Federal Manassas Impressions

[reddiamond]

Fellows,
What Federal regimental impressions are currently being organized?

My home battalion will be recreating the 69th NY.

I know that the "Regulars" plan to be there in force.

Who else? Chime in!

Scot Buffington
"gearing up already"

[ScottWashburn]

I've been wondering this, too. Within my own battalion I know that there are several specialty impressions being worked on in different companies. I rather suspect that this will be the case all over the hobby. A company of this and a company of that. It seems to me that for this event we ought to be looking at some ad hoc battalions so that we can get all the special impressions organized into uniform batches.

[navygunner]

Battery D 1st Michigan will be joining units from the Cumberland Guard

Geo. Dailey
US Naval Landing Party
Battery D 1st Michigan light artillery

[reddiamond]

So, who is the Cumberland Guard portraying?

Scot Buffington

[navygunner]

I believe Col. Shackleford and others are more qualified to answer that question than this lowly pvt/seaman lol

Geo

[RJSamp]

Too expensive to do a 2nd Wisconsin Infantry impression.....

[bob 125th nysvi]

I've been wondering this, too. Within my own battalion I know that there are several specialty impressions being worked on in different companies. I rather suspect that this will be the case all over the hobby. A company of this and a company of that. It seems to me that for this event we ought to be looking at some ad hoc battalions so that we can get all the special impressions organized into uniform batches.

that the whole MG can't turn out as one regiment. Maybe something to be brought up at the executive meeting?

[OVI]

Wouldnt it make sense to choose units based on what scenarios will be utilized? Who is deciding the scenarios?

Kent Dorr - Ohio
"Devils Own Mess"

[Silas]

Who is deciding the scenarios?

Blindfolded monkeys with Ouija boards.

[OVI]

Blindfolded monkeys with Ouija boards.

So after 15 years, the process has been upgraded and streamlined? Thats too progressive for most folks. :)


Kent Dorr - Obtuse in Ohio
"Devils Own Mess"

[reddiamond]

I think that anyone with a grey frock coat, forage cap, and trousers to match will be using this for a CS impression. It would be GREAT to see Federals in grey. But I don't think that this will happen on any large scale.

The 125th Manassas saw new battalions being formed every month for two years leading up to the event. There used to be new ads in the Camp Chase Gazette every month prior to the event. The Classic Images reenactment video was one of the very best ever produced! There were so many cool impressions present, and the mindset of the hobby was such that people actually planned for the event for years. It would be GREAT to top that effort.

Scot Buffington

[Colonel Dave]

Our impression will depend on the makeup of the battles. At the 125th, there was one battle. Since then, the mega-events tend to recreate various scenarios of the real battle, i.e. the cornfield at Antietam followed by the sunken road, etc, etc.
The member units of the Cumberland Guard includes regiments that were in many Brigades at the real battle.
The support for the event is so large, we will be fielding a Brigade, if not a Division so it does not appear we will be portraying a single regiment.
Our artillery contingent always makes for a welcome addition to our fighting forces.

[MLovejoy]

Scot,

I think there are two things in play now which may not have been 25 years ago. 1)Complacency in what is done (the status quo), 2)Too much "unit pride" (wearing whatever uniform you have to every event regardless of scenario).

I'm not saying for #2 everyone has to go out and buy a new uniform, gear, etc., but small adjustments to what they have make a world of difference in portraying certain units or time frames. In certain spectrums of the hobby, it's been the same old, same old for about 16 years.

[bob 125th nysvi]

I think that anyone with a grey frock coat, forage cap, and trousers to match will be using this for a CS impression. It would be GREAT to see Federals in grey. But I don't think that this will happen on any large scale.

The 125th Manassas saw new battalions being formed every month for two years leading up to the event. There used to be new ads in the Camp Chase Gazette every month prior to the event. The Classic Images reenactment video was one of the very best ever produced! There were so many cool impressions present, and the mindset of the hobby was such that people actually planned for the event for years. It would be GREAT to top that effort.

Scot Buffington

it makes no sense to dismantle already existing units to please people who want to do something new and exciting.

The Fedearl Alliance was formed with the objective of bringing strength in numbers to the field and hopefully raising everybody's drill and maneuver precision to a higher level.

If we start spinning off people to form "new" units we will fracture instead of developing cohesion.

