150th Battle of Shiloh - Mounted Cavalry Adjunct! AFTER ACTION REPORT

[wavey1us]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing. If I could have done things different, I would have attended the Adjutant event vice the "other" event, but I was their to support a friend with his sutlerly. After this many years the "battles" have lost their luster and now I know why I had stopped attending reenactments. The only bright spots to the event were: seeing old friends, meeting and sitting down and talking to Ken at Doug's tent, camping on the Fallen Timbers battlefield on Thursday night, riding my trusty mount for the last time (he is retiring).
After attending this event, I will probably start looking really hard at what events I will be attending.

[rwages]

I cannot begin to express my thanks to all members of the 7th Tennessee Cavalry, Company D for allowing an Alaskan to participate in your ride from Corinth. Before and during the ride to Shiloh, your generosity and advice was overwhelming. I learned a great many things on that ride: heat can melt an Alaskan, sabers can be more dangerous to the bearer than the enemy, age does not limit living a dream and there are still fine people on the planet. My many thanks again. My home in Alaska is always open to the 7th.

Richard Wages
Fairbanks. Alaska

[Choatecav]

Richard,

It was a pleasure to meet you and your son and buddy. Y'all did an excellent job and had a great attitude! We were very happy to have you in the ranks and hope you will come south again soon.

Bill,
As to the "hindsight".......I have made some of my best decisions in that mode. Sadly, the die was usually cast by the time I made them.

Seriously, with as relatively few as there are of us in this branch and slice of the hobby, we really do need to try to pool our efforts and "jine up" when possible. We had about a half a dozen or so kindred spirits that were there in some other capacity or another and it would have be great to all have been together. That being said, I certainly do understand commitments to friends and pards.

regards,
Mark

[TexCavly]

I too must say that I felt at home with the 7th.

[Choatecav]

John,
Was great to have you and "mule" on the event. According to Andrew Verdon, we are to adopt you and Casey into the ranks and we do so with eagerness!

Mark

[Ken Knopp]

Fellas, here is a Youtube video of the early part of the march...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDY4fwWk79Q

and a trailer from the "new" NPS movie "Shiloh Fiery Trial"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UZcdMiOAnI


Ken R Knopp

[forrestcav]

Gentlemen: I must say how thoroughly I enjoyed the ride from Corinth. I could have gone home friday night and it would have been a great event. Add to that camping on the park and leading the infantry column saturday was icing on the cake. The main "show" was just that, a main stream show. Spending time with my pards and camping on hallowed ground was the real event.

[Forrestcavalryman]

Amen Joe! The show was actually pretty dissapointing

[Doughboy]

Why are these events usually so disappointing? I wish I could have made the ride but the reviews of the usual mainstream garbage leave me glad I didn't go. It is a long (and expensive) drive from VA especially with horses, and if I had spent the cash and time to find the samosamo I would have been more than a little POed.
150th or not, this is not the time to accept compromise when the hobby should have progressed more. I have been seeing all the video and photos and wondering how this is acceptable. Folks carry their smart phones to even the most "authentic" events and dont' think twice about snapping pix/video and texting their BFF. Whats up with that? This hobby is getting more expensive. I find it discouraging that we seem to laud events that still end up being Mainstream Monster Mashes just because there is an "authentic adjunct". It is fine if you know up front what you are getting into but to constantly advertise how great an event is going to be only to have it be the usual leads to a lot of disappointment and cynicism. I am glad people had fun. I am sure I would have as well but we can do better.

[Rufus]

Christopher, I understand your frustration with the expense of getting to the events and the mainstream mentality for some who attended the event. Like myself, I’m sure others went to this event with the expectation of seeing the modern anachronisms, the lack of first person ect. Heck the whole left wing witnessed a miracle as some lone yahoo charged the line fell down when no one acknowledged him then got up five minutes later to run back to his line. It wasn’t an EBUFU event. What made the event great, at least for me was being able to feel like a real soldier, hungry, thirsty, tired, cold and wet. Not to mention the camaraderie between all those who attended. That weekend I was able to create my own world. I had several moments where I truly felt like it was 1862. The bottom line is there was bad stuff we just chose to overlook it and have a blast.

Very Respectfully