Army of the Wabash Fall 2013 issue

ARMY OF THE WABASH

1

Army Of The

WABASH

ARMY OF THE WABASH

ARMY OF THE WABASH Established in 2012

Vol. 2, Issue 3 | Fall 2013

Welcome to the quarterly membership newsletter of the Army of the Wabash.


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CONTENTS

Leadership &

Affiliation

2

Letter from the Editor 3

Colonel’s Desk 4

Off the Wire 6

Letter from Stan 8

Photo Gallery 10

Joel’s Corner 14

Current Attendance 16

Guide On Travels 18

More from Ron 20

Web Links 21

Calendar 22

Army Of The

WABASH Quarterly Newsletter of the Army of the Wabash. The mission of the

Army of the Wabash is to function as a governing body of the Midwest-

ern regiments dedicated to the historic preservation of the US Civil War

heritage, and legacy.

AOW COMMAND STAFF

Ron Wilkins Colonel

Nick Leach Lt. Colonel

Will Behrman Sergeant Major

Stan Hurt Chief of Staff

Ivan Guillermo Vargas Communications

AOW MEMBER UNITS &DELEGATES

ARTILLERY

19th Indiana Light Artillery Phil Coleman

21st Indiana Light Artillery Ziggy

CAVALRY

4th Indiana Cavalry Rob Frost

7th Indiana Cavalry Rob Brack

NAVAL

Naval Bob Dispenza

MEDICAL

Medical Fred Schafer

CIVILIAN

TBD

INFANTRY

4th OVI Co. B Trent Boham

6th Indiana (Vernon Greys) Terry Furgason

11th Indiana Mike Beck

12th Indiana RJ Hagee

14th Indiana Co. A Eric Wilson

19th Indiana Co. A Gerald Siler

19th Indiana Co. K Ron Wilkins

19th US Doug Roush

20th Indiana Co. B Dave Crane

30th Indiana Russ Gilliom

32nd Indiana Co. B Jeff Stein

42nd Indiana Co. H Joel Foust

44th Indiana Jesse Poe

49th Indiana Co. F Rob Van

ARMY OF THE WABASH

3

So, Gettysburg has come and gone.

And because of that, “he” had to go

too.

You know who I’m talking about. My

bro-merang , my cookie duster, my

crumb catcher, my lip rug, my dirt

squirrel, my face fitting, my face furni-

ture, my flavor savor, my handlebar,

my lady tickler, my lip toupee, my snot catcher, my soup

strainer, my upper liphostery, my ‘stache. Yes, the fabled

150th Gettys-

burg is gone,

and my wife is

now delighted

that the my

old face lace

is gone with it.

About a week

after I returned

back from

Gettysburg, I

went to the

w o n d e r f u l

people at

Vee’s Barber

shop in the

Geist area of

nor theastern

Indianapolis to

have my first

professional wet

shave. A wet shave virgin, if you will. After being offered a

complimentary beer while I waited, Joe the barber

WITH IVAN GUILLERMO VARGAS

introduced himself, and showed me to the chair. I spent

the next few minutes having various potions rubbed onto

my skin, until finally I’m buried under several layers of hot

towels (to open the pores.) Very quickly, you begin to see

the appeal of a professional wet shave as you begin to

immerse yourself in a soothing, sensual, and relaxing expe-

rience. Even the shaving cream is warmed, and you

begin to appreciate the barber’s attention to the shaving

ritual itself and his meticulous care. I'm shaved twice,

downward with the grain, then up against the grain with a

fresh new blade, the barber pulling my skin tight as he

goes along to

a v o i d a n y

snags. We fin-

ished with cold

towels (to close

the pores) and

an aftershave.

The entire expe-

rience took

about 30mins,

and cost me

$25 without tip.

And just like

that, 2 months

of facial toil was

removed.

