Chickamauga AOT-ANV Living History

[JStiles]

Hey Guys,
For those who may not know, the WIG is putting together a mobile battalion size living history to take place at Chickamauga during the weekend of September 21-23 2007. For more info about the event, please keep checking the WIG web site at http://www.westernindependentgrays.org/. This event is unique in that several of the different elements which came together under Bragg will be represented in one battalion. The guys in the WIG are portraying an AOT unit or units and Neill Rose and I, along with our friends and cohorts, are heading up efforts to portray the contingent from the ANV under Longstreet. We will portray one of the companies from the 7th South Carolina of Kershaw's Brigade. The good folks from the South Carolina Relic Room will be graciously assisting us as we gather information for our portrayal. The 7th and Kershaw's Brigade played a key role in the attack on the Union center and suffered heavily on the slopes of Snodgrass Hill. If anyone is interested in participating at the event in our company, please feel free to contact Neill or me. It will be time to break out the blue-grey kersey Richmond jackets! More to follow. Take care.........Jerry Stiles

[Iron Scout]

Thanks for posting this Jerry,

Folks, this is a great opportunity to truly do a 'compare and contrast' of the two armies at Chickamauga. I'm personally making this one of my max effort events for 2007. The education potential, not only for ourselve, but also the public is huge. As Jerry stated, this will not be a fixed cap LH but rather one that is 'mobile'. Continue to look for updates, research and discussions regarding schedule and the like.

Regards,

Neill Rose
PLHA

[Jay Spurr]

Jer - I'll be there. My wife and I are planning a trip to Nashville to visit an old aviator friend of mine from the Navy and then on to Chattanooga for the event. Let me know if there's anything I can carry that way. :)
Best,

[trippcor]

Guys
The Website for this event is now up and linked off the WIG website. We have a brief history of the two units we will be portraying (7th Texas & 7th SC), general event information, registration and AOT uniform guidelines. The ANV guidelines should be ready soon. We also hope to add more historical information such as AARs and more.

[rick atwood]

Tripp,

I will be there. I hope to bring several Virginians with me as well.

Rick Atwood

[BrianHicks]

Rick,

It'll be good to see you again!

[trippcor]

The uniform guidelines for the ANV company are now posted on the event website. Seems to be some really good interest in this one from all over.

Rick,
That is great to hear. Look forward to serving with you again.

[Tarheel]

This event certainly sounds like one well worth crossing the Atlantic for!!! If I can gather some support from The Lazy Jacks (who may have recovered from BGR by then) would there be room for a few Brits? The thought of the AOT and the ANVa side by side is fantastic!!!
Warm regards,
Patrick Reardon,
The Lazy Jack Mess, UK

[BrianHicks]

Yes sir, you and your mates from across the big pond would most certainly be welcome!

[JStiles]

Jer - I'll be there. My wife and I are planning a trip to Nashville to visit an old aviator friend of mine from the Navy and then on to Chattanooga for the event. Let me know if there's anything I can carry that way. :)
Best,

Cool!! We'll see you there Jay.....Jerry Stiles

[trippcor]

Patrick,
As Mr. Hicks has said we would love to have our friends from across the pond visit. You would be more than welcome in my company. I am sure we would even help with rides from the airport and places to stay if needed.

[JStiles]

Patrick,
If you fellows want to go ANV for the weekend, that door is open as well.....Jerry Stiles

[Tarheel]

Gentlemen,
Thank you for your most kind offers of hospitality. I'm virtually certain that I will make it and I'll send a round-robin email to all the Lazy Jacks and friends of a similar authentic persuasion who may also have the time and the funds to make the trip. Will keep in touch.
Warm regards,
Patrick Reardon.
The Lazy Jack Mess, UK

[Bushrod Carter]

Patrick,

I think everyone here will be pleased to have any of the Lazy Jacks fall in with us for this living history or any event that the WIG attends...even Richard O'Sullivan!

Please pass along my fondest regards to Richard and let him know that my family and I would pleased to see him anytime he ventures to these parts.

[DougCooper]

I think a bidding war (or 2 out of 3 at cards) just started for the Jacks :eek: Count me in with Mr Stiles and Mr Rose as a South Carolinian. BBQ is better in SC...:)

[Coatsy]

Alas Mr. Cooper, the Lazy Jacks have not yet had the experience of a soldier's life within Tripp Corbin's Company aka Craddock's Ram-Rods aka The Petersburg's Greyhounds aka THOSE people.

