July 2011 Volume 16, Issue 10 “We are but few in number but formidable.” -Pvt. James Shelton, 7th Md. Co. B

1 50 th B a tt l e of Bul l Ru n (M a na ss a s ) J ul y 22 - 24

150th Bull Run Info 4

Attention to Detail! 5

Ladies Knapsack 7

Inside this issue:

Again, a truly out-standing weekend for the 7th Maryland. Hard to imagine that we could follow up the Lutheran Seminary event in Gettysburg with another sensation, but I believe we did. There is hardly any need for me to describe the events of the weekend since we had such an excellent turnout, but for the historical re-cord I will jot down some of my observa-tions and thoughts.

Following arrival in lovely St. Michaels Saturday morning and setting up camp at St. Mary’s Square, we were transported to the town dock where we boarded the MV Patriot, backed down into the chan-nel, around a corner out of sight and then steamed right back in to replicate the New York regiment’s arrival by ferry in 1862. And as a group re-nowned for its ability to make an appearance, we did. Our bandsman, Chris, was up on the bow making a fine racket accompanied by three musicians from the 3rd Maryland. More about them later. Our arrival was an-ticipated. There was a small crowd – a real crowd, small as I say, but nonetheless a crowd – waiting to greet us.

We marched down the gangway, formed up, and set off toward town led by our

little band which played all the way to Muskrat Park where we stacked arms and proceeded to mingle with the townsfolk and patrons of the weekly farmers’ market. One of the most popular seller’s booths was our very own ladies’ fair group who

had set up the kitchen tent and were busily engaged in making more money for the flag fund. We informed and educated, we bought baked goods and fresh produce, we played cards, we strolled, we were photographed and in-terviewed, the band played, we did our best to entertain.

A half hour or so of that was enough for the citizens so we reformed, took arms, and marched to camp. Then it was more engagement with the citizens, some drill, and the band played on. We had a super reception from

the town of St. Michaels and from all the people who came to see us. We had dealings with more folks than we usually see in a year and the town liaison folks were su-per.

Now to that band. Jamie Aversa and David and Na-thaniel Valentine from the 3rd Maryland traveled down from Pennsylvania Satur-day morning and stayed through the afternoon. They had to leave before dinner to drive all the way back. Now that is a genuine exertion of effort to support a sister unit. Having music really puts the icing on an event and they provided it. We owe those folks a big debt of gratitude.

By about two o’clock, we were released to have some time on the town. But before we left, mail call was held and parcels were handed out to a large number of the men in camp. Instead of food packages from home for the hungry troops, they turned out to contain shirts, and spiffy shirts they were, done up by the Ladies League of the 7th Maryland. We changed into them im-mediately and became the most dapper group on the eastern shore. Thus fash-ionably attired, some stayed

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Pcvt. Bill Hart President

The deadline to sign up for

company meals at Bull Run is July 14.

Please email Sarah Harris at

bellefille137@yahoo.com

to sign up for meals.

July 16-17th

Skirmish at Funkstown Funkstown, MD

(Company) Members attending the Skirmish at Funkstown event will pay the walk=on fee of $10.00. Foraging and Skirmish through the town. Field battles and eve-ning dance with fireworks. Additional details to come.

23rd-24th 150th Anniversary

Battle of Manassas / Bull Run (Company)

Prince William & Manassas, Virginia will commemorate the 150th Anniver-sary of the American Civil War and the Battle of First Manassas/Bull Run in Gainesville, Virginia. This two-day event will feature living history demon-strations, speakers, art, music, as well as historical commemorations and ac-tivities for the whole family. Re-enactors from around the world will be

coming together to reenact the first battle of the U.S. Civil War. Location and Directions: The event is being held on Pageland Farm. Check-in for re-enactors will be at Catharpin Park, 4805 Sudley Road, Catharpin, VA 20143. To avoid traffic congestion and delays the following routes are strongly recommended. During check- in direc-tions will be given to the reenactment site and re-enactor parking which is within 2 ½ miles. From I-66 (East or West): Take exit 40, US-15 N/James Madison Hwy, toward Leesburg. Turn right onto VA-234 S / Sudley Rd. Check in will be 4 miles on your Left. From I-95 (North or South): Take exit 152B, VA-234 N/Dumfries Rd, toward Manassas. Continue straight onto Prince William Parkway, follow signs for I-66 W/Front Royal. Merge onto I-66 W, Take exit 40, US-15 N/James Madison Hwy, toward Leesburg. Turn right onto VA-234 S/Sudley Rd. Check in will be 4 miles on your Left.