It was a won-

derful way to

wrap up a long,

exhausting and

memorable Get-

tysburg week. It was a pleasure marching with all of you

and I look forward to showing off my face in Hartford City

(minus the womb broom!!)

https://www.facebook.com/

ArmyoftheWabash

Find Us On The Internet

A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Ivan “Gorillamo” Vargas, the newsletter editor, before and after his trip to Vee’s

Barbershop to have his face hamster removed.


4

History buffs know the importance that the three-day bat-

tle of Gettysburg played in the Civil War, but few will know

what an honor it was to participate in the 150th anniver-

sary events.

The men of the Army of the Wabash, fortunately, are

among the men who paid homage to those brave federal

soldiers by portraying their deeds and heroism during the

four-day event on the fields north of Gettysburg. The

event was too long and too hot to get into the minutia, so

I'll hit some of the high points.

The Army of the Wabash was fortunate to portray Hoosier

regiments three of the four days. We started off the event

honoring the 19th Indiana on the first day; we portrayed

the brave lads of the 20th Indiana on the second day, and

we finished our salute to Hoosiers by recreating the 14th

Indiana for the East Cemetery Hill battles.

We were fortunate to have Will Eichler as our brigade

commander, who lobbied for us to honor these regiments.

Thanks, Will. The Army of the Wabash stood in the Army's

ranks as the 2nd battalion, 1st brigade, 3rd division. More

than once during the weekend, the 1st brigade receive

compliments from division. Similarly, the AOW repeatedly

received high praise from brigade.

I'm very proud of the discipline and fighting spirit showed

by the AOW during the event. And yeah, I know that

sounds corny since this hobby is pretend fighting. But any-

one who was on the field during Pickets Charge likely felt

the sense of urgency -- real or not -- as a massive wall of

Confederates surged toward the federal lines. In Gen.

Dave Shackelford's correspondence after the event, he

wrote of the AOW, saying, "The Army of the Wabash con-

ducted themselves like veterans despite this was their first

effort as part of a Division."

One of the highlights of the event was the fist fight Satur-

day during division formation. Hey, we figured the provost

hadn't done anything all weekend. We might as well make

him earn his keep.

As the division of more than 600 men stood at attention

Saturday, a fight broke out between the 2nd and 4th com-

panies, and chaos ensued. I caught a glimpse of Keith

Harrison, the division chief of staff, running at full gait from

the center of the division to find out what was going on,

and I noticed brigade officers starting toward our battalion

too.

By Saturday evening, rumor spread through the entire ar-

my that we had a fight in our ranks, and a couple AOW

folks from artillery stopped by to see what happened. By

Saturday night, the AOW boys who attended the social

events grew the tale, adding something about a hospital

and tying the air ambulance that landed Saturday to the

fight. God only knows what the rumor was by the end of

the weekend.

Good times and great memories. Certainly, the stories will

grow taller around our campfires as everyone involved

adds a little to the tale.

One final note about Gettysburg -- a personal note: I was

a honored to participate in 150th Gettysburg knowing we

were remembering Hoosier boys who fought there. I am so

very proud of how well the Army of the Wabash per-

formed. You all knew the drill and responded well as we

got into formation for the fights, and you boys brought to

life the memories of our forefathers who fought and died

there.

I count myself fortunate to have commanded the AOW

during the event, and I am humbled by the honor you be-

stowed upon me. Thank you, boys.

Ron Wilkins

Colonel, Army of the Wabash

FFFROMROMROM THETHETHE CCCOLONELOLONELOLONEL’’’SSS

DDDESKESKESK . . .. . .. . .

ARMY OF THE WABASH

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6

SEPTEMBER

150th Battle of Chickamauga

September 19, 20, 21 and 22, 2013

838 Dougherty Gap Rd. Chickamauga. GA

If Interested contact Ryan Williams via Facebook

Vermilion County Civil War Days

September 28-29, 2013

Kennekuk County Park in Danville, Illinois

If Interested contact Ron Wilkins via Facebook

Lincoln & Civil War Days


Memorial Park, Lebanon, IN

If Interested contact Rob Van via Facebook

Covered Bridge Fest


Crown Point, IN

If Interested contact Dave Crane at 219-306-6779

OCTOBER

Columbus Crew Soccer Match

October 5, 2013

Columbus, Ohio

If Interested contact Trent Boham via Facebook

151st Battle of Perryville

October 5th and 6th, 2013

Perryville, KY

If Interested contact Chad Greene via Facebook

REENFORCEMENTS NEEDED!!

