Winter of '64 - The review and thanks...

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Johnny Lloyd AAR- W64

My only suggestion is that there were 1 day out of the 4 in which we did not do anything at all (similar to a church/holy day) so we could try to keep ourselves occupied in a period-correct way and enjoy fellowship with fellow authentics. Boredom, followed by great and rapid activity, then more boredom, is the way of a real warzone.

Wait, is John suggesting that the event should have been LONGER?!

[Charles Heath]

Re: Winter of '64 - The review and thanks...

I can neither confirm nor deny that I was also in the guardhouse when it was mysteriously locked from the outside. I blame it on Troy. He was the last one in before it locked.

Herb,

Years from now, when some feller lays blame on the usual suspect for this act of Guardhouse Bondage, and then further embellishes it with the "burning of the guardhouse at Winter 1864," Mr. Beasley has two stalwart witnesses who can provide an alibi even if he was only 12 feet away at the time. Naturally, I'll have to keep sending Mr. Holmes and C.C. Billings a trifling amount of funds each month by express money order until that time....

It's the weekend after the event, and I suppose Scott, Lanky, Dennis, Craig, Coldfoot, and crew are on site knocking down the tentage, locking the huts, and boarding up the windows. At least the huts are slated to get used again during a COI in mid-April.

Over on the OTB Forum, we've been making jokes about who had the best excuse for missing W64 2008. ;)

[Spinster]

Re: Winter of '64 - The review and thanks...

Could have been one of those Copperheads. I hear tell there was one about.

[Coatsy]

Re: Winter of '64 - The review and thanks...

I can neither confirm nor deny that I was also in the guardhouse when it was mysteriously locked from the outside. I blame it on Troy. He was the last one in before it locked.

[MassVOL]

Re: Winter of '64 - The review and thanks...

Mac,
Thanks for the kind words. I was just doing my part besides I made a buck off of ya in the fight. Though at one point every time I heard Fatigue call I just put my blouse on and waited for the First Sergeant, it was like my own personal drum call.

MAKE WAY FOR THE VICTOR LAROUCHE!

Reading the quotes from the event has caused me to bust out laughing at my desk on multiple occasions. Even ones I did not hear directly I can guess as to the context and get a smile from.

I also found out that when the officer of the day approaches the guard shack accidently and the guard calls out the Guard if you swear loud enough from inside the shack the rapid order to stand down is usually forth coming and the officers wander off elsewhere. And that if you loose something people will look in the strangest places rather than admit that they probably lost it in the sinks and make the walk of shame down to look.

This was hands down the best damn event I have gone to in 15 years of doing this and would fly to Buffalo to be part of a work party to set it up to do it again in 2010.

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Winter of '64 - The review and thanks...

Johnny,

To your last post, all I can say is, "Now, you're learning boy-o!"

It was all due to a strong dose of your "Jellied Eel" concoction whilst worshipping Vesuvius, Mr. Woodburn...

IN VINO VERITAS

:p

Huzzah! LOL

Thanks- Johnny

[LindaTrent]

Re: Winter of '64 - The review and thanks...

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Christian Commission. Today I received a letter from my dear husband. He wrote:

"Dear Martha,

Did you receive my letter saying I am in the regimental hospital? I am suffering from chronic diarrhea and the surgeon decided I should spend some time with lighter duty and better diet to recover. The Christian Commission men visited and brought some canned peaches which were a welcome delicacy. They held services to-day and I was surprised how few attended. Dr. Steinert was not even there. I will be glad when Dr. Cotes is back. Dr. S is from Albany and don't know any of the men or their families from before the war like Dr. Cotes. I am writing Leonard's wife because I don't know how to address him. I guess he is out of the hospital but still in Tennessee but I don't know where. Your letter sent on Feb 1 is the latest I received. The box has not come yet. The mail seems slow. It used to only take about a week and nothing has changed. The mail is still coming on the cars that are running regularly. It has been cold with only an inch or two of snow. Write me any news of home or the family. What is Uncle George doing these days? Have you heard from any of the family in Maine? This letter will go out at 2 o'clock with the Christian Commission agent so must close. Write soon with any news.

