Bells, Traveller & Lee · 1:14am Apr 9th, 2015
Dear Loyal Watchers, Interested Visitors, and Confused Passersby:
Today's blog is sponsored by Macado's Sandwich Shop and Bar of Lexington, Virginia. The rain started coming down on me just as I was unpacking my stuff at my hotel across the street. I raced over here just as it got miserable and have been nursing along desert for nearly three hours just to use the public WiFi.
So, yeah, I'm in Virginia. It's so green down here. I still have snow on the ground at home, but here there's so many flowering trees here in "Ole Virginy" that my allergies are exploding. If you've been my Watcher or friend for very long, you probably know why I'm just a block from Washington & Lee University at the moment. I'm here to wear one of my many "hats." The hat I'll be wearing all weekend is, in point of fact, my Union soldier kepi. I'm staying here overnight before jumping across the Blue Ridge Mountains into Central Virginia to visit Appomattox Court House for the 150th anniversary of the surrender of Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgina to Grants forces of the Army of the Potomac under Meade... the "beginning of the end" of the Civil War.
It feels odd to be on this side of the Blue Ridge. The "Stars and Bars" abound, and that is not surprising, as the Shenandoah Valley was the very beating heart of the Confederacy and is the gravesite of three of the idols of its pantheon. I'm not saying that I expect that old wounds linger, but I did cover up my Union uniform in my car with a blanket, just in case. As soon as I got checked into my hotel I ran up the street to go do something I've wanted to do since I was twelve. I went to pay my respects to Lee...
... and to Traveller.
"I am Traveller!" I brayed...
Anyone care to remember which of my stories that comes from?
I also stopped in to ponder the graves of "Stonewall" Jackson, but I was never swayed by his personality cult. Longstreet, not Jackson, was Lee's most able lieutenant. Still, I doffed my hat, giving what respects were due. I did the same for the many graves of Confederate soldiers here in the cemetery on the main street of Lexington. It was a quiet time, in the rain, for me to look at the conflict through the eyes of those who, in my minds eye, stare back at me with Enfield rifles raised. More proper than not here, in this small city where Hunter was needlessly callous and where the university stands where Lee and Traveller were able to live out their last years happily.
Tomorrow, it ends. I'm overcome by this feeling of remorse and sadness. The Civil War Sesquicentennial ends this weekend... it's all over. The event which has consumed me for the last four Aprils is ending, and I'm left to wonder if I'll ever see anything like it again. The Civil War Reenacting hobby is expensive (almost too much so for someone of my means) and it takes a lot of time and dedication. These are things that younger people can't really invest. The hobby is aging. Most re-enactors are grey haired, and I really wonder if many are still going to stick around after this.
Anywho, as the WiFi is notoriously unreliable in the 19th century, I may be out-of-touch for the next few days, unless the ticks and chiggers that undoubtedly await me in camp have Internet connectivity. So, if I post something stupid/horrible in the next few days its because someone in this bar stole my password off the free WiFi. Tell Obs!
On Sunday, I will stand exactly where the men I represented stood, and the rebel re-enactors will stack their arms in front of us, just like the men they represent. In many ways, the army of reenactors will fade away after that as well, disbanding like the armies of old. I'm not ready for that. I'm not ready to be "one of the last." I'm already the youngest in so many other things I volunteer for or am a part of... I'm not ready for this to come down to me as well. Will I even be able to still do this in 25 years for the 175th? Wow.
So, tomorrow. Can I ask you a favor? The National Park Service is hosting an event called "Bells Across the Land" Do you attend a church, school, or civic institution that has a bell? If so, could you make a point of having someone in a leadership role give you permission to ring it at 3:15 EDT? Or, failing that, as someone to ring it? This will mark the moment when Lee signed the surrender document and exited the McLean House. They are supposed to ring for four minutes, to mark each year of the war. The point is to try to make the country ring with bells like they did when news of the surrender initially reached the public in 1865. It would be nice to hear that, I imagine, on behalf of Grant, Lee, and the 620,000 Americans who died during those four years...
