Memorial Day Civil War Reenactment

 

           The Civil War Reenactment at Roaring Camp.  Memorial Day 2012

It has been awhile since I've attended a reenactment of a battle between the states at the Roaring Camp facility in Scotts Valley, CA., so today was the day I had the time to see it again.

The site is a 15 minute drive from my house so there is not much of an excuse to not go due to distance but Memorial Day is not the easiest day to drive around a town that is a tourist Mecca beginning about this time of year.  But I bit the bullet and drove up to it expecting the worse of traffic.  Surprise, easy sailing.  Even the line to check in at the gate and pay to park was short.

Suttlers tent

Since I was somewhat dressed to fit the era, Pete the parking lot honcho would not accept my parking fees and told me to just go on in and park. I did, loaded up my camera and walked on into the park via the old covered bridge that has been in use since 1892.  On the right hand side was an encampment of soldiers of the Confederate persuasion.  Across the bridge one comes upon the Suttlers tents where they sell uniforms, buttons, gauntlets, belts, canteens and other accouterments of the soldiers of the time period.  Plus a bunch of fake rifles and pistols that cater to young adolescent boys.

Abe about to slap Gen Meade on the butt

Behind the Suttlers tents was a covered site where the guy that plays Abe Lincoln had his headquarters.  He would don his stovepipe hat from time to time as camera-toting civilians took his picture and posed not unlike the original.  There were women dressed in period style that walked up and down the dirt road with baskets available to accept money to help finance the CWA.  Even some kids that must have belonged to the reenactors scurried around dressed as children of that time period must have dressed.

Telegraph office

A telegraph office was situated close to the Confederate lines where one could send a telegraph message to anyone on the field.  Many obscene messages would be sent back and forth between the sides.

Original veteran

A little further on are the permanent buildings that Roaring Camp has built to augment the steam train rides they have every weekend and even during the week after the Memorial Day date.  We have the Marshals office, a train station, and a half a dozen food sources that sell hot dogs, hamburgers and ice cream. Then there is a stage area with a BBQ stand and tables to sit at while listening to Country and Western bands entertaining the mass of tourists.

I positioned myself at the end of the dirt road that runs the length of the field where the two sides of Union and Southern forces hold forth with their rendition of a battle during the early 1860’s.  I don’t believe that this enactment is of any particular battle like the CWA (Civil War Association) will do on the exact battlefields back east.  My audience members were families with kids down to infants and a couple with a black Lab that I asked if it was going to be okay with the noise.  I noticed they moved away just before the gunfire began.

The Southerners seem to always have fewer men on the field for these events and probably for good reasons.  This time the artillery was about even with three cannon each.  The Rebs had a rifled field piece that I’m not sure was readily available back in those days.  Must have gotten it from the French who stole it from the Germans.

Lt Col Sloppy

Where I stood, there was a platoon of Union riflemen that were lining up and getting ready for the 2:30 battle.  Among them were two guys dressed as Zouaves, standing in formation with soldiers dressed in blue. The red and white North African outfits stood out like the bulls-eye on a target, which is probably why they didn’t last too long.  The Lt. Col. In charge of this group was dressed as an officer and looked very good except I couldn’t help but notice that his belt buckle was not centered on his tunic.  Details details, I know, but some things are important.

Rebels advance

The battle of the Hay Bales

In the middle of the field stood a bunch of hay bales stacked up and behind them were men of the Gray.  A knot of Union soldiers advanced towards them and before long each side opened up with their Enfields, spewing black powder smoke into the clear Memorial Day air.  The smell of cordite, charcoal and burnt paper filled in the gaps of smoke.  Lots of shooting and reloading and shooting again before one of the Union troopers staggered off to one side with a white bandage on his head.

FIRE!

Since my position was on the far right of the field, the Union artillery pieces were right in front of me and began to open fire on the opposing rebels encampment, which was about 100 yards past the hay bales down the field.  The Southerners answered with their cannons and the entire field was soon swirling with smoke, obscuring all vision.  The third cannon to my front made smoke circles each time it fired.

The Union platoon, with the sloppily dressed Lt. Col., shouldered arms and marched off to join in the fray.  They ended up on the far right side of the field where they exchanged fire with the Confederates advancing from their side of the game board.  Much shooting of rifles and cannons and before long, the Union leader and Confederate leader came together and announced a ceasefire.  The Medical Corps, complete with blood stained aprons, came onto the battlefield and attended to the wounded.  Didn’t seem to be any dead.

Medic!

How about we call it a day?

SgtMajor Froggy

Before all of the shooting started, a Union Sgt. Major spoke to the civilians, giving history and background to the gathered watching the action.  His speakers were turned towards the center of the mob making those of us on the ends unable to hear him very well.  My spot had to compete with the country western singers and band behind me so I could only make out individual words from time to time.  His voice reminded me of my Drill Instructor so when the show was over, I moseyed on down to where he was putting away his equipment and asked him if he learned his voice in the Marine Corps.  He said since this was day three of this enactment, his voice was giving out, hence the froggy, gravely voice.

As I left the battle ground, I saw a few of the reenactors cleaning their weapons and swigging a well deserved adult beverage to clear the black-powder residue from their throats.  Hot dusty and dirty job being a grunt in 1862, not too unlike 1962 or 2012.

Hey!  Wrong war.

The Civil War has always been of keen interest to me. I was 8 years old when I got my first Kepi, Union blue. I reenacted many a battle in my back yard throwing myself on the ground, making gun noises and coming back to life as a "new" guy.  I devoured comic books that were about the Civil War and sat enthralled watching any movie on TV about the War.  I read "Gone With the Wind" three times which changed my sympathies to the Southern Cause.  This about face also caused me to turn my jeans inside out to more match the Gray of the Confederacy.(with a little tailoring)  Names such as Lee, Longstreet, "Stonewall" Jackson, J.E.B. Stuart, Jubal Early, George Pickett became as familiar to me as my own family. 

Apparently I am not the only one with an obsession about that time period.  On the field at Roaring Camp were over 200 men, young men and female genders, role playing as if they were 8 years old again, throwing themselves on the ground and making gun noises with real guns.  Fortunately they also get to be a "new" guy as opposed to those that enacted the events for real 150 years ago.

In a way, these reenactments are a fitting tribute to those who have paid the ultimate price for what they believe in.