Old Stone Fort

Earlier this month, as a friend of a friend, I was able to take part in a small invite-only event at the Old Stone Fort in Schoharie, New York. The event represented a gathering of New York militia, circa 1775, gathering to discuss some pre-war issues relating to the area, and to do a little training.

Old Stone Fort, Schoharie, New York

Since my usual Warner's Regiment gear is more tailored toward a 1777 frontier farmer who has been on campaign for a few years, I needed to borrow some more civilian tailored clothing. Fortunately, there was a lovely dark green coat and waistcoat that fit me perfectly.

Well, the coat fit. The waistcoat was like stuffing me into a sausage casing. Fortunately wool stretches.

Having some morning coffee.

This was a pretty low key event, but taking part in a reenactment in a different area from where I usually reenact was interesting. The history of upstate New York is much different than the history of Vermont, with it's own version of the immigrants who settled there, the native tribes they interacted with, and the politics of the area. Even the architecture was slightly different, which I was able to see in an original house that I was given a tour of.

Traveling blacksmith setup.

The site's beautiful bake oven.

For most of the event, my job was to look the part of an 18^th century civilian. I mainly did this by walking around and being introduced to people from other units who were taking part in the weekend. I also spent a decent amount of time ogling the site's bake oven, which was fired up Friday night, and the portable setup of a local blacksmith who was doing demonstrations.

Putting the oven to use.

 

 

Taking advantage of the forge.

For the militia portion of the event, there was a very small 10 minute or so drill, where we fired about three rounds as a display for the crowd. While my regular unit generally fights in open order at the knee as light infantry, we do train in how to fight in close order as regular infantry. As such, I didn't have much trouble with the drill. The main thing that threw me off was the count. While both Warner's and the amalgamated unit with which I was wit use the 1768 Manual of Arms, Warner's does it on a one count, making a move with every count of one. The amalgamated unit used a two count, where they would count out loud “One! Two!” then move. I found out later that this count was specified in an early New York militia manual. The small difference did throw me off though.

Militia formed for training.

Like most reenactments, I was very tired by the end of the weekend, but I'm glad that I attended. I was able to meet a number of people who had I heard of online, but never met in person, take part in something in a new area, and learn a bit of history that I didn't know before. Overall, a very pleasant trip.

Live Fire

 

Our range for the weekend.

Invited by Master Gunsmith Dave Person, several members of Warner's Regiment gathered at a private range for a live fire event.

At public events, we fire blank charges of gunpowder only, which is the spark and smoke you see at reenactments. This event gave us a chance to safely fire live loads of round ball, such as what was used during the American Revolution.

Your author, in winter hippie form (right) and one of my comrades.

A small selection of our arms.

We fired a variety of calibers and charges, both patched and loose ball, in a number of formations, including close, open order, and individual fire. We fired both smooth bore and rifled flintlocks. This gave us a small glimpse at what these historic weapon could do.

Some of us were experienced shooters. Some had never fired before. For my parts, the last time I live fired anything was 35+ years ago as a Boy Scout shooting a .22 rifle at summer camp. Because of that, I opted to start at the bench. I was soon firing off hand and at the knee (my most comfortable position)

My eyesight isn't great, so I couldn't tell where I was hitting on the targets. When we switched to pumpkins and onions, though, I was able to hit a pumpkin 3 out of 3 tries (one low, one high, one center) at about 35 yards. Later we did a timed shooting course of different sized metal targets at various ranges. Surprising myself, I placed 3rd out of 7 shooters. I hit 2 out of 6 targets. 3 of our shooters had misfires that dropped them from the running.

Another incredibly fun weekend with my Warner's family, and an amazingly relaxed weekend without needing to be part of "the show" for a paying public.

Examining the woods behind the targets.

An example of the damage done by a musket ball.

Old Sturbridge Village 2022

 

Old Sturbridge Village Pastures

After a couple of years away, Gabriella and I made our way down to Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, MA for their annual Rebels & Redcoats event that took place on the first weekend of August.

