Anyone here study the American Civil War?...

[gjtoth]

... or the War of Secession? I've been reading and studying it for about 40 years and just started attending the larger reenactments for a couple years now. I am also a photographer... mainly wildlife and still life florals but I will do some events. I just returned from the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Cedar Creek. If anyone is interested, you can view my gallery of the event at http://goo.gl/rdvLNd Feel free to let me know what you think!

[HHP]

I grew up in Virginia and was really into the war at an early age. Spent a lot of time touring battlefields and museums. Truly one of the most interesting periods in American history. The grocery store we shopped at was built inside the earthworks from the seige of Richmond.

[GHS]

I dont participate but one of my ex working buddies, retired paratrooper/cop moved to Virgina to go to re-enactments. He always plays the Confederate part, has all proper uniforms, weapons, even has a horse to be in the cavalry. Very intersting hobby.lifestyle for some. These boys really know their stuff. The stars and bars get alot of heat now but 150 years ago they fought for their homes, family, and way of life that at that time seemed okay to some, (not the way we view it today). So repect should be given to brave men who faced almost certain death on the battlefield.

[Bob Womack]

Very nice! I grew up near the site of the Battle of Knoxville and spent many hours in Ft. Sanders and Ft. Dickerson. While visiting the Vicksburg, Mississippi, waterfront in the '60s my family came across the recently-raised ruins of Union ironclad gunboat USS Cairo which hit a mine and sank on picket duty just north of Vicksburg. I'm one of the few who actually stood in her intact bridge cupola before she was reconstructed and have a few slivers of wood from her. In the '70s I went to college on top of Lookout Mountain, just south of Chattanooga, TN, and part of the Chickamauga battleground. My future wife and I visited and hiked through the parks and studied their history.

Then in the '80s my wife and I moved to the Virginia Tidewater and live right near Fort Monroe where Jefferson Davis was imprisoned after the war. These days my son is in charge of Gosport Shipyard, now known as Norfolk Naval Shipyard Drydock 1. In 1861, as they abandoned the shipyard, the Union engineers burned to the waterline and sunk decommissioned USS Merrimack in the opening of the dock, wrecking the dock's doors, in an attempt to render it useless. The Confederates moved in, re-floated the hulk and rebuilt the doors. They rebuilt the hulk into the CSS Virgina, which faced off with the USS Monitor in the Civil War Battle of Hampton Roads and the Clash of the Ironclads. By every military criterion (except the victor's, and he writes the history) Virginia carried the day, damaging the helm of the Monitor and blinding her captain, forcing her to withdraw, though Monitor was clearly a superior weapon. The remains of both lie at the Mariner's Museum in Newport News and the anchor from Virginia is up at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond.

So, yeah. I love Civil War history.

Bob


Bob

[kydave]

Originally Posted by gjtoth

... or the War of Secession? I've been reading and studying it for about 40 years and just started attending the larger reenactments for a couple years now. I am also a photographer... mainly wildlife and still life florals but I will do some events. I just returned from the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Cedar Creek. If anyone is interested, you can view my gallery of the event at http://goo.gl/rdvLNd Feel free to let me know what you think!

As I was writing the title cut to my last album "Between the Grey & Blue" I did a bit of family research related to the War Between The States (ancestors on both sides).

I found this (my last name is Trabue, in direct line from my great grandfather x 7 who came over from France in 1700):



and this:

Robert Paxton Trabue - A Fifth Confederate General?

We used a Mason-Dixon marker as a watermark in the background on the CD cover.

[gjtoth]

Originally Posted by kydave

As I was writing the title cut to my last album "Between the Grey & Blue" I did a bit of family research related to the War Between The States (ancestors on both sides).

I found this (my last name is Trabue, in direct line from my great grandfather x 7 who came over from France in 1700):

and this:

Robert Paxton Trabue - A Fifth Confederate General?

We used a Mason-Dixon marker as a watermark in the background on the CD cover.

