Into the Piney Woods: Taylor Retreats Up the Red [Archive] - Authentic Campaigner Website & Forums

Gallo de Cielo

11-17-2007, 10:58 AM

All,

On behalf of the Texas Ground Hornets, Tom Yearby and I would like to formally announce THE campaigner event of 2009- "Into the Piney Woods: Taylor Retreats Up the Red."

The name for our event was lifted from the diary of Joseph P. Blessington, a stalwart of Walker's "Greyhound" Division, who reported that Taylor's retreating Confederates went "into the piney woods" with Banks' Federal army close behind them.

"Into the Piney Woods" will replicate the historic actions following the Confederate evacuation of Natchitoches, Louisiana up to the eve of the great battle at Mansfield. During this period the armies in blue and grey abandoned the road parralleling the Red River and entered a thick pine forest commonly referred to as "the howling wilderness."

For five days, from Tuesday March 10 through Saturday March 14, participants will live from their packs, perform the duties of a fighting man on campaign, and cover somewhere in the order of 6-8 miles each day.

This event is not for those who are weak in body or mind. This event is not for those "uber-kewls" who live on hype and internet reputation. The 200 "Iron Men of Kisatchie," veterans of Banks' Grand Retreat, can attest to this fact.

"Into the Piney Woods" is an event designed for those who want to experience soldiering for a period longer than the normal weekend event allows.

Many of the internal resources we'll depend on are already on-board. Those who remember our muleskinner Nathan and our ox-drover Gerry from Banks' Grand Retreat will be happy to know that both have agreed to embark upon this latest campaign in the Kisatchie woods. Our comrades from afar- the Lazy Jacks and friends from mainland Europe- are also enthusiastically recruiting.

Veterans of BGR who have longed for a similar experience should mark their calendars now. Those who opted not to attend BGR should not fail to miss a second such opportunity.

What we need are sturdy men, willing to bear a pack all day, stand picket at night, give battle when ordered, and subject yourself to the rigors of the march.

For any who are considering attending the NSA event in Jonesboro, Ark, that event concludes on Sunday March 8, allowing you the remainder of the 8th and all day on the 9th to come eight hours south to the Kisatchie Forest District.

Our website is on the way. We will post additional announcements when warranted.

Tom and I look forward to seeing many of you in Northwest Louisiana in the Spring of 2009!

Sixteen months and counting...

Respectfully,

41stVa

11-17-2007, 11:18 AM

Fred,

This is great! BGR was an outstanding event and I was hoping there would be more like it in the near future. You can definately count me in again for this one. See you in Louisiana with packs on and ready to march!

Ryan Protz
Granville Mess
Old Northwest Volunteers

huntdaw

11-17-2007, 01:09 PM

5 Days! Now we're talkin'. Between this, Bummers and some other things out there, 2009 should be a very good year indeed.

DougCooper

11-17-2007, 01:20 PM

Like BGR and Oupost in 2007, you now have your 2009 campaigner bookends with Into the Piney Woods and Bummers.

This time the Yanks are chasing the Rebs - so payback for the boys in blue, if you can corner them ;)

I am honored to be asked to honcho the preservation effort again, and would entertain any and all ideas for the recipient of our efforts. BGR raised over $4300 for Fort DeRussy.

Thanks Tom and Fred for falling victim to event organizer Amnesia. I think the bandwagon will be full for this one. On to Shreveport!!!

boozie

11-17-2007, 01:53 PM

Now your talking!!! I had a great time and am already looking forward to this one. I hope we can pull the old S.A. platoon together again. I also hope you will be our guide again Fred!

