Ancient History from 2002

[paulcalloway]

This photo was taken at Perryville in 2002. Good times, remember that event fondly.

Left to Right: Jay White, Paul Calloway, Scott McKay, Bo Carlson, Glenn Jones.

Former moderators club.

[ElizabethClark]

Re: Ancient History from 2002

Look at all those handsome whiskers!

My goodness... what a troop. :)

[GreencoatCross]

Re: Ancient History from 2002

Perryville 2002 was the first time I fell in with the GHTI at a national. I remember trying not to laugh at Captain Matt Caldwell's almost unintelligible goofball speeches. I thought Jason Adams was the scariest person I've ever met. While I was laying on the field wounded a man in the passing confederate battle line kicked me in the face. Justin Runyon slept on my new army hat, Dan Wambaugh and I tried to set up a proper shelter in a rain storm, and I'll never forget the fire made of rails that had about thirty boilers, cans, and cups balanced on it.

Memories!

[paulcalloway]

Re: Ancient History from 2002

Who was the guy that was snoring so loud Friday night that about 40 of us got up and moved 150 yards away....

I'll never forget watching him get up Saturday morning and look around in amazement that he was all alone.

[crabby]

Re: Ancient History from 2002

That may have been Danny Cheatam.

[Strawfoot]

Re: Ancient History from 2002

That may have been Danny Cheatam.

Wasn't Cheatum on the 2nd Battalion staff? I know the A Company streets were right next to battalion HQ...

Hey Paul, how is Glenn Jones these days? Is he still in the game? He was my file mate on the skirmish line for that event, and I remember him saying his knees were killing him.

Speaking of Perryville 2002, that WAS a special event. Firstly, most of our battalion had just portrayed the 105th Ohio at the prior year's event. So we were very well into character for the 2002 NSA national. Secondly, I still contend that the AoP as a unit that year was the finest re-enacting organization to ever grace the planet.

1st Battalion (portraying our sister regiment from Terrill's Brigade, the 80th Illinois) consisted of three full companies of galvanizing WIG's (Smotherman, Utley, & Milbert, et al) a company of Wisconsin guys and old Mudsills under John Wedeward, Trans-Miss guys under Cal Kinzer, and a regular Pacific Coast AoP company. That battalion was led by Steve Dunfee, with Pat Craddock on staff.

Our battalion was a mixture of GHTI (two companies led by Paul and Matt), Salt River Rifles (Jim Butler), Southeast Feds (Dan Giddens), Columbia Rifles and another mixed company of Westerners from Iowa, Missouri etc, led by Matt Woodburn (I think). Chad Greene had the 2nd Battalion command with Kevin OB as his major. Of course, Dom and a very small horse ran the show, with Dirk as brigade medical (real world no less), Mr Coleman on commissary, and I THINK Justin Runyon as adjutant. Or was that Franklin? Anyhow..

Just a little under 400 rifles in the brigade, plus our civilian contingent (VERY nice looking ladies too...) Most of these guys were in their prime, had been at it for years, and it showed. On the drill field, out on the ridge for Saturday's battle, and in camp. We were the mailed fist of Warnick's Division that weekend and we knew it.

Yep, good times.


Mike Phineas
Arlington, TX

[GreencoatCross]

Re: Ancient History from 2002

Paul,

I don't remember who he was by name or face but if I heard him again I'd know for sure. That guy was loud!

Richmond, KY also had it's memorable moments. First time I ever saw the Allendale Melodians....and the modern discussion about quantum physics, etc. was pretty fun (and confusing). Oh and do you remember a certain someone blowing a dead snake out of his rifle during the skirmish?

[ewtaylor]

Re: Ancient History from 2002

Perryville '02 was one of my most favorite events. I remember getting there Friday afternoon, getting wet, and trying to get dry the rest of the weekend. I was with a group of more progressive guys than the unit I had started this crazy hobby with. We camped in the CS woods and it was the first time I lived out of my haversack. I couldn't believe how easy it really was. After that there was no going back.

I believe it was the next summer that I attended the "Richmond Monsoon" event. Coyotes howling alnight, misquitos buzzing my ear, and then the rain!! I awoke in a pond. Then marched around all morning, lost, looking for any sign of Billy Yank. I don't think I have ever been so wet! My wet single bag knapsack must have weighed 50lbs!!

ahhhh,
good times.

[HOG.EYE.MAN]

Re: Ancient History from 2002

1st Battalion (portraying our sister regiment from Terrill's Brigade, the 80th Illinois) consisted of three full companies of galvanizing WIG's (Smotherman, Utley, & Milbert, et al) a company of Wisconsin guys and old Mudsills under John Wedeward, Trans-Miss guys under Cal Kinzer, and a regular Pacific Coast AoP company. That battalion was led by Steve Dunfee, with Pat Craddock on staff.

I was a corporal with Utley's company during this excellent event, and we actually had more Mudsill Alums (Hodge-Podge Mess), than Weed's company. If I remember right, our company had a combination of WIG, Southern Guard, Mudsills, Wisconsin boys, and Hogg mess, members.