FASCINATING stuff, Dave! You must be right proud. The Orphan Brigade did itself proud. Serving with distinction in a number major engagements

Battle of Shiloh
Defense of Vicksburg (1862)
Battle of Stones River
Siege of Jackson
Atlanta Campaign
Battle of Stockbridge
Battle of Oconee River Bridge
Carolinas Campaign

[gjtoth]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

Very nice! I grew up near the site of the Battle of Knoxville and spent many hours in Ft. Sanders and Ft. Dickerson. While visiting the Vicksburg, Mississippi, waterfront in the '60s my family came across the recently-raised ruins of Union ironclad gunboat USS Cairo which hit a mine and sank on picket duty just north of Vicksburg. I'm one of the few who actually stood in her intact bridge cupola before she was reconstructed and have a few slivers of wood from her. In the '70s I went to college on top of Lookout Mountain, just south of Chattanooga, TN, and part of the Chickamauga battleground. My future wife and I visited and hiked through the parks and studied their history.

Then in the '80s my wife and I moved to the Virginia Tidewater and live right near Fort Monroe where Jefferson Davis was imprisoned after the war. These days my son is in charge of Gosport Shipyard, now known as Norfolk Naval Shipyard Drydock 1. In 1861, as they abandoned the shipyard, the Union engineers burned to the waterline and sunk decommissioned USS Merrimack in the opening of the dock, wrecking the dock's doors, in an attempt to render it useless. The Confederates moved in, re-floated the hulk and rebuilt the doors. They rebuilt the hulk into the CSS Virgina, which faced off with the USS Monitor in the Civil War Battle of Hampton Roads and the Clash of the Ironclads. By every military criterion (except the victor's, and he writes the history) Virginia carried the day, damaging the helm of the Monitor and blinding her captain, forcing her to withdraw, though Monitor was clearly a superior weapon. The remains of both lie at the Mariner's Museum in Newport News and the anchor from Virginia is up at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond.

So, yeah. I love Civil War history.

Bob


Bob

Originally Posted by HHP

I grew up in Virginia and was really into the war at an early age. Spent a lot of time touring battlefields and museums. Truly one of the most interesting periods in American history. The grocery store we shopped at was built inside the earthworks from the seige of Richmond.

Originally Posted by GHS

I dont participate but one of my ex working buddies, retired paratrooper/cop moved to Virgina to go to re-enactments. He always plays the Confederate part, has all proper uniforms, weapons, even has a horse to be in the cavalry. Very intersting hobby.lifestyle for some. These boys really know their stuff. The stars and bars get alot of heat now but 150 years ago they fought for their homes, family, and way of life that at that time seemed okay to some, (not the way we view it today). So repect should be given to brave men who faced almost certain death on the battlefield.

It shouldn't surprise me. Musicians are such a multi-faceted lot. If y'all ever go to a major reenactment, ask around the press bunch for me. I'm pretty sure someone can point me out. Would love to meet ya. My next one will be the 150th Anniversary of the Surrender at Appomattox.

[Eddie1018]

Are you referring to the War of Northern Aggression?

[HHP]

When one of my family was doing genealogy research, they turned up a distant relative who in 1864, at age 43, enlisted as a private in the Confederate Army. I saw that and and had to wonder what he was thinking?

[gjtoth]

Originally Posted by Eddie1018

Are you referring to the War of Northern Aggression?

Yeah... Whatever.




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Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk Pro.

[Glennwillow]

Hi Gary,

What an awesome collection of photos you've put together! Thank you for alerting us to them.

Living the life of a re-enactor must be a huge commitment. I'm dumbfounded to see so many people involved in the re-enactment of the Battle of Cedar Creek. I would love to see one of these events live.

I love reading about history, particularly US history, and I have read quite a fair number of books on the US Civil War. Only problem is, this kind of study makes me feel sad for loss of life and the suffering of so many people. So I don't study the Civil War as much as I used to.

