A little re-enacting history

[Canebrake Rifle Guards]

Here is a photograph taken on April 17, 1976 of the Sherman's Bummers.



The members are identified as follows:

Front Row, left to right- Jeffrey Gift, Robert Coch, _________ , Roy Carriker, Robert Lyon, Andrew Conlon, Geoffrey Deschemaeker, Joseph Covais, Michael Waskul, Richard Maniscalco, Spencer Waldron, Craig Damron, David Taylor, Bill McIntosh, Craig Fisher, Steven Adolphson.

Back Row, left to right- Larry Strayer, Richard Keller, Richard Baumgartner, Gary Carpenter, Stewart Bryant, Brian Fitzgerald, James Turva, Steven Mrozek, Marc Mazor, Paul Carter.

Photo taken by John McGarry


Greg Starbuck

[Daniel]

Re: A little re-enacting history

Greg, that is a wonderful picture. Thanks for sharing it. I like that it contains Joe Covais. A great guy. He was certainly one of the pioneers in uniforms. And I think his stuff still ranks as one of the best.

Dan Stewart

"What are you doing here?" shouted the Yankee. "Hunting a fight, " yelled Willie. "By God, you'll get it!" came the response.
Island No. 10

[With All Due Respect]

Re: A little re-enacting history

Like twas only yesterday ...

"Andrew" Conlon
The Rest

[rogue]

Re: A little re-enacting history

I saw a lot of the Bummers from Ohio in the field back in those times, and suppose most are now GAR.
S.Sullivan

[Canebrake Rifle Guards]

Re: A little re-enacting history

Some are GAR, some are DOA.

Greg Starbuck

[Kenneth Moran]

Re: A little re-enacting history

Outstanding picture Greg.....and taken only three years before I was born.....tis nice to be so young!

Ken

[Thomas Alleman]

Re: A little re-enacting history

Hey I know a few of them, Carpenter, Fisher, Waskul, Strayer, they are alive and doing 1812 impression, WWW.firstregiment.com but still do some Civil War now and then, glad to know them, great guys all of them.

[CompanyWag]

Re: A little re-enacting history

Man that brings back some memories...actually the photo is from a little after my time with them but still long before I linked up with the Mudsills. (I was on a short hiatus from reenacting while I was off chasing skirts.) Many of those names are still very familiar to me.

Thanks for posting...though it makes me feel particularly old!

Paul McKee

[Pvt Peck]

Re: A little re-enacting history

Ahh The Bummers & the Sills, gods among men to a young 14 year old striving to be authentic in So Cal in 77! Got to finally fall in with the Sills at Davenport Iowa on a trip back "East", man that was a rightous experience! The bummers were legends, well OK to me they were.

Ted Parrott
"older than dirt, but not as old as you!"

[Canebrake Rifle Guards]

Re: A little re-enacting history

I've been collecting bits of Bummer history. I have several "memoirs" from some of the members. I'll post them as time permits. Here is one written by Roy Carriker, he's now a professor at the University of Florida.

Living History: Recalling the Bummers

by

Roy R. Carriker

I grew up on a farm in central Illinois. There were no Civil War battlefields in Illinois, but as a teenager I visited the “Lincoln Shrines” in Springfield, which was 60 miles from our home. I recall being stirred by the heroic statuary atop Lincoln’s tomb in Oak Ridge Cemetery. There were four groupings, depicting Illinois Civil War soldiers in combat. Not until I was 22 years old, a college graduate and married, did I have the opportunity to travel in the South and discover the National Battlefield Parks of the Civil War. On our honeymoon trip to Florida in 1968, Jan and I stopped at Shiloh National Battlefield Park in western Tennessee. In the mid’1970s, we moved to Blacksburg, Virginia, where I enrolled in graduate school at Virginia Tech. During the four years we lived in Blacksburg, we traveled on weekends and during school breaks to most of the Virginia battlefields, as well as to Gettysburg and to Sharpsburg, Maryland.

While visiting Gettysburg National Battlefield Park in 1973, we encountered a bearded young man dressed and equipped in the manner of a Union infantryman, standing in a field just off the park road, preparing to demonstrate the loading and firing of his .58 caliber rifled musket. I was impressed by his knowledge and authentic presentation, and awed by the discharge of the musket. (A couple years later as a recruit in Sherman’s Bummers, I learned that the young historian was none other than Spence Waldron).