[OVI]

it makes no sense to dismantle already existing units to please people who want to do something new and exciting.

The Fedearl Alliance was formed with the objective of bringing strength in numbers to the field and hopefully raising everybody's drill and maneuver precision to a higher level.

If we start spinning off people to form "new" units we will fracture instead of developing cohesion.

Bob...I dont think Scott was advocating forming new battalions just for the sake of variety. IMHO, he was pointing out that the excitement leading up to 125th Manassas took the hobby to new heights..primarily thru new battalions forming. If I understand the history here (even before my time), the company was the basic unit of the hobby and battalions were mostly untried.

Kent Dorr - Ohio
"Devils Own Mess"

[Colonel Dave]

The first reenacting battalion was at the 100th Anniversary of the GAR held near Gettysburg in 1978. The battalion was composed of the 5th New York, the Mudsills and the 49th Indiana. Terry Daley was the battalion commander and George Derenburger acted as Lt. Colonel. I hear that Daley guy is still around..lol.

The Cumberland Guard fielded it's first battalion, composed of the 7th Kentucky, the 7th Michigan and the 49th Indiana in 1980.

[reddiamond]

[QUOTE=bob 125th nysvi;165065]it makes no sense to dismantle already existing units to please people who want to do something new and exciting.

First Manassas SHOULD be new and exciting. If battalions just show up for the sake on cohesion it will NOT be reenacting Manassas. The Regulars will see troops from the USV, Vincent's Brigade, and the National Regiment among others- all in the spirit of recreating HISTORY and putting their egos aside. Some of our national battalions will shrink due to the nature of this very special event and some will grow.

The Federal Alliance was formed for the cooperation of the member units within.
Umbrella organizations need to be able to trust one another in the spirit of cooperation to make history happen. That comes FIRST. The United States Volunteers, or whatever organization I belong to comes SECOND.
How do I know this?

I am one of the six Infantry battalion commanders whose organization is a part of this.

I will field under ANY of the member battalion commanders and do ANY impression for the sake of putting history first. That includes farming out member units to go for more unified impressions across the field.

As we all know, there was nothing generic or typical about 1st Manassas. If you spend more time rolling cartridges for the event than on your 1861 impression, you are not doing enough.

Scot Buffington

[skamikaze]

Amen Scot,

The Southern Division will be mixing it up with all its member units based on impressions. You'll have several companies made up of guys from the CMF, CVG, PL and more who are falling in together because of the impression they are doing, not who was voted commander at the last meeting.

I'm looking forward to it. I hope the Federals can field something that looks '61 and isn't a tired parade of the same old same old.

[reddiamond]

All,

What I've heard is that the scenarios are currently being worked out and regiments will be assigned to a specific part of a scenario. Not only are battalions being created according to impression, an attempt is being made to group regiments according to their correct portrayal.

That means that few umbrella organizations will be comprised of just their guys. Most already know, or will know soon who they will be portraying.

This is not an event for fiefdoms or coalitions united just to bring "big numbers" to the field. Commanders who throw their weight around and bully event sponsors and commanders are boorish. Stay at home. The event needs cooperation from ALL participation- not dictation. If you are a company commander or a brigade commander, you should be asking, "Who are we going to portray?"

[Anders]

I have heard the same thing. We are busy putting everything together for Bee's Brigade, and with the addition of the 2nd Mississippi under Skip Owens and the 11th under Nick Medich, we should field a pretty darn good replication thereof.

Hope we all pull together and follow history on this one, we need to set the standard for the 150ths.

Pards,

[MarkTK36thIL]

Too expensive to do a 2nd Wisconsin Infantry impression.....

Actually RJ,
The ONV is planning to portray the 2nd Wisc. at a living history (not the uberbigweareverythingandacoontail event) at Manassas next summer. No idea what our plans are for the national event. Maybe some of those Blackburn fellas will fill you in on the details when they come out, same weekend as WSHS goes to quarterfinals.

[bob 125th nysvi]

[QUOTE=bob 125th nysvi;165065]First Manassas SHOULD be new and exciting. If battalions just show up for the sake on cohesion it will NOT be reenacting Manassas. The Regulars will see troops from the USV, Vincent's Brigade, and the National Regiment among others- all in the spirit of recreating HISTORY and putting their egos aside. Some of our national battalions will shrink due to the nature of this very special event and some will grow.