Thanks for your post and linking us up to your photos! They are very well done!

- Glenn

[fazool]

Originally Posted by gjtoth

... or the War of Secession? I've been reading and studying it for about 40 years and just started attending the larger reenactments for a couple years now. I am also a photographer... mainly wildlife and still life florals but I will do some events. I just returned from the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Cedar Creek. If anyone is interested, you can view my gallery of the event at http://goo.gl/rdvLNd Feel free to let me know what you think!

Two stories you might enjoy:

Civil war story

I worked with a guy (my boss) about 20 years ago. His ancestors founded a small village. Apparently the "draft" recruited soldiers and the picked up soldiers and headed toward the "front". Along the way, picking up more and losing many. Every day or so his ancestor would write a letter home. It was a first-hand, real life account of the travails of being drafted into the Union army.

They had 200 or so soldiers at the beginning and only about 30 (I think) made it to Gettysburg.

He wrote of how he got hit in the hip by a cannonball and thrown into a pine tree and survived.

His family sitll has the letter stack and bound them and they pass it around the families for everyone to read.



Photographer story

My brother's, father-in-law was in WWII in Germany. A motorcycke with sidecar came down the road and he stopped a German soldier. He didn't kill him - he either handed him over or let him go. He confiscated the motorcycle. He drove it around for a while until his superior officer pulled rank and took it form him, for himself.

He kept the briefcase that was in the sidecar. Inside were photos. The guy was apparently an official war photographer. My brother still has a genuine and original photo of Hitler from that case.

[gjtoth]

Originally Posted by HHP

When one of my family was doing genealogy research, they turned up a distant relative who in 1864, at age 43, enlisted as a private in the Confederate Army. I saw that and and had to wonder what he was thinking?

I don't know that I wouldn't have done the same. We tend to look at things front OUR point of reference and the way our culture is NOW. Things were world's apart back then... Culturally, politically, in almost every facet of life... It was very, very different.




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[gjtoth]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Hi Gary,

What an awesome collection of photos you've put together! Thank you for alerting us to them.

Living the life of a re-enactor must be a huge commitment. I'm dumbfounded to see so many people involved in the re-enactment of the Battle of Cedar Creek. I would love to see one of these events live.

I love reading about history, particularly US history, and I have read quite a fair number of books on the US Civil War. Only problem is, this kind of study makes me feel sad for loss of life and the suffering of so many people. So I don't study the Civil War as much as I used to.

Thanks for your post and linking us up to your photos! They are very well done!

- Glenn

Many thanks, Glenn. Most appreciated. There are still a few fairly large reenactments taking place this year. You can Google them and find out a BUNCH. I'm done for this year, though. My next biggie will be Appomattox in early April. THAT should be spectacular!




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Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk Pro.

[gjtoth]

Originally Posted by fazool

Two stories you might enjoy:

Civil war story

I worked with a guy (my boss) about 20 years ago. His ancestors founded a small village. Apparently the "draft" recruited soldiers and the picked up soldiers and headed toward the "front". Along the way, picking up more and losing many. Every day or so his ancestor would write a letter home. It was a first-hand, real life account of the travails of being drafted into the Union army.

They had 200 or so soldiers at the beginning and only about 30 (I think) made it to Gettysburg.

He wrote of how he got hit in the hip by a cannonball and thrown into a pine tree and survived.

His family sitll has the letter stack and bound them and they pass it around the families for everyone to read.



Photographer story

My brother's, father-in-law was in WWII in Germany. A motorcycke with sidecar came down the road and he stopped a German soldier. He didn't kill him - he either handed him over or let him go. He confiscated the motorcycle. He drove it around for a while until his superior officer pulled rank and took it form him, for himself.

He kept the briefcase that was in the sidecar. Inside were photos. The guy was apparently an official war photographer. My brother still has a genuine and original photo of Hitler from that case.

Whoa! I'd sure live to have a gander at THOSE!




<><~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk Pro.