September 16th-18th, 2011

Annual Lebanon County Civil War Weekend

(Company / FVB Is Reg't) Ft Indiantown Gap, PA

Morning tactical, battles both days, living history, and evening entertain-ment. Saturday evening meal. $8.00 per person registration. Hosted by the 93rd PA, 13 Mississippi and Twin Grove Park. Contact Capt. Dennis Shirk, or dshirk93@comcast.net. Contact the 93'd PA for Registration In-formation. Notes, location and directions to come.

Friday 30th Tome School Living History

Northeast, MD (Company)

Living history presentation for the stu-dents at the Tome School. Additional notes, details an directions to follow.

LUTELY sure to let Miss Sarah Harris know if you want to partici-pate in the Camp Meals at Bull Run. Her provisioning space will be very limited, and she wants to make sure she will have enough for everyone. If you forget to notify her, you’ll be out of luck. Remember that this event will not permit vehicles on site until the close on Sunday. Be prepared for anything, and any kind of weather (hopefully not snow). I have been getting loads of feedback from the St. Michaels Soiree! There is anxious talk about us being there again next year. As a company, we’ll need to talk about the pros and cons of the event, what needs to be done to improve

We’re half-way through another reen-acting season. “The Big One” is coming up quickly. However, this will be the first time in memory that I have been to a Gettysburg event and the 7th Mary-land has not! I will certainly miss you all not being there. It won’t be the same for me, but it will give me the opportunity to work with all the other companies in prepa-ration for the huge Bull Run event. I’m hoping that Lt. Jeff Bush will work with those present at the Funk-stown event to drill and be ready for Bull Run, too. Bull Run promises to be a busy and seemingly well-orchestrated event. We’ll see when we get there, won’t we? Please bring your “A” game to this one. Also, be ABSO-

the site and what we need to do on our end to make it better. I received many compliments on the event the following week when I visited the Farmer’s Market. Every-one, both vendors and market attendees enjoyed

the march and drill. Several folks at the Market, not remember-

ing my name, insisted on calling me “Colonel”! Again, I’ll miss you at Gettysburg and Funkstown. Please remember to hy-drate before the big event, bring any necessary medications you may need, bug repellant, sunscreen and plenty of patience. The date for cut-off registra-tion was June 1st, and the limit has been reached. There will be NO walk-ons at this event. Thanks for registering early. Have a safe trip to Bull Run.

PAGE 2 OUR CAMP JOURNAL VOLUME 16 , ISSUE 10

Col. Jay Henson

VOLUME 16 , ISSUE 10 PAGE 3

Christ”. Discarded hardtack boxes were often used to build shelters.

The Northern soldiers' daily ration, and Confederates' make do menu consisted of 12 ounces of salted meat, or salt pork. An out-break of hog cholera greatly reduced the pork and bacon rations. Coffee was made from the 8 pounds of roasted beans meant for every 100 men. Real Coffee was a rarity in the Southern Armies. 1 pound 4 ounces of Cornmeal, the Confederates got a similar ration if available. 9-10 Hardtack crackers took the place of the meal or flour ration. Thanks to the Union blockade, cookery supplies of any kind in the Southern Armies were hard to come by. The Northern blockage also deprived the Confederates of an absolute necessity: coffee. Southerners tried all kinds of substitutes-from rye to peas-but it was hardly the same. Canned “Essence of

Coffee”-an early form of instant coffee-was a bane to Union soldiers, but it must have tasted better than Confeder-ate coffee bean substitutes like roasted okra seeds, and parched corn.