Sturbridge is one of my favorite sites.  Though the museum portrays 1830, the village and surrounding area, with the exception of a couple of buildings, could easily have been lifted from 1770s New England.  In fact, when the Revolutionary War reenactors take over for the weekend, the museum staff look out of place in their stovepipe hats.

Our Weekend Home

Gab and I arrived Friday night, just as the sun was going down. In fact, we had just enough light to fill out our registration paperwork, but ended up erecting our tent in the dark.

The event was smaller this year than it had been in past years.  Both the British and American camps were set up on the village green, where usually there are camps in the village and in the surrounding pastures.

Trying to Stay Cool

Much of Saturday morning was spent attempting to stay cool, and training some new members of Warner's Regiment.  With a heat index of around 102 degrees F, and humidity of about 98%, our main concern was to stay hydrated, and not to succumb to heat stroke.  As such, when the Saturday afternoon battle rolled around, we took the field without our coats, choosing to fight in our shirtsleeves instead.  As it turns out, this was a good choice.  It was reported later in the day that, between reenactors and museum guests, there were at least 12 heat casualties.  For my part, I took a tree early in the battle, and cooled down in the shade while the rest of the unit crossed the open fields while fighting the British.  I wasn't the only one.  At one point an artillery officer came under the shade, looked at me and another gentleman, and said as he wiped his brow "I'm just going to stay here and 'Guard the prisoners.'"

Warner's Regiment during the Sunday Fight

Sunday was a bit better, but the heat was still above 100 degrees.  We again took the field without our regimentals, which seemed to cause a bit of confusion for our adversaries.  First, they are used to seeing us in green faced-red coats, and usually on the flanks of the main army.  On Sunday, we not only went out of uniform, we were also held in reserve after the initial attack.  As such, at a couple of points, we watched the Brits send units to their flanks, looking for us.  Not finding Warner's, the Brits focused on the main American line, at which time we were called up.  To attack the flank.

Overall, a great, though super hot weekend.  Ice cream, cooling fans, and an air-conditioned tavern were welcome, if not period correct, relief from the literally blistering heat.  Old Sturbridge Village is a wonderful host site, and well worth the visit.

18th Century Me

Taking a Tree for Some Shade

Photos by Sierra Skye Makaris and Birget Loveall

Writing Box

A new writing box!

A few years ago, a Facebook Group, called the Wax Seal Society, was formed.  The idea behind the group is to connect with like-minded people who enjoy historical penmanship and writing, as well as to create long-distance conversations, via letter, with other members.  Basically, it's a pen-pal group for history geeks, with an emphasis on the 18th century.  We write letters to each other as if it's the 1770s.  Basically, reenacting via the postal service.

Box Interior

I've been a member of the group for a couple of years, and have kept my writing supplies on a shelf over my laptop.  Several days ago, a friend gifted me an old writing box, build specifically for keeping writing supplies in.  The box was sturdy, but needed a little work.  This week, I set myself to the task of refurbishing the little lap desk.

Upper Slope and Compartment Cover Removed

Looking the box over, it didn't really need a lot of work.  The major piece was that one of the pieces that makes up the writing slope was missing.  This could be easily fixed with a bit of 1/4" plywood.  This, I was able to cut from some scrap that I had around the house.

Paint Removed

The plywood, to match the box, would need to be stained.  The outer surface of the box had a few light scratches in the finish, so I started to do a light sanding.  This is when I discovered that the top and sides were painted, and not stained.  This being the case, I decided to sand off all the paint, so that I could stain all the parts the same color.

Fresh Color!

As I was sanding, I noticed that there was a thin crack all the way across the bottom of the box.  This was easily fixed by filling it with some wood glue from the bottom.  Once dried, the bottom was nice and solid.

