Submitted by Seamus on

So whos going to ryegate? any stragglers I might be able to pick up?

Seamus

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From what I hear its a

From what I hear its a wonderful event. Not huge but the town goes all out for it..and its a little village in the east of vermont that with the exception of powerlines and the fire station couldd be a town in 1860...and there are tales ive been told of the breakfasts and pancakes and bacon....now theres a consideration for the event grading scale....do they feed reenactors and if so is it a good feed?
I will be finding out first hand this weekend and I will bring back news and details.

Seamus

"it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifing......nothing"
MacBeth

PRIMA NOCTA

This isnt really an aar but just a retelling of what happened

well we got there and it was a total of two Confederate units...the 12th Ga and us... But this Ryegate was different as Vermont pbs was filming a documentary on Vermont regiments in the war. So we were set dressing for the union....consisting of the vt17 nh6 and some other union units including 3 3in ordinance rifles and a cohorn mortar, and at least 17 horses for cav...including at the last minute of friday a group from Va. doing confederate cav.
on sat they filmed the firing of the cannons with accompaning pyrotechnics in the field...then later we had the "battle" compleatly scripted to the last point of...3 run away, 3 are captured and the rest must die on the confederate side...and it happened on schedulde...praise be for small miracles...oh and by the way I died and a glorious death it was....
after the "ressurection" they needed more wounded so I volunteered for that one limping up to the 25th mass field hospital...I witnessed an amputation and had my head trephaned...and would do it again just for the medicine that was administered before the operation( I believe it was Irish mist...)
the word was that the film crew got all the shots they needed for the battle, which was good as it came in and rained the next day..
but we still had some filming to do.
they filmed the confederates marching through the union camp as their pickest scurried away...cut! one take...then it opened up and rained...after the rain subsided we went in the woods and fired our muskets both north and south just to make smoke in the trees for the film crew. and then we lined up and just opened up our muskets at the union as they "skirmished " our lines for the camera.....
then we went home....Its amazing what you can stuff into and onto a toyota tercel....
The documentary will air on Vermont PBS in December and copies will be available...
Seamus

"it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifing......nothing"
MacBeth

PRIMA NOCTA

Ryegate

So Seamus... Someone gave you a lobotomy.....On TV????

Major Eric R. Reeder
CSO, 1st Division ANV, Staff
Liberty Hill Signals

2nd Lt Eric R. Reeder United States Army Corps of Topographic Engineers "Hawks and Eagles fly like Doves"

Ryegate review

I must say that I was somewhat disappointed with Ryegate. I expected it to be bigger, it being an out of state event and all. Off the top of my head there were about thirteen Confederates and twenty something Union. Don't quote me on this. The meals did not look very appetizing. I was content with my hardtack and had my fill. I was, however, delighted with the cavalry force there and the artillery. The 5th Mass artillery was kind enough to let me help man their cannon in the number 1 and 3 positions. It was a happy learning experience. I also enjoyed the nearby cemetery. There were a few Union vets who were killed in battle, including a 19 year old who died at Cold Harbor. It was quite a moving experience to pray near his stone. There was also a grave of a young woman who's inscription on the stone read, "Her last words were, 'Sing More.'"
The dance on Saturday night was great. The band played the longest version of Dixie I've ever heard I must confess that I had to sit down before the number was up.
The 1st day's battle was wonderfully styled. I prayed over 1st Sergeant Mike Pratt's bullet pocked body before I was captured and brought up to the yankee camp for yet more hard tack and some cold coffee.
The second day's battle was kind of weird. The producers of the PBS film crew said that we had to go into the woods and make some smoke. Well, we did that. I burned almost thirty rounds to keep that smoke hanging in the trees for those people. Over all, the reeanctment was unique, the drive there and back beautiful. Susan and I could not believe how expensive gas was on our return to Maine. At some point while we were making smoke in the woods or dancing our heals off, gas prices increased twenty cents in some places.
Like any other reeanctment, some things could have been better, and a lot was built up about it before hand, but all in all, the 15th enjoyed ourselves in the foot hills of the Green Mountains. All my thanks to the 12th Georgia for their hospitality and to the Union groups there that made a for a pleasent weekend.

"Let us but will it, and we are free." -President Jefferson Davis