I knew by this time that I had a peculiar affinity with the men who served in the volunteer regiments of the Union army. I have never been able to account for this affinity, nor to explain it. Over the years, I have met others who share it and who, without need of words, understand it. This affinity for the soldiers of the Civil War produced in me a desire to learn more, to understand more, about the manner in which Union volunteers experienced the war.

I began to discover the rich documentary material that chronicled the Civil War–the “Official Records,” historical archives, published memoirs of Civil War veterans. I subscribed to Civil War Times Illustrated, and purchased my first item of reproduction Civil War equipment in response to an attractive add in the CWTI–$200 for a Navy Arms replica of the U.S. Model 1841 Rifle, also known as the “Mississippi Rifle.” Navy Arms included a copy of their catalog with the rifle when they shipped it to me. From that catalog I purchased a replica saber bayonet and scabbard to go with the rifle. I also bought a really cheap and UN-authentic set of leathers–cartridge box and sling, cap box, and waist belt. I believe it was through another ad in CWTI that I acquired a reasonably authentic blue kepi. (I still have the 1974 catalog and price list from Navy Arms. Their replica 3-band Springfield (1863 pattern) sold for $200. The Mississippi Rifle purchased directly from Navy Arms cost only $145).




I had no clear notion of using these arms and accouterments of the Civil War. Mere possession of these items provided a tangible basis for re-connecting with men of that earlier generation. Nothing further was needed. I had not yet discovered “living history.”


In 1974, I came across an ad placed in the Civil War Times Illustrated by Steve Biondo of Virginia Beach, proposing to start a Civil War Federal re-enactment unit. On comparing our backgrounds and interests, Steve and I discovered that we shared this deeply held yet inexplicable kinship with the Union volunteers of 1861-1865. We were both novices at the re-enactment business, unsure where and how to acquire authentic uniforms and equipment, but passionately inspired to pursue the matter. We didn’t know exactly what authentic uniforms would consist of, and we did not yet know how to find out. We were only vaguely aware of existing re-enactment units, but had no acquaintance with them. Undaunted, we did the best we could given our limited resources and even more limited knowledge. We both had Navy Arms rifles. We made sack coats out of navy blue wool-flannel shirts from Sears and Roebuck. I had a pair of light blue denim jeans that “passed” as sky blue, a pair of rag wool hiker’s socks, and a pair of square-toed black shoes with rubber soles that “passed” as brogans of the period.

My first re-enactment was Perryville, Kentucky, in the fall of 1974. There I encountered my first exposure to the running disputes between “farbs” and “authentics.” I knew immediately that I was in search of authenticity, thus acquiring a clearer vision of the path before me. I was appalled to realize that I was, at that point, a farb. But I was a farb because of ignorance, not lack of respect for the memories of the “boys in blue.” I knew that I intended to be authentic and would dedicate myself to the quest for authenticity.

It was Steve Biondo who made me aware of the “Camp Chase Gazette.” I still have a letter from William P. Keitz, “War Correspondent” and editor of the Camp Chase Gazette, informing me that a one year subscription cost $3.50 unless I wanted it mailed first class, in which case the cost was $5.00. Keitz’s letterhead indicated that the Gazette was “founded,
September 1972.”

Through ads in the Camp Chase Gazette I purchased patterns for sack coat, trousers, shirt, and overcoat from John F. Grossman of the Fort Snelling History Center at Historic Fort Snelling, St. Paul, MN 55111. Grossman was a member of the 1st Minnesota Volunteer Infantry living history organization. These patterns were reputed to be taken from genuine original specimens in the Smithsonian Institute’s collection.

Clearbrook Woolen Shop was, at that time, the only known supplier of sky-blue kersey wool fabric from which to make authentic trousers and overcoats. The sky-blue kersey from Clearbrook lacked the green tint that characterized original uniforms, but was the closest approximation to the original that was available at the time. Clearbrook also supplied a good quality navy blue wool flannel for sack coats. I ordered the fabric, cut out the pieces for sack coat and trousers from the patterns, and stitched them together using cotton thread and an old treadle-style sewing machine. I stitched the button holes by hand. The results were good and withstood inspection by even the most critical enforcers of standards for authenticity.

