Wagon Escort AAR's

[Tom Craig]

Wow!

What an epic experience we had on the wagon escort. I’m still tired enough that I’m not ready to write a detailed AAR yet, but I wanted to get a couple things out while it’s still all fresh in my mind.

First and foremost, a huge thank you and congratulations to Steve Dacus, Brandon Lewis and the entire 11th Ohio who spent so much time, effort, energy and money to put this thing together. I’ve been reenacting a long time and I’ve rarely seen folks put as much heart into things as these guys do. From building stacks of hardtack boxes to haul, to coordinating a logistically difficult event over a remote wilderness these guys do it all and make it look easy.

If you’ve never been to Wyoming it is hard to describe its beauty, and it’s vastness. The land we were on stretched for over 100 miles with virtually no development of any kind other than tracks of the Oregon Trail.

The plan was to cover just under 30 miles in three days. We found out quickly that our two wagons and teams were really under powered for the mission at hand. That, combined with temperatures in the 30’s, constant 30-40mph wind, over and inch of hail and rain plus lightening led us to shorten our intended route. Despite that we still covered 20 miles in two days of riding and marching.

Some preliminary lessons learned:
Never bring two draft animals when you can bring four or six
Infantry can’t keep up with wagons pulled by horses or mules. Hats off to Pete Berezuk who was the only infantry
man out of 5 who started to finish the march on his own power.
You can absolutely march long distance with men and beasts without having modern support like water trucks, if you use water filtration.
Being infantry on the frontier blows. Lol
You should take seriously the admonition to train for an event of this nature.

I highly recommend to you all, if you want an authentic experience of a Civil War soldier on the American frontier that you get yourself to a future event hosted by Steve Dacus.

More to follow including pictures.

Take care,
Tom Craig
1st Maine Cavalry

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Wagon Escort Short AAR

I saw the video posted on line and it gave me the same sense of aw and adventure as watching a classic John Ford western!
Sign me up!!

[Steven Dacus]

Re: Wagon Escort Short AAR

Tom,

Thanks for coming out for the 4th year in a row to suffer. It seems we have found our "MO" in events that grind the participants into the ground!

While I share Tom's initial exhaustion from the event, allowing a bit more time for a comprehensive AAR, the biggest issue we ran into were the wagon teams that couldn't stop or slow down (due to behavior/training issues) and an infantry escort that became detached from the main column (obviously dangerous in hostile country and equally outside of the intended purpose of the event). We ended up with two separate groups of troops. There has already been much discussion on how to not leave the infantry in the dust for future events but the complete answer must be a combination of many things.

But, this is exactly why I love this hobby. Each one of these experiments that we do that we call "Campaign Events" allow us to learn another aspect of 19th-century life. This was our first experience in handling teams on the open prairie. Much of the constructive criticism includes slowing down the wagons to allow the infantry to keep pace. Unfortunately the decision I made to allow our one column to split into two distinct groups was when the real world clashed with our “period” world.

Due to the event being based around the wagons, we were at the mercy of the teamsters. The one rule that the Teamsters gave me in the planning process of this event was that under no circumstances would they do a start-stop, start-stop, pace. This was too hard on the animals. When they told me this I asked what rate of travel they normally travel at to make sure it matched with a doable infantry pace. I was told 2 to3 miles an hour is average on that type of terrain. Therefore I made sure I could at least do that and proceeded to walk on my treadmill at 3 miles an hour at a 10% slope for 10 miles just to make sure it was realistic.

The problem presented itself during the event when the wagon started traveling much faster than two or 3 mph. But my hands were tied in holding them back due to the prearranged agreement not to start and stop the teams.

The morning portion was definitely a start stop pace due to the wagons having too much weight and figuring out their proper configuration of freight, but once they decided to abandon the tandem wagon, they went out fast to build confidence in the animals again since you could see their spirit was broken at the crossing....thinking that they could no longer pull anything.

So, the first 4 out of the 10 mile day was at the start-stop pace that allowed the infantry to stay with the column (but irritated the crap out of the teamsters). However, once we abandoned the tandem wagon at mile 4, they needed to do whatever they needed to build confidence back in the Team. I could not in good conscience make them slow down or wait. This was the point I felt forced to accept two “columns” which negated any combat effectiveness from an already weak defensive posture.

