The Military History Thread

Jay & Joe, Snickers Gap Turnpike ( Snickersville Turnpike now ), and manassas battlefield was our route to the hospital for the baby's birth.

 

I laugh at how I was considered a "hardcore" for wrapping up in a wool blanket on the ground at every weekend event. Hell, you guys are in A frames 2 a piece on dirt, and I'm curled up in a nice bed of clover enjoying the breeze! I never got that!

I've got some brogans with farby horseshoes kicking around somewhere, and a few sets of leathers. I'd like to get back into the hobby for sure, just a matter of finding the right unit. Most here are National Regiment, which equals lawyers and brokers who want to be "hardcore". I'm all set with that, I respect and understand authenticity, of course. The unit I was in before i was a GI has gone that way, i hear the 1st Maryland (CS) is a good outfit, who turns off the authenticity a bit when the spectators go home.

 

Great prelude to the event, imo.

I love the PED-ed/'roided up statue of Jackson at the Manassas battlefield. Go to the VMI Museum and check out how tiny one of his wool military coat on display really is. Methinks somebody that sculpts statues got something wrong.....

 

A shame there's not many heroic equestrian Ambrose Hill's. 5'6, sickly, and syphilitic, but man he could command troops.

 

Heck, look at the two who called for Hill at the point of their deaths.

 

Already planning the next move down to Tidewater.

If it were all about me, I would have put in for Yorktown.

 

He deserved a spot in the Confederate Valhalla. If he wasn't ill coming down the Chambersburg Pike, who knows what would've become of Buford's division.

My hometown regiment was the first to get smashed by the Light Division coming hard from Harper's Ferry.

 

Yorktown is a neat place, with 2 battlefields on the same turf. Having been to Saratoga several times, it's hard to grasp the difference in scope from a CW to a Revolutionary battle.

 

No doubt about it. Always makes you wonder why it took so long for the tactics to adapt to the weaponry during the CW. At some point, you would think a person in a position to do something would look at the casualty rates and say.....wait a minute.

Then you throw in the beauty and majesty of Fortress Monroe.

 

When every Vol fan says "gosh dang darned ***** Yankees. Unloaded weapons, Connecticut did their duty

 

We are heading to see a B17 tomorrow.

It is hard to explain to the little ones the courage of 17 crews at the beginning of WW II.

I truly believe the "fortress" part was for a false sense of security for flight crews and a bs selling point to the govt to get a heavy bomber in mass production.

 

Before they were provided with fighter escort, the B-17s paid a heavy price due to German fighters.

 

My guys are perfect for me. I don't get paid to do that stuff, so I'm not sleeping on the ground and hard tacking it. Now, when the public is there, we're period to the core. Afterwards, not so much. We have 2 claims to fame: 1. You'd be hard pressed to find another unit that can fire crisper company vollies. Sounds like one big gun. 2. Mass cannon casuslties. A lot of us are getting some age and mileage on us. When we've had enough, we wait until the next cannon that's aimed in our direction fires. Bodies, muskets, haversacks, canteens, etc all go flying through the air in a hundred different directions while we scream bloody murder. I've seen it on film. It looks damn good. We've received more standing ovations and positive comments for that than I can count.

We recently got us a 6 pound mountain howitzer and a commisary wagon for when we can't pound the ground anymore. Blowing shit up with that cannon is tons of fun.

 

Jackson just loooooved him.....

 

Any chance I "fought" against you with the Cumberland Guard at Gettysburg or Cedar Creek in 1998?

 

Jack knew that Powell was his sledgehammer, despite personal issues

 

My unit galvanizes. We do more blue than gray anymore. That's cool with me. I have ancestors on both sides that I can honor depending on which side I play. One great uncle was in The Stonewall Brigade. He was captured and signed oath papers one day before Lee surrendered. No SCV qualification from him. His brother was captured at Ninevah, VA, and refused to sign papers of oath until after the war. He was only 15, but tough as whitleather. He served his POW days in Point Lookout Prison in Maryland. From what I've read, it wasn't Andersonville, but it wasn't the Holiday Inn either. Their brother-in-law, my great great grandfather served as a surly cook that stayed in dutch with the 1st TN, US Cavalry. I had the honor of leading the honor guard detail at the dedication of new Confed markers placed on my great uncle's graves. Never was officer material. Too many meetings when I could be drinking.

We are the 61st TN Mounted Infantry as CSA. Most of them were captured in the Vicksburg Campaign at the Battle of the Big Black River. They swore oaths & were paroled. They came home to Zollicoffer, TN- Bluff City- got bored and reformed. They were Jeff Davis' military escort when he was captured.

We do 79th New York, Company K when we're blue. Our sister unit, 79th NY, Co. A is based in Knoxville. They used to be commanded by Lance Dawson. He's hard core, but I like the shit out of him. The 79th served all over from 1st Manassas (they hold the distinction of being the only US troops to fight a battle in kilts. They were forced to stop after showing too much at Manassas) to Secessionville in South Carolina.

 

Yep. I started in '96.

 

I saw one fly over my practice field in '91ish. I stopped practice and told the boys to look because they they may never see another ine in the air.

 

Yeah, he was a tight ass on piddly stuff.