Tarheel

11-17-2007, 02:47 PM

Fantastic news!!!!!!!! The Lazy Jacks, our French friends and our comrades from Holland and Germany are being recruited as I write. BGR was an exceptional event; after the first 12 hours or so it wasn't re-enacting, it was real and worth every dollar spent and the thousands of miles travelled to be there. I strongly urge all who are commited to what we do and how we do it to enlist for this event. Based on our experiences at BGR, this promises to be a truly exceptional experience.
Can't wait!!!!
Patrick Reardon, The Lazy Jack Mess, UK

myster

11-17-2007, 03:46 PM

The gap year will now be a two year gap year. More schooling can wait. Let's do it.
Sean Harla

Terry Sorchy

11-17-2007, 04:03 PM

After BGR, I'm in Fred. It will be nice to do some of the chasing this time. I cant wait.
Cheers:D
Terry Sorchy

Old Reb

11-17-2007, 07:46 PM

If you attended BGR then you want to attend this one. If you missed BGR and wished you had not, then you want to attend this one. If you are just satisfied to pretend you are a soldier, then stay away from this one.

BorderRuffian

11-17-2007, 08:28 PM

Calendar marked,after my time spent at BGR,there's no way I'm going to miss this one.

biddler165

11-18-2007, 03:06 AM

I'll see y'all in the Piney Woods. It will be a great to hear COL Aufmuth's bugle and whistle again.:)

MarionRifles

11-18-2007, 09:39 PM

I'll see y'all in the Piney Woods. It will be a great to hear COL Aufmuth's bugle and whistle again.:)

Let's not forget that funky hat of his:wink_smil.Sounds like another road trip is in order for 2009!

BrianHicks

11-19-2007, 07:18 AM

Count me in.

Looking forward to another prolonged event!

Rob Murray

11-19-2007, 07:46 AM

Fred and Tom, Some folks never learn. But neither do I.
Count me in:D

John "Gianni" Shoptaw

11-19-2007, 08:54 AM

Fred-
We are just down the road a piece from ya-You know you can count us in.

ohpkirk

11-19-2007, 11:48 AM

I will begin baking crackers in a few weeks.......

This time, I think I'll let another poor sap drag the 10 foot flag pole through the pine woods and shoulder a musket.

coastaltrash

11-19-2007, 01:04 PM

Guess I'll order myself up another hardtack cutter and actually make this one (God willing)

AZReenactor

11-19-2007, 01:16 PM

Oh Ya, I'll have to plan on being at this one. I hope some of the others of the Sh## A## Platoon (Co A, 2nd Platoon at BGR) will be able to as well.

Hairy Nation Boys

11-19-2007, 01:41 PM

I would be there but our spring break is the next week. I don't know what my students would think if I just didn't show up. I guess I can keep my fingers crossed that I am wrong on our spring break.
Sh*T A*S Vet

Hope you boys have fun!

huntdaw

11-19-2007, 02:34 PM

I don't know Holler. You know springtime is a good time for contracting a variety of illnesses. Some of them put you down for 5 - 7 days before you're finally cured. I've got a friend who is wanting to put together a doctor impression. I'm sure he'll write you an excuse.:wink_smil

Alamo Guard

11-19-2007, 03:55 PM

Maybe he might need some of my "Natchez Spring Water"? Count me in.

Boot

11-19-2007, 04:24 PM

You can count me in again. It'll be good to get back in the forest.

See you there.

Boot.

Nick Passey
Great Briton
B.G.R. survivor.

< --- What goeth here?

Charles Heath

11-19-2007, 05:23 PM

The van departing from Burkittsville with stops at Stuart's Draft, Riner, and Piney Flats may also have feeder trips from Monmouth, Baltimore, and Rochester....

Spinster

11-19-2007, 08:21 PM

Chawls,

How many sets of keys will y'all have and who will be in charge of them?

Just sayin.......

unionreb

11-19-2007, 08:25 PM

Question to the organizers. Will Cavalry be allowed or do we look for something else again.

reb290

11-19-2007, 09:17 PM

In two years I will be able to pick up a rifle. Count me in.

Charles Heath

11-19-2007, 09:37 PM

How many sets of keys will y'all have and who will be in charge of them?

