Newspaper Page Text
Reenactors, Spectators Enjoy
Battle Despite Rain Problems
from front page
the reenactment's cost ‘and
rece;.\ilglgs until later this week.
I organized the
Chickamauga program for the
American Civil War Com
memorative Committee Inc.
and the Georgia Division Civil
War Reenactment Assn, The
Gettysburg reenactment last
June that drew more than
10,000 reenactors and about
140,000 spectators was also
organized %y NTI.
Mrs. Massengill was puzzl
ed about the relatively low at
tendance figures, even con
sidering the weather. NTI has
used a ?ormula in the past that
has predicted attendance quite
accurately, she said. But in
case of the Chickamauga
reenactment, the figures just
didn’t work.
PARKING
Things ag)peared to be go
ing well insofar as the organiza
tional aspects were concerned
on Thursday and Friday mor
ning. But the rain that started
Friday afternoon caused
drastic alterations in the park
ing. Original plans had called
for reenactors to be parked on
the east side of the river and be
hauled by. horse and wagon
across two home-built bridges.
The first disaster struck on
Monday, Sept. 12, when a
cloudburst washed away two
bridges — including the main
span. NTI crews worked
feverishly throughout the week
to repair the only remaining
bridge so the original plan
could be carried out. The
bridge was strengthened and
aside from a bit of inconve
nience to reenactors, the
original parking plan was back
in place. [’i‘hat was until the rain
started last Friday.
BRIDGE
The river's depth increased
and covered the bridge. The
parking area east of tfie river
was turned into a quagmire.
Mrs. Massengill said NTI
decided at 11 a.m. Saturday to
cut the bridge away because of
possible danger to ge(;{fle at
tempting to cross the flooded
span. Refort,edly. a couple of
people fell off the bridge. But
even with flooding, the river
was fairly shallow at that
point.
Parking for reenactors was
then shifted to the east side of
U. S. 27 just south of the NTI
office and participant registra
tion tent. But it wasn't long
before that area became
impassable.
Some reenactors were car
ried to their campsites by four
wheel drive vehicles until ear
ly Friday night. The road was
closed temporarily to all
vehicles. Many reenactors had
to hand-carry their gear from
the highway to the camps
along t%\e river.
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‘Father Cooney’ Enlivens
Father Cooney gave absolu
tion to the Irisi Catholic
troops with the Union Army
Saturdafi and Sunday during
the 125th anniversary reenact
ment of the Battle of
Chickamauga.
Of course, he wasn't really
Father Cooney, and the reenac
tors didn’t have a fear of dying
or being wounded during the
battles. But there was a Father
Cooney who served as chaplain
at Chickamauga in 1863, accor
ding to Kevin Griffin of In
dianapolis, Ind.
Griffin, dressed in black
19th centurg priest’s garb, af
fected the brogue of a fiesty
Irish priest Sunday morning
when Ke arrived at the activi
ty tent to seek permission to
hold mass. ‘‘Father Cooney™
explained that he was reafiy
seeking permission for the real
priest. a reenactor with the In
VINT
“FATHER COONEY” KEVIN GRIFFIN PORTRAYS IRISH PRIEST
Confederate Soldiers Enjoyed His Impression Sunday
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INFANTRY UNITS BATTLE IN BACKGROUND AS CAVALRY WAITS
Spectators Had Unobstructed View Of Battlefield
CAMP FIRES
Some sutlers told about be
ing awakened by water while
sleeping on the ground Fridaai'
night. Others had tents partial
ly blown down. The bed(ring for
most soldiers and their families
was either wet or damp from
the rain and minor flash
flooding. It also proved dif
ficult to fire up water-soaked
wood Saturday morning — but
most reenactors succeeded in
time to cook breakfast.
Several events for reenac
tors Friday night had to be
cancelled because of the
weather and scheduled tours
mostly fell apart on Saturday.
But a Southern Ball under
the activity tent went on as
planned that night," as did a
Brivate VIP reception at Penn
lace early in the evening.
The grand review of the ar
mies was cancelled Sunday
morning because of the mud
and the energy level of the
reenactors.