Original Upper Slope, Compartment Cover, & New Lower Slope

After staining the box with a color called "Gunstock", I found some scrap linen to add to the writing surface, and to act as hinges for the slope pieces..  It appears that the original surface was some sort of purple fabric or flock.  Since I had some for wargaming models, I decided to add some green flock over the linen that I had added.

Gluing scrap linen in place

 

Oops. The stain is still wet.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how this turned out.  The flocking needs a bit of help, and I'm hoping to find a key that will fit the lock, but it's a great place to keep my letters and writing supplies, and will fit in nicely if I ever decide to take it to any reenacting events.

Finished Exterior

Rough Flocking

A nice spot for supplies!

Year End - 2019

2019 saw my first full year of keeping this blog.  Posts are somewhat infrequent and scattered, but I've been able to stick with it.

On the reenacting front, I was able to attend 8 events in kit this year, and one as a spectator.  A couple of the gatherings were private get-togethers, and several were official Warner's Regiment events.  It's difficult to pick a favorite this year, though presenting a talk to the public while having a chicken standing on my head at Hubbardton does sort of stand out.

For sewing projects, I was able to complete an outfit for G to wear, though she keeps growing, so we'll need to do it again this year.  Another yearly ritual seems to be breeches.  This past year it was a pair for a friend.  This coming year I'll need to replace mine again.

On the gaming side of things, we have a few games of Wings of War, plus several board games, but no major games yet.  I did get a lot of painting done (for me), completing about 61 28mm figures, which is an increase from last year.  I also built a few small pieces of terrain.  This coming year I have a couple of focused projects to concentrate on.  The first is the Battle of Valcour Island, using paper-craft miniatures and rules from War Artisan, and the second is a go at a 6mm scale Battle of Hubbardton, at 1:1 figure scale (roughly 1,500 troops per side).  I've found a few guys who may be interested in playing some historical scenarios, so I'm going to put some effort into getting those games going.

Historical research this year was light.  Other than my usual general reading on various events and period crafts, I did get to visit the Vermont State Archives to look through Ira Allen's survey book.  That was a pretty cool moment.  Unfortunately I wasn't able to make it to the School of Instruction in Pennsylvania, hosted by the Department of the Geographer to the Army.  I'd really like to attend that one day, so I'm going to look into it again this year.

Overall, 2019 was a pretty good year, hobby-wise.  I'm looking forward to continuing in 2020.

Midwinter's Eve

Happy Midwinter's Eve!

A couple of weekends ago, Gabriella and I attended the Midwinter's Eve celebration at the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum.  This was sort of an informal formal affair for us.  As an informal affair, a couple of us were sporting our winter beards, which would not have been in fashion at the time.  As a formal affair, members of Warner's Regiment appeared in uniform.

Before the public event the museum was holding, the Regiment gathered in the tavern room of the museum's Visitor's Center for the first of our "Winter Quarters" gatherings.  During Winter Quarters, we work on repairing our gear, making new things, and rolling and filling the seemingly never-ending supply of cartridges we'll use in battle next season.  I enjoy these gatherings, as it's a way to stay connected to our friends in the unit during our off-season.

As darkness fell, it was time to switch gears.  The museum's Winter's Eve even was open to the public, supplying snacks, drinks, music, dancing, and lantern-lit tours of the the Ethan Allen house.  We all switched into kit and were transported from the twenty-first century to the eighteen century.

Eighteenth Century Eyes.

 Walking from the Visitor's Center out to the house by lamp-light was amazing.  It was too dark for photos, but it was easy to be transported back in time.  Rain from previous days had made the ground damp, and warmer weather had settled in, creating a light misty fog over the property.  Walking out to the house, you could just make out faint candlelight in the windows, welcoming weary travelers home.

Welcome home.