The Federal Alliance was formed for the cooperation of the member units within.
Umbrella organizations need to be able to trust one another in the spirit of cooperation to make history happen. That comes FIRST. The United States Volunteers, or whatever organization I belong to comes SECOND.
How do I know this?

I am one of the six Infantry battalion commanders whose organization is a part of this.

I will field under ANY of the member battalion commanders and do ANY impression for the sake of putting history first. That includes farming out member units to go for more unified impressions across the field.

As we all know, there was nothing generic or typical about 1st Manassas. If you spend more time rolling cartridges for the event than on your 1861 impression, you are not doing enough.

Scot Buffington

in the first place the already existing overhead units have an opportunity (let's take the MG as an example since I'm part of it) to field an impression that is not only accurate in 'stuff' but closer to accurate in size than we normally get to. And let's just say the MG and the NR put aside their 'differences', as you might put it, then between them they could field a regiment sized accurate impression for the first time in a long time as opposed to saying we see a company of regulars in the MG and wait their is another over at the NR and by golly there's another over in the USV. But what the heck are all those other fella's inter spaced between them.

Secondly let's get real here for a moment. In today's economic climate with high unemployment and people worrying about their jobs I am not going to expect people to create a new impression for every battle we decided to fight for the 150th cycle. Might as well forget about additional recruits if we tell them 'oh yeah by the way, expect to drop another $500 for every battle we do because we want to work on our impressions.'

I know nobody in my unit is going to run off to another because they want to do a "specialty impression". We will morph as a unit based on decisions we make as a unit. If you're losing people from your unit because you don't fit what they want to do take a look in the mirror, if you're shrinking you're dying.

And as a battalion commander you should be leading, say to your men; "guys here's a chance to do this (whatever this is) so let's get together and do it!"

Funny thing about Manassas, all that sloppy drill we are constantly commenting on will probably for the first and only time in the cycle be authentic. So maybe that's what we should concentrate on, screwing up our field maneuvers.

[79th New York]

The 79th National Regt is going to have a good turn out. Most are doing the NY state jacket and federal trousers. The rest are doing milita coats and federal trousers...all as per the Regt history. Kepis, havelocks for headgear.... besides the militia coat, its not that special.

Dark blue trousers*

[skamikaze]

Might as well forget about additional recruits if we tell them 'oh yeah by the way, expect to drop another $500 for every battle we do because we want to work on our impressions.'


That would be true if it were at all reasonable to drop $500 on a 1st manassas kit. But it isn't, and I'll explain.

You do Federal, so I'm guessing you already have the basics:
Sack Coat
Forage Cap
Sky Blue Trousers
Brogans
Leathers
Rifle

Lets say you want to do, oh, I don't know, 4th Michigan. Take your regular kit and add:
Fez (optional, forage cap works) - $60 (from a good maker)
Gaiters (optional, not all had them) -$20 (sutler row) $60 (quality)
Dark Blue Trousers: $80-$120

Or maybe 69th NY:
Havelock: $5-20.
Sash (optional): $20

Or 1st Rhode Island:
Havelock: $5-20
Grey Trousers: $80-$150 (unless you do reb and already have 'em)
Blue overshirt: $80-$120 (sack coat could work as well)

Or 11th NY:
Havelock (if you're not wearing a fez): $5-20
Fez (not EVERYONE had 'em): $60
Red Overshirt: $40-$120 (depending on quality)
Sash: $20
Cravat (they almost ALL wore one): $5-45

Basically, unless you are throwing out everything you own to do a 14th Brooklyn impression or regulars or something like that, its really not hard or expensive to use what you have to at least TRY to look '61 and TRY to look uniform. You COULD spend $500 just on a frock coat from Sekela for your 2nd Wis or regulars impression, but I doubt that's a worry.

Get a pair of dark blue trousers anyway, they come in handy for SO many federal impressions and are way under represented.

[Joey12thga]

No offense but does it really matter? This is a festival enactment show. The vast majority will not take the time nor care to do any research into units who were there and for the few who will do it...so what? You will still be stuck next to the same folks who portray the "69th Pensiltucky Bucktail unmounted Sharpshooter Special Commando Amphibious assault Medium Artillery gun guard" everywhere they go all year long.

Here are the guidelines I found on their site. Keep in mind that no matter what you do to make a "Manassas Impression" you will just be one of the best dressed farbs at the festival.


