For the Record

[Old Reb]

For the Record

While many people had a hand in making Banks’ Grand Retreat a success, was it not for the dedication and tireless work of Fred Baker, the event would have never taken place. To him should go the bulk of the praise for he stood heads above all the others in his effort and my hat is off to him for an excellent job and a mission accomplished.

[Gallo de Cielo]

Tom,

Very kind of you but you have taught me that there is no I in team.

Therefore, other key team members need a tip of the hat. In no particular order-

Tom Yearby- found the site we wound up using and hiked the full 26 miles of the originally planned route in less than two days. His scouting trip and feedback was critical and he also was the local civilian keeping Col Aufmuth up to speed with General Taylor's wishes.

Geoff Lehmann- a living historian who also works in the very district we chose to use for the event. Like Tom, Geoff did a full scout and sent a detailed water-point map to me. It was these water points we used at each night's bivouac. Geoff was there to quietly keep me on the right path when I threatened to head us off too far into the wilderness. Geoff also helped make sure our Special Use Permit contained all the needed parts.

Nathan Stark- a true mule-skinner. Nathan provided both wagon rigs plus two teams of mules. He and his fellow skinner "Billy D" were nothing shy of amazing. Nathan and several of his men had also scouted much of the route prior to the event. As he said, "we are can-do people" and he honored that word every time the situation called for it. He hauled our food, our ammunition, and our officer's baggage, all while adjusting on the move and shifting many bales of pre-placed hay.

Gerry Barker- the ox man. Gerry is a wonder. His team of oxen were just excellent to see. He's a fellow that lives what he does and it shows in how he conducts himself. He split his time with the civilian contingent and the army. I was really amazed at how docile and dog-like the big oxen were. He'd simply say, "James, move up and drink" and by God the beast would do it.

Frank Aufmuth- the CS battalion CO. Frank leads with fire in his belly and it showed in how he handled his battalion. Frank had been aboard from the very beginning in this role and the times I was crossing into the CS camp, he had the reigns firmly in-hand.

Terry Sorchy- the US battalion CO. Perhaps 6 weeks before the event Terry came aboard as the junior officer in Co A. When the company commander dropped out, Terry then rose to command the company. Just prior to losing cell service on Tuesday afternoon, I learned that Mr. Duffer wouldn't be making the trip. Without protesting, Terry took charge of the battalion. I camped with him each night and came to know him as a fine man. He earned my respect and that of any man who was around him. His feet were in shreds by the mid-way point but he pressed on, carrying his knapsack as well.

Cody Mobley and Rick Biddle- the hardtack bakers. These men cranked out load after load of hardtack in home ovens for months prior to the event. Without them we would have lacked for a staple in CW-era army rations.

Wayne Jones- Federal gun commander. This was a different sort of event for Wayne and his men. Nonetheless, they were campaigners and I would serve with them again. By the end of the event, nearly a quarter of the battery horses were lamed from the distances and rigor of the terrain. At the end, the gun was being moved into position by hand. They could have packed up and left early but they stayed and helped us to keep the Secesh hordes at bay.

There were others as well, namely every damned participant who made the trip- be that the Lazy Jacks from another continent or the California boys who drove 37 hours straight to get to the event or folks from closer-by. The enlisted and NCO ranks were superb as were all the company and junior officers. We certainly came out with fewer than we began but the men who remained were definitely the iron men Tom proclaimed them to be.

Thanks too to the civilian population up at Terre's location who fed us on Wednesday night after Tom, Rick, Cody and I had placed the water for the mid-way refil point. I hadn't eaten in about 12 hours and nearly wept as the blessing was said. I also thank those in that camp who doctored sore-footed and worn-out men. Silvana, Ginger, and Anna were exceptional in their remote outpost. Coming across their little bivouac and watching Uncle Sam's boys throw their underwear all about and steal any sort of foodstuff they could find was excellent. These three also penned virtually every letter that was issued out to the men during the event. I know the note I received was superb and I suspect many men had a day brightened by those few lines from home.

There are more nods of the head that could be given and thanks proclaimed but I'll cease here and again say thanks to all who came and all who helped.

I'll look forward to seeing you fellows and ladies again in the field.

Respectfully submitted,

[DougCooper]

As has been said, this event succeeded because we were put into position to succeed by Fred and his team. The folks at this event were the most motivated hard working I have ever served with but it could have all gone awry had there not been back ups to back ups. So much was going on behind the scenes that we could not see, from medical plans, to logistics changes, to camp changes to scenario changes to personnel changes. It was all handled with great aplomb and a minimum of noise. Tom and Fred could have stood out as the ring masters...but instead they blended in and it all worked well.

That alone elevated the event to a level of preparation and planning never before seen...and it was complemented by great decision making throughout the event.

In the end, we operated like two CW armies and a group of civilian refugees in the middle of nowhere, which was the point.

[coastaltrash]

Did Rick get to issue the Snowman shaped hardtack?

[Old Reb]

Rick issued snowman hardcrackers to me. Don't know if any one else got them.

