Chickamauga: 150th Anniversary Event 2013

[Sean Thornton]

2013 will be a huge year for Civil War reenacting with the 150th Gettysburg and in the Fall the 150th Chickamauga.  Both of these battles saw a use of the Spencer Rifle with Custer's Cavalry and Wilder's Lightning Brigade.  

[Sean Thornton]

Our Chickamauga company is coming together. We will be portraying the 17th Indiana of Wilder's Brigade Scouts. They were originally armed with Henry and Spencer Rifles. Our group consists of 37 to 39 men armed with 8 Spencer rifles and about 26 Henry rifles and a few Sharps rifles. This will be the largest company of men armed with repeating rifles in reenacting history. It should be interesting

[PaleHawkDown]

My great great great uncle died there. If you look at the peg board in the museum you'll see a peg for him.

[Sean Thornton]

Chickamauga proved to be a wet event with 4 inches of rain, oh well. The reenactment was suppose to be a recreation of the Battle of Chickamauga but was more like a recreation of a Civil War battle in which the CS out number the Union 4 to 1 and then over run and capture everything with little regard to history or the scenario, reenacting is what it is, LOL.

We portrayed the 17th Indiana Mounted Infantry. We had 7 Spencer rifles 2 of which were originals being used. My blanks worked fantastic with no problems.  However a few used the plastic blanks out there.  I found it interesting that those using the plastic also carried a ram rod to knock out the case when it stuck in the chamber every 2 or 3 shots. What a bummer. We also had about 28 Henry Repeating rifles in our ranks.

The Sgt. and his mount with Spencer rifle.

[Two Flints]

Sean,

Terrific . . . will you Email me copies of the photos!  fsgrand2@fairpoint.net . . . 1024 x 768 pixels in size?

Two Flints

[Major 2]

Perhaps it was the reenactment of the 125th.... in which it also RAINED !  4 solid days of it .
The little creek you could step across normally, was a raging torrent.
The small foot bridge for the ladies, built for the event washed away and pieces were 4 miles down stream.

My Great coat still to this day, has that mud in it when I slipped a slid down a hill .... 25 years later.
We had to reset the Picket Rope many times because the 3' stakes for the splay ropes just pulled out of the ooze, with the Horses tugging.

Several Tractors were employed to pull cars & trucks out at the close of the event. 
Prices started at $20 and by the time everyone was out it had gone to over $100.... Reason ? both Gouging & the fact the tractors made such a deep rut of the roads.
More that one Motor Coach was charge $500.
One Sutlers Wife was arrested, when She tried to get to her set-up to load it out ( It was unattended when she went for the PU )
She argued with the Deputy, and you don't do that in Rural Ga.

Cost $1500 bail and whatever a return trip cost (from Ohio) for a Court date was & the fine ...  ahhh ! Memories ain't they grand ?

[Ibgreen]

Perhaps it was the reenactment of the 125th.... in which it also RAINED !  4 solid days of it .
The little creek you could step across normally, was a raging torrent.
The small foot bridge for the ladies, built for the event washed away and pieces were 4 miles down stream.

My Great coat still to this day, has that mud in it when I slipped a slid down a hill .... 25 years later.
We had to reset the Picket Rope many times because the 3' stakes for the splay ropes just pulled out of the ooze, with the Horses tugging.

Several Tractors were employed to pull cars & trucks out at the close of the event. 
Prices started at $20 and by the time everyone was out it had gone to over $100.... Reason ? both Gouging & the fact the tractors made such a deep rut of the roads.
More that one Motor Coach was charge $500.
One Sutlers Wife was arrested, when She tried to get to her set-up to load it out ( It was unattended when she went for the PU )
She argued with the Deputy, and you don't do that in Rural Ga.

Cost $1500 bail and whatever a return trip cost (from Ohio) for a Court date was & the fine ...  ahhh ! Memories ain't they grand ?

Hey! I was there!  Yes, muddy indeed.  I was part of the 1st NC.  At the time, I was a wide eyed 15 y.o. color bearer.  Can't say I remember much of all the other stuff in that I found a young lady that was impressed with my flag skills.  She kept me entertained away from the other entertainment!

[Major 2]

I was a few years younger @ that event, than you are now...  I had taken my wife, we had been married less than year.
It was not her first event to attend , but very nearly was her last.

Sorry for the high jack, just got to remembering 

[Snakeeater]

I was (and was not) at the 125th. My tentage was there, my cot was there, and most of my gear, but I couldn't get off work except to drive up and setup our sutler store (Cavalry Depot) and leave it in the hands of Brad, until I could come back on Sunday to dismantle everything and take it back home. But I certainly remember it being a "mud-fest"! Of course, that was in stark contrast to the 125th at First Manassas, which was more akin to a desert and even though I had paid to have a horse transported there from south Florida (back when I rode with Roger Ragland of the 2nd Florida and Karl Luthin's Illinois raiders), I never got to ride the horse because I was too busy taking care of Brad Bradley and running the sutlery at Cavalry Depot.

[Major 2]

Ummm...Mike is that You ? 

I'm Roger Ragland !   (2nd Florida Cavalry) 

Good old Brad ..I miss him & Kat

[Snakeeater]

Yeah, Brad's daughter came up and moved them both to Florida following his triple bypass. I lost contact with them after I moved from Atlanta to Savannah in 1992! If he is still living, Brad would be 93 now. He was a year younger than my dad, who is now 94.

Richard

[Major 2]

Richard ?  ...  I was thinking  Mike Hitt      who also rode with us.

I'm sorry to tell you Brad passed some years back and Kat about a year before him.
I was not aware he moved to Florida, he was still in SW Atlanta when I last saw him.

again I apologize to OP for any High jack