“FIX BAYONETS” If there is any order we receive in reenacting that sends a chill up my back, it is this order, “Fix Bayonets.” I guess it is because pulling a 12 inch Civil War bayonet out of its scabbard and attaching to the end of your musket seems to make it more of a lethal weapon. Only about 6% …
A CIVIL WAR REENACTOR’S HIGH Let me say that after 18 years in the Infantry ranks I still get a natural high when we come marching onto a field of battle and view the spectators. Many times they cheer or look at us with awe. I know they wonder what it would be like to be out there with us. …
The time I spent at Antietam created a special place in my heart for Sharpsburg, Maryland, South Central Pennsylvania, Shepherdstown, WVA and the four northern counties of Virginia. But Antietam had definitely become my battle. I was going to become an expert in its history no matter what. We also toured the four battles around Fredericksburg: Spotsylvania, Chancellorsville, The Wilderness …
Did Lee ever believe he had gotten into a serious debacle and his army was going to be severely crippled if not destroyed? In the early stages of the Maryland Campaign Lee was hurt when he was pulled to the ground after grabbing Traveler’s reins to keep the horse from being stampeded by someone yelling “Yankee Cavalry.” He was forced to …
Mt. Holly Cemetery, Little Rock, AR: Yesterday the annual memorial service was held for David Owen Dodd, the Boy Martyr of the Confederacy. I believe there were more reenactors this year than in the past 3 years and the spectator group was also larger. There have been many words over the years to describe David O. Dodd. One I latched …