Spence Waldron was making authentic items of apparel during this period of time, and I purchased a gray wool flannel shirt from Spence. I also purchased a pair of black brogans from the Frye Boot Company of Hong Kong, which seemed at the time to be the only manufacturer of authentic period footwear. From a sutler at the North-South Skirmish at Winchester, VA, I purchased a good quality set of leathers by Lund, and a “tarred” haversack as well.

The May 5, 1975, issue of the Camp Chase Gazette carried an article by Greg Schuller entitled, “The Maynard Shelter Tent and How to Construct It.” The specifications used by Schuller were taken from an original shelter half used in the Civil War by Lieutenant Charles W. Maynard of the 20th Michigan Infantry and donated by him to the Smithsonian Institution in 1916. The specs were given to Schuller by Donald Kloster, Museum Specialist, Division of Military History, Smithsonian Institution. I bought a quantity of 8-oz. cotton duck from a local fabric shop and constructed several shelter halves from the Maynard pattern. I kept one shelter half for myself and sold or traded the others to men who, like me, were equipping themselves completely and authentically. If I recall correctly, I traded a shelter half to Jim Poole in exchange for a forage cap he has constructed. I liked the forage cap, and still own it.

Stephen Osman of the Fort Snelling Historical Site in Minnesota, provided a pattern and instructions for constructing a “gum blanket” style poncho. His pattern was taken from an original poncho used during the Civil War by Benjamin Densmore, Captain, Company F, 2nd Regiment Colored Heavy Artillery. This poncho is in the collection of the Minnesota Historical Society. Osman had somehow located a source for the rubberized cloth needed in order to construct one of these ponchos. I purchased a quantity of the rubberized material from Osman for $2.50 per yard. I bought a grommet maker and some brass grommets and some rubber cement and went into the poncho-making business. I manufactured several ponchos, kept one for my own use, and sold or traded the rest to friends and comrades.

Steve Adolphson, serving at the time as Lieutenant commanding Sherman’s Bummers, sent me a pattern and instructions for constructing a pair of men’s under drawers. His source was an item entitled, “Hospital Clothing–Drawers” in The Sanitary Commission Bulletin, New York, May 1, 1864 (Vol. I, No. 13, Page 405), and June 15, 1864 (Vol. I, No. 16, page 502). Stephen E. Osman also provided a pattern for “Civil War 2-Piece Underclothing” taken from an original pair in the Minnesota Historical Society Collection #3616. Osman’s instructions, dated March 12, 1975, say that the drawers are made of unbleached cotton muslin, stitching by hand throughout.

It was at about this same time that I purchased an 1861 pattern Springfield rifle-musket, .58 caliber, dated 1863, at a gun show at the Roanoke Civic Center for $400. (That was big money at the time). The musket was and remains my most cherished item of Civil War equipment.


At some point, I acquired a copy of George Lower’s catalog: George was the Gettysburg Sutler, dealing in original arms, equipment, uniforms, and personal effects of the Civil War. Operating out of a shop a few miles northwest of Gettysburg, Lower was known to be a reputable dealer. I poured over his price list with rapture, assembling a “wish list”. As I was able to save up extra cash, I ordered items from the Gettysburg Sutler. As a birthday present one year, my wife bought me an 1853 pattern Enfield rifle-musket, .577 caliber, dated 1862, for $275. Later I ordered an Enfield bayonet and scabbard and an 1858 pattern canteen (retaining its original cover, sling, and stopper) for about $45 each.

I purchased a pair of antique gold-rimmed eye-glasses from an antique store in Roanoke, and had lenses made to my prescription. On a visit to my parents’ home in Illinois, I discovered that my dad was using an old wool blanket to plug a rusted-out hole in the floor of his pick-up. The blanket appears to be of Civil War vintage, and I rescued it from the hole in the truck. (My dad had acquired it at a local estate auction for less than a dollar).