It's difficult to imagine being in this hobby in Indiana for any

length of time and not knowing Steve Bouldin, and if you

didn't know him personally because you're newer to the re-

enacting community, you probably recognized his face.

Sadly, Steve died July 18.

From what I learned, he was at work, running cable in an

attic when he was overcome by heat. Unfortunately, no

one knew of his condition or got to him soon enough to

reverse the damage. He died a day or two after the inci-

dent.

Sitting here writing this, I still find it hard to imagine going to

an Indiana event and not seeing Steve, sharing a beer with

him and catching up on things. Hartford City is going to be

different next month without him there.

Steve came up

through the ranks

of Co. A, 19th Indi-

ana, serving in

every role the hob-

by offered. He was

well respected in

the old Cumber-

land Guard, where

he served as any-

thing from a pri-

vate to a battalion

commander. He

also was a respect-

ed officer for the

Black Hat Battalion,

which is an organi-

zation similar to the

AOW portraying the units of the Iron Brigade.

We will take some time at Hartford City to allow Co. A to

memorialize their fallen friend, and we -- the AOW -- will

also take a few minutes out of our day to recall what a

friend Steve was to us.

By Ron Wilkins

OFF THE WIRE

Farewell, Steve Bouldin

ARMY OF THE WABASH

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The 14th Indiana, which traditionally has been unable to

attend this event, will be there with a company. Also, the

20th Indiana, a relatively new group, are expected to have

a strong showing too. Specific camping locations will

come out later this month. Any suggestions for Hartford

City's event, please get them to me ASAP so we can incor-

porate them into the weekend if practical.

If you haven't been to Hartford City in a while, this might be

the year to come back for a visit.

By Ron Wilkins

Congratulations to

Jenna & Will

Married Aug 31st.

Events seem to

fall into the

same old rut,

year after year

after year. And

once in a rut, it's

difficult to climb

out of it. But eve-

ryone in the

AOW leadership

is committed to

doing things dif-

ferently than we

have in the past.

You don't want

the same, tired

event, and we

don't want to

lead the same

tired exercises at

these events. So

anything new is good, and we're open to suggestions.

With that said, Hartford City (Oct. 11, 12, 13) will be differ-

ent this year. Not enough so that it scares away the tried-

and-true supporters of the event, but enough to possibly

entice some to return to it. Certainly, we'll do the morning

memorial service, if the event chooses to have one. And

yes, we'll have to do drill. But perhaps the battles might be

different, and the camps might be different. I won't give

away the surprises. If you want to see, come out.

I will tell you that the artillery camp is moving off of the hill

it traditionally has occupied for decades. And all of the

infantry, including the 49th, will all camp below the hill, out

of site of the 3M plant. So there should be more opportuni-

ty for first-person exchanges without modern intrusions. I

also would welcome the opportunity to bring the cav and

medical's camps closer to the infantry, so that we all are

camped close enough to get to know one another. By

having the camps all together, it should build the esprit de

corps among the different troops, companies and batter-

ies. Expect the camps to be a little tighter than in recent

years because there will be more federal soldiers attend-

ing.

Hartford City, 2013

Have something for the Newsletter?

Send all photos, articles, info or announcements to Ivan at:

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]?subject=For%20the%20newsletter


8

GETTYSBURG JULY 2013

Attending the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg battles

as a staff officer for the 3rd Division gave me a unique view

of the event. I arrived on Monday morning with some of

the staff to lay out the 3rd Division camp for our two Bri-

gades and five Battalions. Re-enactors started arriving on

Tuesday and Wednesday to prepare for the battle on

Thursday at 1pm.

