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

Battle of Hubbardton in 6mm

With over half the year gone already, I figured I'd better catch up on posting.  I've actually been pretty active on the gaming front in the past few months, especially since the reenacting scene has been pretty quiet due to Covid-19.

Battle of Hubbardton

First up, The Battle of Hubbardton.

Back in the beginning of the year, I watched a video from Little Wars TV about creating a topographical map for wargaming.  At the time, I had been thinking about creating some sort of game to represent The Battle of Hubbardton.  The video put the idea into my head to recreate the battle in 1:1 figure scale (roughly 1,000 troops per side) using 6mm figures.

I started the project by ordering some Continental Line Infantry in light infantry caps from Baccus Miniatures to represent Seth Warner's "Green Mountain Boys" regiment.  Warner was in overall command of the American side of the field that day,  and I'm familiar with the regiment, so I started there.  Never having painted miniatures as small as 6mm, I wasn't sure what to expect.  When they arrived, I was pleased to see how much detail could be sculpted at that size, and after watching a few videos, I discovered that painting them is easier than I expected it would be.  Unlike 28mm miniatures, 6mm miniatures don't need each detail picked out on every figure.  The goal is to represent massed troops, so coat colors and facings became more important than canteen straps and belts.

Warner's in 6mm

Baccus Continental Light Infantry

To give me an idea how they'd look on the table, I painted up just a few figures.  I decided that they were too dark, so I settled on painting the rest of the figures with a brighter green, to represent the green faced red coats that Warner's Regiment was ordered to have when they were formed.

Test Figures

My second order from Baccus was for a group of German line infantry, and some horsemen to act as officers for all units.  The Germans would represent the Hessian unit that came onto the field toward the end of the battle, reinforcing the British regulars and helping to cause the final retreat of the Continentals.

Hessian Line Infantry

Commanders on Horseback

These figures I was able to paint more quickly.  I think I was beginning to become more practiced with the scale.  I also found that I could add detail to the figures, things such as cross belts and helmet plates, by using a set of fine tipped paint pens that I found at our local craft store.

Hessians in Progress

Baron Riedesel's Troops Enter the Field

Unfortunately, this is where this particular project has stalled.  In March, things came to a halt with the arrival of the Corona virus, which has caused global shutdowns and delays, including with Baccus Miniatures.  While they have done their best to keep up, the company has had to shut down their online shopping cart a couple of times, due to staffing and shipping issues.  To their credit, they have been very open with the gaming community about their status, and once things are opened up again, I'll definitely be placing more orders with them to continue this project.

For more information about the Battle of Hubbardton, check out this video done by a friend of mine, Skyler Bailey, on the Seth Warner's Recreated Regiment YouTube channel.

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:

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.

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.

242nd Battle of Hubbardton

This past weekend was the 242^nd anniversary of the Battle of Hubbardton in Hubbardton, Vermont. The battle is usually described as being the only battle fought in the now state of Vermont, though there were other skirmish level actions in several areas.

Warner's Regiment forming up.

I didn't get many photos, as my family schedule sort of jumbled my weekend, and when I was on the battlefield, I was either drilling or keeping track of my children. My daughter did manage to get a few photos though.

Since we live close by, we swung by the event on Friday night to set up our tent and chat quickly with everyone. On Saturday morning, Gabriella and I returned, this time with one of her chickens in tow. Earlier this year, she had asked if she could raise chickens. One of the breeds that we chose, the Dominique, is actually a heritage breed, appropriate to our time period. She's been dying to take one of her babies to an event, and since we were close by, we figured this would be a good one, as we could quickly return home if there was any trouble.

Chicken Rose, hanging out with the distaff.

Saturday morning the unit spent time drilling, working both on the Manual of Arms, and our movements across the field, while a few other units played out a small skirmish on the hill. There was also a bit of time for shopping, though sutler turnout was low this year, with about half the number of vendors as what I'm used to seeing there.

In the afternoon, the main battle for the day was scheduled. We were issued powder, and had started to gear up when the order was given to put everything under cover. To the north, the sky had turned very dark, and a low rumble of thunder could be heard. Soon the wind picked up, the rain started falling, and the lightening started to flash. Many of us huddled under the dining fly, watching the storm, and, ironically, enjoying the wind as it had been incredibly humid all day.