This event was awesome in the fact that we learned so much on aspects that we had not done or experienced before. I love experiencing these lessons that make it memorable for future events.

I think the complex nature of involving Infantry, Cavalry, and Teamsters in one traveling column made this challenge engaging and worth trying. Did it go perfect?....Ha! not at all. But that is what makes these events fun.....facing period challenges, finding period solutions, and increasing our experiential wisdom.

It was a great event that wore me out more than any other event has in a long time.

If anyone with experience marching with wagons has any suggestions on how to keep a group of 10 cav, 10 infantry, and three wagons together in hostile country (without creating the "Caterpillar" effect that wears out most troops), please join in!

[Cavalryman]

Re: Wagon Escort Short AAR

Very interesting, and hat's off for putting on such event. When it comes to Infantry - how about using an extra wagon for them to ride in?

Best Regards,
Tommy Johansson
2nd Colorado Cavalry, Company A
Sweden Territory

[Steven Dacus]

Re: Wagon Escort Short AAR

Tommy,

That was actually our back-up plan but we lost two of our largest wagons who pulled out just before the event. Those ones that we lost were supposed to be the largest ones with the most room for the freight, allowing the ones that actually showed up to have more room for the infantry. However, another realistic point that we discussed in the planning stages was that even if we did have wagons for the infantry to ride in...if it was an issue the wagons would be too far away for the infantry to take advantage of them. This had been our experience on other events that most people choose to accept the help after the point which the help was available. Had they chosen to continue on, we more than likely would have placed them in the wagon for the remaining trip.

Side note: I am about 1/2 way through my detailed AAR. I am hoping to have it done this weekend. Thanks for all your patience.

[KPavia]

Re: Wagon Escort Short AAR

Just out of curiosity, if the agreed upon pace for the wagons was 2-3 mph, why wouldn't you have slowed them down when they began to exceed that? If the agreement you had with them was no start and stop and a pace of 2-3mph, why then not stop them when they exceed the pace?
It seems to me like the agreement is void if the wagons are going too fast.

[Steven Dacus]

Re: Wagon Escort Short AAR

Kenny,

Agreed...and that was a learning experience for me. I simply should have stopped them. The reviews from the infantry were revolve around this point.

The morning started off as most "1st" morning do, with all the animals antsy and hard to hold back. I allowed them to head out at a quicker speed than normal to allow them to get "run out" as horses and mules do and then they should slow down. The whole first half of the day went fine since there was a lot of start-stop moments that the teamsters took in order to re-situate items. Then the opposite happened at the first creek crossing. The team that got stuck hard and long to pull out and (as a horse person myself) you could see the "spark" leave that team and it was obvious that they were mentally "beat", they had it in their head that they could no longer pull anything....they weren't even trying. Once we finally got the wagons out of the creek, the lead teamster stated that he will have to give his team their confidence back and show them that they DO have the power to pull again...by making them pull at a fast trot for a while. Seeing the depressing temperament of the team, i agreed to allow that, otherwise i believe the team would have been completely mentally screwed, that they wouldn't have been worth anything the next day. This is when the column quickly outpaced the infantry.

We are 98% done on our AAR which is in the final review phase right now, but the looking back on it, it is easy to see a chain of events that lead to this occurring and then me allowing them to "run their team out" to build back their confidence.

So, simply put, Kenny, I should have stopped them and made them wait for the infantry at regular intervals. But in the moment, the "Horse Trainer" in me saw the need to do what they did.

The second wagon was no problem at all and easily could have stopped at regular intervals.

Like I said, this is why I love this hobby. Lessons learned like this make the next one even better!

Thanks for your thoughts, Kenny. Please watch for the formal AAR to come out in the next few days.

[KPavia]

Re: Wagon Escort Short AAR

That's really interesting about the mental state of the animal teams. I have no experience with horses whatsoever so it's really interesting to read that those kinds of things can happen to them.
Is that something common with animals new to pulling wagons, or is it something you need to watch out with even experienced animals?
And it also makes you wonder how the original troops would handle situations such as this when they were in actual hostile territory. You don't want to leave your infantry escort in the dust in hostile territory, but at the same time, if you blow the confidence of your animals, you'll be stuck in hostile territory longer than planned.

