event?

Knots: OK...so I'm thinking on WP&S x 2 (date T.B.D.); we need to have some Camp Instruction on knot tying. Yes, the Army used knots back then too...it wasn't just a Navy thing. Both the U.S./C.S. Ordnance Manuals from the period actually have examples of knots in the rear of the book, with some minimal instruction in their fabrication.

Paul B.

[jwoodli]

Re: With pick & spade 2010 - aar

Good grief I wish I could have gone all the way up to Virginia for this event. I would really have loved to learn how to make these defensive components, and build some more around Atlanta. More pictures are greatly desired.