Upcoming Events-Hartford City Civil War Days

2017 Program Cover

This event promo is for the first large scale event in our regular season, being held May 12th and 13th of 2018. The Hartford City Civil War Days is an event eagerly looked forward to every year by many reenactors.   With a few hundred infantry the battles can get quite smoky.  The cavalry make their appearance, fighting it out with sabers and pistols. There are many sutlers selling their wares, along with food vendors to keep your bellies full of food while watching the battle.

 For us as artillery reenactors the best part though are the guns.  Between both sides there are often over twenty-five pieces of artillery making their presence felt. If you want to see cannon, THIS is one of the best events. If you can stay late, watch the night fire of the cannon. Typically ten rounds with fireworks it is a sight to behold. They advertise this as the largest night fire in Indiana and I'm quite certain it is true.

Please note that this is a pay event. The price is modest, at seven dollars in 2017 for adults. Considering the scale of this reenactment our readers will be able to understand why.

For additional information on this years event, I recommend going to the Hartford City Civil War Days website.  I also recommend visiting the Civil War Days Facebook Page. Both places you will find many additional photos and information.  If you are interested in getting into reenacting, visiting the sutlers here can get you outfitted. One I specifically show pictures of is Fall Creek Sutlery.

The pictures, of which there are MANY from last year here, provide only a small glimpse into what goes on that weekend. 






2017 Saturday Schedule... always something to do

Get a tintype done



The Navy

Sutler's Row (Period Vendors)

A portion of a major supplier for reenactors and spectators, Fall Creek Sutlery

Traveling Medicine Show setting up

Part of artillery camp



Artillery tents stretching as far as the eye can see

Two cavalry exchanging saber blows

Federal Infantry firing a volley

Confederate Infantry firing at will

A portion of the guns, with many more on either side

Section (2 gun) fire smoke clouds

Artillery Hub to Hub for night fire

First round of night fire. Already you can see the fireworks

 

I also would recommend you pay your respects next door to the event itself.  A large cemetery with MANY Civil War graves of soldiers from Indiana and Ohio buried there, it is worth a look. There is also a large siege gun permanently mounted in there.  I will be taking pictures of it and some of the graves for future posts.

Small corner of cemetery visible behind artillery camp as we place the guns

 

-Corporal

 

 

Please note, the location tagged is that of the 3M plant which is across the street from the reenactment itself.





Those Who Went Before Us (Sumnerville I)

Located north of Niles, Michigan is the little village of Sumnerville. In my first year of reenacting I took part in a ceremony honoring an original member of my home unit, the 21st Indiana Light Artillery.  I've always remembered this cemetery. Due to its scale I thought it would be a good place to start covering those who were more common soldiers.  There are many graves I would love to highlight but I'll only cover a few per post.  Please note that the historical sign above is incorrect. It says that veterans starting with the War of 1812 are buried here.  I have pictures of their graves for later posts but below are two veterans of the American Revolution, some forty years earlier.

Something Jade taught me about Victorian times was the leaving of pennies on the headstone.  This symbolized paying the deceased way with the ferryman across the River Styx. I have seen this on many graves after I started looking for it, including one in this cemetery. This custom continues today.  It was almost a spur of the moment thing to stop up here so I didn't have many pennies with me.  Before I left I made sure to leave one on William Benton's grave as a personal offering. I will make it a point to get a couple rolls of pennies just to have in the car for this purpose.

One more thing I did and this is a personal habit of mine.  Every veteran grave I stopped at to take their picture I took the time to come to attention and salute. My personal way of thanking them for allowing me to visit and take their photograph.  I also did a general salute in all four directions when I arrived and left, complete with orders. I did this as a general greeting and goodbye. Again, my personal practice. I was not in uniform, but I did it anyway.

Original 21st Indiana Light Artillery William Benton

Revolutionary War veteran John Burk of Virginia

The son of John Burk, William.

Israel Markham, Revolutionary War veteran from Massachusetts.

Known now only to God. The stone is molded and weathered into illegibility.

The last marker is part of why I started doing this.  Just to provide a place where a handful of soldiers and their stones can be remembered before they wear away to nothing.

-Corporal

Henry Morrow

At the suggestion of a coworker of mine, I'm going to try to regularly post photographs and histories of the grave stones of common soldiers so that they might be remembered here as the stones themselves fade away.  This particular post will not be of the common soldier however.

Henry Morrow, Commander 24th Michigan Infantry

In my hometown of Niles, Michigan is buried Henry Morrow. Morrow was commander of the 24th Michigan Infantry, one of the regiments that made up the famous Iron Brigade of the Army of the Potomac. As I got to participate in a grave re-dedication along with the Sons of Union Veterans and the 1st Michigan Infantry back in 2010 I decided to include Morrow in the list of soldiers we would honor.

Morrow family plot marker

Morrow Personal Marker

Sons of Union Veterans speaking

Myself with the 1st Michigan Infantry

-Corporal


Col. Henry A. Morrow, 24th Mich. United States, None. [Between 1860 and 1870] Photograph. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/cwp2003002707/PP/. (Accessed March 30, 2018.)

An Old Country Church

In the second of what seems to be turning into a series, I wish to present a simple country church and cemetery that predates the Civil War. It is on M-140 a little north of Niles, Michigan. I will admit I find a certain elegance and charm in churches of this style over a modern mega church.  Once again I have no history on this church other than the sign, so I present it as is.

 

View inside through a very old window

 

 

 

-Corporal