MaineMilitia.com

This isn't an AAR but rather a few comments and thoughts of the thing.
The 15th and I arrived before eight on Friday morning. The night before with the exception of the civilian crew, we slept at wide field that looked to be a future housing development. I slept on the side of a hill, Tom near a badger hole, and the others in the truck.
Saturday's battle did not go so well in my opinion. Well, actually the Confederates did nicely. In fact the 6th was praised by not only other regiment commanders but also by our foes from the other side who wondered, "who was that damn regiment on the left with those terrible volleys?"
Not sure what was going on over on the Union side but after a couple of hours the battle opened again.
It was wonderful seeing the Confederate cavalry tearing apart the Federal right! They did an awesome job.
There was one scary moment, however. The 6th was marching onto a Federal battery and within fifty yards, thirty yards, and even fifteen yards, a Federal crew continued to load their piece. So to protect our scalps and limbs, we were ordered to swing our wing around to avoid a terrible situation. I think that the panic and awkward movement of our lines provoked the cannon crew to see their error and leave.
The dance on Saturday night was joyful. The 2nd South Carolina band was as always, better than the rest. I bought their new cd, "Favorite Camp fire songs of the Civil War" I highly recommend it as their best.
When they played Southern soldier and Dixie at the end, the heavens thundered with rebel yells and cheers and hurrahs. In fact I heard from a Federal Artillery major that he heard our cheers from almost a mile away. Our fight was up.
On Sunday we got that fight. It went more smooth and better paced than the day before. The day was also very beautiful. Like the day before I took a hit (very close to a thistle patch.)
Yet, I could not help but notice that there were very few Federal casualties on the field.
I also wondered why the Federals retreated in such good order! This was first Manassas right? Shouldn't they have ran, ran, ran?
At the reenactments of Cedar Creek that I attended, where it was custom for the Southerns to run and die like mad, WE DO! At the end of those Cedar Creek reenactments there are but only small groups of Confederates left scattered over the battlefield.

Why not die or flee? There are a few reenactments I can recall where the Confederate charged or marched right on top of the Federals and they did not die or budge. And so we march right up to their toes. Still no movement. So the public looks and thinks...okay?
And what follows is some awkward handshakes between the soldiers. This is not always the case but I remember four times where this has happened.
But anyway, I know we Confederates can be guilty of this too.

I think it is important that we all remember the public is watching and thinking. To make reenactments appear as real as possible there should be more hits or retreats. I know it is hard to do this when there isn't real bullets or no bayonets.
And who wants to look like a coward?
But as long as we march like its real, dress like its real, shoot like its real, and fight like its real, let us fall and run like its real. Though the public doesn't know everything, they do know that soldiers did fall in close volleys and that they ran, died, or surrendered during a charge. We know this too.