150th Anniversary of the Battle of Shiloh 2012

[Saskatoon Light Infantry]

Most states have no budgets to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War. With that said, some of the living history guys/re-enactors are planning special events and look what's happening for the Battle of Shiloh in 2012:

 

"You may have heard that many authentic groups on our end of the hobby have decided to come together once a year during the 150th anniversaries to create a regiment. It's the same groups who are coming from all over the U.S. and are putting together the 2nd Mississippi Infantry effort at First Manassas this July. To keep as many guys interested from all over the U.S. it was decided last year that events should be held both east and west, and portrayals would be both Federal and Confederate. OK, seems fair enough. Since we are in the east doing Confederate this year, 2011, the 2012 event is going to be in the west as Federals.

 

The Grand Adventure (TGA)

 

Imagine being ten miles upriver from Pittsburg Landing in Savannah, TN. General Grant was headquartered in Savannah for a short time at the Cherry Mansion before he left for Pittsburg Landing. The private property you are camping on Friday night has a large white mansion atop a bluff that looks like the Cherry Mansion. Very early Saturday morning, you are awakend to proceed to the river's edge where you see against the dark night sky a paddle wheel steamer dimly lit by candle light. Your regiment, the 15th Iowa Infantry, is ordered to board and make it's way to Pittsburg Landing. The original 15th Iowa Infantry aboard the paddle wheeler Minnehaha did make a short stop in Savannah on their way to Pittsburg Landing. You walk up a gang plank on the dirt bank (no modern marina dock) and find a place on the steamer. For the next two hours you will travel down river, be fed breakfast, be issued rations, and anticipate what's ahead. The steamer will stop at a designated spot where it will swing out the gang plank onto the bank and you will disembark. Here you will be issued ammunition and will hold a dirt road to the landing. Once we receive word that we're needed at the front, we will make a five mile march on the original battlefield to the actual event site where we will fall in under the First Federal Division (FFD). Terry Crowder who is the current leader of the FFD has graciously offered to send us a cavalry escort and a wagon with water for our march. He is excited to have us fall in with the FFD and has also offered to find a seperate camping location away from the masses for our regiment. This will be a large national event with many modern intrusions that we'll have to overlook, but it will offer the experience of taking a paddle wheeler and marching into battle which is a once in a lifetime chance. Minimum age for this adjunct event is 16 years old. A great team has been assembled to make this event a memorable experience that all of us will talk about for many years.

 

Just to keep all of you in the loop, the paddle wheeler holds 140 passengers to adhere to modern maritime laws (can't pack you in like sardines like in the 1860s). We will likely have to make two trips by wing to transport everyone, so that's a limit of 280 men max for this adjunct. We've already got 240 men for Manassas and are just starting the last month push for registrations there. My point is you don't want to wait to register for this Shiloh adjunct or you will literally miss the boat. We will make an announcement when our registration will open and where the website is. The national event has not opened their registration yet, so I don't have cost details as of this post. Don't hold me to this, but I'm guessing about $45 for this adjunct which will cover Shiloh national event registration ($20), bus transportation from the event site to Friday night's camp site in Savannah, TN where we board the boat ($4), the paddle wheeler trip ($15), and weekend rations ($6). This will give you and your pards time to discuss this event and determine if it's for you. I tell you all of this now to consider so when registration opens, you and your pards can register early and not miss out on this great experience. Now how's that for some fun!

 

Identified unit impression: 15th Iowa Infantry

Impression guidlelines based on historic data: much of the impression comes from details in the histories written by the original soldiers of the 15th Iowa

Established Organization and Structure with reasonable goals for numbers: The WIG is the host organization and we are working with the same units from around the country that are currently putting together the 2nd Mississippi Infantry effort for the 150th anniversary of Manassas. This will be a continuation of the cooperative effort of these units as we create a regiment each year of the 150th Anniversaries. Number is limited to 280 which is about where we are for the 150th Manassas.

Activities outside the event standard schedule that add value to the event for the participant: trip on a paddle wheeler like the original 15th Iowa did arriving the first day of fighting, breakfast on the paddle wheeler like the original 15th Iowa, march to the event site on original battlefield like the original 15th Iowa, ration issue, guard mount, regimental wagon, mounted staff and many other fun and period activities that the fine units that make up this regiment are known for."