150th Shiloh… Saturday AM… Continued

150th Shiloh… Saturday AM… Continued….
After about 15 minutes, we were ordered to ‘Fall in’, ‘Unstack Arms’, and ‘Unfix Bayonets’. Then we were given the orders to ‘Right Face’ and ‘Forward March’. We then marched over to the Brigade area, formed up with other Battalions, and marched out to the Yankee Camp to portray the first day of the Shiloh Battle. In the actual battle the Confederates surprised the Yankees, swept through their camps, and pushed them toward the Tennessee River. Our scenario was to be a simple run through their camps. Our line of march was over some very muddy roads, but ultimately we got to some ground that wasn’t so mushy and the going was easy. We marched at the ‘Route Step, Arms at Will’, which means you can walk in formation with your musket carried any way you want to as long as it is safe and doesn’t cause a hazard to those around you. After traversing muddy and some not so muddy roads we camp to the Yankee Camps. We went into battle line and started forward, firing by companies. The Yanks gave little resistance and just backed up through their camps firing at us and they retreated. Once at the end of their camps the scenario stopped and some of our number went in their tents. Stole some of their decks of playing cards and passed them out to us that were still in battle line.

The order was given for us to form up and we marched back to our camps and we were through for the morning until about 12:30PM, which was when we were to form up for the 2:00 battle scenario. Once back at camp, I cleaned my musket and set off for the Sutlers.