Yours

Theodore Bragdon."

Sirs,

I do know that you are aware of the fact that these are the last words I will ever hear from my Theodore, as I have received word of his death. Thank you for making certain that the letter made the mails.

Y.O.S.,

Mrs. Widow Theodore Bragdon

[Matt Woodburn]

Re: Winter of '64 - The review and thanks...

Johnny,

To your last post, all I can say is, "Now, you're learning boy-o!"

[PvtSmythe]

Re: Winter of '64 - The review and thanks...

Being on the event committee, this event reminded me of what its like to watch your children grow up .

I had he priveledge of commanding Co. H, but the real credit goes to Lt. Sanders, Sgt. Gritman, the the NCO's and of course the men of Co. H! You really did bring the 151st back to life.

Peter Smith
(aka C.C. Billings Co. H)

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: Winter of '64 - The review and thanks...

You know, in retrospect... I could get addicted to non-battle focused events over tacticals/skirmishes. I kept referring to the event to my coworkers that asked about it as "the holodeck" like on Star Trek because it is about the closest we can actually come to the 1860s. I am now finding this as more fun and educational than battle-focused events. At a non-battle focused event, we can take the time to enjoy fellowship with people we sometimes rarely see beyond the internet, share knowledge and "get into the moment"... even realistically play a character that might have truly exsisted in the 1860s.

There was a time when I thought the action of the battle was the most fun and educational, but I fully understand now that my mind's eye needed to actually see the material culture/everyday lives of these extraordinary people that lived in this period of history to flesh-out the whole story.

I laughed, I froze, I greatly enjoyed... and above all, I learned.

-Johnny

[GrumpyDave]

Re: Winter of '64 - The review and thanks...

I recall sitting in the CC's hut and hearing this small far away voice, "Mr. Beasley? Mr. Beasley!" So, I righted myself and went outside. The cries grew, louder and louder, "MR BEASLEY! MR BEASLEY." Someone had turned the latch on the Guard House and locked them in to a man. I was very happy to open the door to a laughing Rob Murry and, "Let out the Guard!"


Is there any private I didn't yell at for not wearing their blouse?

Capt. Wiles, Co K

[Charles Heath]

Re: Winter of '64 - The review and thanks...

Look how that wundermus dog has trained that soldier to sit, speak, and serve him food. Man, the things humans can do these days!

[BillO'Dea]

Re: Winter of '64 - The review and thanks...

Here's Conan doing what he does best during dinner, in a photo by Sean Willard 151st NY

"That's the best damn dog the regiment ever stole!"


Bill O'Dea
Saltboilers mess / 122nd NY

[Charles Heath]

Re: Winter of '64 - The review and thanks...

Johnny,

It was good to meet you at W64. Sad to learn you were mugged at OP3 back in October at Rippavilla, even though we did have a good laugh at your expense over in Capt. Landrum's company. Okay, several good laughs, but I digress.... :p

If you take the time to reread the pre-event materials, especially the actual accounts from the 151st NYVI at the time they were living at Brandy Station, you'll find yourself thinking "hey, we did what I'm reading." There is a whole bunch of "read history and then do it" in the W64 continuum, but one aspect I really enjoyed in the 2005-2006 sequence was the Payne's Farm as the 151st NYVI leading up to that rendition of W64. Good times!

I see where Kevin has already asked for AARs, essays, impression notes, and such for an upcoming CWH article. This is a good time to jot a few of those down and submit them.