Putting aside the real problem of bad or inadequate food on both sides, there was the fact that most soldiers knew nothing about cooking. Captain James Sanderson, Commissary of Subsistence of Volunteers, published Camp Fires and Camp Cooking; or Culinary Hints for the Soldiers( Army of the Potomac, 1862), he states, “Beans, badly boiled, kill more than bullets; and fat is more fatal than power.” An slight exaggera-tion, but still sage advice for millions of young men that were to be set loose with cooking utensils for the first time in their lives. A Union Army ditty of the day accurately expressed the sol-dier's feelings toward his daily meal, “A soldiers' fare is very rough, the bread is hard, the beef is tough; if they can stand it, it will be, through love of God a mystery.” Recipes were of little use to the soldiers in the field. More often then not cooking a meal meant tossing the contents of a haversack into a pot and hoping for the best. The Union and Confederate soldiers even nicknamed

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It is a soldier's prerogative to grouse about his food, and the Civil War sol-dier more than most, unquestionably earned that right. Neither government, be it in Washington or Richmond were prepared to feed the influx of men for the four year conflict. Complaints about the food that the men had, or didn't have in many cases, filled wartime let-ters, diaries, and post-war memoirs. The Union Soldier, of course, fared better than his Southern Brethren. Salted meat was a constant part of their diet, while in camp or on the march. It was usually plentiful, if not always edible. Hardtack, the 3''square, half inch- thick “sheet iron cracker”, that replaced the bread ration for the men, was the stuff of legend. Hardtack was mass-produced from flour and water, and sometimes salt, was flavorless, and the men didn't dare start chewing on it, until it was first soaked in water or coffee. Soldiers joked that the “BC” stamped on hardtack boxes stood not for “Brigade Commissary” but “Before

There were a number of distinct con-trasts between our St. Michaels outing and our typical outing. First, the physi-cal environment placed us directly in the middle of a residential neighbor-hood, with no large camps or battle-fields anywhere in sight. The surround-ings lent themselves to a much more relaxed feeling for the weekend. Second was the conspicuous absence of any Rebs, with the exception of the one poor lost soul who seemed to have been sepa-rated from his companions somewhere along the way. Not a difficult capture, but a prisoner nonetheless. The Colonel demonstrated a stunning display of compassion in releasing the fellow, even after his half-hearted oath of alle-giance was cut short.

While there is always the Living History and Camp Life component to our weekend outings, the St. Michaels event took on a completely different flavor. It often seems that spectators and visitors to camp are somewhat hesitant and reserved, and there is usually a physical separation between the spectator areas and the camps and spaces where we are located. In the close quarters of our St. Michaels encampment, and the small park where we held our Soiree and con-cert, visitors seemed much more com-fortable in approaching us for some discussion. Or, maybe we just seemed a

little more approachable.

Last season there were some concerted efforts by the 7th Maryland to make ourselves more accessible to the specta-tors, and I think we were clearly onto something interesting. St. Michaels, for me, reinforced the notion that the Liv-ing History aspect of our hobby is truly an enjoyable and rewarding piece of what we do as re-enactors; more so, I think, than are the battle demonstra-tions. I find that I really did not miss the battles or skirmishes that were not a part of the weekend agenda. I would like to see the 7th create more opportu-nities at our upcoming outings to ac-tively place ourselves in close contact with visitors and spectators, and just wade right into the crowd to force some direct interactions.

I’m certain that the creative minds of the 7th can collectively come up with some interesting scenarios to place us

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OUR CAMP JOURNAL

H.S. Charlie Gossard Co-Vice President

Cpl. Stephen Blumberg Co-Vice President

VOLUME 15 , ISSUE 10 PAGE 4

Last month’s event in St. Michael’s was one of those opportu-nities that comes along once in awhile that makes you ask “why have-n’t we done this

before?”. The area is rich in history starting well before this country was founded. It includes some important moments as well as people that had major roles in the period of time that we portray. Who would have thought that we would have camped on ground that was a part of that history? I would be very interested in what these grounds looked like back in 1862. From what I saw walking through the streets, many of the buildings around were there at the time.

It was very refreshing to have the reception that we received from the residents of this unique town. The in-terest that they showed in what we were doing was overwhelming. Think about this, how would you react to a bunch of strangers camping across the street in your neighborhood? I can’t speak for anyone else but I felt very welcomed.

Our arrival by boat, march through town, visit to the market, encampment in St. Mary’s Square, drill in the square and a Soiree in the park, what a day! To top all this off we had a splendid turn out. My thanks go to the 3rd MD Musicians and their entourage for mak-ing the long trip just for the day. They always draw a crowd and are the best. Great hosts, great friends, great food…great time I hope we get to do this

again!

Did I also mention drill? Yes, we did get some drill in. The ground was a challenge but we actually got quite a bit of drill in. The Colonel was hoping that we could do some bayonet drill unfortu-nately we didn’t. Don’t worry though; bayonet drill is in our future!