Enjoy.

Impression Standards
e 150th Commemoration Reenactment of the Battle of 1st Manassas/Bull Run offers reenactors a rare
opportunity to portray a wide variety of military and civilian impressions. We encourage all well-researched impressions
including battle-shirts, pre-war militia uniforms, commutation jackets, combinations of military and
civilian garments, and the like that can be linked to the event and history at the reenactor, Company or greater
level, e.g., 15 or more common impressions. We are not interested in and will not permit military impressions of
two or three individuals – even if authentic - on the field.
Please do your best to educate the public and respect your fellow reenactors by heeding the following:
1. All clothing must accurately represent the fashion and style of 1861: e.g., natural fibers, period cut and
color.
2. Modern plastic glasses frames are not to be permitted
3. Modern footwear is permitted in leather boots and in black only. No shoes and no sneakers (we should
not need to have this discussion).4. No specialty impressions without the approval of the Event. is includes portrayals of Lee, Jackson,
Lincoln, Grant, Clara Barton, Siamese war elephants, etc. etc. If you have any doubts, ask.
5. Women portraying soldiers in the ranks should make every reasonable effort to hide their gender.
Hundreds if not thousands of women passed themselves off as men in order to serve as soldiers during the
war – on both sides – and we will never know exactly how many did so because they were good at it.
Honor them. If any Army or event volunteer (as above) determines the female gender at not less that 15
feet that individual will be asked to leave the field/ranks. Ponytails on men aren’t a great idea, either, nor
are mohawks or gelled spikes. It’s 1861.
6. As a compromise to modern safety, a minimum number of period Ice Angels (2-3) will be permitted foreach authorized Battalion. Each Ice Angel must be at least 12 years of age and must be accompanied and
under the direct supervision of an adult.
7. Do not wear any uniforms or insignia that would not have appeared at First Manassas/Bull Run in 1861.
is includes, but is by no means limited to:
a. Corps badges.
b. Confederate sharpshooter badges.
c. Bucktails or Berdans uniforms.
d. “RD II” and Tate jackets.
e. Veteran Reserve Corps jackets.
8. e classic “campaigner” impression is wrong for this event. Raggedy impressions will be asked to leave the
ranks/field.
9. FYI, no soldier at the First Manassas/ Bull Run had brass that hadn’t been shined for that battle.
10. A dirty musket is rarely if ever appropriate and may in fact constitute a safety violation.
11. All anachronisms (cots, coolers, sweat pants, etc.) must be hidden away inside tents at all times.
12. Tobacco use shall be confined to period products – pipes, cigars, snuff, chew, or in rare cases filterless
cigarettes.
13. No pets will be allowed on the grounds.

[MarkTK36thIL]

If any Army or event volunteer (as above) determines the female gender at not less that 15 feet that individual will be asked to leave the field/ranks.

Like that'll ever happen...

There'll be enough problems trying to get people to lose corps badges that have been on their hats since the 125ths, ragged impressions, Columbus Depot 2/3 jackets, and very very basic uniform adjustments for the event.


"Let's go to Manassas!"

'OK, but you should look at the event guidelines because they didn't have bulls-eye canteens and you need to make a couple adjustments to your decade long '63 western fed campaigner impression.'

"No waaaaay! Guidelines-schmuidlines."

This beast will be an interesting circus. Would like to see what can come from events like At High Tide, where even then I was unfortunate enough to camp amid guys who still brought their coolers like it was local event xyz. Sure must've been a rough mile march retracing the footsteps of the 1st MN wheeling a cooler.

[Rob Weaver]

OK - so I've got a frock coat and a Hardee Hat, who do I sign up with?

[Quickstep]

OK - so I've got a frock coat and a Hardee Hat, who do I sign up with?

The Regulars, by God! :)

[Regular3]

let's just say the MG and the NR put aside their 'differences', as you might put it, then between them they could field a regiment sized accurate impression for the first time in a long time as opposed to saying we see a company of regulars in the MG and wait their is another over at the NR and by golly there's another over in the USV. But what the heck are all those other fella's inter spaced between them.There won't be any other fellows. As at the 145th, the Regulars of Vincent's, USV, and NR, are combining to form a single battalion of Regulars. We have invited other Regulars from around the country to join in and are awaiting responses.