[Steven Dacus]

Re: Wagon Escort Short AAR

Spring Wagon Escort: Official After Action Review

Detailed Account of events:

The event planners, arrived at the starting location about 9am on Thursday morning and proceeded to unload the trailer load of freight for the three wagons planned for the event.
As everyone started to check in Thursday, a base of operations was organized and a crude “company street” was identified for soldiers to set up their tents and bedrolls. Two days’ worth of hardtack, bacon, coffee, and sugar was issued and most cooked it over the fire that Thursday night. A small briefing was held right at dark to set the stage of expectations for the coming adventure.

Due to the number of participants who showed up, we planned on a guard duty of one person at a time for one hour increments. Given the size of the detail and number of soldiers in the detail, we felt this was a fair compromise to ensure security while not exhausting the entire detail each night during the expedition. A unique nuance that we added was the use of unloaded muskets for infantry (bayonets only) and only sabers for the cavalry. This had been documented in a general order from Ft. Laramie the year before due to unknown reasons. We chose to add this element as a unique part of the guard duty.

Friday morning the sun rose earlier than the planned “First Call” time of 6:00. About half of the soldiers were up and milling around by the time “First Call” was sounded. Everyone quickly got a bite to eat from the rations issued the night before and proceeded to pack up their gear for the march to come. The teamsters quickly secured the rest of the freight in the wagon, harnessed the teams and quickly readied themselves for the trip. The infantry had quickly packed up and were ready before most of the cavalry or teamsters. At this time a cavalry trooper was trying to replace an inadequate halter on his horse with another one. During the small moment when one halter was off and the other one was not secured, the horse slipped from both and got loose all-together. This specific horse was notorious for not wanting to get caught. Troopers spent at least an hour trying to chase down a loose horse that kept running in circles around camp as it was being chased by troopers. After significant frustration, the decision was made to use metal panels to create a funnel to haze the horse into. After some coaxing and some more running around, the loose horse finally got trapped in the funnel of panels. The trooper then quickly saddled his horse and fell in.

The entire time that the cavalry was chasing around the horse, the infantry was ready and waiting and the teamsters were ready to hook up their teams to the wagons. They had not done this because the teams were so antsy to go that they knew once they were hooked to the wagons, they could not hold them back and wait for the cavalry.

Once everyone was ready and the teams were almost hooked up, positions were given to the infantry and cavalry. The infantry (5 total) were to place two men about 20 yards in the front of the first wagon while the remaining 3 were placed about 20 yards in the rear of the last wagon. Two cavalry was placed about 50-100 yards in front of the column with instructions to get about 500 yards ahead once the detail got on the move and “in the groove”. Two cavalry troopers were placed in the rear of the column with the same distance instructions to protect the rear of the column. One trooper was placed on the right flank and one on the left. As soon as the soldiers had taken their positions, the teams began pulling the wagon. Immediately upon the wagons moving and the large white canopies/covers shaking back and forth, at least half of the horses (who apparently had not seen this before) became agitated and concerned. The horse who had gotten loose that same morning became so spooked that he began bucking and crow-hopping out of being nervous of the wagons. The experienced trooper held on and rode out the horse.

Additionally, the local PBS station had been given permission to film us on our way out. They used a drone to film the first 300 yards of the trip. However, they used the drone at head height no more than 10 yards from the horses heads. The rotor wash and noise produced by the drone made many horses uneasy and agitated. The horse that had gotten loose and who attempted to buck off its rider then proceeded to buck hard again out of agitation of the drone this time. The rider held on well until they head-butted each other. At this time, the rider falls off, the horse runs away and the trooper stands back up with blood streaming from his left eye socket. The wagons stopped, and one of the teamsters cleaned up the wound and assessed it. After determining that the skin tear was minor, the trooper mounted his horse again and the wagon train proceeded to move forward (after another rider told the drone pilot to leave).
The wagon teams and horses moved out at a brisk pace (estimated 4 mph). The two infantry soldiers in front of the column had to work hard to stay in their assigned position.
The first three miles of the trail was either flat or downhill. About 1.5 miles into the route, it was clear that the team pulling the tandem wagon was having a hard time already. This specific wagon stopped and started multiple different times trying to get the team used to the new configuration that they were trying.