The 3rd Division staff of General Shackelford consisted

of 10 officers and men. My job as AAG was to receive or-

ders from Federal Headquarters and relay them to the Bri-

gades. I also consolidated the morning, weapons, and

after battle reports from the Brigades and forwarded them

to Federal Headquarters. I accompanied General

Shackelford and Chief of Staff, Major Keith Harrison to the

daily briefings by the Army General and his staff. At those

meetings the battle plans were presented and orders were

issued to the four Divisions.

A lot of time was spent on

logistics including the water

and ice located on the bat-

tlefields. The failure to per-

form as the Army General

wished resulted in some ci-

vilian personnel changes

with the result that by Satur-

day, the logistics problems

were solved.

My job on the battlefield

was to position the Division

Colors near the General so

couriers could find him with

orders. I carried the wireless

communications with chan-

nels to the Army General

Staff and the Medical Of-

ficer. I would inform the General of pertinent information

coming from the Federal and Confederate staffs. The

communications was important to keep the battles scenar-

ios in some semblance of the original plan.

My secondary responsibility was communicating to the

Medical Officer any casualties that needed removal from

the field. Surprisingly, with over 600 troops in 3rd Division, I

only made three calls for assistance. Most of the heat ex-

haustion cases were handled on the field with ice and wa-

ter. This speaks well of the physical condition of the troops

in 3rd Division, as some days the temperature was in the low

90s with heat indexes close to 100.

Now I want to brag a little about the 3rd Division. As

the only Midwestern Division in an Eastern event, we defi-

nitely proved our abilities. We were the biggest Division

on the field, and we were always in battle formation on

time. I won’t go into detail about the long delays, but

some of the problems stemmed from the failure in get-

ting water and ice on the field. The Federal Headquar-

ters staff was very open in complimenting our battle tac-

tics and overall performance. The Brigades were timely

in submitting reports so that our reports to Federal Head-

quarters were on time. In summary, we had fewer prob-

A STAFF OFFICER’S VIEW

AS THE ONLY

MIDWESTERN

DIVISION IN AN

EASTERN EVENT,

WE DEFINITELY

PROVED OUR

ABILITIES.

BY STAN HURT

ARMY OF THE WABASH

9

lems, complained less, and it was appreciated by the Fed-

eral Staff.

If you sometimes wondered why an Australian in British

uniform was carrying our colors, here’s the story. Brad

Manera, executive manager of the ANZAC Memorial in

Sydney, contacted me and wanted to join us. I thought if

someone would travel from Sydney, Australia to Gettys-

burg, he certainly deserved the chance to join us. Our Divi-

sion Color bearer on the second day chose to be a bugler

and Brad filled in for him by carrying the Colors. Brad can

be described as a walking military history encyclopedia

and he kept the staff entertained with stories of British and

Australian military history. Our division commander, Gen-

eral Shackelford, is also an expert on European military his-

tory and the two amazed us with their knowledge. Brad

has many years of reenacting experience, including the

famous battle of Waterloo. In comparison to other reen-

actments, our Gettysburg event far outshined anything he

has seen. He was thrilled to be among people who readily

accepted him, a true Midwestern trait, not always the case

in his experiences in other countries.

As the event concluded on Sunday, the skies opened

up and the rain that had held off all week soaked us as we

left the battlefield. The week was a visual experience that I

will always remember. It was a pleasure to share the expe-

rience with members of the 49th Indiana Volunteers and the

AOW. We proved ourselves on the battlefield at Gettys-

burg, and our military skills will certainly grow, but most im-

portantly, our friendship with each other around the camp-

fire is the true reward.