[RJSamp]

its really not hard or expensive to use what you have to at least TRY to look '61 and TRY to look uniform. You COULD spend $500 just on a frock coat from Sekela for your 2nd Wis or regulars impression, but I doubt that's a worry.


The 2nd WVI at 1st Bull Run wore their Wisc. Militia Uniforms in a lightweight, high shoddy GRAY flannel....so shoddy that they were nicknamed the Raggedy Assed 2nd.....and gray enough that they were fired on by BOTH sides on Henry House Hill.....

don't know what that has to do with a US Regular Army Navy Blue Frock Coat from Nick.

[Pvt Schnapps]

No offense but does it really matter? This is a festival enactment show. The vast majority will not take the time nor care to do any research into units who were there and for the few who will do it...so what? You will still be stuck next to the same folks who portray the "69th Pensiltucky Bucktail unmounted Sharpshooter Special Commando Amphibious assault Medium Artillery gun guard" everywhere they go all year long.

Here are the guidelines I found on their site. Keep in mind that no matter what you do to make a "Manassas Impression" you will just be one of the best dressed farbs at the festival.


Enjoy.

Impression Standards
e 150th Commemoration Reenactment of the Battle of 1st Manassas/Bull Run offers reenactors a rare
opportunity to portray a wide variety of military and civilian impressions. We encourage all well-researched impressions
including battle-shirts, pre-war militia uniforms, commutation jackets, combinations of military and
civilian garments, and the like that can be linked to the event and history at the reenactor, Company or greater
level, e.g., 15 or more common impressions. We are not interested in and will not permit military impressions of
two or three individuals – even if authentic - on the field.
Please do your best to educate the public and respect your fellow reenactors by heeding the following:
1. All clothing must accurately represent the fashion and style of 1861: e.g., natural fibers, period cut and
color.
2. Modern plastic glasses frames are not to be permitted
3. Modern footwear is permitted in leather boots and in black only. No shoes and no sneakers (we should
not need to have this discussion).4. No specialty impressions without the approval of the Event. is includes portrayals of Lee, Jackson,
Lincoln, Grant, Clara Barton, Siamese war elephants, etc. etc. If you have any doubts, ask.
5. Women portraying soldiers in the ranks should make every reasonable effort to hide their gender.
Hundreds if not thousands of women passed themselves off as men in order to serve as soldiers during the
war – on both sides – and we will never know exactly how many did so because they were good at it.
Honor them. If any Army or event volunteer (as above) determines the female gender at not less that 15
feet that individual will be asked to leave the field/ranks. Ponytails on men aren’t a great idea, either, nor
are mohawks or gelled spikes. It’s 1861.
6. As a compromise to modern safety, a minimum number of period Ice Angels (2-3) will be permitted foreach authorized Battalion. Each Ice Angel must be at least 12 years of age and must be accompanied and
under the direct supervision of an adult.
7. Do not wear any uniforms or insignia that would not have appeared at First Manassas/Bull Run in 1861.
is includes, but is by no means limited to:
a. Corps badges.
b. Confederate sharpshooter badges.
c. Bucktails or Berdans uniforms.
d. “RD II” and Tate jackets.
e. Veteran Reserve Corps jackets.
8. e classic “campaigner” impression is wrong for this event. Raggedy impressions will be asked to leave the
ranks/field.
9. FYI, no soldier at the First Manassas/ Bull Run had brass that hadn’t been shined for that battle.
10. A dirty musket is rarely if ever appropriate and may in fact constitute a safety violation.
11. All anachronisms (cots, coolers, sweat pants, etc.) must be hidden away inside tents at all times.
12. Tobacco use shall be confined to period products – pipes, cigars, snuff, chew, or in rare cases filterless
cigarettes.
13. No pets will be allowed on the grounds.

Not taking issue with you, Joey, but folks who look at the full set of rules (here: http://www.visitpwc.com/reenactment/pdf/Overview.pdf ) may see a few additional items that give greater than average hope for enforcement.

First, I admit to a certain bias. I was asked for input in drafting the rules and I gave it. Much of my language remains -- if you've read any of my AARs or some of my posts here and elsewhere, you can probably locate my contribution with a fair amount of accuracy. Some of the rules are not quite as I would have had them, but I agree with the organizers' changes. Just to give you two examples:

1. Ice Angels. My personal preference would be to ban this impression from the hobby, if not the planet, but some major units refuse to attend without them and, if you're ever going to allow vivandiers, First Bull Run might be the place. Plus, given the numbers of attendees expected and the time of year, a compromise on the side of safety makes sense. I say this not to denigrate the "mainstream." I attended a few authentic events this year where compromises had to be made in the face of unexpected problems with heat. We didn't use ice angels, but then we didn't have several thousand people on the field, either.

