Hunting Forum

Hey Shiloh, I am looking for a Civil war era song I heard once. I can't find it anywhere. Do you happen to know anyone that knows the tune and lyrics for 'Jubilee?'

It was popular in the early part of the war in South Carolina and the neighboring states.

It is called "The Year of Jubilee", and old protestant Church hymn from the antebellum days. It goes something like "This is the year of Jubilee, the year fo Jubilee, when all the people are set free..." The chords are the ones used in the movie "Glory" as the 54th Mass. marches past the mansions in SC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P4Y7...re=related
Oh!  So this is how it happened!

Be more than glad to outfit you and put you into the line, 45.

I'm planning on putting in a vacation request for the friday, let the boss decide if that sat is a vacation day or my normal sat off.  If we have to march at the double quick for a long time, this old man might be one of the first to fall to the ground dead during battle.

 We typically do not do long marches in my unit.  But there is a special Sunday morning march I am told that will be voluntary.  A couple in my unit are already chomping at the bit to do it, but I do not plan to.  My knees and heels won't hold up to that any more.  The trick to "taking a hit" is to wait until you have had enough fun burning powder then finding a shady spot in which to take the hit.  If you goof and miss the shade, you can be a "walking-wounded" for a minute and make your way to the shade before collapsing from the mortality of the hit.  Oh!  The humanity!  Bring Robyn along. She and my wife are probably close enough in size that she can borrow a dress Saturday night and you two can go to the ball.

Gary, and anybody else thinking of Wilson's Creek, let me know ASAP so I can arrange gear.  I have another buddy of mine that has been toying with the idea for years that has expressed more interest this time so I think he will finally go.  He has wanted to see Mecca (err, I mean, the Springfield, MO Bass Pro Shops) for years so this is an excuse to be in the area.  With some warning my unit will certainly be able to scrounge the necesary gear, or I can borrow from my sutlery.  We have some Brits and possibly a couple of Danes that associate with us coming as well from what I hear.  I am already rolling rounds...

http://www.wilsonscreek150.com/
The registration will be $20/participant and they are saying "no walk-ons" which means technically nobody can just arrive and pay to be a participant.  This is "technically" so, but arriving in camp as a paid spectator and being outfitted on the spot can and does happen.  If interested, I would encourage you to visit my unit's website at www.9thky.us and e-mail the unit to say you have an interest in falling in at Wilsons Creek (or any other event) so the Capt. can reply and figure out his potential numbers.  You can say that Todd Watts pointed you that direction if you like.  Actually, you can all do me a big favor by e-mailing without mentioning me to say that you might want to fall in or come see us sometime, and ask if the 2011 schedule is available.  My webby who is also a member needs a kick in the pants to cause her to get the website updated and seeing a sudden burst of interest might do it.

I got my request for time off approved yesterday. I plan on being there. Will send an email to your capt this weekend. Can't believe how excited I am to get the chance to participate.

Cool!  We can always use another bullet-stopper in the lines.  Anybody else?  Plenty of time to scrounge gear if anybody else wants to jine up!

Sent an email yesterday. We'll see how long it takes to get a response. I did mention I had seen you give a talk at the battlefield several years ago and was told back then if I wanted to get involved to contact the 9th.

Had a question about sleeping. Do I sleep in a tent in camp or book a room. Robin is voting for book a room. Figured If we were to book a room, it would not hurt to do it well in advance.