On Monday following the event I headed off to Greensboro North Caro-lina for business. It allowed me to take a route through southern Maryland that is also full of history significant to the 1860’s, as I was driving through towns on my way to a bridge (a bridge one man wished was there in April 1865) to cross the Potomac. It suddenly occurred to me just how much history Maryland has involving the Civil War from the beginning to the end. What history does your town have during the war? Do a little research, share it with us, and send it in to be placed in the Journal. Enquiring minds want to know!

by the Civil War soldier. In the living history area, reenactors and histori-ans will interpret life in 1861 for the soldiers, civilians, slaves, men, women and children. The U.S. Colored Troops will depict the struggle of es-caped slaves. Other groups will depict camp life for the soldiers including cooking, drilling, music, cards and games, field hospitals, medicine, mu-sic and much more.

Living history presentations will include a portrayal of Frederick Douglass, a program on the life of the slave in 1861 by Dr. Anita Henderson, medical advances during the War, photography and concerns for the soul of the soldier. Another topic will be “Patriots in Disguise” about female Loreta Velazquez who arrived from Louisiana to fight as Lieutenant Harry Buford.

Civil War era merchants known as sutlers, traveled with the troops and provided provisions to these ill equipped soldiers from canteens to

Visitors to the metropolitan Wash-ington D.C. area will travel back in time to the summer of 1861 during a reenactment of the first major battle of the Civil War, the Battle of First Ma-nassas/Bull Run, on July 23 and 24, 2011. Attendees will be an eyewitness to “The Moment that Changed America” as more than 8,300 Union and Confed-erate reenactors march into history at Prince William County’s first staging of the battle in 50 years.

The ground will tremble as more than 350 horses of Calvary units gallop across the fertile farms and fields. The thunder, flash and smoke of more than 50 cannon will mix with the dust from the feet of marching soldiers, artillery fire and black powder to create the fog of war. Reenactors portraying historic generals will follow the actual battle scenario that occurred 150 years ago.

The battle reenactment begins at 9:30 a.m. and continues for more than 2 ½ hours. Families can roam the soldiers’ camps to see the conditions experienced

caps. More than 30 sutlers as well as 40 modern day food vendors and merchants will sell their wares to civilians and sol-diers alike. Among these are B&B Tart, which sells wool and other period fabrics dyed with natural colorings. Others par-ticipating include Gardener’s Dulcimer, The Lanternman, and North State Hab-erdashery. Horses will be shod by The Blacksmith with tack repaired and re-placed by Duvall Leatherwork.

Use of the private farm was donated to the event by the Snyder Family in honor of their late mother, a local historic pres-ervationist, Annie Snyder.

Discover Prince William & Manassas, the area’s tourism marketing agency, is the lead planner and marketer of the reenactment.

Event sponsors include: Davis Water Service, Inc., Lockheed Martin, Jiffy Lube Live, GEICO, Potomac Mills Mall, News & Messenger/Insidenova.com, Weg-man's, Scott Alan Weible, P.L.L.C., Hampton Inn Manassas, Heather's Dancewear Boutique, Inc., Costco , Poto-mac Disposal Services, Heavy Construc-tion Contractors Association, Chik Fil-A and Uno’s.

OUR CAMP JOURNAL

Lt. Jeff Bush Company

Commander

For years, the 7th MD Volunteers enjoyed a reputation among the reen-acting community for our authenticity and attention to detail. We strove to maintain our impression on the field and off, while we were in front of the spectators and long after they had left. Over the years our impression has grown … shall we say … soft?!? We’ve lost a good portion of that crispness and attention to detail that caught the spec-tator’s eye. At the Annual Meeting, a number of the members of the 7th MD expressed a desire to rejuvenate our impression, especially since we are entering the 150th anniversary cycle. As boring and tedious as it may be, our impression starts with the fundamentals of drill; and the most fundamental drill is that of the School of the Soldier. Setting the lesson plan for a drill day, or drill period at an event, is always a challenge. How do you make the maxi-mum use of a limited amount of time, when you have disparate skill and ex-perience levels? In the past, we often threw all the fish together in one barrel (fresh and stale) and briefly ran through the maneuvers of the School of the Soldier, so that we could spend the majority of our limited time on the School of the Com-pany. In doing so, we did not provide adequate attention to the drill of the new recruits and guests. Because of that, the fresh fish and guests could not participate to the fullest extent in the Company level drills. This, in effect, ham-pered our ability to perform as a Com-pany. To com-pound that effect, during Company level drill, we were often subjected to “pop quiz” maneuvers; a Company level

