Newspaper Page Text
The Summerville News, September 15, 1988
14-A
Battles Slated
This Weekend
from front page
reenactors will then park on
the east side of the Chattooga
River adjacent to Penn Bridge
Road, as planned originally.
4,000 SOLDIERS
The reenactment, which will
feature some 4,000 alread‘lyi
registered Civil War buffs, wi
be sfioonsored by the American
Civil War Commemorative
Committee (ACWCC) and the
Georgia Division Civil War
Reenactment Assn. Inc. Both
are non-profit volunteer
organizations. Details for the
massive reenactment are being
handled by NTII, a private con
sulting firm that specializes in
Civil a’ar battles.
The 90-minute battles are
scheduled to start at 2 g.m.
Saturday and Sunday.
Guided tours of the Union
and Confederate camps will be
held for the public between 10
a.m. and 6 E.m. Saturday and
Sunday. The camps will be
open to the public at 8 a.m. dai
ly on both days.
ARTILLERY DUEL
The battles will feature bet
ween 35 and 50 artille?' pieces,
with each firing at least 50
rounds per day. There will be
at least ?)0 ground bursts with
“dirt” flying and 25 sgec
tacular air bursts each day.
The ground bursts will be
sophisticated pyrotechnics
located in the battle zone and
away from spectators. The
wired explosives will be
covered with peat moss and
cork, which wi?l give the illu
sion of flying “‘dirt” won't be
harmful to reenactors or
spectators.
John Young, chairman of
ACWCC, and Bruce William
son, head of the Georgia Divi
sion, presented special VIP
passes to the battle to Gov. Joe
Frank Harris at 2 p.m. Sunday.
They also gave him a copy of
this week's special
What To Bring
HERE ARE a few things you should wear or bring with
you to the Chickamauga Reenactment Battlefield at Pennville
this weekend to make your visit more comfortable:
Comfortable walking shoes. The camps and spectator area
aren't designed for hig%x heels or dress shoes.
* * *
“KNOCK-ABOUT" jeans or slacks. After all, you'll pro
bably be sitting on the ground a lot of the time.
A blanket or quilt and cushions to sit or lie on, or a lawn
chair or lawn lounge.
Sunglasses.
A cap or hat.
Money for refreshments and souvenirs.
An umbrella for protection from both the sun and poten
tial rain showers.
* * *
YOUR CAMERA with plenty of color film to take photos
of the Union, Confederate and “civilian” camps. You'll also
be able to take photos of the battle but a good telephoto or
zoom lens will help you get ‘“‘close” to the action.
Binoculars, if you want to get a closeup of the action on
the other side of the ba&tlefield.
* *
AN AM RADIO — with earphones if possible — to pick
up the “‘shot-by-shot” description of the gattles on W(?TA
Radio-950 by a military historian.
Sunscreen lotion to keep from getting burned, especially
on your face and nose.
Insect repellent to keep mosquitos away. No spraying has
been done on the site because of allergic reactions suffered
by some spectatdrs at the Gettysburg reenactment after
spraying was done Lher(i. . oy
A THERMOS of water or soft drinks. No alcoholic
beverages will be allowed.
Grifis are forbidden.
Shade shelters will be allowed, but only at the rear of the
spectator area.
from front page
bring their students to the
reenactment site in Pennville
Saturday and Sunday to see
not only the battles but also to
tour the authentic ‘‘civilian,”
Confederate and Union camps.
But he said teachers should
also plan followup discussions
and programs in the classroom
on Fhe significance of what
reenactors like to call “‘living
history’’ and the war that tore
the nation asunder.
As is the case with many
enactors, Young's interest in
the Civil War began at an ear
ly age. He was 12 when his
father and grandfather took
him to a reenactment during
the centennial observance of
the war.
AVOCATION
Over the years as an adult,
his reenactment activities have
developed into more of an
avocation than a mere hobby,
Young indicated.
""is captain's uniform, for
exar e, cost more than S6OO.
That doesn’t include his rifle
and other uniforms purchased
when he was a private. As was
the case early in the Civil War,
he was elected captain of Com
pany A by his fellow
reenactors.
What makes a successful
program for ‘a modern
reenactor?
“The event has to be done
in ench a wav that the civilians
Chickamauga edition of The
Summerville News. T::efiover
nor had already decl this
weekend as “Chickamauga
Days" in Georgia in honor of
the event.
LAWMEN
Chattooga Sheriff Gary
McConnell has also been busy
planning how to handle the
traffic and parkinfilflow at the
reenactment site this weekend.
Ageproximately 75 lawmen
will at strategic locations
along U. S. 27, at the reenact
ment site and in the came
throughout the weekend. All
his staff will work a minimum
of double shifts both d:i's.
