When you hear "Civil War" where I live, one's first thought is the huge, PAC-12 intrastate NCAA football game, a rivalry ending regular season play.
Not the defining event and most bloody period in America's history.
As much thrill it is to attend the second (I think; it's hard to get *any* tix, especially if you're an alum of a college across the country) this entry's about the latter.
CAM and I go on historical benders and we've returned again to the Civil War.
It was rather roundabout, the genesis this time being Irish immigration into New York escaping 'The Hunger':
settling into the wretched Five Points slum, mid-19th century.
And I'm not ashamed to say, because of a random library find-
"Copper", a BBC America production canceled prematurely.
We'd a fondness for the lead, having a cameo prior in MI-5 (aka 'Spooks') of which we'd viewed the entire 10 series run because we are Anglophiles and adore all telly British.
As with any jag, I immediately log onto the library site and start queuing up topical materials.
There is an impressive stack of Shelby Foote tomes on the coffee table right now.
One historical fiction, tho' rather unrealistic in its pat and happy conclusion, was a well-scripted bio of a kid, who along with his neighborhood mates, enlist in the "Fighting 69th"
Theirs was a fascinating, colorful, and ultimately tragic story.
(Not to take away from the whole of the war, mind you.)
Reading about a small band of brothers humanizes the blurry, sepia images from a distant past and in doing so, brought back the desire to become immersed in that era.
Daydreaming about worlds other than my own, past and future, has always been a preoccupation of mine.
I'd read 'Confederates in the Attic' years ago, which was genius.
And more recently, 'Man of War', also well done.
So the next logical step was to attend a re-enactment.
Though there are plenty more groups east of the Mississippi, because the Civil War attracts the most participants, finding some activity in the PNW wasn't too hard.
The Northwest Civil War Council stages 5 public functions annually in the spring and summer.
Whereas the huge one over Labor Day at Ft. Stevens in Astoria, OR was appealing, that weekend is our anniversary and spending it there didn't seem terribly romantic.
(We did chat up the Colonel's wife who'd been married a few years ago at the very same, however.)
Plus, a little overwhelming (and spendy) for our initiation.
Small and closer won out.
And it was marvelous!
I know- kinda dorky, huh?
But really, it was nifty.
Yet, the hyped-up, we'lltransportyoubackintime didn't materialize.
Which turned out to be fine.
A little intimidating at first, after the earlier 'battle', we were encouraged to visit the camps, divided by sides and units.
The emcee warned that we'd likely be ignored as we weren't donning necessary garb and committed to the correct decorum, speech, behaviors and such of that culture.
Sheer nonsense.
Folks were more than eager to interact with us, and in CAM's case- recruit!
Here was the living history I expected; it just wasn't close your eyes only to open them in 1863.
Attempting to genuinely replicate the lifestyle was evident.
Sure, there were fire pits and grates holding all form of meatstuffs and other food being prepared as it would have been over 150 yrs. ago.
But you just knew there were Colemans hiding behind those tent flaps icing down Gatorade and beer.
(A suspicion later confirmed.)
It was obvious these players had done exhaustive research on their respective parts.
Some embraced the realism to extremes, such as hand sewing uniforms to spec; a labor of love.
One soldier I spoke with even pocketed hardtack!
Sutlers are civilian merchants whose area was separated from the troops.
Lots of goods sold strive to be period and useful to the re-enactors, but there were more modern offerings as well.
Including the local and dreamy Goat's Milk Rose Hand Lotion, a 4H by-product. (Gotta love the country!)
Admittedly, as much as I didn't want it to be the case, those playing Southern roles were more engaging and fun.
One group in particular, the Zouaves, were as charismatic as their pj costumes.
More importantly, the knowledge imparted was amazing; I repeatedly heard myself uttering "I had no idea..."
Sadly, the group I was most excited to meet ended up disappointing- my Fighting Irish boys.
Just a handful were out and about as the others were in a strategy meeting.
Not a one of them had an accent (even affected), let alone natives of the island.
They were also less interested in sharing what they knew about their chosen enlistment, which turned out to be not much.
Their neighbors, the 116th PA, were friendlier, but couldn't offer up a lot either.
A Union doctor presented a clever demonstration of what battlefield medicine would have been like.
(I died of a bayonet wound. CAM was gut shot. Mostly disease, malnutrition and unsanitary conditions did in the rest. A benefit to this war was advancement for both modern treatments and women.)
Someone who really knew her shit about clothing of the time spoke using antiques from a personal collection during the 'fashion show', again, created by those wearing the frocks to be as accurate as possible.
The biggest attraction by far, as you'd guess, were the battles.
Not being a tactical aficionado, I wasn't too frustrated that a true scene wasn't staged and the lack of urgency didn't sell it convincingly.
But I like booms!
And didn't the ground shake and sulphur smoke fill the air?
Calvary (accompanied by a cute collie mix named Lucy), infantry, artillery, color guard and musicians, camp followers, et al made for an enthralling production.
(The South took the morning; the North won the afternoon.)
Time flew by as we made the most of this unseasonably hot day at the tail end of summer (I even got a sunburn down my meager décolletage), arriving shortly after the gates opened and staying until they closed.
Call me a dweeb, but I was fully geeked on this outing and see more in our future.