maneuver sprung on us without any preparation to test our memory. Talk about your demoralizing experiences! Not only did we demonstrate exactly how much we forgot, but we set a very poor first impression for our fresh fish and guests. This year we are going to dedicate some time getting back to the basics. As a start, we have decided to adopt Casey’s Infantry Tactics (*) as the manual for instruction of the 7th MD. We will be studying it closely with the intent to build upon our competencies and cor-rect our deficiencies. We have our work cut out for us. Over the years, we have been exposed to many maneuvers from different Manuals. We have also been exposed to an equal, if not larger, number of “reenactorisms”. Reenac-torisms are any language, dress, or be-havior practiced by reenactors that does not have a basis in period material. When it comes to drill, reenactorisms appear in the commands we use and the way we execute those commands; lan-

guage and behavior that are not sup-ported by the period manuals. To make our efforts more challenging, it appears as if certain aspects of 1860’s drill were based on what was “common knowledge” at that time. Since we unfortunately are not privy to that “common knowl-edge,” reenactors often fill the gaps with their own knowledge. Some of this knowledge is the result of their research. Some is the result of the ex-perience with the modern military. Some is what has been handed down from one reenactor to another. We will be working to remedy these drill issues to the greatest extent possible. I would like to introduce you to the “Awkward Squad.” As described in the ‘The Encyclopedia of Civil War Usage’, “Veteran soldiers liked to apply this label to GREEN TROOPS whose mem-bers knew little or nothing about mili-tary commands and responses.” John Billings shared his recollections of the Awkward Squad in his book “Hard Tack and Coffee.” The use of the Awk-ward Squad will provide us a way to drill and polish fundamental aspects of our impressions. It provides us a tool to address the disparate skill and experi-ence levels of those who fall in with us at events. Those among us who are new or need a little extra work on the basics will be asked to fall in with the Awk-ward Squad for drill. Before you counter with “I’ve been reenacting for

years, I don’t need no stinkin’ drill!” Do the math! Over all the years you have invested in this hobby, ex-actly how many hours have you spent on real drill? Be honest about it. I doubt it comes close to the number of hours the Civil War soldier drilled in just their first month, dare I say their first week, in the ranks!

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VOLUME 16, ISSUE 10 OUR CAMP JOURNAL PAGE 5

“Drilling the Awkward Squad”. Illustration from Hardtack and Coffee, by John D. Billings.

Page. 208.

Cpl. Steve Giovannini

We intend to introduce the drill of the School of the Soldier into our daily routines at events. Those who demon-strate proficiency in the School of the Soldier will be released to perform their daily duties. Those who fall in with us for the first time, those who have fallen in with us before, but are used to a different manual, those who demonstrate a lack of proficiency re-gardless of their experience with the hobby, and those who have captured the attention of the Command staff, will be detailed to the Awkward Squad for additional drill. This will provide us with an opportu-nity to provide personal attention to new recruits, fresh fish, and aspiring NCOs. We can’t expect the enlisted ranks to be consistent in drill and ma-neuvers if our command staff in not

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consistent in issuing the commands. We will also use this time to drill any visiting troops that fall in with us for an event, so they are accustomed to our drill. And yes, even the stale fish that think they know it all will have occa-sion to fall in with the Awkward Squad. We hope to supplement the on field drill with articles that focus on specific aspects of drill. See you in the ranks of the Awkward Squad!

(*) INFANTRY TACTICS, FOR THE INSTRUCTION, EXERCISE, AND MA-NOEUVRES OF THE SOLDIER, A COM-PANY, LINE OF SKIRMISHERS, BAT-TALION, BRIGADE, OR CORPS D’AR-MÉE. BY BRIG.-GEN. SILAS CASEY, U. S. ARMY.

—Secession in Maryland was defeated by a direct

vote in the House of Delegates of the State, of fifty-three against secession and thirteen for it. The State Sen-ate published an ad-dress, signed by all its members, denying the intention of passing an ordinance of seces-sion. —N. Y. Times,

April 30.

sion, he walked down-stairs on the first artifi-cial limb that actually resembled a human leg, with a flexible knee and ankle.

