Re: Civil War Combat -- The 9th Texas Infantry

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Date Posted: Monday, July 23, 9:01am
Author: Tudd Dean
Subject: Re: Civil War Combat
In reply to: Michael Corso 's message, "Civil War Combat" on Thursday, July 19, 6:47pm

>ALCON:
>Thanks Mike. We practiced some of this at drill this past weekend. Sharpsburg is being planned well, let's hope everyone does their part. Steve Monroe get with me I have your old email, and since you are retired, I can't reach you.
>I cut the following directions from the event chairman
>for Maryland My Maryland, and found it to be very
>interesting in his observation of how we reenact our
>"combat" scenerios. In reading I have noticed that we
>are doing more "fire by file", but parade precision is
>still first and foremost our priority.
>
>Dear Participants,
>Last week we went over how to "Look 1862" this week I
>wanted to discuss how to ACT 1862.
>
>For no matter what you wear, if the scenarios look
>like the drill field, all the hand stitched button
>holes in the world will not balance it out.
>
>Acting the Part in Reenacting
>
>How many times have you seen a battle line at an event
>in perfect order, soldiers smiling and laughing and
>standing 40 yards from the enemy, blasting perfect
>volleys?
>
>Then ask yourself how many times have you read
>accounts of that happening anytime between 1861- 1865.
>
>Never.
>
>That is one aspect that the hobby fails miserably at,
>actually looking like Civil War Combat. One good
>friend of mine once said reenacting battle look like
>two beached whaled hitting each other with their
>flippers.
>
>At Maryland, my Maryland we will stepping out the
>"box" and ACTING the part of soldiers under fire.
>
>Often soldiers would remark that there was never a
>volley fired by their regiment the entire war. When
>the enemy approached they opened fire, battle lines
>were never perfect, some soldiers standing, lying
>down, taking cover, screaming and yelling
>incoherently, the rear of the line a mass of humanity
>with far more walking wounded headed to the rear than
>dead on the ground. File closers attempting to keep
>the men in line, yelling and shouting.
>
>Some soldiers crying, others hiding behind comrades,
>others loading and firing automatically, with no
>regard to anything or anyone around them.
>
>Soldiers when shot, would be flung to the ground,
>their bodies in shock, and would often be seen tearing
>at their clothing to find where they had been
>hit...often they would then stagger to the rear, lost
>and disoriented.
>
>When advancing the units did so firing as they came,
>the attacks often in a ^ shape, with the colors at the
>apex...troops leaning into the attack like into a
>driving rain, hunching together.
>
>When falling back, the colors were sent to the rear,
>and the men broke and ran to the rear, and reformed on
>the colors, never marching backwards or about facing
>in the presence of the enemy.
>
>Absolute loosely controlled chaos.
>
>At Maryland my Maryland this is what we are requiring.
>
>Combat in the Civil War was a terrible, murderous
>affair. Not parade ground precision.
>
>We are asking you to properly honor those men, buy
>following the scenario exactly, and while in the end
>we all get to get up and go home, remember those Boys
>did not, and by portraying them to the best of our
>ability in appearance and actions we honor the
>sacrifices they made.
>
>You will be assigned a historical unit, and you will
>do exactly as they did. If you are to flee to the
>rear at a certain point, you break and RUN. Soldiers
>NEVER NEVER about faced and marched off the field.
>
>EVER.
>
>If you are to attack, it should be a howling mass of
>humanity surging forward, often in a ^ shape, with the
>colors at the apex, and total chaos all around them,
>leaning forward as if in a driving rain.
>
>Casualties should be an 11-1 ratio of wounded to
>killed outright, or even higher....so no one should
>just drop and lie there. Rolling, screaming, crying,
>struggling the rear....the rear of the lines should
>appear as a broken flood of human wreckage.
>
>However - IF YOU ARE ASKED - you must tell if your
>"wound" is real or simulated. Break first person,
>tell them, and then go back to ACTING.
>
>To often I have seen event that look like two sides
>trying to out drill each other- this will not be the
>case at Maryland my Maryland- fast furious action,
>chaos on the lines, and following the footsteps of our
>forefathers in portraying their actions as per
>historical record.
>
>All for now, more to come!
>
>Pards,
>
>S. Chris Anders

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Replies:

Re: Civil War Combat -- dusty lind, Tuesday, July 24, 5:17am

Re: Civil War Combat -- FJMarek, Thursday, August 02, 9:51pm