Major Stan Hurt

3rd Division AAG


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BY RUSSELL HAYS

PHOTO GALLERY

ARMY OF THE WABASH

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12

P h o t o m e m o r i e s

By R.HAYS HTTP://PHOTOMEMORIESBYRHAYS.ZENFOLIO.COMHTTP://PHOTOMEMORIESBYRHAYS.ZENFOLIO.COM

http://photomemoriesbyrhays.zenfolio.com/

ARMY OF THE WABASH

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P h o t o m e m o r i e s

By R.HAYS HTTP://PHOTOMEMORIESBYRHAYS.ZENFOLIO.COMHTTP://PHOTOMEMORIESBYRHAYS.ZENFOLIO.COM Most of the photos used in this newsletters were graciously provided by Russell Hays. If you wish to

purchase any, please visit his website at HTTP://PHOTOMEMORIESBYRHAYS.ZENFOLIO.COM

http://photomemoriesbyrhays.zenfolio.com/


14

BY JOEL FOUST

Editor’s Note: The following is a seg-

ment from “Oilcloth & Painted Accou-

terments” by Jack Cox provided here

by Joel Foust.

“Painting” was a 1800’s method of

waterproofing cloth for such items as knapsacks, haver-

sacks, belts, cartridge boxes and ground cloths. Properly

done, the fabric does become very waterproof, but retains

its flexibility. There are many different recipes for both

"period accurate" oilcloth and for a modern version that

looks the same, but without some of the problems of the

1850's recipe. The paint is generally applied over cotton

drill or linen canvas. The instructions below discuss the mak-

ing of ground cloths, but the same procedure applies to all

painted goods.

Modern Recipe:

While this recipe is obviously not authentic, it produces the

same look and feel as the original methods. The final prod-

uct looks, feels and wears as close to the original as most of

us can approximate today. However, you need to make a

decision as to whether you

want to "fake it" with a mod-

ern approximation when a

good period recipe is availa-

ble.

Materials: Wallpaper sizing.

Get it pre-mixed and ready to

use. Flat black or semi-gloss

interior latex paint *** Boiled

linseed oil Mineral spirits paint

thinner Japan dryer (All of

these materials are available

at any good paint store)

Method:

1. Using a roller, paint both

sides of the cloth with the wall-

paper sizing and let it dry. It should

take an hour or less. The sizing will prevent the paint from

soaking the cloth, and it will give it some "tooth" for paint

adhesion.

2. Using a roller, paint one side of the cloth with the black

latex paint. Let it dry overnight.

3. Mix 2 parts of mineral spirits with 1 part boiled linseed oil.

Add Japan dryer. Use 1 oz. (2 tablespoons) per pint of

paint.

4. With a brush, paint the sized side of the cloth with the

linseed oil mix. Let it dry. This may take several days, de-

pending on temperature and humidity. It's NOT wise to let it

dry in the house.

5. Paint on two additional coats of the linseed oil mix. Let it

dry between coats.

*** There is a variation of this recipe that works very well

also. Instead of using plain latex paint, mix 2 parts of latex

paint with one part of boiled linseed oil. Stir it thoroughly,

then follow the instructions above.

Period Recipe:

This recipe is an approximation, since the original recipe

specified "litharge," or lead monoxide (PbO) which is ex-

tremely poisonous.

Bright Idea: Leave out the lampblack, and you have a reci-

pe for a nice civilian waterproof cloth. I strongly recom-

mend this recipe because it is about as authentic as you

can get without putting life and limb in danger.

Materials: Boiled linseed oil Mineral spirits paint thinner (or

turpentine) Lampblack (comes in tubes or dry powder) Ja-

pan dryer Corn starch

Method:

1. Make a sizing by boiling about a quart of water and

adding cornstarch mixed in cold water until the mixture

becomes a little syrupy.

2. Paint the cloth with the cornstarch sizing and let dry.

JOEL’S FIX-IT CORNER

ARMY OF THE WABASH

15

3. Mix one part of boiled linseed oil with one part

of mineral spirits. Add lamp black until the paint is

a very opaque black. Add one oz. (2 tbsp) of

Japan dryer per pint.

4. With a brush, paint the cloth with the black-

ened linseed oil and let dry. This can take several

days.

5. Mix one part of boiled linseed oil with two parts

of mineral spirits. Add one oz. of Japan dryer per

pint.