... and for Traveller, too.
Stay Awesome,
-Desc
Virginia?! Dude! Come to Arlington! I'll give you a guided tour of the place: Lee's House, Kennedy's grave, Audie Murphy's grave, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, US Army Drill Team, Caisson Platoon. If you give me enough warning, I may even get you into the Sentinel Barracks, behind the scenes of the Tomb Guards.
It really is upon us then? 150 years since Lee and Grant met for peace instead of war?
Even I as stand in the sales floor of the store where I work I stand with you as a fellow reenactor. I will chime a bell on Facebook when the times comes at 2:15 CDT.... perhaps we shall meet again my friend.
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If you do, take pictures.
I did not know about that. Cool! I hope they've heard of that at the college I live near, it'd be nice to get a few people to think back.
Still need to read Traveller by Richard Adams. How could it not be amazing?
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I'm trying to talk my unit into doing the re-enactment of the Grand Review in May. I'll certainly let you know if I can get down there for it, Sergeant.
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I look forward to that day, Pal.
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It wouldn't hurt for you to call them or stop by and let them know, Vik.
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It will take a lot of planing to pull it off... again. We both have jobs, I live in Texas you are from... up east I guess.
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Read it. Loved it. I've got pictures of the stall where he speaks to the cat. It's not as good as Watership Down (few things are), but definitely still worth the read.
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rich and have ample free time I'll drag you out to an event.
When you're
...are those carrot sticks on Traveler's marker?
kek
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Or I drag you down here, are you free the weekend before Thanksgiving? The big annual event for Texas is that weekend
I knew the moment I saw the blog title.
Sad to hear the hobby is fading. :/ Who knows, maybe it'll decline only to resurge with the generation after next.
Again another one of your blogs makes it feel like you've taken us a few steps back into days long past. To see glimpses of the past in memorials and graves are one thing, but re-enactment events is another as it can bring people closer to something more tangible about the past.
Still can't believe how long it has been since the American Civil War and I'm glad there are still people in re-enacting the war even if it does seem like the hobby is fading. I do hope that it doesn't truly fade and that they will be people to take up the torch. Re-enactments I feel add another level to learning and appreciating history.
Good luck and may the re-enacting go well.
150 years, that is quite an anniversary. Makes me wish I still lived on that side of the country.
2962666 Yep.
Hurray for Virginia! I'm not too too far away. And I know how you're feeling with the allergies. Alas, who knows how long it will be until I can breathe freely again.
Wish I could help with the bells, but no nearby churches that I know of still have bells. A bit strange, actually.
Enjoy your reenactment! I've never been a good actor myself, despite a couple of drama classes. I'd be more interested in watching a reenactment than participating.
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Well, it makes sense if you think about it. The Civil War was a very long time ago now; we don't really celebrate most ancient battles, and as time goes on, the wars fade into more and more distant memory and become less and less relevant to our lives. I don't think they really do World War II reenactments all that much outside of film, and I suspect that, to some extent, film (and video games) are taking over that sort of historical memory role in general anyway.
Your posts always have such a timelessness to them. Godspeed to you on your reenactment journey.
I'm not 100% convinced they're really Southerners. *Doubts their status as blood kin*
They get props for being the homeland of Robert "The Greatest Southerner That Ever Lived" Lee tho
I have a little sympathy for the "old guard" feeling, as sometimes I look around at wargames shows and see more folk my Dad's age (or my age) than younger people and think "where's the hobby going to be in another 10-20 years." (Mind you, that said, it's been a bit less noticable in the last few years, as we've started to see a lot more families.)
As to re-enactors, I think this is one area where Britian has a bit of an advantage... everything is so much CLOSER to get to! I dunno if they're in the same boat, though, but it's probably a factor that you in the US suffer from more.