Inside the house, volunteers from the museum were portraying Ethan and Fanny Allen and family.  They had the fires going, candles lit, and snacks for guests on the table.  While there was dancing in the Tavern, many of us chose to gather in the warmth of the Allen kitchen, enjoying gingerbread cookies and each other's company.  At one point, looking around at all the men in uniform, I imaged that this must have been much what it was like when residents of the New Hampshire Grants gathered in Dorset some 240ish years ago to vote on their leaders and their future.

Volunteers, guests, and the Regiment gather in Fanny Allen's kitchen.

Good food, conversation, and company by the warmth of the hearth.

At the end of the evening we left our friends.  Feeling content with our final even of the year, we're both looking forward to 2020.

Warmth of the kitchen.

From video of the event, from the Museum's YouTube channel:

Camp Life

Life in Camp

Round 5 of the Lead Painter's League brought me my first win of the competition.  The figures are from Perry Miniatures, and have tons of character.  This is a set that I've wanted to paint for a long time.  Years, in fact.  It's just a scene that seems so familiar.  When I showed the finished work to my daughter, I discovered why.

"That looks like our reenacting group," she said, "That's me braiding your hair, Gerry telling a story, Dave with his drink, and Chrissey cooking over the fire."

Completely unintended, but she's right.  I think I like this scene so much because it feels like home.

Also Life in Camp...

Populating Fort #4

18th Century me with a couple of my daughters.

As I mentioned in my last post, on August 24th and 25th, Warner's Regiment was invited to take on the role of citizens living within the Fort at #4 in Charlestown, New Hampshire.  As a military unit, most of our events are focused on battles, but this event was focused on the people.

The fort itself is an neat structure, or rather, gathering of structures.  There are several houses and shops, arranged in a square around an open green.  The entirety is then encircled by a palisade of logs.  The fort also has a couple of out-buildings, including a working blacksmith shop.

This time around, G and I focused our energy on baking bread for the Regiment's annual dinner, which was going to be taking place at the fort Saturday night.  I researched a few period recipes, we tried a couple at home, and settled on the one that we liked the best.  The night before, we mixed up several batches of dough, leaving them to rise so they'd be ready for baking the next day.

The morning of the event, my child-care plans changed, so we ended up running late, and bringing three more children than planned with us.  It was pretty awesome hanging out with my daughters in period attire, in a period setting, surrounded by friends with their kids and families.

I didn't catch  photos of what everyone in the unit was up to, but in addition to a few of us manning the bake oven, we had a leather worker, a gunsmith, a tinsmith, a couple of spinners, as well as the usual museum staff.  Some of the kids made butter, which was an great addition to the fresh baked bread, and it was overall a nice relaxing day.

Sgt. Golden started the fire since we were running late.

Adding some dough to the oven.

A couple of loaves, fresh from the oven.

Posing with my wares in the Fort's tavern.

There's a baby playing in the middle of that awesome circle of protection.

My youngest, enjoying the fort.

Miss Gabriella, probably *not* laughing at a dad joke.

Me and my wild child.

Workman's Apron

Bread anyone?

The Challenge: September: Everyday (Common workman's apron)
Material: Cotton Muslin
Pattern: Based on diagram on page 6 of The Packet II by Mark Tully
Year: 18the Century
Notions: None
How historically accurate is it? Very accurate, based on period sketches and paintings
Hours to complete: Around 8.
First worn: August 24, 2019.
Total cost: About $5.

At the end of August, my daughter and I were going to be participating in an event with a civilian focus at Fort #4 in Charlestown, New Hampshire.  Since the venue has an outdoor bake oven, my daughter asked if we could bake bread as we had done there a few years ago.  A few days before the event, I got it into my head that if I was going to be a baker, I should have an apron.  I checked some period sketches and paintings, and saw numerous bib-type aprons with a button hole sewn into the top to hook over the button on a mens waistcoat.  These aprons seemed to be used by numerous trades, including carpenters, smiths, and shopkeepers.  I had some muslin left from G's dress project, so I cut out the shape, based on the diagram shown in Mark Tully's The Packet series, and spent a couple of days hand sewing the outer seams all around, adding a button hole, and attaching long apron strings.  I finished in time to wear the apron to the event, putting me a bit closer to feeling like an actual baker.  My workmans cap, that I've carried in my pack for a few years, went missing, so I had to bake in my cocked hat, which tipped the balance back toward *not* feeling like an actual baker.

