Background:
As a Canadian the American Civil War has
fascinated me for years. It is a pivotal event in world history and marks the
greatest loss of American life in war. Hundreds of thousands of young men sacrificed
their lives in a conflict that pitted the North against the South. The
implications were vast and far reaching effecting countries far beyond the
United States. The Civil War provided much of the necessary backdrop for
Canada’s Confederation and the drive to become a country.
Knowing that this event has played such a
pivotal role in world history I jump on the
opportunity to visit Civil War sites. I have had the chance to walk the
battlefields of Gettysburg and Chickamauga, visiting the areas where armies
crashed together. I can’t describe the eeriness of a battlefield and the ghosts that haunt the earth. Personally Chickamauga spooked me more than Gettysburg. I
was familiar with the latter from the film of the same name and visited it on a
bright, crisp fall day. I knew of Chickamauga through the work of Ambrose
Bierce. He was a Civil War vet and wrote brilliant works about his experiences.
I will put a link to his work below and highly recommend you read a couple when
you have a moment. The description of the horror of the battle and the twilight
streaked battlefield matched exactly what I saw.
When I heard that there was going to be a
historical re-enactment happening close to the Quad Cities where I live, it was
beyond doubt that I was going to attend. Keokuk, Iowa was a short two and a
half hours away and completely worth the drive in order to see this new
adventure.
A cannon in the foggy woods of Chickmauga still fending off ghosts.
What did
I learn: I was blown away when I
arrived at Rand Park. Battle Lines were drawn up and the armies were beginning
to shuffle into position. I quickly decided that I was going to set myself a
couple of quick goals. Despite there being an announcer I figured that his
voice would quickly become lost over the roar of cannons. Since I wouldn't be able
to hear the announcer I didn't know how the battle was to proceed. The only
thing I knew was the final outcome. Therefore, I was profoundly curious about
how terrain, noise and action effected my perception of the battle. What I saw versus what really happened might be two totally different things. Obviously,
as a spectator I was not involved in the re-enactment, rather witnessed it from
the sidelines.
Smoke obscures the battlefield blocking our vision.
My suspicions about the announcer were
confirmed the moment the first cannon fired. His voice was gone, lost to the
roar of man-made thunder. I was standing slightly to the left of one of the
cannons and a little in front. The shockwave from the blast rippled across
myself and the spectators standing close. It was fantastic and I was laughing
and smiling. Within seconds there was cheering and crying as small kids broke
down under the noise. There was a full range of reactions in the second it took
for the next gun to go off and blanket us once more in smoke.
Volley fire was amazingly terrifying to witness.
I imagined trying to relay orders in the chaos
and to make out what was going on. While I was pondering this the Union
guns cut loose across the field. It was eerie to see the enemy line suddenly
vanish behind a cloud of white smoke. A split second later the report echoed
across to us which would have heralded a storm of death.
The Union cannon shroud their line in smoke.
Since we were embedded with the Confederates
when they chose to advance we moved with them. We dropped down behind small
rise and lost the right-hand side of the battlefield. The group we followed
flanked a Union unit and proceeded to shoot them to pieces. I was so focused on
the action in front of me that I completely missed the cannons being advanced
till they announced their presence with a cacophony of sound.
Moreover, the Confederate unit I was shadowing
succeeded in capturing the Union group and for all visual purposes “winning”.
It wasn't till we change position that we saw a huge number of southern
soldiers had been captured as well. I have read in a number of stories where
one group would claim victory yet the vast majority of the army would lose.
Ernest Yunger details it in his accounts of the first world war in “Storm of
Steel.” Xenophon and the March of the 10 000 is another story where a highly
successful group of Greek mercenaries win their portion of the battle while
their employer is killed and the cause lost.
Confederate forces shelter behind a fence.
What was
similar: The similarities called
back to my time in the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. During my seven year tenure
in the cadets I grew to be hugely familiar with the joys of marching and
parading. Although the commands were different the units behaved much like the
units of my youth. Unit Leaders badgered and cursed their soldiers into a line
and got the dressing down proper. Once the troops were in line they marched
forwards trying to hold that dressing as best as possible. Over the uneven
ground it was nearly impossible yet they did a respectable job.
A plume of smoke heralds death.
I have also seen cannons fired in the past and was
reasonably aware of the procedure that is required in order to shoot one off.
However, there is something wholly different about seeing the a whole field of
cannons roaring at each other. When I was in Halifax there was a whole ceremony
that went with the discharge of the weapon. However, on the battlefield the orders where given and carried out in a
fraction of the time. There was no ceremony, just simple and swift military
precision executed flawlessly over a dozen cannon on both sides.
Conclusion:
If you have the opportunity to ever check out a
re-enactment of any sort you shouldn’t pass on the opportunity. History is
buried in the past yet for a day you can unearth it and get a feel for how our
ancestors lived. Nothing helps you appreciate the present like seeing the tools
of the past. When you look at the tools of a battlefield surgeon and you
compare that to the facilities that we have today it makes our current
technology look nothing short of miraculous. Although we no longer fight in the
manner of the Civil War you can still grow from the experience.
A wonderful day filled with wonderful experiences.
Best regards and keep training,
If you are interested in training together I would love to get together with you. Drop me a line on facebook and we can connect. I would love to learn from you.
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Travelling-Ronin/583588935029877?ref=hl
On check the video of my experience with the Civil War: Travelling Ronin
Check out the home of the 9th Virginia Calvary: http://www.9thvirginiacavalry.com/
Read Ambrose Bierce's short story "Chickamauga:" http://www.online-literature.com/bierce/992/
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