Athens 1-3 August 08

[Hairy Nation Boys]

Just a quick note to remind all of you that the Athens event will be held August 1-3, 2008. The last "battle" event was held in 2005 as it is in a three year cycle with two other sites in Missouri. We hope to have the same type of quality people for 2008 as we did in '02 and '05. More information will be presented at a later date.
Make sure you put this on your schedule.
If you want so Athens this year the Hairy Nation Boys are putting on a living history August 3-5 of this year. If you want to attend e-mail me. hheadlog@aol.com

[Chihuahua]

Re: Athens 2008

Gents:
This is my favorite event!
Camping and drilling are done in historic town of Athens and on the original battlefield. Since this was essentially an 1861 fight between citizens of Northeast Missouri, smoothbores and civy garb are essential.
Whether you throw in with Davey Moore's Unionists or Marty Green's Secesh, you'll have a great time!
I highly recommend this event. It's Missouri State Guard vs. Missouri Home Guard at its finest.
Mark Warren
Bloomfield, Iowa

[fahtz]

Re: Athens 2008

Using the ole OTB Format....here is what we have for 2008...

Date(s): August 1-3, 2008
Event Name: Athens
Location: Athens, Missouri
Host: Holmes Brigade, Hairy Nation Boys, Army of the Trans-Mississippi
Sponsor: Athens Battlefield Park
Discussion Format:TBA
Contact: Federal: TBA
Contact: Confederate: Mitch Critel, fahtz1863@hotmail.com
Civilian: TBA
Website:
Comments:The victorious Unionists prevented the invasion of Iowa, and the subsequent capture of vital military stores.
Event Point of Contact: TBA
Event Type: Heavy Camapign, Early War
Impression(s): Missouri Home Guard and Missouri State Guard
Preservation:YES
Registration:TBA

Mitch, believe it or not that is the format used here on the AC from back when this forum was still part of EZ Board's massive collection of bulletin boards. That is why it was adopted by the OTB Forum five years ago. Those who used to be part of the once thriving AOL CW community will recognize it, as well. - Charles Heath

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Athens 2008

This is an honest question: What's the extent to which there's mixed "mainstream" units and "campaigner" units at this event? Is thie entirely a "campaigner" event?

[fahtz]

Re: Athens 2008

The mainstreamers were kept out of this event the last time we had it. Various reasons and rumors flew about the reasons. They were not allowed on the field, and held their own event a few hundred yards from the state park.

[majdoc]

Re: Athens 2008

I do remember the pictures of the event in 2005 and it looked like a lot of fun. Keep us posted. It would give me an excuse to go see a sick friend of mine near there. As if I need a reason.

[Shotgun Messiah]

Re: Athens 2008

The mainstreamers were kept out of this event the last time we had it. Various reasons and rumors flew about the reasons. They were not allowed on the field, and held their own event a few hundred yards from the state park.

I actually didn't know they were there until I arrived at the site and wandered accidentaly by foot up to what I thought was a registration tent,of course with all my State Guard gear ready to rock ,a fellow in bluejean shorts and a ball cap totin' a beer, said " eh, you are in the wrong place, its down the road.. so off down the road I humped it.." other than that I never saw nor heard from them again .
It was only after the fact did I even know what was going on....
I will not miss this... and if I wasn't workin manditory overtime I would be going to the LH this year.Its a great place to visit ( even the Cahokia PoPo are kind)

[Charles Heath]

Athens 1-3 August 08

Date: 1-3 August, 2008
Name: Battle of Athens
Location: Athens, MO. Battle
Sponsor/Host: Holmes Brigade is the sponsor of the 2008 Battle of Athens reenactment in conjunction with the Hairy Nation Boys and ONV.
Capacity: Est. under 400
MHG POC: TBA
MSG POC: Mitch Critel
Civilian POC: TBA
Website: TBA
Forum:
Listserver: None
Preservation Component: Donation to Athens Battlefield
Notes: An early-war (summer 1861) scenario depicting the clash between Col. David Moore’s 1st Northeast Missouri Home Guard (later the 21st Missouri Volunteer Infantry) and Col. Martin Green’s pro-Confederate Missouri State Guard division. Civilian clothing and field gear (i.e. haversacks, canteens and blankets) required along with rifle-muskets (Springfields) and U.S. issue accouterments (leathers, bayonets, etc.)

[fahtz]

Re: Athens 1-3 August 08

It is my pleasure to announce that the civilian side of things have been set in motion. Silvana Siddali will head things up in regards to registration and the scenarios, while Anna Allen will work on the authenticity and impression side of things. Both of these ladies have put a lot of research into the event already and I am proud to be working along side of them! The Sutler point of contact will soon be set in stone. For now if a sutler wants to attend drop me an e-mail and I will help the Sutler POC once they are officially announced!

In terms of MSG guidelines and such they will be coming out in November. For those who have attended the event before there will be a few minor changes to the impression guidelines due to new research found!

