Glendale AAR Thread

[Charles Heath]

Boys,

I had fun, how 'bout you?

Thanks to all who attended, donated, baked hardtack, worked behind the scenes, allowed us to use their land, fetched stuff, directed traffic, parked cars, hauled water, moved and fired artillery, baked pies, moved garbage, visited to say "hey," and 1,000 other tasks, found ammunition, didn't find hams, didn't tear up crops and fields, did be kind to the flora and fauna in environmentally sensitive areas, or otherwise participated, and as one last shameless plug for preservation donations, or maybe not the very last....yes, they are still being accepted.

The Saturday night snoring from the federals at "Camp Hay Rake" could be heard clearly and loudly on the shoulder of Willis Church Road. :D

[ley74]

Re: Glendale AAR Thread

Heck, I could distinctly hear Pete McCarthy from Longbridge Road. Sound ordinance? What sound ordinance.

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: Glendale AAR Thread

Wow!!! What a great event...this one may have topped Payne's Farm in it's intensity.

Thanks again to Jerry Stiles and Claude Sinclair, who provided me the honor of being the 2nd Cpl. for 1st Platoon...and portraying Cpl. Henry Fox of the 47th VA.

Question: Do we really have to wait 2 years to get the best VA soldiers together? I would love to see us get 1-2 events a year where we could portray larger companies/battalions in Virginia's Park Systems.

For those at the wounded station: I hope that I wasn't too dull during the little 1st person interaction we had. I felt it an eirily awkward experience being both wounded and in the "care" of the enemy. Without getting into the cliche topics of discussion, I found our conversation limited...I attempted as best I could to portray my fate card, and Cpl. Fox who had a serious wound to the shoulder and a massive loss of blood. Thankyou for the experience.

Thanks Again to the event organizers and staff, for another AWESOME weekend!!!

P.S. It seems that I lost track of my hatchet Saturday evening from the wounded station...If anyone came across a hatchet not belonging to them, I'd appreciate the return of this.
Paul B.

[robwall1861]

Re: Glendale AAR Thread

I had a GREAT time as well....have never done that much skirmishing before, especially in the woods. Paul, it was great to meet you and be "comrads in arms" with you for skirmishing.

Thanks to everyone who made this event possible....I had a great time and can't wait to do it again.

[Malingerer]

Re: Glendale AAR Thread

My thanks to all those who made this weekend such a memorable event. Even with gas at $3.50 a gallon it was well worth the eight hour drive. As always I learn a few lessons to take home with me: 1. )Keyboard campaigning is a poor substitute for the real thing - which is to say, I need to improve my physical fitness level because I was flat wore out Saturday evening. 2) The Deer Tick population of tidewater Virginia is not likely to end up on the endangered species list anytime soon. 3) Anytime pie is involved at an event, harsh words are going to be exchanged and feelings are going to be hurt. Thanks again to all the event sponsors - your hard work made for a memorable event.

[5thMIkeydet]

Re: Glendale AAR Thread

Big thanks to the organizers for this event. I definately agree with the earlier oppinon on the deer tick population. I might also add that sitting in class today made me appreciate the effects of poison oak much more than I had previously considered.
Deffinately some highlights for me were the cobbled together holding actions with my comrades of battle and then running through the woods looking for stragglers and running into the Reb pickets a couple of times with one round left.
Plus, the mail call on the march out was... interesting...:wink_smil

[Hardtack Herring]

Re: Glendale AAR Thread

My son Levi and I were late arrivals to the event so we missed out on most of Saturdays events.

Upon arrival to the CS Saturday night campsite we were immediately put to work clearing limbs from a road. Once that task was finished we were sent off to the picket line

There we stood watch for an hour or so. Once relieved we met up with some pards and learned there had been some skirmishing early in the day. They pointed out a group of a dozen or so Yankee prisoners that were under guard.

With not much to eat in the confederate camp we spread out our blankets and went to sleep.

It rained a little off and on Saturday night. Despite the rain I slept pretty good. I was more worried about the ticks I had heard about.

Woke up Sunday morning to the call of the bugle. Roll was taken, arms were inspected and off we went. The march on Sunday morning was very easy, not too long not too short. The rain did not bother me very much either. At this event we were soldiers and did not have to worry about our instruments becoming water logged.