IN STRIDE
Otherwise, reenactors seem
ed to take the rain in stride.
One weathered soldier noted
that he had participated in the
Battle of Shiloh, Tenn. in 1987
with four inches of snow on the
ground.
A roadway was cut from
the top of the spectator view
ing area to the Hays Correc
tional Institute Road Sunday
to eliminate the need for ven
dors — some with heavy
diana unit, to hold Sunday
morning services. f
A cocky Confederate
reenactor dri%ed by and asked
Father Cooney to take a look in
a brown paper bag. Griffin, as
Cooney, explodecf in his best
red-faced Irish rage at
whatever was in the bag. He
chastized the departing soldier
at the top of his Pungs gor a few
minutes before resuming his
normal, unaccented conver
sation.
NONPLUSSED
Mrs. John Weaver, wife of
the Confederate commander,
was nonplussed briefly after
her encounter with Father
Cooney. She also chastized a
photographer for taking her
Ehotograph with Cooney with
er é)antaloons visible.
riffin said he also por
trayed an Irish priest during
the reenactment of the Battle
of Perryville. The real priest he
vehicles — to travel the round
about mud-laden roadway back
to U. 8. 27.
Sheriff McConnell called on
the Charles Sumner family in
Dry Valley, Hutchins Farms at
Chelsea and McGraw Logging
Co. to help extricate sut%g:'s
and campers from the lower
end of the Penn Place proper
ty Sunday afternoon. Headrick
Construction Co., B.J. Gam
bill's Chattooga Concrete and
Steve Duncan of Trion provid
ed either gravel or equipment
to help solve mud proglems,
McConnell said.
By nightfall Sunday, all
reenactors and sutlers who
wanted to leave the site had
been gulled or. delivered
through the mud to U. S. 27,
the sheriff added. A few reenac
tors decided to rest Sunday
night and leave Monday
morning.
TOGETHER
“It was a fine examile of
peosle working together,”
McConnell said.
All staff members of the
Chattooga County Sheriff’s Of
fice worked double shifts
Saturday and Sunday, McCon
nell said, mostly to handle traf
fic resulting from the parking
changes. He also had help from
about 12 Bartow County
deputies and around 40
Georgia State troopers.
Mbtorists %}annmg to park
across from the reenactment
entrance were diverted to
Triangle Shopping Center in
was lportraying had during the
Civil War given absolution to
a Catholic unit only to find, to
his surprise, that other Protes
tant units were bending their
knees to receive abso?ution,
too.
EERIE
It was an eerie feeling, Grif
fin said, when as that priest, he
gave absolution to a Catholic
unit only to find that other all-
Protestant Reenactment units
were also bending their knees
to receive the blessing.
After the battle, the Union
commander during the Civil
War ordered the real priest to
five absolution to all units
rom that time forward, Griffin
said. That the Baptists,
Methodists, Jews and
Presbyterians in the arm‘i had
their own chaplains didn’t
seem to matter to the com
mander, Griffin said with a
grin.
Trion, the Chattooga Hiih
School %arking lot and the
Georgia Rug Co. parking lot in
Summerville, They were then
transported by bus or van to
the battle site for $1 each.
McConnell said the buses were
Erovided by Cherokee Bus
ines, Centre, Ala.
HAMS
Internal communication
was provided by a ham radio
network consisting of 65 to 70
operators from throughout the
Southeast, including Jerry
Fortenberry of Trion. Top staff
members with NTI, Con
federate and Union medical
tents, lawmen and emergency
medical personnel had ham
“shadows’’ following them
around during the two-day
event.
The Chattooga Emergency
Medical Service was on duty
round-the-clock with an am
bulance at the site. The Chat
tooga Rescue Squad was also
on duty from late in the week
until late Sunday. :
Minor medical problems
were treated at the first aid
tent by EMTSs and the Rescue
S(iuad. They ranged from heat
related difficulties to nausea
and vomiting, ankle and knee
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FORMER CHATTOOGA RESIDENT JERRY POLLARD
Plays In Rome’s Eighth Regimental Band
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OLD-FASHIONED BAND READY FOR FRIDAY NIGHT DANCE
Rain Kept Most Reenactors Away From Activity Tent
sprains, bee stings, cuts and
bruises,
Only eight people were
t.reat.ec;iy at (,shatt.ooga County
Hospital from reenactment
related injuries or illnesses.