The Bible we used during Sunday services was something pulled from a trash pile in Richmond a few years ago. It was headed to the dump, and although the covers were pulled off, it was worth saving. It has sat in my tractor shed for a number of years in the midst of some scattered Chilton, Haynes, Ferguson and Farmall Service Manual type publications. It wasn't until we were piddling around with this event that I thought about using it as the recovered Bible from St. James Church. You'll recognize that name as the place where the 151st hauled bricks for their hut chimneys in their knapsacks (a distance of maybe one mile). At some point between Saturday's extraction from the tractor shed that would make Fred Sanford proud, and getting to the event on Sunday evening we flipped to the births, deaths, and marriages section, and realized it belonged to the parents of this fellow from Plattsburgh, NY:

Lt. Col. Stetson of the 59th NYVI

Nice marker. I'm glad that book didn't end up in a landfill. I don't know how it got to Richmond, but it was nice to have it visit NY again.

[Johnny Lloyd]

Johnny Lloyd AAR- W64

Gents:

Yeah, hate to sound like I'm gloating, but ya'll missed a great one if you didn't go. I have a feeling everyone will be talking about this one like they talk of BGR 07 in the near future.

Some highlights:

-Merrymaking at Vesuvius was wonderful! :p

-Guard duty boredom/lack of anything to keep the mind occupied was very real... It reminded me of doing guard duty in Iraq when I was living with the Iraqis. Some things do not change in 140+ years.

-The food was not great at first, but got better over the next 4 days. I was told as a rumor it was done that way on-purpose so the men would complain to their NCOs and officers would react to the situation. If this was true, which I feel it to be based on what I experienced, then this is a great excercise that adds much realism. Brilliant. Did this actually happen?

-I stayed in Pine Cottage, which, I feel, was pretty comfortable (then again, I think I'm just crazy like that)- we had 10 men sleeping in a room smaller than my bedroom on boards with a single wood-burning stove for heat against freezing temperatures. We modified the quarters to our liking/comfort and this idea of mutual survival caused us to bond together with others we barely knew. Very realistic... again, when in real combat, a unit moves into old hootches previously occupied by another replaced unit, soldiers collect junk from home, the PX, care packages, etc. and modify the quarters to their own use. It still happens today.

-As far as anachronisms, if there were any (which there were some, but VERY few) they were hard to see. I saw some modern nails in a few boxes- no biggie for me, that's mostly it for modernisms.

Everyone was really respectful of the experiences of others in this matter. Sometimes this isn't so at events, as you well know.


-Events planned were wonderful...


1) I was on Confederate duty and we camped in the woods for most of the night, listening to the sounds of the Yankee pickets talking with the Confederates. It was cold, dark and spooky. :)

2) We foraged at a house and "acquired" food from a civilian man, his mother and mentally-slow brother. She began to cry and the scene was not overplayed. Very disheartening this actually happened to citizens of the South- my ancestors. Reality set in here, too.

3) The boxing match was great... I made a fortune betting heavily on my corporal to win and he did. Huzzah! On another realistic note, in Iraq, we had boxing matches between my brigade's battalions to cut the boredom. Bottom line: it still goes on in real warfare amongst the men.

4) There was a soldier's "saloon" tent outside the camp in which we all drank (for a modest tip in real money) period drinks made according to the "Bon Vivant's Companion" or the original period recipies for mixed drinks. I lost all of my period money at the Chuck-a-Luck table and the Faero table. This was awesome, as I have always wanted to learn how to play these games.

5) We lived totally by the drum and fife. When it went off, we woke, ate, did duty, etc. Very real... it reminded me of being at The Citadel and living by the bugle call again. I haven't done that in ages! ;)

6) All paper materials (newspapers, circulars, etc.) were actually properly dated to the week we were supposed to be in camp. What else... Nice touch!

7) I think by the event being non-battle-focused, we had time to understand how material culture works/might have looked liked in a real camp.

My only suggestion is that there were 1 day out of the 4 in which we did not do anything at all (similar to a church/holy day) so we could try to keep ourselves occupied in a period-correct way and enjoy fellowship with fellow authentics. Boredom, followed by great and rapid activity, then more boredom, is the way of a real warzone.


Bottom line: Every effort was made to be period-correct by all and it came together like no other event.


Again... thanks for the experience. If there is another event like this one, I'll clear my schedule for it ASAP. It was well-worth missing work for this event!!! :)


Thanks- Johnny Lloyd