[MoFed]

Athens 2008 Coordinators

Missouri State Guard (CS): Mitch Critel, fahtz1863@hotmail.com, 308-379-3135

Home Guard (US): Charles Hoskins, choskins1861@yahoo.com, 636-239-2644

Civilian: Silvana Siddali, silvana.siddali@gmail.com, 314-494-7548

Sutler: Vivian Murphy, vmurphy@peoplepc.com, 319-524-2968

The event guidelines and registration materials, although not significantly changed from 2005, will be released shortly.

Charles D. Hoskins
Holmes Brigade USV, Inc.

[Silvana Siddali]

Re: Athens 1-3 August 08

Now that Outpost is behind us, I thought I'd start posting some information about civilian / military interactions during the Battle of Athens. The following letter details the events witnessed by a woman who lived nearby. We thought it would be interesting to recreate this dinner, since we know it took place -- though obviously it won't be quite as much fun for the "sesessionists"!

This coming year the Park Rangers at the Athens site have requested that we step up the authentic civilian side of things, so we're going to make an effort to recreate as many of the actual events & interactions as possible. More to follow as time permits.

August the 8th 1861

Dear Father

I am agoing to try to write to you to let you know that we are alive and well and to try to let you know something about how we live at present, we are in the midst of war almost as there is not a day or an hour passes that we do not hear of some fighting or see lots of soldiers going where they expected an attack, their was the hardest battle fought on Monday the 5th that was [illeg] heard of at Athens in Missouri nine miles from here, the sesession kept sending of word for several days that they were coming to Athens for dinner on the 5th and so they come (the sesessionists of that place had a great dinner prepared for them but as it happened the union men got it) about daylight and planted their cannons and commenced an attack about five oclock and faught for two or three hours with all the desperation that they could command[.] Their was bettween twelve and fifteen hundred of them and well armed and mounted, and only three hundred and fifty union men and fifty of themn ran at the first fire[.] The union men did not hardly expect them but sent for two thousand men but they did not get there untill after thefight, and so three hundred men whiped fifteen hundred through the wisdom and ingenuity of their leader Col Moore, the union men only lost two men killed, two dangerously wounded and sixteen or seventeen slightly, the sesessionists had one hundred and 30 or 40 missing their was two found dead on the field and they are finding dead bodies all the time, the union men got seven prisoners and sixty seven horses, the sessesionists got two or three prisoners so we heard. We could hear the fireing all the time. Barn & Charls was their they both blong to horse guards[.] Barn belongs to a horse company and Charles to a foot Co. The sesessionist sent word that they were agoing to [illeg] St. Fransesville last night but I have not heard whether they made an attempt or not this morning yet, today the sesessionists are coming after their men that are prisoners, Col Moore has left for the enterior of Missouri but they sent to Keokuk for help in the night and their has first been a large train of soldiers passed two thousand I heard[.] I will not write any more untill I hear whether they had a fight or not, it was a false alarm for the soldiers went back to Keokuk this evening and start tomorrow morning for St. Louis as they expect a fight there every day

I wish I could give you a correct account of the battle but I cannot write it I could tell it, I would like to hear how you are and how you and all the rest of the folks are agetting along, I want you to write all the news everything you can think of and the war feeling is taken here, tell Emily and [?] to come out this fall and to write soon, times are hard harder than I ever seen them you cannot get money at all and nothing to do only fighting plenty of that to do as we live on the line of Missouri, I wish you had plenty of money that you could send me a little as I need it very bad, tell Em that I have Farleys & [?] likeness

Goodby Father
Write Soon Julia

Julia McMichael McCormick to her father Thomas McMichael, Evansburg, PA. Western Historical Manuscripts Collection, University of Missouri, Columbia.

[fahtz]

Re: Athens 1-3 August 08

Just wanted to give everyone a quick update on the guidelines. I have been working on revising and writing a new set. The civilian attire will stay the same as usual, however some changes have been made to the equipage and the drill. Also added to the guidelines are period pictures of civilian men with period powder and shot flasks, first person accounts of the battle and MSG in general. The Guidelines will be published around the middle of December. I am working with other MSG historians to make sure we nail this impression. Plan to show up and portray a civilian with the knowledge of riding, shooting, and a passion for the state of Missouri. No drill manuals this weekend! As always if you have any questions, drop me an e-mail or call me. Details in this thread. Thanks!

[Old Overholt]

Re: Athens 1-3 August 08

Charles, Mitch, Holler & Co. -

Is there any way to resurrect the posts from the 2005 event? To my recollection there was a lot of good information posted prior to the event and a number of AARs that would answer a lot of questions for folks interested in next year's event. It appears that the thread has been removed from the 2005 folder.

[fahtz]

Re: Athens 1-3 August 08

AJ,
Likewise I can not track down the "Athens of Old" schtuff. It was probably lost in a crash or some other random act of god. I am sure some of it will resurface at some point.

[Silvana Siddali]

Re: Athens 1-3 August 08

Frank Aufmuth wrote a great article for Civil War Historian about a year and a half ago. He included both event photos and historic images. I think his article appeared in September or October 05.