[boozie]

Tom and Fred, all I can say at this point is OUTSTANDING!!! I am still trying to collect thoughts before posting any type of AAR. That was by far the best event I have been to and i've been in this since 1992. THANK YOU for a great time and also for all of the hard work you guys did, I can only imagine what you had to do to prepare for this.

Thanks Again!!

[biddler165]

Tom,
The snowmen were made especially for you by my daughter Alyson.

[Tarheel]

The Lazy (Crazy) Jacks finally made it back to London this morning exhausted, exhilarated and wanting to do it all over again!!!! Quite simply, it was the event of a lifetime for us and our French companions. I'm too tired to put together any form of sensible AAR, that will come later, but we are all hugely grateful to all who organised it and participated, Yanks, Rebs and civilians. Personally, I was stretched to the very limit of my endurance and then some but not one of us dropped out and to march together in column to the final muster on Sunday was magical, simply magical. Let me collect my thoughts over the next few days and I'll post again. A further bonus for us was the many new friends we made and who we look forward to marching with again.
Warm regards and best wishes to all.
Patrick Reardon, The Old Major
The Lazy Jack Mess, UK
ps. I've finally worked out why we were C Company. Everywhere we camped was burnt. Others had grass or sand, we had burnt earth and wood. Hence C Co. stood for "Charcoal" Company.

[yipper]

Gents,

I’ve been asked about the distance of our route and so measured the Federal movements on the Forest Service GIS with the following results:

Thursday: 5.5 miles
Friday: 4.25 miles
Saturday: 7.25 miles
Sunday: 3.3 miles
TOTAL: 20.3 miles

regards,

geoffrey lehmann

[Charles Heath]

BGR was arguably the best campaign event since 1998, and I don't make such statements lightly. Believe me when I say the hobby has had far more failed campaign efforts than successes, and that includes those events that crashed and burned during the execution phase, as well as those who never got off the ground.

The post-event afterglow on the fora, in PMs, IMs, via email, in person, and on the phone, is an excellent indicator of this success. Perhaps this will revitalize the flagging interest in campaign events, which took several hard hits in recent years.

[FrogHunter]

20.3 Federal miles would mean at least 24 Confederate miles due to technical manuevering like counter retreat that only officers can understand.

Joe Allport
Low Private, Co. A
Orphan Mess

[yipper]

Gents,

I left out the 5 miles I marched in place Friday night/Saturday morning on the 3-6 picket shift trying to stay warm...

geoff

[DougCooper]

Gents,

I left out the 5 miles I marched in place Friday night/Saturday morning on the 3-6 picket shift trying to stay warm...

geoff

For sure Geoff!

Hey, the controlled burn you guys did - assume that was about a week before the event? That really added a spooky, strangely period feel. That and the distant rounds from the Fort Polk artillery range really added to the event.

Next time lets start on the east side and do the northern loop as part of the first half of the campaign (pre Mansfield).

Thanks so much for the huge, but quiet role you played in this event. It was good to see you again and shake your hand at the end.

[firstexas]

Pards,

I would also like to add to the list of people who deserve a big thank you from the BGR participants. Jackie Smith worked very hard on the website. She designed it and made all the changes as they came up. I wish to thank her publicly for her fine work. She was involved from the very beginning and did a great job for little money.

Best regards, Bill.

[styler]

Is that list strictly horizontal distance or does it include vertical as well?

Gents,

I’ve been asked about the distance of our route and so measured the Federal movements on the Forest Service GIS with the following results:

Thursday: 5.5 miles
Friday: 4.25 miles
Saturday: 7.25 miles
Sunday: 3.3 miles
TOTAL: 20.3 miles

[DougCooper]

The distances are simply the road miles, not including flanking, scampering, skeddadling, pacing, backtracking, sidestepping, deploying, rallying, grand rounds, finding a sink and Frank Aufmuth's constant movement from far up front to back of the pack.

[Tom Ezell]

That and the distant rounds from the Fort Polk artillery range really added to the event.

That was actually Peason Ridge Training & Impact Area... Fort Polk's Redleg Impact Area on the main post is about 20 miles further south and doesn't include the CALFEX (combined arms live fire exercise) range that Peason has. Me, I liked shooting at Peason Ridge a lot better, though...

Pacesetters, sir!! ;-)

[yipper]

Mr. Tyler,

The distances listed represent horizontal measurement, only. Thursday and Saturday’s routes included more varied terrain features; those of Friday and Sunday were more uniform and gentle. The alterations made to the originally planned route eliminated the most rugged section.

Mr. Cooper,

The controlled burns in the areas we traveled were conducted piecemeal and over a period of a couple of weeks, though one section was burned as recently as the Tuesday of the event week. The Kisatchie Ranger District tries to conduct controlled burns on a 3-5 year rotation, so it was just a matter of coincidence that those particular areas were burned, even if the matter of the Secesh camping in the burned-over area Friday night while the Feds rested peaceably upon thick mats of pine straw next to well-fueled campfires suggests otherwise…:rolleyes:

regards,

geoffrey lehmann