Missouri 1861: "A Mighty Mean Fought Fight!"

[Sam Galyon]

Gentlemen,

I am pleased to announce the beginning efforts for an advanced skirmish and operational campaign set in the fall of 1861. “A mighty mean fought fight: Missouri 1861” will be held on the weekend of October 18th-20th on over 600 acres in southwest Missouri (outside of Springfield). The events to be portrayed will be the period of skirmishing and maneuvering of the Missouri State Guard and Unionist Militia units after the Battle of Wilson’s Creek and before the First Battle of Springfield. This impression being somewhat unique in that the majority of both future Confederate and Federal forces were armed and equipped exceedingly poorly and essentially clothed as civilians.

The event will heavily focus on the abilities of company commanders and their men to actively scout, gain intelligence, maneuvering, and engage enemy forces in a wide range of terrain and distances of actual proportions. Like much of the Trans-Mississippi Theater, the war was fought in a much smaller scale than that of the West and East, but often in much more brutal and almost more modern interpretation of both tactics and military means. Accordingly, as an event, we will fully embrace the inherent limitation of numbers of reenacting to more accurately portray the small hotly contested battles of Missouri.

Event participants should expect the following:

- Marching
- Skirmishing
- Scouting
- Military intelligence gathering
- Drill (if Missouri State Guard)


Additional information will be posted in the up-coming weeks and months, but if you are interested in the event or raising a company, please send a message to either Andrew Kasmar at ajkasmar@yahoo.com, Sam Galyon at stonewall421@gmail.com, or send either of us a message on Facebook.

An event page has been started on Facebook and a website will be released later this summer.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/381198875727323/

[Sam Galyon]

Re: Missouri 1861: "A mighty mean fought fight!"

***IMPORTANT UPDATE***

Folks,

Due to a miscalculation on our part and after speaking with several folks, we have moved this event to the weekend of August 31-September 2. We feel this will allow for less conflict of interest and provide a more historically accurate time frame to the events following Wilson's Creek.

The event will be capped at 120 attendees; split evenly at 60 CS and 60 US.

Missouri State Guard guidelines will be posted shortly, with US guidelines posted in the next couple weeks, once accurate information has been discerned.

Thank you for your patience and we look forward to having you join us.

[Sam Galyon]

Re: Missouri 1861: "A Mighty Mean Fought Fight!"

GUIDELINES FOR MISSOURI STATE GUARD

Overall Appearance:

Unlike many military impressions, civilian and militia impressions are heavily dictated by the participants first-person background, particularly that of the individuals social class and occupation. It is critical that each participant take this into consideration when building their impression and adjusts the clothing and the methods of wear to appropriate meet these expectations.

Headgear:

Civilian hat (appropriately blocked and lined)
Civilian Wheel Cap (appropriate construction and based off of known images in Missouri, Arkansas, or Kansas)
Civilian straw hat

Coat:

Civilian Frock Coat
Civilian Sack Coat
Oversmock
Summer Frock Coat/Sack Coat
Overshirt
Battleshirt (copied from a known Trans-Mississippi pattern) – limited numbers
Militarized civilian frock coats and overcoats

Vest:

Civilian vests
Wool
Silk
Cotton

Shirt:

Civilian Shirt (cotton, linen, or wool)
Cravats and ties are encouraged for certain social class appearances.

Trousers:

Civilian Wool or Cotton Trousers
Civilian Jean cloth Trousers
Overalls

Shoes:

Civilian Shoes
Civilian Boots

Equipment:

The vast majority of the Missouri State Guard at the time of Wilson’s Creek and directly after the battle were still very poorly equipped and armed. Accordingly, this list is not inherently all inclusive, but give the primary concept of the gear to be used.

Weapon Related:

Percussion caps
Pocket
Hunting bag
Haversack
Cartridges
Pocket
Hunting bag
Wooden box cartridge box (one known exampled linked to the MSG)

Haversack:

1808/1828 Cartridge box (extremely limited numbers)
Any common civilian method for carrying ammunition

Bayonet Scabbard:

1808 or 1828 Pattern (extremely limited numbers)
1839 Pattern (extremely limited numbers)

Haversack:

Civilian bag of any-kind
Cloth haversack (not a Confederate Depot Pattern)
Fieldmade
None

Canteen:

Flask
Wicker bottle
Sprat Can
Tin Drum Canteen
Wooden Canteen
Any well documented civilian method of carrying water.