Hanger was granted two pat-ents by the Confederate govern-ment in 1861, and opened a fac-tory in Richmond, Virginia. In 1871, he was granted a U.S. Pat-ent. Then in 1888, he relocated to Washington D.C., while there, he saw a black man whose legs had been amputated above the knees, begging on a street corner. Hanger fitted him out with limbs, and paid him to stand on that same

street corner, a walking advertisement for his business. Later, he hired the man as a janitor.

He married Nora McCarthy, and all six of their sons followed their father into his prosthetic business, allowing him to open branches across the coun-try. During World War I, two of his sons opened factories in London and

Paris. Although Hanger retired in 1905, he remained a adviser, and trav-eled to Europe to visit the wounded. King George V and Queen Mary com-mended him for his work

with British amputees. Among Hanger's other inventions was a lathe for manufacturing artificial limbs. James E. Hanger died in Washington

on June 9, 1919.

In his company's first 85 years, it rehabilitated a quarter million

American and Allied amputees of the First and Second World Wars, includ-ing Captain Ted Lawson, who lost a leg during the famous “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo” bombing raid by Jimmy Doolittle in 1942. French stage star Sarah Bernhardt wore a Hanger pros-thesis in order to continue performing after her right leg was amputated in 1915. “The House of Hanger” is now Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics, a division of Hanger Orthopedics Group, Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of prosthetics.

Source for article

“The Civil War's second-most important cannon shot” by: Gerald D. Swick. Amer-ica's Civil War. pg.49. May 2011.

The cannonball that shattered Private James E. Hanger's leg had more far reaching effects than any other cannon shot during the Civil War. After Dr. James E. Robinson amputated what was left of his mangled leg, after the Battle of Philippi, the young eighteen year-old soldier was exchanged in Norfolk, Vir-ginia. After arriving home to his family's plantation at Churchville, Virginia, Hanger told his mother that he wanted complete solitude, and some barrel staves and wood from the willow trees that grew nearby.

Amputated legs, at that time, were commonly replaced with peg legs, but Hanger had no intention of stumping around like Herman Mel-ville's Captain Ahab. Before the out-break of the Civil War, James Hanger was in his second year as a engineering student at Washington College, (now Washington and Lee University). Alone in his room, Hanger applied what he had learned in engineering to his project. After three months of seclu-

VOLUME 16, ISSUE 10 OUR CAMP JOURNAL PAGE 6

By Hospital Steward Charlie Gossard

James E. Hanger

The highlight of the month of June, by far, is the 7th MD Soiree, held in St. Michael’s. This being my first soiree with the 7th MD, I was a little unsure

of what to expect, but it turned out to be a great time. There were several great moments from this weekend, but I must first address one that caused some what of a controversy with some members (most specifically Dan Hart and Mike Lafferty, but not to name names or anything….). To give a little back-ground on the whole thing, at The In-vasion of Gettysburg in May, the ladies of the 7th MD to our brand new ped-

dler’s cart out for it’s first spin around town, selling various goods. On our way back to camp, we were over taken by said Dan and Mike, who offered to help

push the cart back to camp. This occurred at the circle in Gettysburg. We then traveled down Chambersburg Street and Springs Avenue. After Dan and Mike so gra-ciously took turns pushing the cart, we ladies took over the cart again a short distance from our camp at the Lutheran Seminary, thanking the gentlemen for their kind help.

As you can see, the travel distance of Dan and

Mike with the cart is reflected on the map to the right, Point A being the starting point, and Point B the end point. During the soiree weekend, Mike brought up his resentment of a state-ment he claimed that I had made, stat-

ing that Dan and Mike had only pushed the ped-dler’s cart for the total distance of one block. Dan was quick to join in with his protestations to this. So, being the fact checker and well edu-cated woman that I am, I decided to go back and look for when I made this erroneous statement. At this present time, I cannot find any instance of when I uttered such a thing. Obviously, Dan and Mike are grossly under estimating their

contributions to the civilian’s effort, as well as my opinion of their help. In creating the map, Google (as reliable a source as ever) was able to calculate that Dan and Mike traveled a distance of 0.5 miles with the peddler’s cart.

