Submitted by Sandra Root

Once again, I would like to thank the Grand Valley Cap N Ballers Club for allowing me to use the high rifle range to hold the Civil War 1860s Gathering Knowledge event. This year we changed the dates of the weekend due to some conflicts. Unfortunately, the dates of October 8010 also conflicted with other fall activities.

We had 20 participants this year, which was only down by 5 people. There were a few new faces including 5 Confederate soldiers. All were very excited to attend and would like to attend next year.

We camp in canvas tents with period correct furnishings. We try to dress and learn everything we can about the time period. Five teams of 4 walked the woods walk this year, which was up by one team from last year. Each team stopped at a station and asked a question related to the 1860s or given a challenge to complete. Their answers were scored and the winners were awarded prizes off a blank, as if it was a shoot. Other activities this year included a swap-and-sell, puppet show, and harvest dinner on Saturday night. Everyone contributed an 1860s seasonal dish to the harvest dinner.

During the puppet show, shots were heard from the woods. Loud screams and hollers along with more gunfire. All of a sudden, a few Frenchmen along with an Indian were raiding our camps! Clothes were gone through, food was eaten. Once we realized they were not there to hurt us but were just hungry, we invited them to join us in our harvest dinner.

These new additions, Drew Harrington and a few friends, were asked by me to join us this weekend. I wanted the crowd to be a little started but also to learn more about Native Americans in Michigan in the mid-19th century. He set up his bard and cattail lodge. When the darkness of night was upon us, we all took a tour of Drew’s lodge. With a fire lit in the middle, we were able to squeeze 15 of us in the lodge. Stories were told and information shared. What a wonderful experience for all! It reminded me that we have so much to learn from other time periods and different reenactors.

Rain kept us from much activity on Sunday morning We did manage to get ready for a church service given by Rev. Guy Purdue in 1860s style. To conclude the weekend, everyone enjoyed leftovers from the harvest dinner the night before. We continued to have fun with parlor games, laughing together until it was finally time to break camp and go home.

150th Gettysburg: The BGA Event Gettysburg. The very name evokes a flood of emotions and memories. The Battle of Gettysburg, fought in and around a small Pennsylvania borough on July 1 – 3, 1863 has claimed a rightful place in American history as the most significant battle of America's Civil War.

As is the case with many national events, two separate Gettysburg observances were held: the BGA (Blue and Gray Alliance); and the GAC (Gettysburg Anniversary Committee). The BGA event was held June 27-30 at the Bushey family farm. Along with Eric Larson from our 24th Michigan, I attended the event, along with 418 other men from Michigan. Our “Michigan battalion” enjoyed the added distinction of actually portraying the 24th Michigan, adding a special flavor to our participation. We participated in the “progressive” portion of the event, in “Murray's Brigade.” Thursday at 4:45 pm an all-hands meeting was held to brief the participants on what to expect for the weekend. At 5:00 pm on Thursday, the men formed ranks and marched off to our temporary camp in the field. Rations were issued: three hardtack crackers, two slabs of salt pork, coffee beans and brown sugar for each man. Adding to the realism, we received the announcement that the army was not certain how long these rations would have to last. Just as it was for the boys of 1863, keeping nourished was a challenge.

An additional challenge was the rugged terrain. Rocks and logs were omnipresent but on Friday, we put the natural terrain to good use by building our own breastworks at our new camp on “Culp's Hill.” The comrades of the 24th Michigan valiantly held their position at all hazards against repeated assaults by the Confederate forces. But the high ground and the impregnable breastworks made our position unassailable. The firefights at Culp's Hill were some of the most intense battle scenarios I've ever experienced. Added to the realism was the fact that for the first time in my career as a living historian, we were summoned to battle by the “long roll,” a drum signal which indicates that the enemy is present and there is no time at all to waste in taking battle stations. We lined the breastworks clad without coats, with our leather accouterments hastily thrown on over our shirts.

On Saturday, we miraculously morphed into the First Maryland Home Guards. The change in impression was necessary because the original 24th Michigan did not participate in Pickett's Charge on the third day of the battle. By a simple change of caps from our dress black hats to our simpler forage caps, the transformation was complete. We fought an intense battle against fellow Marylanders. The raw emotions of 150 years ago came rushing back to us, as we heard to desperate cries of the wounded and dying in the valley below. Col. Eichler and Chaplain Rodney Miller reminded the men to show compassion to our suffering “fellow states-men.” At their suggestion, a humanitarian detail was sent to the fallen Confederates to supply them with water. Several Confederate soldiers, including a major, surrendered to our brave water boys.

Sunday saw the recreation of Pickett's Charge. The BGA event staff went to great lengths to recreate the stone wall and the copse of trees. It was breathtaking to see brigade upon brigade of Confederate soldiers valiantly making their last-ditch effort to pierce the center of the Union line in a desperate effort to carry the field. It was a surreal experience, somewhere between the most amazing reenactment scene ever and acting in a Hollywood blockbuster.

Following Pickett's Charge, Col. Eichler suggested that we honor the sacrifices of the men who fought on the hallowed ground of Gettysburg 150 years ago by marching off the field in full marching order. Although we all were hungry, thirsty, hot, tired and homesick, our pride in our great Wolverine State and our gratitude to the men who actually experienced the horror and hardship of 150 years ago spurred us on. We formed up, and marched off the battlefield singing “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” We received the hearty cheers and applause of many people along our “parade route.” Many people snapped pictures of us. At one point, someone called out, “Who are these guys?” And the exuberant answer was shouted back, “These are Michigan men!”

Col. Eichler summed up the experiences of the weekend with his brief comments as we prepared to head home to Michigan. He said, “Men, it's a cloudy day. There are many men up there looking over the edges of those clouds, and they're smiling down on what you did here.”

It was a humbling experience indeed to represent the original 24th Michigan at the 150th anniversary of Gettysburg. There were many unforgettable experiences which will remain in the memories of all who took part.

By Guy Perdue