During Saturday's engagement, I remember retreating through the cornfield and losing the entire battalion once I got out, under heavy fire with Johnny's right behind me. When I got back to the Federal line, I started running back and forth behind the lines in order to see familiar faces to find my battalion. After 10 minutes of being lost, I finally saw Rob Hodge, Tom Rock, Scott Cross, Rayn Weddle and Chris Utley, and could not be more happy. It was a little scary not knowing where my spot was in line, and I could easily understand this happening to the real men who fought there.

As Rob Hodge would say, I had many civilwargasms all weekend long.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Ancient History from 2002

Wasn't Cheatum on the 2nd Battalion staff? I know the A Company streets were right next to battalion HQ...

Our battalion was a mixture of GHTI (two companies led by Paul and Matt), Salt River Rifles (Jim Butler), Southeast Feds (Dan Giddens), Columbia Rifles and another mixed company of Westerners from Iowa, Missouri etc, led by Matt Woodburn (I think). Chad Greene had the 2nd Battalion command with Kevin OB as his major. Of course, Dom and a very small horse ran the show, with Dirk as brigade medical (real world no less), Mr Coleman on commissary, and I THINK Justin Runyon as adjutant. Or was that Franklin? Anyhow.

Perryville 2002 was the best large event I've ever attended, hands down. My AAR has been taken down from the CR website, but I attached it here as a Word file.

The battalion's field officers were Col. Chad Greene, Lt. Col. Dan Cheathum, and me as the Major. The Columbia Rifles' company commander was Chris Piering. Justin was not the battalion adjutant--that was actually nearly a full year before Justin learned to wave a sword around at Fort Wayne in 2003. Our adjutant was a fellow named Marple, and our Sgt. Maj. that weekend was Joe Leichty.

Darn good weekend. Good comrades, good authenticity in the demi-brigade, and the first time I saw a big event where everyone seemed to be adhering to the historical script.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Ancient History from 2002

Perryville 2002 was the best large event I've ever attended, hands down.

I couldn't agree more!

[Milliron]

Re: Ancient History from 2002

We brought an old War of 1812 pard of mine who wanted to experience a campaign-style event. We warned him many times that it was not likely to be anything he was used to. He was the kind of guy who was kind of a blowhard and fancied himself a "sticker" and crafty in the field and insisted on going. So, we kitted him up and down we go. Predictably enough, we got rained on Friday morning.

Tony spent all afternoon carefully drying out all his stuff. We told him not to bother with it, as it was more than likely going to rain again. He insisted that it wasn't, got quite cross and said to "just look at the sky". We said, "Ooo-K," and kept our stuff on and near at hand just in case. Of course, at 3:00 a.m. the heavens opened. We had a shebang up in two seconds flat and Tony was soaked again. :D A more glum person I never saw the rest of the event--he hated it. Haven't heard from him since. We still laugh about that at mess meetings.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Ancient History from 2002

Friday late morning/afternoon at Perryville 2002 saw Tropical Storm Lilli visit Perryville. She poured down rain on us during the Friday march, that's for sure. One buddy of mine said--and I think this is in my report posted on this thread--"raindrops became potentially eye-damaging objects" during that storm.

However, the much-storied, so-called downpour on Friday night (actually Saturday morning) has grown in duration and magnitude starting on the day after it rained. I recall it being a moderate rain lasting maybe 25 minutes. Others have described it as a deluge lasting up to two hours. Believe me--my memoriy of this is closer to the truth than those who call it a deluge. What was memorable about that nighttime rain was that a number of guys in the demi-brigade had dried out their kit in the brief period of sunshine between 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., and of course many who'd rigged up shebangs at 4:30 took them down by 7:00 p.m. thinking it wouldn't rain anymore. Thus, out of 350 men in the demi-brigade, I'd suspect that at least 300 of us were out in the open field without any cover when it started raining at 3:00 a.m.

I stayed pretty much completedly dry in the 25-minute rain that night. Knowing it was going to be tropical storm weather during the event, I'd brought two gum blankets. I slept on one and put one over me, and stayed about 98% dry during the nighttime rain. I suspect a blanket and shelter half draped over me, with knees up, would have done the same thing, as it did for me during a truly-all-night rain at "Grant vs. Lee" in 1999. The shelter-half-on the knees approach won't keep you very dry if it's REALLY raining, but in a moderate rain it usually works for quite a while.

That I recall of Perryville 2002, the highlight was the Saturday afternoon battle scenario, when our demi-brigade broke and fled (as did the regiments we portrayed, on the very same ground); it's still one of the coolest things I ever beheld in reenacting: 350 guys in full marching order fleeing pell-mell over a wide expanse of field ahead of me. I was one of the last 20 or so to abandon the ridgeline on which we'd stood, and by the time I reached the cornfield 300 yards to our rear, not only was most of the demi-brigade nearly 300 more yards ahead of me on Starkweather Hill, but by that time no less than three different lines of Rebs were also in the cornfield, and I was (sort of) taken prisoner. :)