6. With a brush, paint the cloth with the clear

linseed oil mixture and let it dry. This can also

take several days. Two coats of this mixture

should give the results you want. (You can omit

the cornstarch sizing if you want, but the oil-

based paint will pretty much soak the cloth.)

Confederate Ordnance Manual Recipe:

There is a recipe from the 1863 Confederate Ordinance

manual which I have not tried. Use at your own risk.

Materials: 28 Parts lampblack 1 Part Japan varnish 73 Parts

boiled Linseed oil 1 Part spirits of turpentine 1 Part litharge

(substitute Japan Dryer for this. Litharge is lead monoxide,

and is very poisonous.)

Method:

1. Mix the ingredients, using 1 oz. (2 tbsp) of Japan dryer

per quart of paint.

2. If you don't want the paint to totally soak the cloth, size it

with cornstarch as in the period recipe above.

3. Apply 2-3 coats until the desired sheen is obtained.

Turpentine-base Recipe:

This recipe comes from "Young's Demonstrative Translation

of Scientific Secrets - 1861." This recipe will

sound familiar in materials and proportion, but uses turpen-

tine instead of mineral spirits for a thinner. Hazard

Warning: The recipe uses litharge (poison hazard) and

the mixture is boiled (fire hazard).

Materials:

• 1 pint of spirits of turpentine

• 1 to 1 1/2 pints of linseed oil

• 1 lb litharge

Method:

Combine all materials in a large metal bucket. Litharge

reacts strongly to aluminum and zinc. Do not

use an aluminum or zinc coated vessel. Boil and stir until

thoroughly mixed and dissolved. Paint on the

cloth. Let dry in the sun.

This recipe will give a clear to reddish or yellowish color,

depending upon the base color of the litharge.

The first coats could be tinted with lamp black to make a

glossy painted oilcloth.


16

2013 AOW ATTENDANCE

Unit CP

May 18

CP May 19

Conner Prairie GAC Jul 6

GAC Jul 7

Gettysburg HC Oct

12 HC Oct

13 Hartford City

Artillery (Counted in Pieces on Field)

19th Indiana Light Artillery 1 1 1 1 1 1

21st Ind Light Artillery 0

Cavalry

4th Ind Cavalry 0

7th Ind Cavalry 14 14 14 0

Infantry

4th OVI 8 11 11 0

6th Indiana (Vernon Greys) 3 0 3 0

11th Indiana 7 8 8 8 7 8

12th Indiana 0 0 0 0

14th Indiana Co A 15 12 15 14 15 15

19th Indiana Co A 6 4 6 0

19th Indiana Co K 3 6 6 6 7 7

19th US 0 0 0 0

20th Indiana Co B 0 0 0 7 7 7

30th Indiana 6 5 6 0

32nd Indiana 1 1 1 1 1 1

42nd Indiana 6 3 6 2 0 2

44th Indiana 13 11 13 12 15 15

49th Indiana Co F 29 25 29 22 21 22

112 101 119 73 74 78 0 0 0

AOW ATTENDANCE

ARMY OF THE WABASH

17


18

BY BILL COMBS

If anyone has made it to an Army of

the Wabash event in the past year or

so, they would have seen our mighty

army guide-on flowing bravely in the

most blustery of winds. It flew gallantly

at the 150th Anniversary of Gettysburg

this past summer campaign. For those

that made it to that event, you were

lucky enough to see our most excel-

lent guide-on serve its last tour of com-

bat. The reason for this is that having

only signed the 3 year papers, the Army of Wabash Guide-

on bid took its leave from Col. Wilkins at Gettysburg. The

colonel left on Sunday night and continued on with the rest

of the army as the guide-on stayed in order to rest up and

gather its strength for the long journey home.

The guide-on, experiencing free will for the first

time in its life, was unsure on what to do with itself. It con-

cluded that it was best to start off by returning home to the

Hoosier state. Once there, it paid homage to one of the

member units of the Army of the Wabash by paying its re-

spects to the 14th IN at the Terre Haute Civil War Memorial.