To give a brief comparison of the trip that the civilians took, I pro-vide the map (to the right) with the routes that we took with the peddler’s

cart that day. Please notice that we took a circular route along Route 15 through Gettys-burg, and also keep in mind how many hills there are on those streets that are highlighted in blue. In comparison, the route that Dan and Mike took was considerably flatter than ours. That total distance that we trav-eled, according to Google maps, was 1.9 miles. As part of our discussion at the soiree weekend, I greatly hope that Dan or Mike have chosen to write their own article for the news letter, but I’m sure you’ll all find that my opinion is based purely on fact, while their opinion is based on shaky recollection at best.

The soiree weekend was also another chance for the civilians to help raise money for the 7th MD. The perfect op-portunity came along with the farmer’s market that was held in Muskrat Park at St. Michael’s. We were able to set up our kitchen tent and sell several baked goods, earning a total of $83 in just two short hours. Combining that with our efforts at Gettysburg, we have raised a total of $195 so far this season. It is my great hopes - should we have our soiree in the same place next year - that we will be able to provide several more items to sell at the farmer’s market. We almost sold out of several baked goods items, and had to start selling items that we had originally intended for the soiree to keep up with the demand. We not only got a chance to raise some money, but it was also a wonderful op-portunity to interact with spectators.

Speaking of interacting with specta-tors, what had to have been our favorite visitors to our camp were the pirates, Cole and Walker. They entered camp some time before we wrapped things up at the farmer’s market, and pretty much stayed in camp the rest of the weekend, except for when they understandably had to eat and sleep. Cole and Walker

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Miss Sarah Harris Civilian

Coordinator

OUR CAMP JOURNAL VOLUME 16 , ISSUE 10 PAGE 7

were more than willing to show us their pirate outfits and weapons, play chess, ask questions, hang out in our tents, and do small jobs for us. By the time Sunday rolled around, both Cole and Walker knew the lay-out of our camp, where we kept certain items, and could identify the owners of sev-eral tents. It was like they were al-ready honorary members of the 7th MD. During drill on Sunday morning, both Cole and Walker were treated to drill instruction by Col. Jay Henson and Cpl. Steve Giovaninni. It is my high hopes that these boys might con-sider joining the 7th MD (along with their parents, of course); they already enjoyed one weekend with us, and they are obviously already interested in dressing up in funny clothes and pre-tending to be from another time. So, why not?

The weekend was filled with other adventures and memorable moments as well. The evening of the soiree itself was filled with great food, wonderful music, elegant dancers, and dogs that apparently had no bladder control what-so-ever. Though dogs may not have been our best friend at the soiree, penguins and kangaroos were very good friends afterwards (but not so much in the morning). We enjoyed a lovely boat ride on Sunday afternoon; the cool breeze was very refreshing

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after such a hot, humid weekend. I even had my own personal adventure after we broke camp on Sunday afternoon, which included a flat tire, beach traf-fic, and a torrential down pour. But, in all, it was a very good weekend. I hope that we are able to have our soiree at St. Michael’s again next year, I suppose I can sacrifice making the long drive for once.

On a completely different note, our

events in July are quickly approaching. Because we will be so well taken care of at Funkstown, I will not be providing any food for the event. Instead, the ci-vilians will be focusing our attention on the Ladies Fair, as is this the first event where we discovered our great success at last year. If you have any

baked goods that you would like to do-nate to our cause, it would be greatly appreciated. I am also hoping to raffle off a hand-made quilt that the ladies worked on all of last season.

As for Bull Run, I will be providing meals for the weekend. If you are plan-ning on signing up for meals, please do so by July 14. Because we are very lim-ited on space at this event, my goal is to only bring one cooler box for perishable

foods, the rest of the menu will be supple-mented by food that isn’t perishable. This means that I will not be bringing as much extra food as I usu-ally do, which in the past has allowed for people to sign up for meals last minute or during that specific week-end. This will not be the case

at Bull Run, once I give the final word people will not be able to sign up for meals or join in during the weekend. I apologize if this seems harsh, but it is also necessary at this time. There is also the very likely chance that I will be the

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Embalmed Beef: a term for canned beef

Teeth Dullers: hardtack

Nokum Stiff: bootleg liquor

For the Confederates they too had amusing nicknames for their daily fare. When asked, ”What's for Supper?” a Confederate might reply:

