Hale Farm AAR: Letters from Another Time · 4:49am Aug 20th, 2019
In which Bluebook fires a cannon!
Day 1
Dearest FiMFic,
I write you briefly by fire light now before I retire. We have not yet unloaded our cannon from the cars, the New York battery we share camp with did so before us and we have now lost the light, so there is much to be done tomorrow. The night is calm and clear, moon peaking through the cloudy sky. But the horses and crickets do not make it quiet. Made camp with Corporal R. Mama, you need not worry, I am well provided. My tent has all the comforts of home, and is well arranged. Y’all will love my contrivance: a clothes ranger made of the string from my blanket tool. It hangs from the ridge poll of my tent in a loop, and through it my shirts and trousers go and hang nicely so. I only fear if rain should come my grand solution will wick water onto my clothes! Only time will tell. All the battery members are friendly and are good sports about my bivouacking with them. I only lack for food, but rations come tomorrow morn. The fire I share is with a gracious cavalry unit that arrived before us. But now I must say goodnight for it is an ordeal to write to you this way.
Yours Truly,
Bluebook
Day 2:
Dearest FiMFic,
Last night was spent lying in bed, wondering why I did not join the Navy! Ah to be aboard a rocking ship, with sweet and warm sea breezes! The night was cold, blankets scarce enough to keep the dew off me. Revile; the sound of bugle and drum brought morning. I fell in with the New York battery we are camped with. My battery mates were slugabeds, and only I made roll call. The morning is cool and foggy. There are sounds of a skirmish... which has now passed. The troops return to camp so we must have licked the Rebs. It’s a good thing as they must have been after our rations, which are late now. We have gone to get wood, and finally unloaded the gun. She’s a 12 lb Feild Howitzer, Model 1841. I’m the Number 3 man, which means I tend to the vent of the gun: making sure the cartridge is pricked with the vent pick before firing, placing the thumb stall with my thumb in it over the vent when loading to make sure no embers left in the cannon can ignite, and checking for failed primers that get logged in the vent from time to time. I last saw the gun when training in Cleveland. My tea is cold, and I intend to read some before breakfast.
The battle today was fierce: 10 rounds fired! I had to “Galvanize”, begrudgingly, but was redeemed by the Federal battalion that stormed us. In falling I almost lost the vent pick! There is a correspondent here that says he will put our battery in the news, and was taking our picture. The paper today brings mixed tidings. The USS. Cincinnati is sunk. But the state of Mississippi is taken. The French are fighting in Mexico. I do wish for peace soon. As glorious as our exploits on the feild are, I look foreward to the wars end.
I am much fatigued today and looking foreword to retiring. Tonight in celebration of our victory there was a ball in town. I am happy to report a good time was had by all, though the music’s tempo was much too quick!
Goodnight & Adieu,
Bluebook
Day 3
Was remarkably like the second day, only without the late rations... or time to write! I had a better nights sleep though I got a bit dehydrated. I was kept up by the reenactors who decided to make a slip and slide right behind my tent. The bugler played charge every time someone went down it, at about 11 at night! We were right next to the public restroom building which let me tell you was a god send. I got to buy some very expensive period shoes from the sutlers the day before and wear them into battle! I also got to tryout firing the cannon which was super fun. Really hard to get right though and I think some of the older guys in the unit were getting a bit fed up with me by day 3. It did not help that we had a batch of bad primers, Mr. R. was working No 3 that day and had the unenviable task of trying to pry deformed tubes of too thin brass from the vent. At one point in the battle, we happened to have this issue just as we were scripted to be overrun by cavalry. One moment I was observing the rest of the crew, the next moment suddenly horses! And our Sargent was yelling “Get inside the wheels!” to everyone. That was authentically scary! The “galvanizing” I mentioned is our fancy term for switching sides from Union to Confederate or vice versa. I enjoyed the challenge of a quick change act and also understand the need to switch back and forth when there are a limited amount of artillery for either side... but I really, really dislike the Confederacy so I’m not sure that’s something I want to do regularly. But I wasn’t going to protest to my gracious hosts, the 1st Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery, aka the Statehouse Battery because usually they get to play with the Ohio Statehouse’s original Civil War cannons. This time they were short handed and one of the members brought their personal cannon to the event as Ohio isn’t fond of galvanizing either... also the paper work for moving those cannons off the Statehouse lawn is kind of a nightmare evidently. Some 900 reenactors showed up to Hale Farm & Village’s reenactment, the largest reenactment ever there after I think a good twenty years? Overall I had a great time... but I was exhausted afterwards which is why this is a week later. I tried to write as much in character as I could the first two days, I hope y’all enjoyed my little experiment there!
Sounds like you had a great time, Blue! I had not heard the term 'galvanize' before, either. 800 folks is quite a bivouac, especially in the summer! I enjoyed how you wrote in character at first which made it feel quite real. Congratulations on finding the correct shoes, too. I know finding period items can be difficult and never cheap!
Yeah I thought I had better gloss that one! In period “galvanize” was slang for desertion, hence reenactors using it for when they have to switch sides. It’s weird, but I do like that some units that do it have a dual portrayal as it helps balance numbers out at Northern events, and gives a little more credence to the claim of trying to represent both sides. We were sort of all caught off guard by having to do it, apparently our Sargent missed that email and had to frantically retrieve some spare Reb kit for some of the guys to use!
In all fairness the Confederates were pretty out numbered at the reenactment and our 12lber field howitzer made the perfect rebel gun... by 1864 in the Federal Army they were mostly replaced by the ubiquitous Napoleons that were part Gun part howitzer and thus more versatile. Technically it’s the lightest of all the field artillery pieces of the war, it was designed as a compliment to the six pounder guns but since it’s shorter it actually weighs even less than them, in spite of firing a bigger shell. It’s a cool weapon, but rather short ranged though by 1860s standards. I love that we actually have a howitzer though, most units go straight for either the iron rifles or the Napoleons so we’re pretty unique. And that’s on top of the two six pounder guns and the two Napoleons all originals cast in Cincinnati for the state we get to play with!
I personally prefer to portray a character pretty close to my dyed in blue wool Yankee self... especially because the area in Ohio I’m from, the Western Reserve was known for being very Abolitionist. Our most prominent citizen, Dr. J.P. Kirkland flew his flag on his estate at half mast when they hung John Brown!