Us miscreants would love to have our esteemed pards from over the pond fall in and take in the "experience". We've already got one Brit. ehem Paul Jerram. So we might as well welcome them all to our 'special family.'

[Iron Scout]

Yeah,

But they haven't had my Lowcountry rice pudding or heard my Bobcat story yet:tounge_sm

Greatly looking forward to this!

Regards,

Neill Rose
PLHA

[NY Pvt]

Gentlemen,
This event is looking good. Now does this event count as being on the other side of those big scary mountains?

I found this a couple weeks ago. It is the full text of: “History of Kershaw’s Brigade with Complete Roll of Companies, Biographical Sketches, Incidents, Anecdotes, ect.”
http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC26336459&id=zc_ighHkiZkC&pg=RA3-PP18&lpg=RA3-PP18&dq=South+Carolina+Regiment&as_brr=1#PRA3-PP14,M1

If the link does not work, let me know.

Enjoy,

PS- Neil’s rice pudding is the best. Plain and simple. Can’t wait to have some next weekend at River’s Bridge.

[toptimlrd]

Checking the schedule this weekend. If open I'm there!

[Iron Scout]

Thanks Dane! The pudding is quite simple too. You just need Carolina Plantation Rice! www.carolinaplantationrice.com Anyway, I hope folks take a long look at this event as it has great educational potential for the Park and it's visitors. First, the interpretive depth is really great ie. the comparison between AOT vs ANV. With some good first person efforts, I could see the visitors really getting a flavor of the cultural and 'impression' differences between the armies. Great stuff; thanks too for the website Tripp.

I hope I'm not talking out of school, but an interesting discussion regarding the trousers of Kershaw's Brigade really needs to be held. That's a whole different thread right now, but I tend to lean toward English Blue (a bright Royal blue-see EOG Pender trousers). I know some of the SWB folks have experimented with over-dying sky blue kersey to a solid match vs the originals at the MOC. Hopefully they can provide more information. I also think Hainsworth may have a good fit. Any comment? I really like the qoute from Col. Aiken regarding English goods in 1862. You never know, information may appear one day that completely changes our thoughts on Blockade goods and their early availability:wink_smil

Anyway, I'm sincerely looking forward to this.

Regards,

Neill Rose
PLHA

[CSchneider]

Considering some of the quotes from various memoirs that are included in the guidelines, it seems pretty clear that they were wearing blue-grey kersey jackets and some sort of lighter blue trousers. The MOC has four pairs of trousers, at least two of them in your typical "Richmond Depot" pattern, made of a royal blue kersey material. One of them (Pender's imported pair) is ID'd to as early as Gettysburg. I know Neill has some good documentation regarding these blue trousers being shipped from Britain in 1862. Is there any information about when yardage of this cloth began to be imported as well?

I did use samples of kersey from a number of different makers to attempt to create a good match to the color of these trousers. I tried a few different dyes on some Childs, old FHW, etc., both undyed kersey and sky blue kersey, and brought them to the MOC to compare. I came pretty close to the color of the Goodwin trousers on one sample.

-Craig Schneider

[Tenthtexas]

Great, I have seen it all. This forum has become the place to post recipes. Well Mr. Heath, the door is open for you now. Exactly how do you make Ham a la mag'got?? Tripp Corbin I know is wanting this.

Art Milbert

[csuniforms]

From Cadet Gray and Butternut Brown--My Book--

"We passed the Virginians who had come to reinforce us for the coming fight. Our first impression on seeing them was that they were Yankees! This impression was caused partly by the color of their uniforms, but more by its uniformity, and the superior style of their accoutrements, in haversacks, canteens, and knapsacks. The contrast between them and General Braggs motly ragged troops was striking in the extreme. If this Command was a specimen of Lee's troops, they are certainly superior the Army of Tennessee in dress."

Corporal Wm. A. Brown of Stanford's Miss. Battery, morning of September 19, 1863.

"They wore light blue pants, gray jackets, and regular soldier caps. We, on the other hand Western troops, had no uniform at all, but wore clothes of all kinds and hues."

Captain Frank T. Ryan, 1st Arkansas Mounted Rifles.

The jacket and cap color was described as, "dark steel gray, the same color and fabric worn by our Officers."

CSuniforms
Tom Arliskas