After traveling about 3 miles, the column arrived at the first and only creek crossing of the day. Since the tandem wagon team was in the lead, they proceeded to drop down into the crossing and pull out. This “Down-Up” configuration apparently was challenging for teamsters who did not have much experience. The tandem wagon dropped down in and started out the other side. The front wagon of the tandem combo cleared the creek and bank while the wagon in tow got stuck on the far bank ledge after having crossed the creek. No matter what the team did or however much encouragement they were given by the teamsters, they were not able to budge or pull the wagon combo out. At this time, the infantry assigned an individual to fill canteens from the creek (using a water purifier), and the rest of the troopers and some dismounted cavalry each latched onto a wheel and tried helping pull the wagon out with human and horse power. However, the tandem wagon combo did not budge. A third horse was placed in a harness in front of the normal team which created a “unicorn” system. This system did not work either as the three horses were not able to time their pull in unison and therefore were not able to pull the wagons out of the creek bank. After the unicorn system broke a chain, the decision was made to unhook the second tandem wagon, pull out the first wagon, then unhitch the team to then pull out the rear tandem wagon separately. This attempt was successful but did consume much of the morning.

After the lead tandem wagon combo successfully got on the move again, the second separate wagon and team easily crossed the creek with little effort and continued on the trail. The infantry was still mostly where they needed to be in the column.

Only after another mile, the team pulling the tandem wagons was exhausted and the teamsters asked if it would be ok to lighten the load and leave government property on the side of the trail. After some deliberation, the decision was made to empty the wagons almost completely to see if the team could even pull the tandem wagons without any freight. So, after emptying the wagons of supplies, extra blankets and the extended first aid kit, the team proceeded to only pull the wagons another few hundred yards until they would not pull any more. After having stopped again for some time to discuss our options, the decision was made to abandon the rear tandem wagon, load only necessary freight in the remaining wagon. While doing this, the teamster briefed command staff that his team was exhausted and wore out from pulling the two tandem wagons 4 out of the 10 miles planned for the day. Additionally, the team’s spirit was depressed as it was obvious that they thought they could no longer pull anything. Due to these reasons, the teamster informed the command staff that he could not wait for the infantry or cavalry to keep pace as he needed to encourage his team by showing them that they could pull, and pull fast. Lt. Dacus agreed to this plan to do whatever was necessary to keep the wagons moving.

Note: The “Second” wagon in the rear never had any difficulty or trouble with their team or the weight of their wagon. Little has been mentioned of this rear wagon and teamster as he had a very good command of his team and his capabilities.

After unhooking the tandem combo, the two remaining wagons proceeded to increase the pace and cover the trail much more quickly in order to give encouragement to the horses/mules. It was at this time that the wagons and cavalry troopers (trying to keep up with the wagons) quickly began to outpace and increase distance between them and the infantry. By this point all 5 infantry were in the rear and separated by a few hundred yards between each of them (three infantry kept together in the rear followed by a soldier with a blown out shoe in front of them, followed by the lead infantry soldier a few hundred yards in front of him). The column by this point quickly strung out to a distance of about ½ mile.

The commander of the entire wagon escort rode up to the sgt of the cavalry and briefed him on the situation and ordered him to at least keep the cavalry with the wagons and to let the teamsters stay at this pace until they feel confident that the mules/horses were good again and could then wait up for the infantry (which never occurred). Having briefed the sgt of cavalry with the new orders/expectations, the wagon train commander and another trooper rode back to the infantry to check on their status.

The infantry asked whether or not they were allowed to take a rest to eat lunch (time was approx. 1pm by this point). The commander instructed them that at this point they could do what was in the best interest of keeping them healthy and safe and to take breaks as they saw fit.

The column had effectively divided into two small details that were combat ineffective even from a defensive position. The infantry were too worn by this time (7 miles in) to be expected to engage any hostiles and hold a defensive position. The new priority was to get collected together back at the pre-planned overnight location (10 miles in).

After ensuring the infantry was able to still complete the march, the commander and accompanying trooper headed back towards the wagons.