2. Work boots. My first reaction was probably the same as many folks -- who won't have time to get brogans before next July? But we could see a lot of new recruits at this event, and a pair of black boots is a subtle enough accommodation -- more subtle than corps badges and bucktails, which the regs disapprove.

Reasonable people can disagree about things like this. And we all know that if we want to attend events with more stringent regulations, we can find them. But they won't have 10,000+ participants, nor the same potential benefit to historical awareness and preservation in northern Virginia.

But I think two of the rules have gotten short shrift. The first is the requirement (presented though not highlighted above) that we not have twosies or threesies show up with their own unique impressions: there should be at least 15 in the unit. I didn't think that up, but I like it a lot. It should lead people to work together beyond the minimum "mess" level.

A more important rule is stated well up front, before the items you excerpted. It is in fact the first rule:

"Every reenactor and/or living historian shall affiliate, as a part of their registration, with an established Civil War reenactment unit. That unit must then, in turn, be a recognized part of an established Civil War reenactment umbrella organization. As a safety and as a command and control issue it is the individual's responsibility to affiliate and if no recognized unit is found, the individual will not be able to participate.

"Affiliation means that the unit or individual will be under the control of, camp with, be safety inspected by and fall in for battle with that recognized unit. Individuals must join or affiliate with a unit to register. The event Commanders and organizers will make the final determination if a registration is accepted."

I didn't think that one up, either, but I wish I could claim credit for it. People always wonder whether rules are going to be enforced and, if so, who will do it. This rule will put the responsibility squarely in the hands of the ANV, USV, and other participating organizations. These organizations are run by adults who wish to work and play well with others. By agreeing to these rules they take ownership of the event and invest their own reputations in the outcome. This is, in its own way, an attempt to run a mega-event on principles similar to those that Kevin Air and Chris Anders demonstrated the feasibility of on a smaller scale. Many of the players are veterans of those events, so this is not a coincidence.

Will there be breakdowns? Probably. Will the eyes of authentics bleed at the sight of family campers and the odd "specialty impression" patroling sutler row? No, because any reasonable person with experience in the hobby knows what can happen when you put several thousand of us together in one place. Mutual respect, or at least toleration, is the price we pay for enjoying our hobby at a large scale event.

[mexwarbob]

One thing I have learned is that I control no one's impression but my own.
What others want to do although sometimes it causes me pain to see it, is not worth any agita in my heart. I do the best I can do at trying to accurately portray a PEC federal infantryman.
Despite rules and regulations even at unit levels people are going to do what they want. Some previous history in my unit had someone who wanted and did wear a kilt. It took more or less banishing him from the unit to get that stopped and I still hear about him from other groups.
So my advice is for you to follow the event rules; have a good time and not let anyone ruin your event.
Bob Gregory
79th NY
Company A

[flattop32355]

To all who have already decided that the 1st Manassas event will fall short of their expectations, if not be an outright disaster:

If you go anyway, expect to see something you don't particularly like.
When you do, I'd advise the following two suggestions:

1) Stop looking at whatever it was you didn't like.
2) Keep your mouth shut.

The first is for one's own enjoyment.
The second is for everyone else's.

If one doesn't intend to go to the event, then please withhold the "I told you so's" until after it's happened. Peeing in someone else's cornflakes before they can even get a spoon is, at best, unproductive. Besides, you won't be there, anyway, so what's it to you what other people are doing?

Disclaimer: I have no official affiliation with the event. My unit will probably attend. If we do, I'll have a good time, even if I find myself shaking my head at some of the things I might see. It could be worse....I could have stayed at home.

[johnduffer]

Apropos of nothing, at one of my first events (LH at Shiloh) I had a young gentleman on my right, quite big boned, with a simply dreadful impression. I was eyeing his empty snow white haversack with "C.S.A." written on it in 6" high letters with a black magic marker when he started going BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-BEEP - nudged me with his elbow - and said "Farb alert!!" pointing to another gentleman down the line. It's all in the eye of the beholder. ;)