No firemen from NY will be permitted to possess keys. Not even their own...make that especially their own! :)

(Met a nice ol' gal from Fort Payne, Ala., the other day whilst hiving some listory in Wilson, NY, munching on some of Lanky Pete's venison sausage, and generally having a good time enjoying the panic of the steerage class passengers as their end of the tent fly combo began to take on water with predictable results. She was impressed someone actually knew where Attalla, Ala., is located, and about swooned when I mentioned we'd stayed there not once, but three times.)

csasoldier_61

11-20-2007, 04:37 PM

If you want to actually feel what it was like for a soldier back then this is the event to go to, those who were at BGR know what I'm talking about. BGR was fantastic and I know that this one will be even better. I guess this means I need new shoes.

OX

DougCooper

11-20-2007, 04:58 PM

In two years I will be able to pick up a rifle. Count me in.

Uh oh - Aaron you will have the same experience a fresh fish in our company did at BGR. It was his first real event and at 18, was suddenly spoiled for the rest of his life ;). But thanks to Messrs Baker and Yearby, he will no doubt be in for round 2.

Hey Ox, I will bring some extra socks for you :D

csasoldier_61

11-21-2007, 12:30 PM

Well Doug unlike at Rich Mountain I am not going to be wearing the Cody Mobley "Boots of Death" and I have my wife working on a couple of pairs of socks for me too.

Adam "OX" Johnson

ohpkirk

11-21-2007, 12:47 PM

Those boots have been passed along to another person whom they fit perfectly....I will have my new Serio boots well broken in by Spring 2009 so I won't have to wear my only other pair of shoes.....the heels of which were left in the gumbo of the BGR trails this past Spring.

GeraldDuval

12-07-2007, 06:39 AM

Just reading the AARs of BGR made me want to get into CW outside of my job. (Currently i only do the world wars). I only hope that I can have my kit and everything else squared away in time for this one!

Gallo de Cielo

12-07-2007, 09:00 AM

Rob,

Attitude can't be loaned- gear can. You show up, we'll kit you out.

That's not to stop you from having a shopping spree between now and the event but don't let the lack of equipment prevent you (or anyone else) from not coming.

This hobby is too small to sit out event for such reasons. I would wager that MANY of the folks on this forum have enough extra bits and pieces to double the numbers in the field if we could get the manpower.

Hope to see you in Kisatchie next spring. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

Cordially,

Alamo Guard

12-07-2007, 04:43 PM

Fred,
Very nicely put, I may quote you in the future upon that staement about attitude.
Quite a few of us have closets of stuff we seem to keep around just for loaners. I have no problem loaning, just wish some others were not so forgetful about returning.
Anyways cannot wait for the event. Prehaps i can hear some of those strange primal screams again? At first I thoughtit was Tom, just was it was too primal even for him :).

Charles Heath

12-07-2007, 05:18 PM

Dusty,

Fred's comment about sitting out events wasn't bad either. Dang, two keepers in one post!

(Must be that springwater you give Fred from time to time.)

DougCooper

12-08-2007, 02:29 AM

Mcouioui

12-08-2007, 02:26 PM

We were three French in the BGR, we are going to make everything to be more many in the "TGR", the eight, that would indeed be, it is my objective …
We work with Lazy to motivate our European companions and form so, a good big company of the old continent...

Tarheel

12-09-2007, 02:10 PM

Well done mon ami!!!! The recruitment effort amongst the Lazy Jacks and their friends of like mind is gathering pace. Our objective is to field a complete international company. There were 15 of us at BGR, what say we attempt double that. We'll give it our very best shot.
Warm regards to all,
Patrick Reardon.
The Lazy Jack Mess, UK

Mcouioui

12-09-2007, 02:24 PM

I believe that possible my friend !!!

Old Reb

12-09-2007, 06:24 PM

Mcouioui

12-10-2007, 01:48 AM

Not, especially not :cry_smile, it's good food snakes for the french, if you have more two or three frogs, one or two tortle and an aligator, not need of ration for French, you have all the spot food for us... :tounge_sm
J'aime la Louisiane pour ça Nourriture :thumbs_up

biddler165

12-10-2007, 03:27 AM

Tom,
Did you see any signs of the Bayou Yeti? As for rations, as long as there is tree bark and pine needles, we'll be fine.

johnnyreb43nc

12-10-2007, 03:34 AM

Pards,
It may well be a large European Company attending the Piney Woods event.
I am currently recruiting amongst the 18th Virginia boys and there may be as many as 5 coming over.
Look forward to it greatly ,as long as Mr.Yearby clears out them pesky snakes,after my close call with a pygmy rattler in Florida the last time i was over.:eek:
can,t wait

Jason Tailford
18th Virginia Infantry
Co G
Nottoway Grays
Temperance Mess.