They passed a lone infantry soldier plodding along on the trail with an obvious “modified” gait to his walk. Upon getting closer, it was obvious that the sole had completely detached from the rest of the brogan and the soldier was basically walking barefoot. The commanding officer offered to swap footwear as the infantry needed good shoes and any mounted individual could put-up with sub-par footwear. The soldier declined, proceeded to wrap a kerchief around the sole and top of the brogan and walked into camp the remaining 3 miles that way.
By the time the commanding officer and accompanying trooper caught up with the wagons, they had already reached the overnight location (guided by the sgt of cavalry) and had secured the wagons, un-hitched the teams, and the cavalry had already unsaddled, set up their campsites, started a small fire, and had put the horses on hobbles and/or picket pins to graze.
The commanding officer dismounted and hobbled his horse to let it eat for a bit before heading out again to check in on the infantry. At this time, he and the sgt of cavalry discussed that after having this much exhaustion and trouble with the terrain of the trail, it was probably necessary to find an alternate route for the next two days as the trail ahead included steeper and more challenging terrain.

After a rest of about 15 minutes, the commanding officer and his accompanying trooper mounted up again to head out and check in on the infantry. However, since it was anticipated as a short endeavor, both men removed their greatcoat, blankets, poncho, gum blanket, haversack, canteen, and proceeded out on stripped down saddles (anticipating to be back in another 20 minutes).

Starting out at the trot, the commanding officer and accompanying trooper looked back after only a few hundred yards of ground, only to see three horses (two still hobbled, and the lead one running unimpeded with a picket rope and pin flying behind him) galloping toward them. The commanding officer dismounted and caught the two hobbled horses and gave them to a dismounted trooper who had quickly run after them. The third horse that was not hobbled (but had a picket pin and rope tied to his foot) had continued at the gallop down the road back to the starting point and trailer. This specific horse had been a wild mustang, captured by the BLM and sold at caution to the current owner. The country that this expedition was in was thick with wild horse herds. Therefore, it was a significant concern that this loose horse would run away to join the local wild mustang population never to be seen again.
Since the commanding officer and accompanying trooper were headed out to the infantry anyway, they decided to continue to chase down the loose horse and try and catch them at the same time they were checking up on the status of the infantry.

The commanding officer and accompanying trooper passed the lead infantry soldier who was in good spirits and was already getting close to camp. After checking on his status and ensuring he was ok, they continued on. Secondly, they came to the soldier with the blown out brogan who was in great spirits and had no need. They continued on to the rear three infantry soldiers who were obviously exhausted from trying to keep up with the wagons all day. The commanding officer and his accompanying trooper informed these three rear infantry soldiers that they only had about 1.5 miles left until they hit camp. At this time the owner of the loose mustang caught up with the group and asked if we had seen his horse. The commanding officer and his accompanying trooper stated that since they were the only two still mounted that they would continue to chase down the loose horse. The dismounted owner of the mustang stated he would run back to camp (1.5 miles) to get his wallet and keys and run back down the trail to the trailers in hopes that the horse would end up there (10 miles total). After offering water and anything else of need to the three rear infantry soldiers, the commanding officer and companion set off after the loose wild mustang.

Traveling at the trot, the two men could not get closer than 100 yards to the loose horse (who continued to follow the trail back). At times the chase would speed up at the gallop, slow down to the walk, but for the most part, the two men trotted the 7 miles back to the first creek crossing. After crossing the creek, the loose mustang turned sharp to the right (south), left the trail and could not be tracked.

Having traveled all but 3 miles back to the starting point, the decision was made to keep going to the start point and hopefully the loose horse would be found there. While completing the remaining 3 miles back to the starting point, dark clouds developed and a severe winter storm warning (unknown to anyone at the time) was issued for the immediate area. About the same time the commanding officer and companion arrived at the starting point, the heavens opened and a deluge proceeded to come down on everything in sight.

The loose wild mustang was nowhere to be found, and his location was unknown in an unfenced open area of more than 9,000 square miles. At this time hail started coming down slightly smaller than marbles which hurt and soaked the two men. Worried for the welfare of the owner of the loose horse, the two men tied their mounts to the horse trailer at the starting point, got in a vehicle and headed back down the trail to pick up the dismounted owner of the loose horse. Amazingly, he was picked up only 2 miles from the starting point (meaning he had run more than 8 miles dismounted in riding boots). After getting in the vehicle, all three men headed back up to the starting point to look for the lost horse. They proceeded to head down every adjacent ridge and valley only to come up empty. They decided to check one more ridge over, but had to access the main country road to find another side trail that lead that direction. However, after traveling more than 5-8 miles town the country road, it was determined that no side trails existed where they wanted to go. So, at the point which they decided to turn around, one trooper exclaimed “THERE HE IS” and pointed to a lone horse more than 10 miles from where he was last seen. The owner got out of the vehicle and after a few rounds of chasing it, was able to catch it.

