What would you like to experiance at future events?

[BrianHicks]

Looking to future events. What would make an event unique? Why would you choose that particular event over another? Surely we haven't done it all, and have run out of new event ideas? Have we?

Specifically-What activities, vignettes or scenarios would you like to see at a future event.

In your responses, be practical and consider what can actually be done (As much we'd like to.. I don't think we'll ever be able to actually burn down a railway bridge, or fire artillery at a passing gun boat).

I'll start by listing one activity that came up in a conversation I had yesterday.

- Overtaking and looting the enemies camp or wagons.

What would you like to experience?

[jschw90]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

What about the experience of actually enlisting in the Military at the time. Such as clothing and equipment issue and the transition from civilian to soldier.

The clothing and equipment could of course be your own that you just set aside and get back when it gets "issued."

[C.R. Henderson]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

Building stuff. Sinks, buildings, fences, etc. Fatigue duty was a common part of life and was a great way to break up the day at New Hope Church.

[BrianHicks]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

Building stuff. Sinks, buildings, fences, etc. Fatigue duty was a common part of life and was a great way to break up the day at New Hope Church.

You'll be pleased to hear that we are working towards a permanent location were we can establish a Winter Quarters type setting which can then be used on recurring basis (ala Newfane New York, were W-64 took place). When we get ready to establish the actual buildings, that may very well be an event at which the construction of said buildings, would be the primary activities of the event.

[unclefrank]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

You'll be pleased to hear that we are working towards a permanent location were we can establish a Winter Quarters type setting which can then be used on recurring basis (ala Newfane New York, were W-64 took place). When we get ready to establish the actual buildings, that may very well be an event at which the construction of said buildings, would be the primary activities of the evnt.

Now that would really be something!

[bAcK88]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

Now I don't know how practical this would be, but I've always wanted to do a 15-20 mile march in ONE day. Obviously it would be somewhat taxing on the participants, but with ten minute breaks every hour (which most units followed during the War), it could be done if the everyone was in shape and good health. Though there probably would be some difficulty finding a historical route to follow that would be safe...

Bill

[Silas]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

Oh, man. We did an historic route the day before High Tide. You could have joined us. The planned distance was between 15 and 20 miles. Then there was the 6th Corps march.

I've done more than twenty miles in a day in my CW attire a couple times. It's easier to do twenty in a day in some climates at certain times of the year than in other climates or times. The theory of ten minutes rest with an hour's march sounds great on paper. For our Cashtown march, the roads baked us during the mid afternoon portion of the march as the heat index pushed the hundred plus level. Even ten minutes rest after only a half hour's march was insufficient to revive those of us in good shape. I played out at sixteen. Three other guys joined me when I gave up. The farthest anyone went was two CVG'rs who went 17.5 miles.

You need to make plans for Piney Woods. You won't do 15-20 in a day, but you'll sometimes feel like you had by the end of the second or third day of the marching, fighting and campaigning.

[CompanyWag]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

Here's a few I've always wanted to do:

1. An event centered around troops in transport, either crowded onto the decks of a river steamboat...or riding in (or on top of) rail boxcars.

2. An entire event convalescing in a large general hopital setting like Camp Joe Holt outside Louisville.

3. Loot and burn a plantation. Perhaps not as unrealistic to do as it may sound at first.

4. An event centered around c1864 veteran reenlistment furloughs...Either from the point of view of leaving the camps on furlough or arriving at some destination during the furlough (would justify impressions from different regiments).

5. I've done winter quarters years ago...it was nice, but we built only 4 or 5 cabins. I'd like to experience an entire company, or better yet a battalion in winter quarters complete with officers' huts, sinks, sutler's etc.

6. An event centered around service in a divisional supply train. Lots of mules, wagons and filthy-mouthed mule drivers. Get raided by enemy cavalry and either chase them off or lose your wagons to looting and the torch and get herded away as prisoners.

7. Construction event. Could be centered around building a blockhouse guarding a rail crossing, or digging earthenwork fortifications.

Just a few thoughts that immediately come to mind.

Paul McKee

[lukegilly13]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

Maybe it is my lack of experience but I would like to participate in an event
1. where the battle does not end....(ex: Marye's Heights in Fredericksburg where the federals had to pile up the dead bodies at night to sleep because raising up drew fire)
2. A completely unscripted event where sides were camped miles apart and they meet on a battle field and through the report of cav create battle plans and assault the next day (of course this could probably not happen do to safety)
3. Petersburg....trenches, creater, the works!