If she is going, I'd suggest a room and get it in advance for sure because these events tend to book everything for towns around. THe battlefield area is a pretty fair piece from Springfield, like a half-hr I think as memory serves. WHat you can do is get there and settle in the room, then come to the site and register as a re-enactor (pre-registration will have been done by then) and find camp. We will gather gear and stuff and eventually drill depending on when you get there. Robin may like to go with the ladies and tour the other camps and sutler-row for some shopping. Meanwhile we guys sit around camp and smoke, eat, fart and do the soldier-stuff we do in absence of the gals. After the battle Saturday there will be a few hrs of down-time at the site, but about 7pm the balls start and your and Robin may want to stay and participate or just watch. These are always fun even to just watch the dancing and listen to the music. Go back to the room for a shower and eat and be back the next morning for day etc. depending on how long you wish to continue. Each day is a different scenario, and all plans fall apart the moment the shooting starts so it is never the same. You are welcome to hang around camp as long as you like, and really Saturday night is a good night to do that since everyobody is there and up late into the evening passing around various beverages, tossing peanuts around, playing tin whistles and singing period songs or Irish drinking songs as our unit goes. Camp is really the best part of the event. The battle is just something that draws us there so we can enjoy camp.

Incidentally, I am planning to arrive Thursday night sometime right now.  It is about 7 hrs drive for my guys and I am taking my wife/kids so we'll drive all day Thurs.  Friday we may run to BPS for the sake of the kids, and Sunday after the battle we might hit Silver Dollar City there before driving back Monday.  I will have a tent in case you want to sack out there, but if Robin is squeemish about a nineteenth century camp the motel will be more pleasant for both of you.  And DON'T invite any re-enactors over for a shower!  OMG!! You cannot fathom the scuzz left behind! 

For footwear, some dark brown or black boots, like combat boots or hiking shoes is fine.  Spectators don't get close enough at these events to notice shoes.  About what pants size are you wearing?  I can loan some of my spares or somebody may have some a close size.  Proper fit is not important as ill-fitted clothing was the norm back then.  I'll have you a bag of 80 rnds and 100 caps ready with your gun, either my Enfield or MS rifle probably.  BTW, being a fresh-fish, you'll be on the front rank.  We never let newbies load and fire from the rear rank until they have a couple of events under their belt for safety reasons.  So you get a front row seat so-to-speak and have the important task of stopping all incoming rounds for us rear-rankers.

pants are 38 waist,30 inseam. Yep, the short, squat size. Robin says my butch haircut is not period correct and I should let my diminishing locks grow

Civil War re-enactors have legitimate excuses to grow cool beards as well. Everyone else just looks like a hippy goofball, but we look cool! The cropped haircut is fine since it is covered by a hat anyway, not many spectators will get close enough to see nor care, and they did sometimes shave heads close to help rid themselves of lice. I'll have to see about the pants and find some that will fit. Capt. said you had not contacted him this weekend and I said you had used the website e-mail. He said "oh! the one I always forget to check!" I said" yep, the one we set up to allow people to contact you off your home e-mail." You see why we made him Capt! He'll check that e-mail and respond to you soon I suppose.

We were at Ft. Donelson this past weekend for the annual anniversary living history. We had great weather for a change. It was dry and hit 70F both days - in February! Sat. night about 10pm I and another guy walked to the riverfront overlooking they lower battery. It was clear and beautiful. A barge was slowly chuuging downriver and its spotlight was cutting across the light mist hanging over the water. Both of us stopped and looked at the same time as we saw "something" in the mists out on the water. it was huge and dark, shadowy looking. I thought to myself what the other guy stated a moment later; "you know what? That looks like a gunboat." I know it was just mists and reflections off the water, but dern-it to heck it did resemble a large dark structure with sloped sides and stacks on top just silently sitting there. It was there for a couple of minutes until the barge neared it and its light moved on, causing the "phantom" to simply fade away with the lost lighting. It did send a chill down my spine.

You never know, there are times when we see things, or shadowy figures of things that the mind tells us they can not be there. I have to smile when I remember you telling of Laurel meeting all her new "friends" in the old cemetery I think my wife was looking for an excuse for me to grow my hair again. I will probably stop shaving, but it doesn't grow well enough to go for the Burnside look.

Gary, has Capt. Brunner replied to you yet?  I have been talking with him abt Wilsons Creek and we are trying to make it a max-effort for our unit and out sister units.  Want to make a good showing of it.

Haven't heard anything yet. I checked my sent mail box and everything from my end looks like it should have gone through, never gor an undeliverable message anyway.