Cush (or Coosh): a porridge-like dish made from water, cornmeal, and fried bacon

Ironclad Possum: armadillo

Long Sweetening: molasses

Goober Peas: peanuts

their rations, probably for a laugh dur-ing supper. For the Union men, when asked, “What's for Supper?” they might reply:

Skillygallee: hardtack soaked in water then crumbled and fried with salt pork

Panada: hospital gruel made from crushed hardtack, medicinal whis-key(or water), and sugar and ginger

Dandyfunk: a Navy staple of hardtack soaked in water then baked with salted pork and molasses

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Corn Dodgers: hard biscuits made from cornmeal

Sagamite: Indian meal (coarsely ground cornmeal) baked with molasses or brown sugar

Pop Skull: bootleg liquor

Source of article

America's Civil War. pg. 52-57. 2011.

PAGE 8 OUR CAMP JOURNAL ISSUE 16 , VOLUME 10

only civilian from the 7th MD at Bull Run, so this means that I will need extra help with preparing the meals. In a fundraiser attempt, I am hoping to raffle off a brand new wheelbarrow (built by Kevin Harris) at Bull Run. The most important thing is making enough money to off-set the cost of building the wheelbarrow and still turn

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something of a profit. I would like to be able to conduct the raffle that weekend so send the lucky winner home with their wheelbarrow that Sunday. What this means is a lot of traveling, and a lot of pushing a wheelbarrow around many, many, many, many camps. Extra assistance may be required with this as well.

I am very excited for these upcoming events, and I hope every one else is as well. I’m looking forward to seeing all

Scenes from the spring soi-ree and Civil War Weekend

in St. Michaels, MD.

PAGE 9 OUR CAMP JOURNAL VOLUME 16 , ISSUE 10

Membership Application Received from: Tanner Barrow. Introduced at

St. Michaels Soiree. Next Company Meeting;

Bull Run Event.

of you over the next month.

So, into the evening, we lolled about, listened to music, continued to eat, and danced a little. Finally, after the musi-cians were gone and the last of the food packed up, everyone was invited to the Colonel’s quarters for a nightcap where we socialized while some communed with penguins and kangaroos.

Then to camp and to sleep. All were in agreement that it was one of the most restful sleeps anyone had ever engaged in on the field. Sunday morning was slow with little action until ten when we drilled again and received more visi-tors for an hour or two. Then we were released to do as we pleased, some stay-ing in camp, some going to town.

The final event of the weekend was another cruise on the MV Patriot at two o’clock, this one a real one-hour tour on the Miles River, provided free by the boat’s operator. A pleasant, re-laxing way to end our gathering.

We had a number of folks who could not stay for the entire event, but who came and put in as much time as they could, despite the drive. I espe-cially want to mention Jonathon Borlo who came during dinner bearing a dish to share, but had to leave about the time the civilian musicians did. He could only stay a few hours but he did come and join us in full kit for as much time

in camp to continue to meet with visi-tors, others became the visitors and wandered about town, talking, shop-ping, getting their pictures taken, and putting a bit of our hard-earned pay into the local economy. By four, we were due to begin getting ready for the soiree back at Muskrat Park. The civil-ian musicians arrived, dinner was set up and by five, everything was in ac-tion. The civilian musicians were ex-tremely talented with a large repertoire – what I am trying to say here is that they were really good and everyone en-joyed their music. Citizens came and set up chairs to listen to the music and watch us gorge ourselves. We brought a vast variety and volume of good things to eat. If anyone went hungry, it was their own fault because there was some-thing for everyone and plenty of it. Af-ter we finished eating, the musicians were invited to fill their plates, and when they were done, Colonel Henson invited the public to come in and help themselves which more than a few did.

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as he could, probably less time than he put into traveling. Jonathon was the most prominent, but certainly not the only one who went the extra mile to be at our gathering.

Thank you to every one who came and made it a memorable time. Two extraordinary events in a row. Can we keep it up? I think so. On to Funkstown

Civil War Re-enactors; America’s Living Historians.

among the spectators. It seems that once the ice is broken, spectators will be very happy for the opportunity to have some direct contact. This is where the preser-vation of the history of the Civil War can become a very personal and reward-ing experience. This is also where I think we might see some very effective recruiting taking place, simply by elimi-nating the distance between us and them, and creating opportunities to share.

Warmest regards to all the members of the 7th Maryland, I’ll look forward to gathering together once again at Funk-stown.

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