Mcouioui

12-10-2007, 09:37 AM

My deception is great:cry_smile, in the BGR, I did not see big animals, just my English companions:tounge_sm and I did not see a single small animal, except a small bottle of beer all 10 m.
8000 km for that, it is great disappointment, but, I go the next time, by love... :D

Mcouioui

12-10-2007, 09:41 AM

Tom,
Did you see any signs of the Bayou Yeti? As for rations, as long as there is tree bark and pine needles, we'll be fine.

Do not torture me more, that gives hunger your slim, "I have the water of it in the mouth as" we say in French...:tounge_sm

DougCooper

12-10-2007, 12:30 PM

Having just returned from Kisatchie, I must report due to the warm weather and leaf fall it is difficult to tell the difference between fallen leaves and a Copperhead snake. I must say that it speaks volumes that men are willing to come from Europe to attend Into the Piney Woods. I will clear the snakes out before you all arrive.

What Tom means is he will eat 'em all and might even cook a few for fun and or make jerky out of them. :eek:

TGR - mon ami William may have picked the name for "Taylor's Grand Retreat". I like it.

Rev

12-10-2007, 12:47 PM

After being gently coerced by Mrs. Terre, I am under conviction and will try to clear my schedule for this Grand Retreat. Sounds great. I also have enough time to get my 'desk body' back into shape!

Spinster

12-10-2007, 01:28 PM

Lawrence:

There is no "try", there is only Do or Not.

Get your messmates and start hiking the sandhills of Isle Dauphine in hobnails and pack. Good practice.

Mcouioui

12-10-2007, 02:04 PM

What Tom means is he will eat 'em all and might even cook a few for fun and or make jerky out of them. :eek:

TGR - mon ami William may have picked the name for "Taylor's Grand Retreat". I like it.

It's David (one of three French BGR) and Patrick Reardon who one used the expression " TGR " for the first time in an exchange of e-mail (let us produce to Caesar who belongs to Caesar) and we adopted with our English friends the expression, very naturally:wink_smil

Mcouioui

12-10-2007, 02:15 PM

Lawrence:

There is no "try", there is only Do or Not.

Get your messmates and start hiking the sandhills of Isle Dauphine in hobnails and pack. Good practice.

It's true that we have this chance we Europeans to walk more, (many public transportation, shorter distance (in cities), many cycle, walking, etc.) But in our campaigns, the distances are long as to you, thus we make quite by car, Bank, Shoping, etc. (It's not good for the health)
It is necessary to make of the exercise, because indeed, even if we make this type of event in France and in Europe (many walking on the event) as says it Madame Lawson, the BGR, we make or we make not, not of tries.
Go, go, go, we make any run 10km by tomorrow morning:cry_smile, it's start same 14-18 (WWI) as we say in France :D

Rev

12-10-2007, 02:39 PM

Lawrence:

There is no "try", there is only Do or Not.

Get your messmates and start hiking the sandhills of Isle Dauphine in hobnails and pack. Good practice

The difficulty I have has to do with my beloved's birthday! I can't reschedule it, but I may be able to shift the celebration.

Gallo de Cielo

12-10-2007, 03:19 PM

Hmmm.

While TGR is nice, I would like to endorse IPW (short for Into the Piney Woods) if folks are wanting a quick set of initials to use.

So it appears that the UK and mainland Europe will be well-represented. Perhaps those a bit closer will support it with equal vigor.