By the time the mustang was caught and all three troopers arrived back at the starting point, it had been raining hard for about 45 minutes with a 20 mph wind at 35 degrees. At about 7:30pm, a meeting was held in the rain with those who now found themselves back at the starting point (away from the wagons) to decide the next plan of action. The trooper with the loose mustang did not have a great coat, poncho, saddle, tack, blankets, etc to ride back in these conditions. The commander and accompanying trooper did not have their canteens, haversacks, blankets, coats, etc (since they thought they were only going a few hundred yards from the wagons). The wagon teamster who’s wagon was abandoned and a trooper who chose to stay behind and assist him had just returned and were pondering what to do. During the deliberation, it was noted that there were at least three infantry troopers at the wagons that had a variety of injuries and/or pre hypothermic that needed to be extricated out that night. With a new moon nightfall fast approaching, it was decided that all personnel would camp at the start point that night and ride out first thing in the morning to the wagon column. Meanwhile, the commanding officer and accompanying trooper would drive back in and extricate those who had medical issues or severe body ailments that prevented them from participating any further.

Before leaving to extricate the infantry troops, the commanding officer knew that little to know wood existed at the camp site. During the planning stages it was decided this would be fine as it would add to the authenticity of only having enough wood to warm coffee in the morning rather than burn all night. However, due to the weather, safety was a concern an a load of firewood was thrown into the extrication vehicle before heading out.

Once on the wagon road, the rain had made the trail slicker than snot, and very arduous to pass over. The creek crossing had begun to rise and the ruts on each bank made it more treacherous after each subsequent passage.

The extrication vehicle arrived at the waterlogged and depressed wagon column and immediately unloaded the wood. The commanding officer was pleased to see the Sgt. of the cavalry had taken a command lead and passed out some of the blankets and ponchos destined for Sweetwater station (the QM will be informed).

After unloading the firewood, three infantry soldiers were assisted into the extrication vehicle. At this time a cavalry trooper approached the commanding officer and also requested to be extricated due to uncontrollable shivering and a suspected fever. Due to no room being in the vehicle, a second 30 mile round trip would need to be made. And the extrication vehicle quickly headed back to the starting point. The ruts from the trip in had deepened and the creek crossing had gotten even worse with further erosion on either side of the banks.
After an “adventurous” crossing Evil Kenevil style, the extrication vehicle was able to drop the three infantry soldiers at their own vehicles and wished them a restful night and safe trip back home. At this point I in the night, the driver noticed that the extrication vehicle noticed that the truck was almost on EMPTY for fuel. With the nearest gas station about 60 miles (1 hour) away, they drove out to fuel up and drove back (2 hour round trip).

Now full fuel tank, they made their way back to the stranded wagon column, the ruts had deepened and washed out, and the creek crossing was more treacherous. At about 1:30 am the extrication vehicle managed to arrive at the wagon column to pick up the last soldier that needed extrication. The decision was made to leave his tack and horse to be trailed behind when the wagons headed on later that morning. Also at this time, the gear, tack, haversacks, canteens and other equipment of the men at the starting point was picked up and thrown into the extrication vehicle. The last trip out was just in time as the rain had been pouring down for hours by this point and the truck actually got stuck on this attempt at the creek crossing. With some maneuvering and luck, they got un-stuck and finally made it out. After dropping the cavalry trooper at his vehicle and wishing him as safe drive home, the commanding officer (driving) and his aide arrived back at the starting point with the other detached troopers who had already bedded down for the night. A short but restful night was had.

Back at the Column: After the commander left, a small fire was used to cook issued rations and have a quick dinner before the oncoming storm rolled across the prairie and enveloped the camp. Most of the men had found shelter of some sort either in pup tents, shebangs, or in the back of or underneath wagons. The rain was light at first, but increased to a downpour for a good while. Soon, marble-sized hail pelted the camp and horses. All that could be done was to hunker down and wait out the storm. For the few soldiers that were suffering from chills and fatigue, they were relocated to the teamster's tent and a buffalo robe was procured from the commanding officer's baggage and thrown over them.

