AAR: Sydney Ohio Reenactment · 5:44am Sep 20th, 2022
This last weekend I went to a Civil War reenactment in Sydney, Ohio. It was a great small event, our unit was able to field two cannons this time and all the younger members of the Battery (myself, Mr. N & Mrs. S) were there. It was super fun, and a great way to spend a birthday weekend.
This time around, quite unexpectedly, 1st Ohio Battery A were called upon to play the Southern side. This has been happening more often recently: the political climate has changed since the heyday of reenacting in the 1990s, and there are far fewer Confederate reenactors. Since there aren’t many cannons in reenacting, full stop, we are already occasionally called on to switch sides. Since you need fewer cannons to make a convincing force for battles (two cannons and about a dozen people can be a historically accurate sized unit) we were called on to bolster the South this time. I just wished were told that we were doing that beforehand! Since the last two events I’ve had to play a Southerner, I decided to pick up some Southern gear. While I’m no fan of the Southern cause, I am quite happy to have finally the right uniform jacket for that role now, which looks pretty nice on me.
Since I was just about the only one able to find a gray jacket this time around, it was also fun to play a prisoner on the way back to the camp. Mr. N, Mrs. S, and I have been riding on the cannon’s limber, in the historical style three abreast atop the ammunition chest with arms linked. It worked surprisingly well and comfortably. Being the center, with arms linked with a pair of Unionists, I tried my best to look properly glum and defeated. Jokes were made about shipping me off to the Johnson’s Island Prisoner Camp in Sandusky, Ohio, and a good laugh had by all. I got a good deal from the sutler on my new jacket, and a new broad brimmed hat in a cream color I bought. The latter was made by Tim Bender, a well known hat maker in the hobby who recently retired. I have another broad brimmed hat, by Dirty Billy, another well regarded hatter. I really like that one as well, but it is black and that can get hot in the sun sometimes. I’m also a hat guy, and sometimes reenact as a civilian, so I love having lots of choices in headware.
The reenactment also featured a Gatling gun, which I unfortunately didn’t have the opportunity to see in action. I did hear it in action, though, and to be honest I think I can understand why the Army would be reluctant to purchase it during the war. It took me a solid two days being under its fire to distinguish it from a regular musket volley, and from the perspective of an artillerist it’s fire wasn’t particularly suppressing (though of course we’re all firing blanks and I post facto know our cannons outrange them). The gun fired in short bursts, probably to avoid jamming and to save on powder, and perhaps had I been closer to it I might have felt more threatened by it. I learned from the QM Sgt. that Greenwood Foundry of Cincinnati, Ohio, the same foundry that went on to cast the original guns our unit uses at the Statehouse, also made the first dozen or so Gatling guns, but these were destroyed in a fire set by Southern sympathizers before they were delivered that destroyed the entire foundry (which was quickly rebuilt as Greenwood was making money hand over fist during the war).
An interesting quirk of the reenactment was that one of the organizers brought a WW2 Willis MB Jeep out for use as a staff vehicle. Although distinctly from the wrong century, it nonetheless seemed more appropriate than the Gators that are frequently scurrying about reenactments.
A note: whoever labeled some of the portalets “Gray Water Dumping Site” either knew what they were doing and were taking the piss or are some of the funniest unintentional double entendre smiths of all time.
Below are my journal entries written at the event. “A. D” is the initialism for a nomme de guerre I am trying out.
“September 16th, 1862
Left CLE by car 1 o’clock; Arrived Sydney approximately 4 o’clock. Weather humid but clear and warm. Camped near river; ground hard and sandy. Flies bad. Sharing tent stakes with battery mates. Ate dinner with QM Sgt D. R.; discussed Ohio State gun No 6 at Graves Cemetery, Norwalk, Ohio. The Ohio State cannons were all inspected by S.B. : Stanford Bliss, Ohio State inspector. Tried out new pocket lantern tonight; worked well. Light for writing good. Singed rubber blanket a bit with stray match, though.
September 17th, 1862
Slept badly last night. Dreamed I could not get my hat off, and whenever I tried there was another hat underneath it. Weather in morning cold; hot afternoon. Defended bridge from enemy infantry today. Our section one 3 in Ordinance Rifle, One 6 pdr James Rifle. Worked No 5 & No 3 positions; fired twelve rounds. Tonight moved guns to defend canal, worked No 3 position, fired ten rounds. QM Sgt. brought Linstock and slow match for the guns; tested but found slow match did not burn well. Went to sutlers, bought new candle for lantern and cork for water jug: $7!
September 18th, 1862
Slept well last night. Morning cold again. Drew new hat and coat today. Worked No 4 position, fired the gun! Hit the enemy infantry when they tried to force the bridge, wiped out half their column. It is my birthday today: twenty eight years old.
A. D.
1st Ohio Light Artillery, Battery A”
My dear mother also got me a book on Ohio’s role in the Civil War, a first of three volumes this one cover the beginning of the war, which is signed by the author that I’m looking forward to reading.
I’ve been doing some writing and am hoping to keep it up in spite of school so watch this space. I also went to the Inkubater Writing Con in Cleveland recently and eventually I’ll blog about it. I filled my journal up with so, so many pages of notes and I haven’t able to tackle that just yet!
I just received my Masters Degree in History in the Mail! I’ve got just this and one more semester of school left, as I’m taking a course in the spring so I can finish off a certificate in Historical Preservation. This semester I’m taking another Museology class, the last one I took was on Exhibitions and this one is on Collections Management.
Sounded like. Fun birthday weekend to me