Kind regards,

Mcouioui

12-10-2007, 04:33 PM

TGR that reminds TGV(HST), it’s for that that the sound is pleasant in the ear of the French.:D
Especially TGR that rings well in French as in English...:(
And then IPW that reminds a mark of computer, a computing program, a virus, a bad no-governmental agency in James Bond.:sarcastic
I joke Fred, if you prefers IPW, I start the fashion in France?!:wink_smil
IPW I also like, that cuts with the BGR...

Mcouioui

12-10-2007, 04:45 PM

The difficulty I have has to do with my beloved's birthday! I can't reschedule it, but I may be able to shift the celebration.

I can only give you the opinion of somebody who travelled 8000km for the event (BGR), that is worth upsetting that life and its customs for that.
If god wants him, I travelled 8000km in one sense and 8000km in the other sense to be there in March, 2009, it is my blood, my life to be there in 2009:wink_smil

Silas

12-12-2007, 11:22 AM

I'll bring IPA from the PNW to IPW. A-OK?

But, Tom, I'm not concerned about the big creatures. Please do something about the little ones. Mrs. Silas hates it when I come home with critters. I've still got a decent mark from one of those blood sucking buggers which burrowed deeply, feasted on my flesh for days, and got really fat before being forcefully evicted with tongs and pocket knife. The other ones didn't put up much of a fight.

Mcouioui

12-12-2007, 12:10 PM

That frightens :eek:

Dan Hadley

12-12-2007, 02:15 PM

wow. the thought of traipsing that wilderness again....to quote Sam Clemens- "this is sport that makes a body's very liver curl with enjoyment"

Mcouioui

12-12-2007, 02:52 PM

We should make a clock for countdown same before the year 2000, or notches on a tree with a knife as Robinson on its island...
So we wait this event same a feast, same the children Christmas morning in front of the fir tree...:tounge_sm
We have to be a little all masochist in fact...:(

Linkstrap

12-12-2007, 04:34 PM

Do the organisers envisage a mounted element being incorporated into the scenario?

AndrewMartin

12-17-2007, 03:02 PM

I missed BGR....and I'll be damned if I miss this one! :eek:

Mcouioui

12-17-2007, 03:31 PM

I wish you not to miss him, I did not miss the first one and I would make everything not to miss this one either:tounge_sm

Alamo Guard

12-17-2007, 03:34 PM

Andrew,
Better look out that Preacher might show up again? Beware his Natchez Spring Water, it might make ya confess? :tounge_sm

Mcouioui

12-17-2007, 03:42 PM

Amen:tounge_sm

Parault

02-05-2008, 05:07 PM

DougCooper

02-05-2008, 11:26 PM

Tom,

Since my son is going to bootcamp after this event and will not be able to participate in any events for a good duration we figured this would be one of those "father son" quality times. We are both looking foward to it, good Lord willing.

I guess I need to put down my Hershey's Chocolate Bar now.:cry_smile

P.L. - we had a father/son in our company at BGR and to watch them support each other in what was their first authentic event made me proud to march along side them. I guarantee you it will be a week you will never forget. Good on ya.

Gallo de Cielo

02-06-2008, 09:19 AM

I heard from one of our English comrades from afar yesterday. He had one son with him at BGR and has a younger lad who is training up for Into the Piney Woods. So it sounds as though we'll have a family of three from another continent.

We had two companies of men who traveled extreme distances to make BGR. One was the Lazy Jack contingent who came from the UK and France and the other was the fellows from the left coast (CA, OR, WA, ID). Hopefully the armchair generals from closer points can forsake the keyboard and come out for a five day hiatus in the piney woods this next March.

Regards,

Old Reb

02-06-2008, 11:45 AM

huntdaw

02-06-2008, 08:51 PM

I'm going to find me that there Yeti this time around.

DougCooper

02-06-2008, 09:12 PM

and there is still a bridge across the Mississippi River. I have crossed it going east many times! The Ground Hornets made their way through the Kisatchie Hills Wilderness Area for their January muster and though the Bayou Yeti was not seen, he was heard on a very cold night howling at the moon.