Belt:

Civilian belt
No knapsacks

Personal Items:

Blankets:

Civilian Blankets and Coverlets
Buffalo Hides/Robes
Painted cloth groundsheets
No Federal or Confederate Depot gum or painted blankets

Tentage:

Large cotton fly tents are encouraged
Appropriate construction is required

Long-Arms:

M1816-1842 Springfield Muskets
1795 Flintlock Musket
Civilian Shotguns
Civilian hunting arms (percussion or flintlock)
1841 Mississippi Rifle
Hall Rifles
Common Rifle
Pike
Pistols
Any pre 1861 Revolver
Any pre 1861 Horse pistol

Knives:

Large fighting knives
Hunting knives

Notes:

Additional guidelines will be provided prior to the event based on the research obtained by the event organizers.

GUIDELINES FOR MISSOURI STATE MILITIA (Home Guard prior to December 1861)

Overall Appearance:

Unlike many military impressions, civilian and militia impressions are heavily dictated by the participants first-person background, particularly that of the individuals social class and occupation. It is critical that each participant take this into consideration when building their impression and adjusts the clothing and the methods of wear to appropriate meet these expectations.

Headgear:

Civilian hat (appropriately blocked and lined)
Civilian Wheel Cap (appropriate construction and based off of known images in Missouri, Arkansas, or Kansas)
Civilian straw hat
Federal Forage Cap – Pre-war pattern (Officers and NCOS only)

All Participants are required to have a white band of 1-4 inches wide wrapped around the hat or cap (hat band). Based on the surviving images from 1862 (post the date of the event) this appears to have been the one and only uniform note seen and was used to identify their forces from that of the Missouri State Guard and other pro-Confederate forces in the region. The material in use in unknown, but cotton, linen, or wool will be appropriate. Equally the width of the band varies greatly within the same unit, and as such it can vary for each participant. The only exclusion from this rule are the officers and NCOs that can wear Federal pre-war forage caps.

Coat:

Civilian Frock Coat
Civilian Sack Coat
Oversmock
Summer Frock Coat/Sack Coat
Overshirt
Battleshirt (copied from a known Trans-Mississippi pattern) – limited numbers

Vest:

Civilian vests
Wool
Silk
Cotton
Shirt:
Civilian Shirt (cotton, linen, or wool)
Cravats and ties are encouraged for certain social class appearances.

Trousers:

Civilian Wool or Cotton Trousers
Civilian Jean cloth Trousers
Overalls
Shoes:
Civilian Shoes
Civilian Boots

Equipment:

Cartridge Box:

1808/1828 Pattern
1839 Pattern
1857 Pattern

Cap Box:

1839 Pattern
1857 Pattern

Bayonet Scabbard:

1808/1828 Pattern
1839 Pattern
1857 Pattern

Belt:

Militia Belts
1839 Belt
1857 Belt

Haversack:

Civilian cloth bag
Pre-war 1830-1850s Military Pattern
No war-time US Haversacks

Canteen:

Flask
Wicker bottle
Sprat Can
Tin Drum Canteen
Wooden Canteen
Any well documented civilian method of carrying water.
Mexican War Pattern
US 1858 Pattern (limited numbers)

Blanket:

Civilian Pattern
No Federal issue blankets
Painted Cloth Groundsheet
No Federal or Confederate Depot gum or painted blankets

Tentage:

Large cotton fly tents are encouraged
Appropriate construction is required

Knapsacks:

No knapsacks

Arms:

M1816-1842 Springfield Muskets
Civilian Shotgun
1855/1861 Springfield (only if no other arm can be found)
1841 Mississippi Rifle
No 1853 Enfield Rifle Musket or 1863 Springfield Rifle Muskets

[Sam Galyon]

Re: Missouri 1861: "A Mighty Mean Fought Fight!"

Registration is now open!!

https://www.mightymeanfoughtfight.com

Contact: Michael Comer, Michael Gordon, Andrew J. Kasmar, or myself if you have any questions regarding company structures.