Subject:  EKM email to Paul D. from me |
Author:
Leon Harrison
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Date Posted: 00:22:36 05/04/09 Mon
EKMBBC Capt. Leon Harrison, G.C.M.
EKM Buckeye Bureau/Harlan County Bn. Ohio Outpost
West Carrollton, Ohio
Sunday night, May 3rd, 2009, 10:11 p.m.
Paul D.,
I just saw my desperate housewives tonight, just a little while ago, like ya know, the ones on the TV show. None brought home from Mansfield, Grove City, Clayton or even Kroger for housework, for spousework or just for fun...with or without guns. I'm glad that my Springfield spring broke at Fryer Park, last weekend, making me go to Mansfield, on Friday, with Col. Cornett. It was the first time that either of us had been to that great Civil War/military show at the Richland County Fairgrounds. Soon after we arrived that Friday afternoon, Mr. William V. Osborne the Second, proprietor of Lodgewood Manufacturing, put my Springfield into a stand, took the lock plate off, replaced the broken sear spring, and sold me a spare spring with a new cleaner screw in about ten minutes; to save myself the headaches and trouble I would have willingly paid him double. His wife was working with him and getting parts out of bins. You should have seen all the neat military stuff! Women collect knickknacks. Men collect small Civil War-soldier mementos to display upon the tops of their refrigerators. My Springfield rifle cost more than this new Whirlpool refrigerator did! Well, to be truthful, my rifle has to be a lot more useful. A million dollars worth of it at least...including my new sack jacket, vest and probably new ordered dress blue staff captain US uniform...that may look great even as SIZE 48!!!!!!!! These Civil War sizes are driving me nuts! I'm wearing everything between size 42 and 44. It was kind of a relief, being a spectator with a camera, while wearing civilian clothes. I took a lot of pictures, which you will soon receive on a photo CD, snail-mailed with a few prints. Always on the job! I can't help it! Col. Cornett also bought a couple of cheap kepis for any new future recruits, at least at Leatherwood in October. I also met and took a couple of pictures of Kenneth W. Bach, a Lt. Gen. U.S. Grant impressionist who gave me one of his cards, the copied enlarged image of which is attached to this message. One of Gen. Paul's Union officer friends is small enough to wear my dress uniform. I hate haggling but will let him buy it reasonably cheap, but I might have to at least ask him for the half price of my new one from The Regimental Quartermaster, Inc., in Gettysburg, Pa. I figure that if I dress as the staff captain of the Harlan County Battalion, instead of an Infantry one, nobody will ask me to do the duties of one upon the field of battle, whereat one might have to herd and move the troops like children or cattle. Damn! This is turning into another East Kentucky Magazine story, isn't it? I have to brush my teeth, read and then go to sleep. Nobody mowed by grass while I was gone! Much to my chagrin, surprise and sorrow, I guess that I'll have to do it tomorrow. I have to deliver a hand-printed message to Fireman Fred at the Awful House, sent by one Pete D'Onfrio who knew him when he was a fireman in Kettering, Ohio, while Fred was at the base and at DESC before retiring to be a security guard at the DMAX factory. Pete is also a medical man and wore his warm Union uniform on Saturday, like Col. Cornett, to sit and perform and practice under the flap of the tent. Bob Mergel was there with his wife, both of them also in cooler civilians clothes. We all met acquaintances and friends of friends again, ending up involved in convivial conversations with friendly strangers, sharing many common interests with activities; including those Revolutionary War and World War Two impressionists and reenactors who also wore and performed in their period-authentic uniforms while drilling or demonstrating at their displays. It rained on Friday night, so staying inside the Motel Six was kinda nice, even without female friends whom needed shelter from the rain. Yes, Captain Harrison does not ration his compassion; which is not that hard as long as he has a credit card…or two. Sharon didn't know what she was missing; well, maybe she did. I have never seen so many military antiques and artifacts in one place before. We never really did see Mansfield proper, because the Richland County Fairgrounds is located away from the downtown. It was too bad that Dayton did not do the same a century or so ago. There is a lot of nice open farmland remaining between Columbus and Mansfield. I left about fifty Leatherwood Reenactment and "Reenactors honor veterans" copies on a table inside one of the exhibition buildings. The 64th Ohio Volunteer Infantry did drill and fired volleys from the grass and the dandelion-covered field. When the artillery battery fired, every car alarm in the parking lot went off! The kids and the crowd loved it. Of course, I once again left that heavy zoom-lens 8mp Nikon inside my little