[BrianHicks]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

Remember Gents, let's keep our desires within realistic capabilities.

Several of the ideas put forth so far have been great, some have been done before, and some are just a little beyond what can be expected to be done, and still be reasonable and realistic.

I know there area still many other ideas of what you'd like to see at future events, so lets keep the comments coming.

[coastaltrash]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

We ransacked a federal camp at Shiloh in 2002, which was a highlight of the weekend for me personally.

Not sure what an event organizer could provide that has not been performed already. Really and truly most of the excitement of an event rests squarely on the shoulders of the participants themselves. Woodburn's half a pie speech at Doneslon was not planned, but when you ask most of the people who attended to name one thing that is what they would bring up.

[Duff]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

I would really like to do Petersburg trenches, with accurate earthworks and support systems. If I had my way it would be a two part event, once in the summer and once in the winter. Not sure how realistic it is, but I would love to do it.

[CompanyWag]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

Several of the ideas put forth so far have been great, some have been done before, and some are just a little beyond what can be expected to be done, and still be reasonable and realistic.

In the early stages of brainstorming, there is no such thing as a bad idea. Think big...you can always pare it back later retaining the essence of the original idea.

Case in point: We always talked about tearing up a section of railroad, destroying the parallel telegraph line and then bending the rails into Sherman's Hairpins. In the actual execution, it was unrealistic to actually tear up a real roadbed with ties and ballast. But at one event, we managed to secure a number of light gage rails, heat them up and bend them around a nearby tree. Check another experience off the to-do list.

On the other hand, when we built our winter quarters we originally were thinking small. Build maybe one dugout out in a friend's woods and dismantle it and fill it in at the end of the weekend. The owner of the woods seemed incredulous that we'd ultimately destroy our work. "Wouldn't you want to use it next winter?" Cool. We eventually built several elaborate dugouts with chinked crib walls, wood floors and fireplaces with wood barrel chimneys and enjoyed them several winters in a row. In fact, some of the best and most memorable living history I've ever experienced, was in those winter quarters we built with just a few pards.

Paul McKee

[KPavia]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

Guarding the supply train as it is attacked by enemy cavalry would be pretty different and interesting, I think.

EDIT: It would be pretty realistic to do. You'd just need some cavalry, oppossing infantry or cavalry, and probably enough wagons to where you can stretch the train out to about half a mile or so. The objective for the enemy cavalry could be to capture the supplies. To me, it would be pretty easy to do. The only "hard" part would be acquiring wagons.

[BrianHicks]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

In the early stages of brainstorming, there is no such thing as a bad idea. Think big...you can always pare it back later retaining the essence of the original idea.

Case in point: We always talked about tearing up a section of railroad, destroying the parallel telegraph line and then bending the rails into Sherman's Hairpins. In the actual execution, it was unrealistic to actually tear up a real roadbed with ties and ballast. But at one event, we managed to secure a number of light gage rails, heat them up and bend them around a nearby tree. Check another experience off the to-do list.

On the other hand, when we built our winter quarters we originally were thinking small. Build maybe one dugout out in a friend's woods and dismantle it and fill it in at the end of the weekend. The owner of the woods seemed incredulous that we'd ultimately destroy our work. "Wouldn't you want to use it next winter?" Cool. We eventually built several elaborate dugouts with chinked crib walls, wood floors and fireplaces with wood barrel chimneys and enjoyed them several winters in a row. In fact, some of the best and most memorable living history I've ever experienced, was in those winter quarters we built with just a few pards.

Paul McKee

Paul,

There is nothing wrong with thinking big.

Realistic, practical.. and more importantly...'do-able' is what I'm asking for here.

Sure... with unlimited resources, funds, land, time and men, we could do some great things... such as re-create a section of opposing trenches such as were at Petersburg! But realistically, on what scale can we do this for the size events we participate in on our end of the hobby?

Ideas for scenarios, vignettes, etc. which are achievable are what I'm asking for here. Not the wet dream, wow... wouldn't it be great 'if' scenarios... but real world... with hard work, achievable scenarios, vignettes and events, which we would like to participate in.