4th U.S. guy - I told him after I took this, "You're going to want a copy of this image." Taken during a chaotic skedaddle away from the Rebs on Sunday's battle. (A Reb company may be seen behind the guy with the uplifted sword.)
Federal infantry on the march - I'm usually up front in a column; this was a rare sight. Looks cool, really cool. It's neat to be a part of it, if you happen to like history. It seems like you're a character in a book. That's the Cedar Creek we are crossing in mid-photo. The best thing about this image is that there are no obvious anachronisms in it. It could be 1864. (If they had modern digital photography in 1864, that is.)
Federal infantry on the march again - Same thing, only in portrait orientation. Now we're at right shoulder shift. The little digital Nikon point-and-shoot I borrowed from my daughter is having some problems resolving exposure levels, so the sky whitens out in order to properly expose all those navy blue sack coats. Looks like we're marching into a nuclear strike. Shooting into the sun didn't help, either. But it's a nice little camera in that it fits comfortably in my sack coat pocket and can be whipped out for photos during a battle and slipped back in again. Manipulating it and a musket is a challenge, however.
Federal cavalry camps - After the dawn tactical about 7 AM. Just a small part of the Federal camps. It was quite damp in the morning... I left my sack coat out. Big mistake. Makes it very unpleasant to put on at 5:30 AM. Anyway, I like the soft, impressionistic colors in this photo. No Photoshopping... that's exactly how the camera rendered it.
Federal arty - I took this shot when I became a casualty in the Saturday battle. I like the blue sky, the cloud and the fact that the flag unfurled when the sensor fired.
Federal arty - front - A full-scale repro cannon and limber can cost up to $20,000. There are no less than eight cannon here. You do the math. Federal artillery is cool; I always like seeing, hearing and feeling it. There's a saying: "Artillery lends dignity to what would otherwise be a brawl." Historically, it also lent a lot of gore and hideous injuries. I recall reading one Yank diarist mentioning that the wounds caused by arty were always the most ghastly on the battlefield.
A female artillerist - A female doing a not-entirely credible male artillerist impression. A member of the 5th Nice Buns Battery, perhaps. My wife's comment was, "Guess they had thong underwear during the Civil War..."
149th PA flag - ...an especially handsome repro. Made of silk. Costs many hundreds of dollars. Note porta-potties on treeline - a constant sight at mega-events. I used to know a guy who rated reenactments by the conditions of the porta-potties. Cedar Creek was a 10 by this reckoning. These porta-potties had Purell hand sanitizers. ("Kills 99.99% of most common germs." Most common... so is that, like, 10% of *all* germs?)
The Heater House - On the battlefield, it was there in 1864. Needs work, obviously. That's what the reenactment raises money for.
Ice Boy - Not yet sixteen so he can't be a musketman. Instead, he carries ice for the troops. (It got very warm on Sunday.) His primary occupation at the event, however, was looking for girls his age. I suggested that he spot some while marching through the Reb camp and then collapse wounded at their feet, making a pathetic and heart-rending image. Then get a phone number.
Sutler tent - The sutlers (sellers of Civil War era goods), did a brisk business, as Cedar Creek was well-attended. I dropped nearly $100 on food, a new hat, black powder, a DVD of "The Red Badge of Courage" and new gaiters. There were between 20 to 30 of these tents; I have never seen so many at an event.
Ken Linn - Ken Linn of the 4th U.S. and a former hooker for the Richmond Lions. The composition is interesting. It looks like the officer with the sword is picking out food from between his teeth.
Me - The beau ideal of the Federal soldier. That sack coat fits a whole lot better now than it did when I was forty three pounds heavier in May, when I bought it. New hat! I retired my 23 year-old one...
Rebs - The business end of a Reb company, taken during the Sunday battle when I was lying on the ground as a casualty. Having those crackers firing above me was decidedly unpleasant. One guy - Cannon Reb - was firing what sounded like 180 grain rounds. They didn't advance as I expected, and tiring of feeling like I was about to lose my hearing or my head, I crawled past the company to the rear. Note the Reb at left with the upside down U.S. buckle. If you asked, he'd probably tell you he got it off a dead Yank. Also note six different colors of uniform coats. That's what makes a line of Federal infantry a lot more military-looking than a line of Reb infantry; we're more uniform. Rebs look like an assortment of unwashed laundry. (Which is totally authentic.)
A mighty swig - From behind the Reb lines. A big hairy Reb takes a hit and a mighty swig of water. The single star on the canteen suggests that he is a Texan. The South Shall Rise Again! Even he will, eventually. Note the guy with the red beret and the flowing hair. The Confederate Army seems to have a bunch more of these types than we Yanks do.
SNY - Casualty-eye view of the back of a Federal line while they're firing. The box plate at right stands for "State of New York" - a NY unit that was in our company. Back in my needlessly insulting days I used to claim that it stood for "Some Neutered Yanks." The look on the private suggests that my digital camera is making finger smudges into his window into the past.
4th U.S. - Casualty-eye view of the front of the 4th U.S. company line. FEAR THE FEDERAL BLUE.
Casualty - This is Ken Linn; he took a hit. I joined him. The battle rages on beyond us. I figured that if I slanted the image it would look more like a real, taken-in-a-hurry action shot. That little white thing he's holding is a bible verses tract given to us by a Chaplain who was roaming the rear lines, comforting the wounded. I was reading Ken verses from mine. As he's a rugger, it probably wasn't doing any good.