As it happened, the September Historical Sew Monthly challenge is "Everyday" where participants are challenged to make an item of clothing that would be used in a normal everyday sort of environment.  No fancy dresses or polished suits, just normal stuff the average person might wear during their day to day life.  So, though it was both started and finished a week before September, here's my September contribution to the challenge.

Operation Ransom Guard

Demonstrating in downtown St. Albans.

Last month, on August 11th, a few of us from Warner's Regiment took part in the Vermont National Guard's "Operation Ransom Guard" in St. Alban's, Vermont.

The event was hosted by 1st Squadron, 172nd Cavalry Regiment of the Vermont National Guard.  The Guard unit was celebrating their history, including doing demonstrations of battle tactics.  Our unit, as well as a Civil War unit and some modern units were invited to demonstrate the unit's historical beginnings and tactics, to show both the public and the current Guard members their origins.

The event was a day-long sort of picnic/party on the green in the center of St. Albans, where the Cavalry is based.  The main event was a short ceremony, combined with tactical demonstrations by the units.  Warner's led off the tactical demonstration by marching onto the field, firing a couple of volleys at close order, then spreading out to open order.  Once in open order we moved across the field, firing as we advanced, then demonstrated an orderly withdrawal.  After the withdrawal, we advanced again, this time at a charge.

Our unit was followed by the Civil War cavalry, who were in turn followed by a number of modern guard units, including cavalry mounted on humvees.  It was interesting to see how modern tactics have evolved, but how they are also basically the same as what Warner's uses on the field as infantrymen.

One of the guardsmen in attendance captured our performance on video, which he posted to his Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/getincamo/videos/384300505604263/?t=43

Redcoats & Rebels 2019

A few Warner's men from First Company waiting for morning formation.

I'm a bit behind on reporting events.  The first weekend of August was the annual Redcoats & Rebels event at Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts.  Gab and I, joined by her older sister, made the trip down from Vermont on Friday night.  Since we were only day tripping for Saturday, we opted to sleep in the back of our van.

Redcoats & Rebels is one of my favorite events.  OSV is a living history museum that portrays the 1830s of New England, but during this weekend every year, the entire place is taken over by folks from the 1770s.  The setting, with the exception of a couple of buildings, fits the time-period perfectly, and it's always fun to see several hundred people in period clothing bringing the site to life.

This year the turn-out of reenactors seemed smaller than previous years.  Both the American and British armies were camped on the village green, and there were very few outlying camps.  The turnout, however, did not diminish the event at all.

I didn't get any photos of my own this year, but there are tons online, as most of the AWI units in the New England area turn out for this event.  As usual, the battle in the afternoon was the highlight of the event for both participants and spectators.  The American army was severely outnumbered this year, but we put up a good fight.  Our unit, in particular, had a good time holding the flanks, trying to (unsuccessfully) build barricades to slow the British advance, and retreating through tall grass that was up over our waists.

The past few years, the Old Sturbridge Village Facebook page has featured a live overhead view of the battlefield, via drone footage.  As a participant, these are always interesting to view after the fact.  In the videos, it's possible to see various troop formations, tactics, and the overall flow of the battle.  OSV offered a few videos this year, and they are worth checking out on their page.

Though I had to leave Saturday night, from the photos and video that I saw online, Sunday went well.  Our unit, Warner's Regiment, is usually far from the cameras, but on Sunday the men appeared front and center in some of the video footage.  To close, here's a video that was found on YouTube, showing the Green Mountain Boys pushing the British back through the fields on the outskirts of the main village.