A reliable source indicates that Yearby and Yeti are the same :eek: Neither has ever been known or seen to sleep and they keep going on a handful of parched corn and thin mud to drink...

yipper

02-07-2008, 04:04 PM

Gents,

Those of us who live and work in the area fear no Yeti, gator, snakes, hogs, nor coyotes,
but keep a wary eye peeled for the loup garou…

Regards,

geoffrey lehmann

EVOC

02-07-2008, 11:10 PM

Well, the Boy Scouts do not seem to have any fear of the loup garou...not in the daytime. I never saw any Redbones in the Kisatchie, so they might be hiding around Provencal.

sincères

Joe Allport

Old Reb

02-08-2008, 01:48 AM

Loup garou and the Bayou Yeti might be one in the same, or cousins by marriage.

Silas

02-18-2008, 12:26 AM

http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/pic/VinMagCo/AP091~La-Nuit-Du-Loup-Garou-Posters.jpg

Spinster

02-18-2008, 08:30 AM

I have a dress like the one in Silas's poster.:D

Not that it fits anymore......

JustRob

03-04-2008, 10:54 AM

I'm all in on this one as well.

You Johnnys are going to have to learn some more songs, too. The Feds definitely won the Battle of the Bands on the last day.

Why not call this one BGA (Banks Grand Advance)?

ferraius

03-04-2008, 11:06 AM

I personally can't wait to drink that ol' Luciana crick dribble. Was that one pill or two for each canteen 1st Sergeant?

JustRob

03-04-2008, 11:43 AM

Those of us who thought ahead brought the two pill system: one to purify and one to clear.

myster

03-04-2008, 04:47 PM

This may just be me, but I found the water to taste alright. Those pills left a cool, refreshing after-taste.
Sean Harla

huntdaw

03-20-2008, 12:23 PM

You're right - it's just you.:)

Hairy Nation Boys

03-20-2008, 06:52 PM

I could spend hours writing about all the GREAT moments at BGR but since water is the lateset here is one funny story. At least we found it funny.

While one Hairy Nation Boy, Jake Wickham, was on picket, these two boys(from another company) came down to fill canteens. Seems easy enough the only problem was that they were filling donwstream from where the oxen were watering! Needless to say Jake told these two to move upstream but they would not listen. Hope you like ox crap and piss!

I cannot wait until next year. I was talking to a Nation Boy who hasn't been around much the past few years. We talked about past events, Raymond '98, Wilson's Creek '91 and others. I told him that they all pale in comparison with BGR.

If you can get the time off next March do it!

JustRob

03-21-2008, 11:08 AM

Guys,

Terry Sorchy, the Federal Commander, has asked me to form a Color Guard of (ideally) eight corporals for "Into the Piney Woods".

As members of the color guard, you will be excused from picket and fatigue duty, unless you so choose. Since you will not be firing your weapons, you won't have to worry about cleaning them, either.

You will, however, need to become familiar with the School of the Guides, which I have available in PDF format.

Drop me a line if you're interested.

Thanks,

Rob Carter

lthull3rdla

04-14-2008, 07:29 AM

This sounds like such a great event. I truly wish I could attend. Only takes me a short drive to get there from shreveport. But.. Diabetes will prevent me from taking part. If there is anything I can do though, to help out, since I am close, please do not hesitate to ask. I would be honored to assist y'all in putting this together.

Ronnie - Shreveport

Gallo de Cielo

04-14-2008, 08:13 AM

Ronnie,

We could use you in our truck-born logistics crew. The hope is folks would not see or need you, but you and others will be there in case someone needs assistance or for other event-related logistics that may come up.

At BGR we had one man handling this which for 99% of the time was good. We could have used more at a few points. For Into the Piney Woods we've already got 3 medivac/logistics folks who will be in separate vehicles leapfrogging the route but staying away from the path we are on. The internal service roads give us excellent interior lines of communication and movement which is another plus to this event site.

Ronnie, feel free to PM me if you'd like to chat more on this. My sense is that you'd be in a much more controlled environment and able to watch yourself better and you wouldn't be out on the trail humping a pack either.

Kind regards,