Old Bedford Village - April 2008
I just wanted to give a little recap of the events at Old Bedford Village.
In attendance were
Chris and Vickie Wright
Clint and Billie Jo Wright and Brandon
Wally Rohrbacher
Mike Poling
Daniel Robinson
Wally was the first to arrive at the event and found where we would be staying (in the white school house on edge of town). Chris, Vickie, Mike and Daniel next arrived and began to rearrange the building to accommodate everyone. We all got set up and began a fire. It was already in the evening hours and was soon to get dark. Clint, Billie Jo, and Brandon finally arrived and we got them all set up in the the school house. We all sat around the fire just chatting and catching up. Mark Essig made a visit to our camp and ensured that we were comfortable and had everything we needed.
Saturday - Reveile at 6am. We all got up and prepared and ate breakfast. Lined up at 7:15am and formed the Battalion. We had members from the 55th Va Infantry fall in with our group (5 members). Very nice people and enjoyed their company. They fit in well with our group. Very funny and serious when we needed to be. At 7:30am marched down near the river and formed battle line waiting for the Yanks to finish up breakfast. At 8am, the yanks general said that they needed to conduct a dress parade and attend to other matters. So, we broke ranks and headed back to camp to enjoy a longer breakfast period and down time. We were to report back at 10am. At 10am, we formed the battalion again and marched to the other end of town to find the yanks still not yet ready for the days battle. They were just marching off to their starting positions. So, again, we had to wait on them to get ready. Finally, by about 10:30am the battle started (Fredericksburg). We held positions at the rail fence, but they brought up 2 cannons at opened up a hellacious fire. We fell back to the first buildings on edge of town to fend off a flank attack by a couple of companies of yanks. They kept pushing and continued with bringing forward their artillery. They kept pushing us through town until we ended the first battle at the edge of town. (this is where we would start the 2nd battle of the day (Marye's Heights) out on the Corn field. The battle lasted about an hour. We went back to camp where we gathered something to eat and resupply ourselves for the next battle.
We lined up at 1pm (Battalion) and marched off to the open field. We started off with our backs to the woods that faces the road (Rt. 220/I-99). Here the yanks began pushing us back into the woods across the mushing ground and up to fortified positions at top of the heights. (Marye's Heights). The ground did resemble the original ground. The yanks came, wave after wave up at our fortified positions and time after time, we beat them back with a sustained fire. That is where the battle ended. It lasted also about an hour.
The battles were not over though. We were told we would be marching out again around 6pm. In the meantime, we all went back again to resupply ourselves and grab something to eat and rest. We played the game cornhole for awhile. At 6pm, Clint, Mike and Daniel, and I all went to meet up with remnants of other companies. The Yanks went out to the cornfield. We broke off into 3 separate companies. The first would push through the cornfield straight at them, our company would hit them from the woods on their left, and the other company would hit them from the woods on the right. Well, the company on their right ran into their sharpshooters. there main body (in the cornfield) turned slightly to help fight our troops on there right. Well we opened fired from there left shooting many in there backs. Well, when some of them turned to fight us, the other rebel company opened fired from the cornfield in there center. It could not have been any better. We pushed the yanks from where we were. They were able to make it to the woods on there right and got around the rebels that were in there center. We basically turned there army completely around (did a 180). Clint and I broke off and ran down a path in the woods along the river. there we caught up with a couple others that were fight the yank sharpshooters. We went under the covered bridge and found cover in some high brush and a fence line. We had them completely surprised and were now on there left flank. We rose up and opened up a devastating fire on them. They were demoralized and had to fall back as the other rebels regrouped and pushed hard in there center. We had one that battle hands down.
After the battle we all went back to our camps where we just rested and played more games (cornhole) and chatted. Clint, Billie Jo, and Brandon left around 9pm. We all went to bed to only awake with the downpouring of rain. Mark Essig came by a little later and just told us to pack up that there was heavier ran on its way. So, we all packed up, went to Denny's to eat breakfast and then all went home.
I would say that it was a very nice weekend, with plenty of action other than we constantly had to wait on the yanks to get ready. We all missed those who could not make the event and hope to see everyone out at the next event(s).
