I was thinking about the Civil War Battle(s) fought at Gettysburg and my experience attending a re-intactment a few years back. If you think these are just big boys playing around on a weekend, think again. They live the period, tents, food, and weapondry. The battle I attended was the fight for Culp's Hill at Gettysburg.
It was a fierce fight with artillery fire by the North raining down on Confederates as they tried desperately to flank the Northern Troops entrenched in their hastedly erected breast works. This battle was re inacted at Filmore Glenn State Park located in the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of NYS. Spectators were allowed very close to the fighting and sometimes found themselves between the opposing forces. Each actor had a name of an actual soldier who fought at this battle and prior to the fight give you his biography, marital status, siblings, home, etc., which made the battle more realistic. You were cheering quietly for your soldier to survive the battle and if wounded, the surgeon's saw.
As the battle commenced in the cool breezes of the parks gorge artillery began its thunderous roar with billows of white putrid smoke that obscured the battle field momentarily. As the first barrage got started my cell phone went off " Captain I hate to bother you on the weekend (they always say this) but I had a quest.... kabam, pow, boom, pow,pow,pow, hello Captain, Captain are you there! Yes ,boom, boom, pow pow, yes hello. Sgt yells into the cell phone what the hell is, boom, boom, pow,pow,kaboom. The artillery fire subsided enough for a soldier to yell for more ammo, "what's that you need ammo, what the f. K is going on Captain, are you being attacked?
I replied no this is just a re-inact boom, kaboom, pow. Then I lost cell service, fortunately cell tracking wasn't as advanced as it is now otherwise it would have been a "code 30" ( call for officer assistance, send everything). I answer the cell phone again, "Captain what the hell is" wawoooo, yahoo, woooo, yahoooo, from the dense woods comes hundreds of Confederate soldiers with their battle cry. "Captain where are you, let me send back up" " I am at a Civil War re-intactment" Sgt responds Good Lord you had me worried, thought I dialed up a wrong number at got Gettysburg 1963 battlefield.
As the Confederates advanced their, gallantry, bravery, and desperation were rewarded with obscene carnage. As the fighting continued they advanced to a point where both sides put thier guns down and reached out to each other in warm handshakes and embraces to the tearful applause of the spectators. As to my poor bewildered Sgt he only said that he had never in his life experienced such a bizarre call, he said it sounded so realistic and could actually hear me yelling orders to the troops to protect that flank.
Thanks to all who serve and have served!
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