They were all dismissed except
for a Riverforth, lIL., reenactor.
CARDIAC
James Soens, 47, was over
come with heat exhaustion and
heart problems just before the
battle began éunday after
noon. He was taken to Chat
tooga County Hospital by am
bulance and then transferred to
Redmond Park Hospital's car
diac care unit. He was dismiss
ed Tuesday morning and was
on his way home that
afternoon.
Sheriff McConnell said a
firearm exploded in the face of
a reenactor who received
powder burns but was not
seriously injured.
ARREST
Only one person was ar
rested in connection with the
reenactment, the sheriff said.
She was Cassandra A. Zaharis,
27, St. Louis, Mo. She was
charged with obstruction of an
officer Sunday afternoon and
released about four hours later
on SSOO bond.
The sheriff said Ms.
Zaharis, a sutler, was determin
ed to drive her vehicle into the
reenactment site while the
crowds were leaving the area
Sunday afternoon. After being
told that she’'d have to wait for
a short time until pedestrian
and outbound vehicular traffic
slowed, she still insisted on
entering the site, McConnell
said. Her vehicle was also
blocking traffic, he added.
Trion Man
Charged In
Wood Theft
A Trion man was charged
Wednesday with stealing wood
and hay from the site of the
Battle of Chickamauga
reenactment this past
weekend. g o T
He was identified as Duel
Mac Romine, 57, Spring Creek
Road, Trion. He was released
on SSOO bond. il
“ Romine was .char%ed with
taking two cords of firewood
and 12 bales of hay, all valued
at S2OO, from the reenactment
site at Pennville.
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Located Near Brotherton Cabin At Reenactment Site
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Soldiers On LaFayette Road In Preparation For Battle
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REBELS ON MARCH ACROSS FIELD NEXT TO ROADWAY
Unit Heads Toward Fight At Snodgrass Hill
The Summerville News, Thursday, September 22, 1988
Fireworks Fizzle
Following Shower
It just fizzled.
Everything was going fine
until a sudden shower drench
ed the Chickamauga reenact
ment site about 15 minutes
before the battle Saturday.
Jeff and Joel Matthews of
Southern International
Fireworks of Rock Hill, 5.C.,,
had just glaced e:(:iplosive
charges in the ground on the
battlefield to simulate mortar
and cannon fire.
Just a couple of minutes
before the rain hit, Jeff was
safving that the special battle
effects would work properlrv
;fixdnless it pours down rain.” It
SMOKE
The battle went on as
planned but when the Mat
thews atten&pted to set off the
first ground charge during a
cavalry fight, it fizzled. A lot of
white smoke poured out of the
g’round for a couple of minutes
ut no explosion resulted.
There was no problem with
Efie aerialpg\i.\rsti, J eff os:iaég, h«:ng
ey popped and exp g
above tfie Confederate artillery
at the eastern end of the
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JEFF MATTHEWS PREPARES GROUND EXPLOSIVES
Heavy Rain Before Battle Caused Ground Bursts To Fizsle
battlefield.
Things went a bit better on
Sunday. This time, the aerial
bursts were noted at the
western end of the battlefield,
ailain over the Confederate ar
tillery. And a few ground
bursts poured out debris dur
ing the battle, but not nearly
the 50 that had been expected
by crowds.
° The Matthews said Satur
day afternoon that there were
supposed to be 50 ground ex
plosions and 25 aerial bursts
each day.
PROCEDURE
To simulate a mortar at
tack, they first dig small holes
in the ground. They then pack
a wad of tinfoil with black
powder, insert an electrical fuse
and run the wiring to a nearby
electrical panel. A long cable
connects gle field panel with
the main battery powered fir
ing panel where one of the Mat
thews hovered during the
battle.
At various times, they
would complete an electrical
circuit and one of the charges
would fire off. ~ i
9-A