Thanks to the information supplied by the network of living history buffs who pursue authenticity of impression, I was able to clothe and equip myself in a satisfying and respectable manner. I was now ready to venture forth, participate in another re-enactment and see if I would pass for “authentic.” I do not recall the exact sequence of events, but it was at about this time–say, 1975–that Steve and I participated in the “Droop Mountain” event in western Virginia. Here we encountered a contingent of the Bummers and were taken in as worthy recruits. In April 1976 I participated in a weekend “immersion” experience with the Bummers at a farm east of Gettysburg. This was the same weekend the Irish Brigade adopted its official identity. There were two separate encampments that weekend, both authentic–one for the Bummers and one for the Irish. In July 1976, we participated with the Bummers as a part of the large, U.S. bicentennial observance featuring a battle re-enactment at Gettysburg. (Steve Biondo describes this event). It was at the Gettysburg re-enactment that I first encountered “Thomas’ Mudsills.” I don’t know what became of that contingent, but they appeared to rival the Bummers for authenticity and were a credit to the living history efforts.

For a brief period, then, during the mid 1970s, I was privileged to experience camp, drill, march, and “combat” in company with a group of men uniquely committed to recreating life as it was experienced by the boys in blue of 1864. Steve Adolphson, Larry Strayer, and Spence Waldron were known to me as true leaders of this small company. Steve Biondo, Andy Conlon, Jim Poole, and others were comrades. Being “authentic” begins with a peculiar condition of the spirit and becomes a state of mind. It motivates hours of research and learning, and it disciplines behavior. It justifies the acquisition and possession of Civil War memorabilia. It is a life-long adventure.

In 1977, having finished graduate work at Virginia Tech, I joined the faculty at the University of Florida. I returned to Virginia for a march from Sharpsburg to Harpers Ferry–probably in 1978. In 1979 (I believe it was), I participated in the event at Saylors Creek. Age, career, family responsibilities, and distance combined to inhibit my further participation with the Bummers. I retain all my reproduction arms and equipment, and have continued to add to my collection of original arms and equipment. An average of once a year, I accept an invitation to demonstrate “arms and equipment of a Union infantryman” at an elementary school or senior citizen’s group. I have not participated in the annual re-enactment of the Battle of Olustee, Florida, but I visited during the re-enactment weekend recently. I was astounded at how the living history/re-enactment community has grown: there must have been 20 or more sutler’s tents, all selling a variety of reproduction items that could only be dreamed of thirty years ago!

At age 57, I consider myself too old to authentically portray a “typical” infantryman of the period. I have also gained weight as I have aged, and can no longer portray the lean look of the veteran campaigner of 1864-1865. But I retain my affinity for the volunteers of the Union, and am still at a loss to explain it to anyone who has not also experienced it..


The echos of the Civil War have faded, but still can be heard at times. In the 1970s my great-aunt Lydia (Bishop) Wilson, who was in her 80s at the time, was interviewed as part of an oral history project sponsored by one of the state universities in Illinois. She recalled, among her earliest memories of the “old folks,” sitting on her great-uncle Bill’s knee, listening to him tell stories of when he was a soldier in the Union army. She quoted him, specifically: “When the going got hot, we would whip those old mules!” Following up on this tidbit (this echo of the Civil War), I learned from the Illinois Adjutant General’s Report that William Bramwell Bishop (Lydia’s Uncle Bill) enlisted as a recruit in the 9th Illinois Infantry (consolidated) in the spring of 1864, and was with the regiment throughout the Atlanta campaign and on the march across Georgia, culminating in the grand review in Washington, D.C., in the spring of 1865. The 9th Illinois was a mounted infantry regiment–mounted on mules.

My dad’s cousin, Helen Foster, when she was in her 80s a few years ago, showed me a pair of gauntlets, explaining that they had been passed down to her from her grandfather, William Henry Foster, “who wore them when he was in the cavalry in the Civil War.” Following up on this echo of the Civil War, I learned that William Henry Foster served in the 80th Illinois Infantry. The 80th was mounted on mules in the spring of 1863 and participated in “Streight’s Raid” across northern Alabama, eventually being surrendered to Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest after a three-day running battle. Henry didn’t serve in the cavalry, but he surely did serve in the Civil War as a mounted man. I suspect that Henry Foster acquired the gauntlets sometime after the men of his regiment were exchanged and released, since all of their equipment and extra clothing were confiscated by Confederates after their capture. Henry farmed after the war, and with his wife raised three sons. He died in 1893 at age 51 and is buried in Fosterburg Cemetery in Madison County, Illinois. Cousin Helen passed away not long ago, but I have the gauntlets in my possession and will assure they will be preserved and appreciated. What stories they could tell if they could only talk...!





Greg Starbuck