Knowing that it's hard to get a good job without a

college education now-

adays, the guide-on de-

cided to check-out Wa-

bash College. A school

that has a try connection

to the Union effort when

many of her sons an-

swered Lincoln's call for

volunteers. The most

prominent of these sons

being Major General Lew

Wallace. The guide-on

took a peak into Forest

Hall which is the original

1832 school house but

now houses the Wabash

teacher education de-

partment. Later, it looked

on the honored steps of

the Wabash Chapel from

the Mall. However, it was

sorely disappointed

when it found out from

the Associate Dean of

Students, William Oprisko,

that the guide-on's previ-

ous academic accom-

plishments did not meet

Wabash's standards. The

guide-on was unfortunately denied

admittance to the college.

All was not lost, however.

The guide-on would not let Wabash

ruin his visit to Crawfordsville, In. It

toured the towns most prestigious

sites including the home of former

Indiana Governor Henry S. Lane and

the Lew Wallace's personal study

where he wrote his best-selling novel

Ben Hur. Unfortunately for the guide-

on, the museums were already over-

staffed on tour guides despite its ex-

cellent references and qualifications.

The brave little guide-on was

not discouraged. Instead, it pur-

chased a Saturday pass to Gencon

Indianapolis! With the 49,000 people

that were going to the event, the

guide-on was sure that somebody

would have a place for him. Woeful-

THE “GUIDE ON” MOVES ON

ARMY OF THE WABASH

19

ly, it was not the banner the Imperial Stormtroop-

ers were looking for. Nor was it willing to follow the

God-Emperor of the Imperium of Man from the

Warhammer 40,000 universe and it barely es-

caped the stringent commissar clutches. The

guide-on almost made it into the forces of Cygnar

but the warjack's grip was a little too tight for

comfort. In fact, the guide-on barely escaped

intact as the sheep hosts of Mayfair's Bob & Angus

Show hungrily stalked the poor, lonely guide-on

around the trade floor. The guide-on, dejected,

left Gencon with a heavy heart as joyous nerds,

geeks, and dorks continued to celebrate some of

the only days of the year when they don't have to

face the fear of wedges and swirlies on a con-

sistent basis.

From the point on, the tale of the guide-on is un-

clear. There are rumors that guide-on is heading to Chicka-

mauga, Lebanon, and even Hartford City in hopes of find-

ing it's true home. If you wish to know the conclusion of the

guide-on's forlorn travels across the country, then I highly

suggest attending any one if not all of these events. Help

the guide-on find its home so that it may enjoy the rest of its

life with companionship and not retire alone.


20

Ever since I started re-enacting, I've

wanted to improve -- improve my uni-

forms, my impression, my knowledge

of the drill, my understanding of the

soldiers' lives.

Fortunately, I had mentors along the

way suggesting books to read, advis-

ing me on what vendors to purchase

from and what vendors to avoid. We

need more mentors who know this stuff, so in the June

AOW newsletter, I discussed having resource people who

could be contacted for anyone having questions about

drill, accurate impressions or other questions about how to

improve our kits.

I have to admit that volunteers have been slow to step

forward, and I understand that. Everyone's busy.

But I have two names to throw out for authenticity for uni-

forms and camp

life impressions.

They are Greg

Swank of the

49th Indiana

and Joel Foust

of the 42nd Indi-

ana.

Both of these

guys have flaw-

less kits and

h a v e r e a d

about the uni-

forms and camp

life of the com-

mon soldier.

They've also ex-

perienced more

p r o g r e s s i v e

events without

being tainted by

the elite attitude

that has turned

many away

from attending

those events.

If you have questions about what type of equipment to

purchase to improve your impression, I encourage you to

seek out their counsel. They're on facebook and they're

approachable if you see them at events. Both are great

guys with solid impressions.

I have a few names for experts on the drill, customs of ser-

vice and regulations, but I need more. So I hopefully, I can

release those names in the next newsletter.