In attendance were
Chris and Vickie Wright
Clint and Billie Jo Wright and Brandon
Wally Rohrbacher
Mike Poling
Daniel Robinson
Wally was the first to arrive at the event and found where we would be staying (in the white school house on edge of town). Chris, Vickie, Mike and Daniel next arrived and began to rearrange the building to accommodate everyone. We all got set up and began a fire. It was already in the evening hours and was soon to get dark. Clint, Billie Jo, and Brandon finally arrived and we got them all set up in the the school house. We all sat around the fire just chatting and catching up. Mark Essig made a visit to our camp and ensured that we were comfortable and had everything we needed.
Saturday - Reveile at 6am. We all got up and prepared and ate breakfast. Lined up at 7:15am and formed the Battalion. We had members from the 55th Va Infantry fall in with our group (5 members). Very nice people and enjoyed their company. They fit in well with our group. Very funny and serious when we needed to be. At 7:30am marched down near the river and formed battle line waiting for the Yanks to finish up breakfast. At 8am, the yanks general said that they needed to conduct a dress parade and attend to other matters. So, we broke ranks and headed back to camp to enjoy a longer breakfast period and down time. We were to report back at 10am. At 10am, we formed the battalion again and marched to the other end of town to find the yanks still not yet ready for the days battle. They were just marching off to their starting positions. So, again, we had to wait on them to get ready. Finally, by about 10:30am the battle started (Fredericksburg). We held positions at the rail fence, but they brought up 2 cannons at opened up a hellacious fire. We fell back to the first buildings on edge of town to fend off a flank attack by a couple of companies of yanks. They kept pushing and continued with bringing forward their artillery. They kept pushing us through town until we ended the first battle at the edge of town. (this is where we would start the 2nd battle of the day (Marye's Heights) out on the Corn field. The battle lasted about an hour. We went back to camp where we gathered something to eat and resupply ourselves for the next battle.
We lined up at 1pm (Battalion) and marched off to the open field. We started off with our backs to the woods that faces the road (Rt. 220/I-99). Here the yanks began pushing us back into the woods across the mushing ground and up to fortified positions at top of the heights. (Marye's Heights). The ground did resemble the original ground. The yanks came, wave after wave up at our fortified positions and time after time, we beat them back with a sustained fire. That is where the battle ended. It lasted also about an hour.
The battles were not over though. We were told we would be marching out again around 6pm. In the meantime, we all went back again to resupply ourselves and grab something to eat and rest. We played the game cornhole for awhile. At 6pm, Clint, Mike and Daniel, and I all went to meet up with remnants of other companies. The Yanks went out to the cornfield. We broke off into 3 separate companies. The first would push through the cornfield straight at them, our company would hit them from the woods on their left, and the other company would hit them from the woods on the right. Well, the company on their right ran into their sharpshooters. there main body (in the cornfield) turned slightly to help fight our troops on there right. Well we opened fired from there left shooting many in there backs. Well, when some of them turned to fight us, the other rebel company opened fired from the cornfield in there center. It could not have been any better. We pushed the yanks from where we were. They were able to make it to the woods on there right and got around the rebels that were in there center. We basically turned there army completely around (did a 180). Clint and I broke off and ran down a path in the woods along the river. there we caught up with a couple others that were fight the yank sharpshooters. We went under the covered bridge and found cover in some high brush and a fence line. We had them completely surprised and were now on there left flank. We rose up and opened up a devastating fire on them. They were demoralized and had to fall back as the other rebels regrouped and pushed hard in there center. We had one that battle hands down.
After the battle we all went back to our camps where we just rested and played more games (cornhole) and chatted. Clint, Billie Jo, and Brandon left around 9pm. We all went to bed to only awake with the downpouring of rain. Mark Essig came by a little later and just told us to pack up that there was heavier ran on its way. So, we all packed up, went to Denny's to eat breakfast and then all went home.
I would say that it was a very nice weekend, with plenty of action other than we constantly had to wait on the yanks to get ready. We all missed those who could not make the event and hope to see everyone out at the next event(s).
2008-04-26 15:03:42 GMT