Several of us close by in the line of march began telling period jokes ( Thanks to the Conundrum Thread and the book (Do you ever get it up) I think that made the march more enjoyable.

The rain intensified and by the time we reached Malvern Hill we are all soaked. Once we arrived , the event ended and everyone went home.

I think there were suppose to be some programs at Malvern Hill on Sunday but the weather just was not going to let that happen.. I was looking forward to doing something at Malvern Hill.

So our opinion is we both had a good time. Only complaint I can think of is the rain cutting the event shorter than I hoped.

By the way guys, we found 0 ticks on either of us !

[Soup Bone]

Re: Glendale AAR Thread

Might I suggest the Bully Buy for May be a deal on 200 mg. of Dioxclyine? I think the entire Shocker Mess visted their Doctors today to get their prescriptions.

[NoahBriggs]

Re: Glendale AAR Thread

Recycled from the Love & Laudanum social group.

Friday - camped with the rest of the battalion after a three hour drive from Northern VA to past Richmond. I discovered once I got there I had forgotten to bring my repro medications! No laudanum, no chloroform. My anger was dissipated somewhat by Kevin O'Beirne, who remarked that my meds could have gotten lost in the HQ transfer during the Seven Days Campaign.

Saturday - up early, rations issued - boiled beef and hardtack. Arty and infantry drilled and I hung out at registration, where, might I add, I had my only interaction with the general public. Around noon we stepped off on our march around the battlefield. I lugged the surgical kit in a carpet bag; all of my other personals were dangling off of me like the world's most insane horse harness. We plodded about a half mile to a place called the Parsonage on Willis Church Road. This was where I was supposed to set up a bandaging station.

I should explain the Parsonage consisted of two identical chimneys enclosed in a wooden fence. I called the place the Two Towers - Isengard and Mordor. I was stationed there for the afternoon - the NPS hoped to bring some visitor traffic to an out-of-the-way spot at Glendale Malvern Hill. Warning - there is a reason it's out-of-the-way. Nobody knows about it, nobody cares. I and my designated casualty got not one visitor - lots of drive-by wavings, but nobody stopped.

Around five pm I was extracted from this intellectual purgatory and reinserted into the woods by Charles Heath, where I hooked up with the rest of the Company. At this point we were playing on the newly-acquired CWPT land, which was a real treat. I arrived in time for a quick skirmish with four casualties total - two Federal, two Confederate. Our boys took off and I and nine other fellows got gobbled by the Rebs for the next twelve hours. I apologized to the man charge of the Rebel mob - it may look like I was withholding medications from the Rebs, but I had nothing of the sort for them or us. I also told him that around here we worked under Asklepios, and uniform color is irrelevant. He was satisfied and I was temporarily paroled to do my duty.

Casualty 1 was the Federal company commander, ball through the leg. I told him I had no anesthetic and recommended he use his hanky or something else on which to bite - there being no bullets available, hint-hint. I simulated probing the wound and extracting the ball, then suturing the wound, and winding a bandage around it. In the future I think I should read up on bandaging legs - mine did not seem to fit tightly, and I forgot to do the fold in front. Whatever the case he had left with the rest of our company and was not around.

Casualty 2 was a ball through the arm near the wrist. I probed for the ball and extracted it, pronouncing him very lucky as the ball went between the bones.

Casualty 3 was a Rebel who, upon examination appeared to have been hit in the shoulder with a secondary fracture of the clavicle. I probed the wound- the pain was horrid, and I decided not to do anythning with it. To extract the ball or do anything else with the wound sans chloroform would break my Hippocratic Oath - First Do No Harm. I left the wound open so it could drain properly, and with some assistance we peeled off his coat and vest.

Casualty four was Reb #2 - shot in the chest and feeling it. Much to my surprise it paid to be thick-skinned - he had a hole in his coat, and one spectacular bruise under the right nipple, buth the skin was unbroken, which could only mean he had been hit by a spent round.

The Rebs guarded us and all of us bedded down for the evening. Small fires materialized out of the ground up and down the path. We shared rations, smokes and stories and went to sleep. Virginia ground is hard - my shifting around for the least uncomfortable spot kept getting interrupted by brief hours of sleep. More fun as I woke to the insidious pattering of rain on and off during the night. Nothing a rubber blanket could not handle, but still enough to make me uncomfortable.

Next morning we packed up and marched out. It rained steadily from then on, and the event was regrettably canceled. Still, I had fun.