Until then, if you're looking for more information about what

life was like as a Civil War soldier, I highly recommend you

pour over the book "Hardtack and Coffee" by John Billings.

Billings didn't know when he was writing his memories of the

war, but he was creating the essential how-to book for Civil

War re-enactors. If you haven't read it, you should.

BY RON WILKINS

IMPROVING YOUR IMPRESSION

ARMY OF THE WABASH

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Unit Website

ARMY OF THE WABASH Facebook Page www.facebook.com/ArmyoftheWabash

11th Indiana indiana11th.tripod.com

14th Indiana Co. A coa14thind.org

30th Indiana www.30th-indiana.org

42nd Indiana Co.H 42indiana.wix.com/home#!

44th Indiana www.44thindiana.org

49th Indiana Co. F www.49thindiana.com

4th OVI Co. B www.freewebs.com/4thovi

6th Indiana (Vernon Greys) vernongreysmilitia.yolasite.com

7th Indiana Cavalry 7thindcav.org

** Please contact Ivan Vargas ([email protected]) if you have a link you would like to add here.

Web Links


22

ARMY OF THE WABASH

23

2013 Max Effort Events

Potential 2014 Events

EVENT LOCATION DATE

Army of the Wabash Meeting Conner Prairie 11:00 a.m, Feb 9, 2013

** Conner Prairie Fishers, IN May 17, 18, 19 2013

** Gettysburg Gettysburg, PA July 4, 5, 6, 7 2013

** Event Hartford City, IN October 11, 12, 13 2013

EVENT LOCATION DATE

Atlanta Hampton, GA September 19, 20, 21 2014

EVENT LOCATION DATE

Army of the Wabash Meeting Conner Prairie 11:00 a.m, Feb 9, 2013

Sassafrass Tea Festival Vernon, IN April 26, 27, 28 2013

Crown Hill Ceremony (150th Anniversary) Indianapolis, IN May 27, 2013 (12:00 noon)

Steam Museum Hesston, IN June 21, 22, 23 2013

Event Corydon, IN July 12, 13, 14 2013

Event Hastings, MI July 19, 20, 21 2013

Event Knightstown August 2, 3, 4 2013

Morgan's Raid Jackson County, OH August 16, 17, 18 2013

Event Richmond, KY August 23, 24, 25 2013

Event Chickamagua September 19, 20, 21 2013

Johnney Appleseed Fort Wayne, IN September 19, 20, 21 2013

Lincoln Days Lebanon, IN September 27, 28, 29 2013

Angola Civil War Days Angola, IN September 27, 28, 29 2013

Atlanta Hampton, GA November 1, 2, 3 2013

Other 2013 Events Supported by AOW Units

CALENDAR


24

En route from Springfield, Illinois to his

first inauguration in Washington D.C.,

Abraham Lincoln’s train stopped in

Lebanon on February 11, 1861, where

he addressed the citizens of this small

Boone County town.

LLINCOLNINCOLN’’SS LLEBANONEBANON & CIVIL WAR RE-ENACTMENT

LL INCOLNINCOLN ’’SS LLEBANONEBANON & &

CC IVILIVIL WWARAR RREE --

ENACTMENTENACTMENT

WHAT IF HE HAD WHAT IF HE HAD

STAYED TO VISIT?STAYED TO VISIT? On September 28th, that’s exactly

what he will do, visiting with the

citizens of Boone County who wish to

meet him, enjoy a photo op, and

listen to him speak. Come meet a

great icon of American history.

September 28 September 28 -- 29, 201329, 2013

Memorial ParkMemorial Park

TWO FUN DAYS OF ACTIVITIES

At noon, Saturday, the President speaks at the histori-

cal marker in front of Family Video on South Lebanon

St., before traveling to Memorial Park where he will re-

main until 5 PM.

A full encampment of both Union & Confederate

troops will be present in the park

Several food vendors will be on hand, offering a variety

of tasty items.

Civil War demonstrators will be on hand

ARMY OF THE WABASH

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Documents

Army of the Wabash Fall 2013 issue