What would you like to experiance at future events?

[Charles Heath]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

Andrew,

I really don't mean to pick on you, but somebody has to say it.

1. As all ready stated by others, I would like to see a Petersburg event.

Happens every year, and sometimes more than once. Go. Enjoy. James Owens would be glad to point you in the right direction. Email him. Like others, I'm sad the Reams Station event and the "Event That Cannot Be Mentioned" didn't materialize, but that is the way the hard bread crumbles.

2. The Atlanta Campaign such as Kenesaw Mt.( I am not sure if anyone has done that one before).

Happens every year, and sometimess more than once. Go. Enjoy. See AC Forum name Harrison Holloway for info about the program postponed from 2008 to 2009 due to flooding. The thread is still in the events subforum.

3. Lookout Mt. ( althougth it would be nearly impossible, it would be a cool event.)

Paul McKee mentioned the last big one. A much smaller event took place a few years ago, and a mention was made recently of a future effort. Find the thread, read it, and get involved.

4. Fredericksburg ( I liked the idea of have a on going battle through the night).

Happens every year. Sometimes several times each year. The event on 15-17 August is begging for help. The event(s) in town with rubber bullets and styrofoam stone walls will likely take place again, and even the most brief and casual perusal of events will pick up on a mid-November Fredericksburg event, or email Kevin or Dusty. It's the end of an era, so if you decide to attend you'll at least be able to say you caught a glimpse at the very tail end.

5. Pilot Knob or Fort Davidson....

Ask Frank, John, or Mitch, as they'd know of any upcoming Pilot Knob or Fort Davidson events.

People often mention events where entrenching is a desired activity, or at least living in earthworks for a while. Plenty of events have this feature, and are heavily advertised (even to the point where recluses, shut-ins, and hermits are well informed), but the question is whether participants would enjoy an extended event of three or four days of this type of heavy phsysical activity or just the usual day and a half? There's a question as it relates to a 2009 event that also includes some road and bridge construction.

Reenactors can continue attending the local encampment and skirmish aka "Ham-n-Yam Festival," whilst pining about something better, or get to the better events and enjoy a higher level of satisfaction.

[Andrew Kasmar]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

Hi,

I did not know anyone had done a event up there. Thanks for the information and the pictures. They look very cool.

[CompanyWag]

Re: What would you like to experience at future events?

3. Lookout Mt. ( although it would be nearly impossible, it would be a cool event.)

Andrew,

Take a look at the pix in the album I posted under my profile for photos of the event I organized for the 135th of Lookout Mountain. We assembled a battalion of 4 companies that followed the assault of the 96th Illinois up the western slope of Lookout Mountain (without trails), traversed under the escarpment to the Craven House site and then advanced to the Point the next morning. The photo ops on the Point were phenomenal. Finished up the event with a bully wrestling match between two companies umpired by the company officers.

Paul McKee

[Andrew Kasmar]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

Hi,

Doing engineer corps and building a pontoon bridge over a creek or small river and then to be able to march across it.
__________________
Scott Busenbark

Now that sounds cool!!!!!!!!

[boozie]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

Float the Yazoo River in a wooden barge, make the landing and push inward to Chickasaw Bluff's.

Doing engineer corps and building a pontoon bridge over a creek or small river and then to be able to march across it.

[bAcK88]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

I am with you, Paul, but you and I know the minute anyone figures out that the chosen unit wasn't at Gettysburg, the protests will come as fast and hot as the face of the sun...
This might be something that would have to be done regionally. Let the easterners have theirs, and we'll have ours. There isn't a sno-cone's chance in you-know-where that I would commit to a 4-year-running Potomac event, and I imagine that the response from out east would inversely correspond.

Perhaps pick a unit than that traveled to different theaters of War.

For the Federals one could chose to follow a unit in the 11th or 12th Corps, regiment in the 9th Corps, Andrew Smith's boys from the Army of the Tennessee, or the 10th Corps.

For Confederates follow a unit in Hood's or McClaw's Divisions, 1st Missouri brigade, Breckinridge's Division, or Colquitt's or Bushrod Johnson's boys.

Bill

[Andrew Kasmar]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

Hi,

1. As all ready stated by others, I would like to see a Petersburg event.

2. The Atlanta Campaign such as Kenesaw Mt.( I am not sure if anyone has done that one before).

3. Lookout Mt. ( althougth it would be nearly impossible, it would be a cool event.)

4. Fredericksburg ( I liked the idea of have a on going battle through the night).

5. Pilot Knob or Fort Davidson ( I would like to see a authentic reenactment of that battle, where the Confederates could build laters and assault the fort).

Just my 2 cents.