McConnell said. He will also
have the assistance of 25
Georgia State Patrol troopers
and 15 deputies on loan from"
the Bartow County Sheriff's
Department.
A special command gost
tent has been set up on U. S. 27
at the reenactment site.
110 TOILETS
NTI has also had its hands
full with things other than
flooded bridges. It has used
more than 40 cords of wood
preparing the battle site. A
total of 110 portable toilets will
be located at the site for the
public and reenactors and some
4,000 feet of water line will be
installed.
ACTIVITIES
There will be activities for
children and adults. A public
auction will be held in t%e ac
tivity tent and reenactors will
f)ortray what civilian life was
ike during the Civil War era.
Tickets will still be
available at the entrance to the
site Saturday and Sunday.
Tickets will be $lO for adults
for admission on both days.
Students, senior citizens 62
and over and military person
nel may obtain a two-day ticket
for $7. Children under 6 will be
admitted free.
ACWCC Pushes Preservation
and military reenactors get a
genuine feerfor life back then
and for what the feel is on a
field for a soldier,” he said.
ACWCC tries to make reenact
ments real — sans cannonballs
and real bullets — while pro
viding as many amenities as
possible.
SPECTATORS
But it's just as important to
Elan a reenactment for the
enefit of spectators, Young
said. ACWCPC wants to give
spectators an authentic idea of
how soldiers and civilians liv
ed in the 1860 s, how both sides
felt and why they fought and
died for their respective beliefs.
- One goal of reenactors is to
interest spectators in histor
and in preserving historic lan(i
marks, Young said.
Preservationists have been
waging a ‘‘war’’ over the
Manassas battlefround in
Virginia, for example. ACWCC
was one of the key financial
backers of the preservation ef
fort. The fight 1s over develop
ment of a shopf)ing mall on
part of the battleground pro
perty that isn’t owned by the
national park service.
Although Virginia Sen. John
Werner has just introduced
legislation for the federal
government to purchase the
disputed 160 acres and add it
to the park service, construc
tion has already started on the
mall. Young said with sadness.
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BTH REGIMENT BAND FEATURES THREE FORMER CHATTOOGA RESIDENTS
Famed Band, Cherokee Artillery To Participate In Reenactment
Carruth Directs Civil War Band
from front page
instruments. Although only an
expert could tell, all the band's
instruments — except for a
bass drum — were manufac
tured in the 20th century.
Pollard will also sell a tape
of his Civil War bugle calls.
Carruth and other members
4,000 REENACTORS
Reenactors from all over
the United States will par
ticipate in the Chickamauga
battle Saturday and Sunday,
he said. Some 3,800 reenactors
had been sig'ned up by Mon
day, he said, and more than
4,0}(,)0 are expected to create ex
amples of living history at the
camPsites and on the
battlefield.
Reenactments have been
held in all sorts of weather. If
it's raining this weekend, the
battle will still be held, he said.
In case of very severe weather,
a decision would have to be
made at that time. It’s virtual
-3' impossible to set a “‘rain
ate’’ for reenactment, he said,
because many participants
schedule vacation time for a
specific period so they may
participate.
BRIDGE GONE
One recently constructed
bridge over tKe Chattooga
River had washed away in
heavy rains Monday and it
coultfil't be immediately deter
mined if a second bri(g,ge had
been torn away by flash flood
waters. Like most other reenac
tors and the staff at NTI
(Napoleonic Tactics Inc.), the
company that’s managing the
event, he hoped that rain would
disa;:fear at least until next
Monday to give the area time
to dry out for the battle. It
of the Cherokee Artillery
brought to Summerville Mon
day night an exact replica of a
cannon made at the Noble
Foundry in Rome during the
Civil War. It was placed on the
lawn of the First National
Bank and will be carried to the
reenactment site early Friday
couldn't be determined early
this week whether Hurricane
Gilbert would affect Northwest
Georgia's weather this
weekend.
However, he praised the
Penn Place site as the best of
five locations scouted out by
ACWCC for the Chickamauga
reenactment. The spectator
area is almost a natural am
ghitheatre and is ‘“‘one of the
est I've ever seen.”
“FANTASTIC”
The layout of the bat
tlefield, along with the Brother
ton and Snodgrass cabins, “‘is
just fantastic.”” Although it
washed away a lot of hard work
in the bridges, the Chattooqa
River ‘‘is just where it should
be.” It will substitute for
Chickamauga Creek, which
eyewitnesses said actually ran
red with blood. The Indian
name, Chickamauga, means
“river of death.”