Just don't muster us up quite yet.
And I'm not ashamed to say, because of a random library find-
"Copper", a BBC America production canceled prematurely.
We'd a fondness for the lead, having a cameo prior in MI-5 (aka 'Spooks') of which we'd viewed the entire 10 series run because we are Anglophiles and adore all telly British.
As with any jag, I immediately log onto the library site and start queuing up topical materials.There is an impressive stack of Shelby Foote tomes on the coffee table right now.
One historical fiction, tho' rather unrealistic in its pat and happy conclusion, was a well-scripted bio of a kid, who along with his neighborhood mates, enlist in the "Fighting 69th"
Theirs was a fascinating, colorful, and ultimately tragic story.
(Not to take away from the whole of the war, mind you.)
Reading about a small band of brothers humanizes the blurry, sepia images from a distant past and in doing so, brought back the desire to become immersed in that era.
Daydreaming about worlds other than my own, past and future, has always been a preoccupation of mine.
I'd read 'Confederates in the Attic' years ago, which was genius.
And more recently, 'Man of War', also well done.
So the next logical step was to attend a re-enactment.
Though there are plenty more groups east of the Mississippi, because the Civil War attracts the most participants, finding some activity in the PNW wasn't too hard.
The Northwest Civil War Council stages 5 public functions annually in the spring and summer.
Whereas the huge one over Labor Day at Ft. Stevens in Astoria, OR was appealing, that weekend is our anniversary and spending it there didn't seem terribly romantic.
(We did chat up the Colonel's wife who'd been married a few years ago at the very same, however.)
Plus, a little overwhelming (and spendy) for our initiation.
Small and closer won out.
And it was marvelous!
I know- kinda dorky, huh?
But really, it was nifty.
Yet, the hyped-up, we'lltransportyoubackintime didn't materialize.
Which turned out to be fine.
 |
| One of many well-appointed and ambitious camps |
The emcee warned that we'd likely be ignored as we weren't donning necessary garb and committed to the correct decorum, speech, behaviors and such of that culture.
Sheer nonsense.
Folks were more than eager to interact with us, and in CAM's case- recruit!
Here was the living history I expected; it just wasn't close your eyes only to open them in 1863.
Attempting to genuinely replicate the lifestyle was evident.
Sure, there were fire pits and grates holding all form of meatstuffs and other food being prepared as it would have been over 150 yrs. ago.
But you just knew there were Colemans hiding behind those tent flaps icing down Gatorade and beer.
(A suspicion later confirmed.)
It was obvious these players had done exhaustive research on their respective parts.
Some embraced the realism to extremes, such as hand sewing uniforms to spec; a labor of love.
One soldier I spoke with even pocketed hardtack!
Sutlers are civilian merchants whose area was separated from the troops.
Lots of goods sold strive to be period and useful to the re-enactors, but there were more modern offerings as well.
Including the local and dreamy Goat's Milk Rose Hand Lotion, a 4H by-product. (Gotta love the country!)
Admittedly, as much as I didn't want it to be the case, those playing Southern roles were more engaging and fun.One group in particular, the Zouaves, were as charismatic as their pj costumes.
More importantly, the knowledge imparted was amazing; I repeatedly heard myself uttering "I had no idea..."
Sadly, the group I was most excited to meet ended up disappointing- my Fighting Irish boys.
Just a handful were out and about as the others were in a strategy meeting.
Not a one of them had an accent (even affected), let alone natives of the island.
They were also less interested in sharing what they knew about their chosen enlistment, which turned out to be not much.
Their neighbors, the 116th PA, were friendlier, but couldn't offer up a lot either.
A Union doctor presented a clever demonstration of what battlefield medicine would have been like.
(I died of a bayonet wound. CAM was gut shot. Mostly disease, malnutrition and unsanitary conditions did in the rest. A benefit to this war was advancement for both modern treatments and women.)
Someone who really knew her shit about clothing of the time spoke using antiques from a personal collection during the 'fashion show', again, created by those wearing the frocks to be as accurate as possible.
The biggest attraction by far, as you'd guess, were the battles.
Not being a tactical aficionado, I wasn't too frustrated that a true scene wasn't staged and the lack of urgency didn't sell it convincingly.
But I like booms!
And didn't the ground shake and sulphur smoke fill the air?
Calvary (accompanied by a cute collie mix named Lucy), infantry, artillery, color guard and musicians, camp followers, et al made for an enthralling production.
(The South took the morning; the North won the afternoon.)
Time flew by as we made the most of this unseasonably hot day at the tail end of summer (I even got a sunburn down my meager décolletage), arriving shortly after the gates opened and staying until they closed.
Call me a dweeb, but I was fully geeked on this outing and see more in our future.
Just don't muster us up quite yet.
 |
| FARB cannon carriage |
 |
 |
| Lucy helping with maneuvers |
 |
| Happy for cotton, even if they are silly and made for easy targets |
 |
| Curtain Call |
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| Mountain Howitzer Demo |
 |
| Wool made for excessively hot fighting forcing many troops to 'die' under shade trees |
 |
| How about a little more enthusiasm, fellas? |
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| Little boys in period correct flour sack dresses. They'll move up to trousers once potty trained. |
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| This operational weapon had the name of a saint |
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