[Dan Wambaugh]

Re: Glendale AAR Thread

Had fun up at Malvern Hill. Public turnout was a bit discouraging but the new friends from the NPS artillery group alone were worth the trip, as was the dedication ceremony we performed for the USSS men interred at the National Cemetery. Felt a bit envious of those of you marching off to the fun, but getting to fire Sharps rifles on the same ground as the original guys was very cool.

Thanks for the invites, the logistics, and for the excellent ham hock that was given a good home.


Best,

Dan

[bholt61stny]

Re: Glendale AAR Thread

I too, echo all of the comments about thanking everyone who helped put this event together. It was a real pleasure being able to come to this event and fall in with a great bunch of guys. It was my first time to the Malvern Hill Battlefield and needless to say it wont be my last.

Overall the event was great; the march was long and at times through some very thick brush, but nothing stopped us from doing so. The mail call on the Union side was definitely very interesting and made for a great laugh. The tactical was pretty good and though being captured by the Confederates they managed to treat us nice and even paroled us. The rain wasn't a big deal either except driving home with the smell of wet wool in the car.

Thanks again to those who helped make this event possible and I look forward to more events like this one.

Brian Holt

[Texyank]

Re: Glendale AAR Thread

The event was really a great experience. The grousing that went on during the march was certainly a very accurate reflection of the common foot soldier. At one point when it was particularly distasteful I recall thinking to myself that we were all crazy to do this. That feeling quickly gave way to imagining the courage, devotion, and yes, naivete, that led these men to leave their homes for the uncertainties of war.

The most vivid memory was skirmishing in the woods and stumbling upon a 5 to 6 ft black snake. I know I moved a foot up and back in one (graceful I may say, as well as, immediate) movement. I don't think I screamed like a little b%tch but I can't guarantee that I didn't. Ask Grumpy Dave.

The camaraderie was excellent as always and we made one helluva 11 man sh'bang on Saturday night. Thanks to my comrades in battle who made the event even more enjoyable.

Thanks to Ley, Petey, Hannibal, and Heef, who did a great job putting together the event.

Bravo Zulu

yer pard,

[Shockoe Hill Cats]

Re: Glendale AAR Thread

Friends,

My own experiences have be more appropriately cited by my fellow comrades-in-arms, Private Brian Holt and Sergeant Joe Bordonaro (then) of the 4th Pennsylvania Reserves. As previously described, I was also thoroughly entertained by this weekend's smaller delights (i.e. the mischievous western letter, Surgeon Noah Briggs [ace impression, sir], getting up to answer the morning roll call, being taken prisoner [& keeping Lieutenant O'Beirne's article in mind ], the cracks of rifle and cannon fire in the distance, &etc.).

Aside from the event organizers (who, of course, have our gratitude), I'd like to personally recognize guide Joe Caridi and Private Bill Birney. Joe, I really appreciated the extended hand of VCU friendship. Go Rams, go! And Bill, you were a model soldier and volunteer to us all weekend. My hat's off to you.

To me, the most rewarding part of the Glendale & Malvern Hill event was contributing to the battlefield and catching up/spending time amoungst friends. That, and well... the Mechanicsville Cracker Barrel? :wink_smil

If you haven't been to this beautiful piece of land, go and you'll see why it's worth saving.

Fondly,

[Charge Bayonets]

Re: Glendale AAR Thread

I wish someone would put up the pen and ink drawing of Skinny Annie.

My vote for the cover.

Who threw the Mrs. Dash in half the hardtack dough?

I thought it a good event all together. Thanks to the organizers for all the hard work.

[Charles Heath]

Re: Glendale AAR Thread

Who threw the Mrs. Dash in half the hardtack dough?

Those were simulated "tasty sweepings from the shop floor." You know how those government contractors like to stretch the flour with whatever happens to be available at the time. I didn't ask Joe what some of the crunchy, somewhat disgusting, evil looking bits were, but even I have my limits. Nothing harmful really.

Jason covered the Cracker Barrel. Bev and I nailed the Waffle House. Both bases covered, although between Payne's Farm, The Wilderness, and GMH08, we have a new trend developing in the form of strip mall Italian restaurants. Gee, I wonder why?

Nice photo of the beef! Mmmmm. On sale, and we saved $118 with the Food Lion MVP card.