How did a Richmond, Va.,
man end up acti% the part of
a soldier in a Georgia com
pany? Why not a Virginia
comvgany?
hen reenactments were
held during the past several
years, they were generally held
in the mid-Atlantic states,
Young said. Soldiers from
Virginia naturally re-created
the Army of Northern Virginia
led by Gen. Robert E. Lee. But
Georgia, which had many of its
sons fight with the 1860 s Ar-
morning, Carruth said. It wili
be one of some 35 to 50 can
nons firing away during the
battles Saturday and Sunday.
The Bth Regiment Band
will play for a Confederate of
ficers dinner at 6:30 p.m. F'ri
day — open only toreenactors.
It will af;o serenade the troops
my of Northern Virginia, was
not represented in those
reenactments.
RESEARCH
So the Georgia Division
was contacted to find out the
number and desifi';lation of a
Georgia unit which wasn't
alreag; being refiresented. To
be sure that the unit was
historically accurate, he and
other interested reenactors
contacted more than 70
historians, obtained copies of
microfilmed letters written by
soldiers in that unit and con
ducted other research on the
battles in which that unit ac
tually fought during the Civil
War.
Most reenactment units do
similar research, he said.
Young has been staying in
a nearby motel but when his
wife arrives today, he plans to
pitch his tent and go back in
time 125 years. He won't rejoin
the 1980 s until Sunday night
when he and his famif;' head
back to Richmond. Monday
morning, he’ll be district
manager of Friendly
Restaurants once again.
Cancer Board
The board of directors of
the Chattooga County Unit,
American Cancer Society, will
meet at 5:30 p.m. next Tuesday
at the Chamber of Commerce
office.
after 8 p.m. Friday.
CONCERTS
On Saturday, it will be in
concert at a grivate lawn par
ty at Penn Place at 6:30 p.m.
From 8 to 11 p.m. Saturday, it
will play at a dress ball that is
open to Union and Confederate
soldiers and their ‘‘belles.”
The band will also play at
the church services at 9 a.m.
Sunday.
It will also plaK for the
public before both battles
Saturday and Sunday.
The band is composed
mostly of area high school
band directors who have an in
terest in the Civl War and its
music.
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OFFICIAL CHICKAMAUGA MEDAL AVAILABLE IN CHATTOOGA COUNTY
§ i, . ;
125th Anniversary Commemorative To Be Sold This Weekend
Medals Honor
Chickamauga
The official commemorative
medal honoring the 125th an
niversary of the Battle of
Chickamauga will be available
this weekend at the battle
reenactment site at Pennville.
Riley W. Gunter of Mem
phis, Tenn., said the medal is
authorized by the American
Civil War Commemorative
Committee (ACWCC), cos
sponsor of the Chickamauga
reenactment Friday and
Saturday.
The bronze medal features
the Confederate seal on the
front side and the words: Par
ticiFant, 125th Anniversary,
Battle of Chickamauga
Georgia, 1863-1988" on tfie
back. The ribbon is red and
white.
AVAILABLE
It will be available from
Gunter in the modern mer
chant area at the reenactment
site on both days, as well as in
the authentic Civil War mer
chant area. The cost will be
$7.50. Part of the proceeds will
benefit ACWCC.
Gunter has also struck a
total of 16 medals honoring the
125th anniversary of major
battles during the war, as well
as President Abraham Lin
coln's famous Gettysburg ad
dress. The medals recognize
the battles of Ft. Sumter,
Manassas-Bull Run, the
Ironclads, Shiloh, Cedar Moun
tain, Antietam-Sharpsburg,
Corinth, Perryville,
Chancellorsville, Gettysburg,
New Market, The Wil(ilemess-
Spotsylvania, Sayler's Creek
and Appomattox.
The Civil War Cross of
Military Service is also
available for S2O each.
11 YEARS
Gunter is an active member
of the Sons of Confederate
Veterans (SCV). He joined the
organization age 15 after
becoming a reenactor at the
ripe old age of 11.
He noted that the
Chickamauga medal is only the
fourth one to be issued since
the Civil War. The first was
issued at 50 years, the second
at 75 years and the third at 100
years. No 25-year medal was
struck, he said.
He presented the medal to
Chickamauga National
Military Paxi on Tuesday.
Now independently
wealthy, Gunter was employed
by the Illinois Central-Gulf
Railroad until last year.
CANNONS
He is also an avid collector
of Civil War cannons. He has
owned 33 original cannons
from that conflict and still
owns six. One includes a Con
federate bronze nine-pounder
that was one of only five of its
kind made at a foundry in Col
umbus, Ga. His is the only one
that survived the war. He uses.
it for display but doesn't fire it
at reenactments because of its
value.
He is the author of ‘‘Con
federate Cannon Foundries”
and is now writing a similar
book on Union foundries.
Gunter was very familiar
with Civil War history in
Georgia, noting that Gen.
Nathan Bedfordg Forrest, who
saved nearby Rome from
Union troops, is buried in his
hometown of Memphis. \