(Again, to use a the wargaming example, we've met a few folks in the US who have to travel miles and only maybe get a few games in a year - my Dad plays every week. (I'd play every week too,but my main mate who does it is suffering a bit at the moment, so I only manage about one week in three.) Partly this is due to population density.
That said, though, wargaming as a whole is finding it increasingly difficult to find a venue that doesn't want to charge stupid prices. And wargaming is a cheap hobby. (Providing you don't play Games Workshop, of course...!))
I would like to do something, but I don't know what time that is in GMT and, also, it's pretty meaningless on this side of the pond. For that reason also, I don't know much about that particular conflict, nor even the one before- the American Revolutionary War. We focus more on things like 1066 and the Norman Invasion, and the medieval period.
2964886 Alas, I am British, and Games Workshop have a nigh-monopoly on the gaming market in this nation, where it all started. It is possible to find other systems, but unless they are historical, especially WWII, it is exceedingly hard to find the models.
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('Scuse me a sec, Decendant, I just need to borrow your thread for a sec: this needs addessing...!)
What? I... Just... What?
I'm sorry, I'm just gobsmacked by that: it's completely contrary to my experience of the last twenty five years.
You must be looking in the wrong places, or not looking very hard. Workshop only "dominates" the high street. Workshop has NEVER dominated wargames to that extent, not even in fantasy or sci-fi, not even twenty years ago before they degraded... Hell, workshop barely even gets a look-in in my local wargaming club these days, and you don't even see more than maybe a game or two represented at non-GW wargames conventions these days, and never officially... (GW get the blame for that themselves when twenty or so years ago they started trying to take over the conventions they appeared at, and got told to get knotted.)
There are dozens of miniatures manufacturers, more rules than I can mention... Counting only sci-fi and fantasy (as opposed to the even more massive historical or modern periods which you can argue actually "dominate" wargames), I would, for a kick off, check out Mantic (for 25mm fantasy and sci-fi in a GW-style (if I played 25mm anymore, I'd be using their figures)), Ground Zero Games (for 25mm sci-fi, 15mm sci-fi, 6mm scifi and pretty much the biggest and best range of starships out of anyone), Critical Mass Miniatures (15mm sci-fi), Irregular Miniatures (who do EVERYTHING), Kallistra (who do a bit of 28mm, a fair chunk of 10/12mm, starships and basically the best set of commerical available terrain (Hexon)... (And all of which are considerbly cheaper than GW.) And that's just off the top of my head!
It may well be worth going to some wargames shows (Triples in Sheffield is I think the next big-ish one, 16th/17th of May - I'm demoing there myself with my own 144 sci-fi; it's fairly centrally located, but if you look around, I'm sure you'll find a few smaller ones in your area), or finding some wargames mags (though those are significantly less useful than they used to be) since if nothing else, it'll give you some idea of what else is out there.
Thank you for being a living part of our nation's history! I feel that it is an important way to ensure that the history of our country remains in the front of the public's eye and hopefully in it's heart. I have seen several reenactments here in Georgia where I live and it is always an awe inspiring event to watch. It continues to amaze me as to what our ancestors endured to bring all of us to where we are today.
My sincere hope is that our history is never forgotten. I hope you will be able to continue re-enacting. It truly brings history to life for so many people and I feels it helps them connect with the past. I for one appreciate your hard work and dedication. I hope all goes well. Be safe. Please say 'hello' to Traveller. Thank you again for all you do.
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In that case it seems I have been looking in the wrong places. Thank you for that- I most certainly shall try to look around.
Goddamnit! Two times now you're not too far from my home and I can't meet up with you or anything because I'm in the wrong place. Some semester I picked to be in Moscow, no?
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Most impressive. I had no idea you were familiar with the Old Dominion, Jake. You a local or just based?
For what little it may be worth, we up here in New York at my machine shop rang the local bells for four minutes, as requested.