Unfortunately, the weather caused the battle to be cancelled.

Moving into formation.

One of the things that the public does not see in this hobby is what happens after hours. Once the sky cleared, and a few small units had gone out to skirmish for fun, a memorial service was held at the top of the hill. Our Chaplain, once again, read a great sermon, remembered not only the Americans who had fallen at Hubbardton, but also the British and German soldiers who had fought and died far from their homes. One of the most emotional points of the service was when the names of those in the hobby that we had lost in the past year were called out. Moments like these, out of public view, really show what a small community reenactors have.

Rose, entertaining the gathering.

After the main memorial service, Warner's Regiment held our own Toast to the Fallen. Each year, at events where we are reenacting on the same ground as those we portray, we hold an issuing of rum, and a toast to those men who had been killed, wounded, and captured in service to the country. Hubbardton was a bloody action, and several of the original Warner's men had fallen there. These toasts are solem occasions, but I'm glad that I get to be a part of them.

Off to do some drilling.

Sunday, for me, was a quick day. Due to a last mintue family scheduling change, I had to miss the morning battle, which was the actual reenactment of the Battle of Hubbardton, fought exactly 242 years after the real battle. The kids and I were able to make it over to the battlefield by around 10:30, but the kids were too demanding of my time for me to take the field. We did have a good visit, though, and Gabbi's birds provided entertainment for both the unit and the visitors.

Rose takes me for a walk.

Ethan Allen Day - Ethan Allen Homestead

This past weekend, the girls and I attended our first “official” event of the 2019 season with Warner's Regiment. A few years ago, the State of Vermont declared June 23^rd to be “Ethan Allen Day.” For those not familiar with Allen, he's a bit of a folk hero in Vermont for fighting back against New Yorkers who were trying to claim New Hampshire land grants, and also for the capture of Fort Ticonderoga in the days after the start of the American Revolution. His last home was in today's Burlington, Vermont, and the land has been turned into a small museum and education center.

The girls, harassing the museum exhibits.

 Since I was headed to the event as one parent with four girls, we opted to drive up the morning of the event, rather than the night before. We did take our tent, so the girls would have a place to relax out of public view, as well as a base of operations for things like diaper changes.

3/4 of the crew, taking a break.

For this event, the focus was to be on Distaff and civilian activities, with the military playing a smaller part. As such, there were other groups there demonstrating spinning, wood carving, flax preparation and other things. The men, women and children of Warner's also demonstrated sewing, knitting, games, and more. Overall, it was a very casual and relaxed atmosphere.

Relaxing in the shade.

About mid-day, the soldiers from the Regiment demonstrated some close order and open order drill. There is a popular myth that all Revolutionary War battles were men lined up in long lines taking turns shooting at each other in open fields, but the War in the northern theater was a bit different. We demonstrated how men would have gone about moving through woods and broken terrain.

Your humble author, defending The Grants.

Later in the afteroon, a couple of the men taught some basic drill movements to members of the public, who were given wooden practice muskets to learn with. While this was happening, a group of our Distaff members learned basic black powder and musket safety and handling. This was led by a couple of our female members who usually portray soldiers, but for this event chose to take part as Distaff.

Engaging with the public.

By afternoon, my children had hit their energy limits, so I gathered them all up and headed back home. The next morning, they were all still tired, so I returned to the Homestead alone to take part in Sunday's activities, and to retrieve our tent and equipment.

Distaff weapons training.

Sunday started with a short religious service by our Regimental Chaplain. I'm not much of a church-goer, but I really enjoy hearing a sermon while sitting out on the grass, under the shade of a tree, with birds and a breeze as a backdrop.

Sunday services.

The rest of the day brought more drilling and demonstrations, ending about mid afternoon. It was an excellent start to the “official” season.

Sisters strolling the orchard.

Nature girl.

Learning to fire.

Musket training.

Some 18th century gaming.

Projecting confidence.

"Make READY!"

Reflection and relaxation.

  

Out for a walk.

The "official" portrait.

Her fourth season.

The unofficial portrait.

* Photos by myself, Elaina Davis, Crystal Bailey, and Heather Kenyon-Haff