HHR car. I sort of regretted getting it with that conspicuous copper-color/ sunburst-orange paint...until Col. Cornett and I left and looked for it on that big open grassy parking field, both of us easily seeing it right away. Col. Cornett did the long-distance driving, which I did not mind. We drove directly back to and through Columbus to arrive back at Grove City and the Cornett Castle that Saturday afternoon. Private Whitey was mad at the both of us, me for taking Col. Cornett away and at the both of us for not taking him with us and for leaving him at home to do sentry duty while protecting and defending Sharon, his mistress. For the first time, I have become familiar with Enon, Ohio, stopping at Keith and Kathy Crager's house, again, just this afternoon, again failing to find them at home to collect my "squirrel rifle" Hawken fun gun, that I had left leaning against their trailer at the Grove City event last weekend. Hhhmmm...maybe I ought to call the Cragers first? Nah, it's a nice drive through the countryside. Before last week, I had never been to or explored Enon, Ohio, before. The reenactment season is underway and every weekend event conflicts with another two or a few that are going on at the same time, as they all will be until next fall. Inside this latest issue of The Civil War Courier, I see the notice for the Annual Heritage Village Museum Civil War Days and Living History in Sharon Woods Park, during the forthcoming weekend of May 16-17, in Sharonville, Ohio. Ron wanted to go there with me but it conflicts with Tom Paul's dinner. Damn. I attended and participated in the Sharon Woods event the year before last, missing it last year for some reason or other. Paul D., I knew that there was no way that you could print or publish that last eleven-page "Grove City" story with all of those pictures. Nor can you print or publish many if any of these "Ohio Civil War Show" pictures that shall soon be arriving in the snail mail for East Kentucky Magazine. Paul D., this quick email has turned into my [paragraphless] EKM story to go with the photo CD from me. What the heck, I may as well edit a little bit spell check; and I might even revise and rewrite it. Oh, I bought a new sack jacket, from Fall City Sutlers, that fits over my bulging man muscle, and I think that it may shrink over time to become more form fitting, at least until I am either too old to wear it or am quitting. A big yank at the Fall City rack told me that it would get wet with rain and sweat sooner or later. I won’t wash it in warm water or try to dry it, like I did my first sack jacket. The sleeves of my new sack jacket are bare; thereby make me a private soldier without a care. Yes, I have to sew my old buck sergeant stripes upon the sleeves of something, at least to be ready to do and look really good at Leatherwood [Oct. 23-25]. A squad of third-class softcore teenaged reenactors, who are shooting Hawkens while standing or kneeling in a strung-out single rank, look more "authentic", at least up close, than a company of first or second-class gray-haired overweight middle-aged men and female friends, firing period-authentic rifles while wearing better Civil War uniforms. During the Civil War, at least in those Cold Mountain-type hills, I bet that an officer could not force or order home guard soldiers to stand and shoot in battle ranks of two, firing over shoulders instead of hiding behind trees and boulders. Nor could such officers prevent or stop enlisted men from picking up and using pistols (instead of bayonets) that might also win knife and sword fights and save their lives. Therefore, the Harlan County Battalion does in fact act and look more authentic, considering the territory and terrain, than most of those first-class hardcore reenacting units that would avoid and shun them, and refuse to reenact with or take to the field with them, if only to entertain an audience and to put on an entertaining exciting Civil War show. Sorry if we look like amateurish regressive reenactor fools, but it’s OUR home unit and OUR host unit rules…at least at Leatherwood Creek during this one Oct. 23-25 weekend. We have to start getting some kids and younger people into this, and the local folks want to see their kids, kin and friends perform and in action for those family movies and photos. No, Paul D., I cannot wait for at least a day before I send this way to you tonight. You’ll get a better corrected hardcopy with your photo CD from me. I’m typing this on a WORD page anyway, seeing occasional red and green lines appear under words and phrases, by the way. Does it fill up or waste enough empty East Kentucky Magazine space? No, I cannot do more because I am ready to snore. Well, in four more minutes, it will be Monday. I hope that it is also a fun day.
Sincerely, Your new staff officer,
EKMBBC Captain Leon Harrison, G.C.M.
Duke of Hazard and Appalachian-American Ambassador
EKM Buckeye Bureau and Harlan County Battalion Ohio Outpost
West Carrollton, Ohio
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