[Arch Campbell]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

I am with you, Paul, but you and I know the minute anyone figures out that the chosen unit wasn't at Gettysburg, the protests will come as fast and hot as the face of the sun...
This might be something that would have to be done regionally. Let the easterners have theirs, and we'll have ours. There isn't a sno-cone's chance in you-know-where that I would commit to a 4-year-running Potomac event, and I imagine that the response from out east would inversely correspond.

Great idea, I lost track of who thought it up but kudos!

[CompanyWag]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

That might be the best idea I've heard on this thread yet. The question is, what unit do we pick?

To most folks of a serious mindset, it shouldn't matter exactly what unit just as long as the resulting experience provided is a good cross-section of what most troops experienced. Back when the Mudsills first started, we chose a unit almost arbitrarily (5th Kentucky Infantry - The Louisville Legion) to avoid common reenactor politics and local loyalties as pretty much none of us were from Kentucky.

I think the trickier question might be whether it be Federal or Confederate, Eastern or Western. Personally, I'd recommend a Western impression in either flavor as it could spread the events out broader on the map and can offer more variety of service throughout the four years depending on the history of the unit depicted.

Paul McKee

[Duff]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

That might be the best idea I've heard on this thread yet. The question is, what unit do we pick?

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

Agreed! A very neat idea!

[CompanyWag]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

One thing that I would like to see more of, isn't in the event, but is the event it self. I would like to see more events in "sequence."

That is a splendid suggestion. A soldier's experience through his enlistment is a linear series events that build one upon the other resulting in the seasoned veteran by war's end. We rarely get a sense of that progression as we so often leap backwards and forwards in time from scenario to scenario.

Years ago we dreamed of doing something quite similar. Take four years to follow the progression of a typical company starting with a purely civilian pre-war experience for the first event...follow that with an enlistment and training event, then an event around traveling to the seat of the war, etc. Try to capture as many of the typical and mundane experiences as possible in four years interspersed with a few "battle" scenarios and a winter quarters event each year when the snow falls. Finish it up at the end with a veteran's reunion. The wartime experience of the 999th Sequential Rifles or Zouaves d' Chronique.

The advantages I see here are many. Participants would have common experiences to relate to, helping to reinforce a more natural first-person interaction. Participants would get a sense of a soldier's experience during the war in a real-time, sensible progression of events. Participants would not have to run out and put together a whole new uniform and accoutrements for every event, but instead would start with an early-war impression and take four years to transform it into a late-war impression.


Paul McKee

[Moose]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

One thing that I would like to see more of, isn't in the event, but is the event it self. I would like to see more events in "sequence."

For example: In fall of 2005 was the Payne's Farm event, the Federal troops were the 151st NY. In winter of 2006, we had one of the Winter 64 events, as the 151st NY. This event had an interesting aspect to it, that being that for two events in a row, we were the same unit, that meant that we experianced what that unit actully did, the Mine Run Campaign and then winter quarters. It was in some sort sequential order, which gave it the other aspect of being able to relate to others in first person terms, having experianced the "same" fight at Paynes Farm

And for those of you who attended W64-2008, just think if we portrayed the 151st agian. One would have a multitude of things to talk about that went on at W64-2008, and because it was the same unit, it wouldn't be filling in sombody that wasn't there, but actually resharing the experiance and would be another way for people to experiance first person.

That being said, to tie into another of Mr. Hicks' posts, "what would you like to see in the next anniversary cycle..."
I think it would be neat (events and sceanarios allowing), to do almost a regimental history. That being, picking XY unit, and starting from enlistment as civillians and going through to the end of their term of service. And "following" their journey and maybe a little bit of their experiance through the war. Some people have their "home unit" affiliation, but we all know that 9 out of 10 times we won't be the 400th New Mississippi Rangers at every event, but wouldn't it be a different experance if we could be?

Cheers,

[Jim of The SRR]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

A week long COI based in early 1861 with new recruits mustering in and going through the routine day and drill of learning to be a soldier. Or, a week long garrison or event. Drill, fatigue, drill, guard, drill, instruction. I mean really run it like it would have been done - even down to the bureaucratic red tape.

Not only an 1861 COI event, but also a civilian event and also in an entire period town. www.geocities.com/scar_civilwar/WestvilleIndex

Jim Butler

[Charles Heath]

Re: What would you like to experiance at future events?

You basically have 350 (give or take) authentics out there that break away from the lesser quality events twice a year and attend something good.

Pat,

Thanks for contributing a darn good reality check to this thread. In terms of the estimated (2007) 350 on the WIU list, a heck of a lot of those individuals scoring in the 6 to 8 range are hitting in the 2 to 3 range, if that, this season.