Horses turned their rumps into the gale, and soldiers wistfully watched as skies cleared to the southwest. Ever so slowly, a breeze pushed the clouds north and eastwards, but it was cold. This chilled the bedraggled troops and extra blankets were issued in between showers. The men bedded down for the night after a watch was set and a small fire was started (after reappropriating part of a hardtack box for kindling) in the old wallow that once held the cook fire before the storm. This of course became a churning mud pit and many sore words were grumbled by the sentinels as they slipped in the dark on their way to stoke the sputtering flames. Rest was had for several hours, but it was hard-gained.

The sgt. of cavalry determined to get the wagons moving at first light as soon as the remnants of the column arose from soggy bedrolls and damp canvas covers. A quick breakfast was acquired from coffee, hardtack, and cans of peaches heated over a fire that was nourished through the guard watches of the previous night. Camp was struck, horses saddled, and teams hitched up. While the livestock was being tended to, the remaining infantry set out to get a head start on the trail being as soon, the horses would overtake them. Within the hour, the column began the march back over the previous day's route. After about an hour or two, they met up with the commander and assorted entourage.

The detached troopers who slept at the starting point arose, had a quick cold breakfast (cooking all your rations beforehand paid off on this trip), and headed out at the trot by 6:30am. Completing about 7-8 of the 10 miles at the trot, the Wagon Column was spotted cresting over the ridge of the valley just above their camp. Even from a distance of more than a mile, it was obvious that the wagons, troopers, and all involved were stepping out at a quick pace. At the time the column was spotted by the detached troopers attempting to catch up, the remaining infantry were seen just ahead of the wagons. However, by the time the detached troopers galloped to the column, the infantry had fallen just behind the rear wagon.
The commanding officer met up with the Sgt. of the cavalry (now brevet commander of the escort since the night before). The two discussed that the men who had camped with the wagons had awaken from a freezing cold morning with everything soaked. Additionally, it was discovered that the intended trail had now become impassable. Therefore, the only other option was to pack up and head out.

The trip out that morning was in excess of 4 mph which again left the remaining lone infantry soldier in the dust. Nothing eventful happened on the way out and both wagons crossed the eroded creek crossing smoothly.

Upon arriving at the starting point, soldiers and teamsters were quickly shuttled to their vehicles (which had been shuttled at the beginning of the event to the planned ending point). About 15 minutes behind the wagons, the lone infantry soldier arrived.

After everyone had packed up and was almost ready to leave, those who finished the event gathered for a de-briefing. Those who finished received a hand written thank-you note sealed in period stationary with a “Wagon Escort” wooden token as a keepsake.

As has been the M.O. of events hosted by the 11th OVC, just finishing is an accomplishment.

Notes and Lessons Learned:

1. Pace of Wagons: The biggest issue of the entire event was pacing the infantry with the wagons and cavalry. This proved to be the defining reason the event did not go as planned. In referencing period accounts, there were some options we could have done. For instance, the infantry could have headed out in a small column much earlier thus keeping the distance either to the front or rear closer than what had happened. (although this plan still has the potential to repeat what happed over greater distances).
2. Ignorance: This was my first experience with wagons, I did not know how much weight they could pull and I did not know what pace they averaged. I didn’t know what I didn’t know and was at the mercy of the teamsters giving me the most accurate information. I asked the teamsters how much weight he could carry and the capabilities of their team in addition to the average pace they make on similar terrain; however, what transpired did not match the information given during the planning stages.
3. Physical Ability: Even outside of the wagons outpacing the infantry, more than half of the infantry could not physically march another 10 miles the next day, let alone another 7 on the third day. Even if the wagons did keep pace, it is unlikely many of the infantry could have completed two additional days of marching.
4. Horse Equipment: due to the wet conditions and soft ground, using picket pins/rope did not work effectively. The horses would simply pull the pins out of the ground. Additionally, using hobbles was difficult as some horses that were on hobbles were found more than ½ mile away in the morning. Ensuring the horses had enough time to eat to replenish their calories while not chasing them all over the country was a difficult task.
5. Always have your gear on you: A old but good lesson was re-learned by myself. If I head out, even for what should be a 100 yard trek, one MUST take his canteen, haversack, etc. Due to that one error, I did not eat or drink anything for some time.
6. Leadership: I am still learning leadership skills and feel that I was very passive as the commander of the column. I definitely could have taken on a more active role.