From Rob Hodge, event organizer:
Help save from development a 93-acre tract of The Wilderness battlefield the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust (CVBT) has taken title of.
Each participant is asked to raise a minimum of $100.00 for (CVBT). That is just the minimum. Raise more than that if you can. Remember, it is about asking friends, family, and co-workers, and others you might think would like to contribute to a noble cause.
The May 8,9 event is all Federal. We will have stricter authenticity requirements than regular reenactment events. It is not come one come all. If you doubt the quality of your gear call or email. The uniform impression is for most all participants: forage caps, sky-blue trousers, sack coats, double-bag knapsacks, tarred haversacks, 1858-smoothside or bullseye canteens with tan-jean covers and (preferred) cloth sling. All equipment and uniforms and weapons should follow standards based upon documented patterns used by authentic vendors. You should be in reasonable good health, in addition to height and weight proportionate.
The main units at this event will be The Liberty Rifles and members of the old Southern Guard, some members of The Potomac Legion, and various independent individuals with high quality impressions.
We will be camping on the land we are helping to save – right in the original Germanna Plank Roadbed – a major artery for movement of the Federals into The Wilderness. I would guess this is the first time since the Civil War that people in Union blue have camped there.
We will be conducting a dynamic scheduled living history on neighboring National Park Service land on Saturday, May 8 from 11-5. Each program is no more than 20 minutes long, and on the half hour. Programs will include infantry demos, artillery demos, fifes and drums demos, uniform discussions, and more. Those infantrymen that are also seasoned artillerymen might be recruited to pull double duty. Because the NPS has one black powder safety officer we are limited to two cannons.
The guru of The Wilderness, historian Gordon Rhea, has committed to coming to this event and will conduct talks during the May 8 public event. On Sunday, May 9 -- from 6AM to noon Gordon Rhea will be marching the reenactor participants around the battlefield -- as a "thank you" to our preservation efforts. The hump will be about ten miles round trip. I would suggest looking over some pages of Mr. Rhea’s magnum opus on The Wilderness before the event.
We will be going over part of a 300-acre farm that has 400 cattle. It is the last dairy farm in Spotsylvania County. The views are beautiful despite some modern farm equipment, etc. You can also see more vividly from this farm the future impact of proposed Wal-Mart on the viewshed of this battlefield. The farmer has been kind enough to let us on his property to march some of the battlefield – I do not think many folks have walked this part of the battlefield before.
CVBT Map showing the land available for purchase and preservation.
Saturday, May 8
11:00 – Fifes and Drums with occasional narration
11:30 – Medical Demonstration
12:00 – Gordon Rhea
12:30 – Artillery demonstration
1:00 – Infantry Demonstration
1:30 – Fifes and Drums
2:00 – Gordon Rhea
2:30 – What did they look like? A talk on uniforms worn at The Wilderness.
3:00 – Infantry Demonstration
3:30 -- Artillery demonstration
4:00 – Gordon Rhea
4:30 – Fifes and drums
5:00 – correct-to-the-period fiddle music performed by Appalachian music student Lars Prillaman
Throughout the day we will encourage dialog with the public.
Summary for Participants
Parking and directions to follow for those who register. Parking will be off site, and we will be shuttled onto the battlefield.
What to bring – your preservation dollars earned (min. $100), at least 20 rolled blank cartridges, a clean musket, period rations, and at least two gallons of water.
To register just email me or call me at robertleehodge@yahoo.com or 703-994-6970. I do ask for a $10 registration fee. Just bring it with you to the event. I am getting just two porta-jons. Any money left over from the few costs that there will be, will be documented and added to the overall preservation effort.
I hope you are interested in helping out and having a good time at The Wilderness near the anniversary. In spite of the rezoning for the Wal-Mart we are moving ahead to save some land. Thanks for considering coming to this battlefield,
Robert Lee Hodge
