Peronalities porrayed at Shiloh?

[Jubilo]

Dear Fellers,
I was just wondering of anyone is going to portray, Grant, Sherman, Albert Sidney Johnston,Beauregard, et. al.?
At Monacacy a few years back, Brian Merrick portrayed Lou Wallace . He looked authentic and it embellished the event. Now that I think on it, Old Jube and Breck were portrayed too.
all for the old flag,
David Corbett

[Jim of the SRR]

Who is gonna be Abe Lincoln and Jeff Davis? (just kidding).

Jim Butler

[LittleJohn]

Who is going to be W.H.L Wallace (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._H._L._Wallace)?

[Spinster]

Who is gonna be Abe Lincoln and Jeff Davis? (just kidding).

Jim Butler

:p. The event was approached by a number of folks who wished to be paid for their impressions.

Just Say No is still a useful concept.

[hanktrent]

How about Gov. Harvey (http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6029773) of Wisconsin?

Learned about him several years ago when portraying a Wisconsinite. I'm not sure the out-of-staters believed me when I told why we needed to pick a new governor.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[Spinster]

Actually Hank, us gals picked upon him last summer, about the time Mrs S came up with the Leander Stillwell book for our preevent reading.

At least he will be memorialized in the shaking of heads and a bit of clucking over a handsome man lost.

[wavey1us]

If you read the schedule on the 150th Shiloh website, there are going to be several people dressed as some of the historical figures you mentioned. I think you need to worry about the number of SCV members parading around in their "uniforms" and ribbons

[Micah Trent]

Who is gonna be Abe Lincoln and Jeff Davis? (just kidding).

Jim Butler

Jim,
I thought Lincoln was arriving by boat with you guys. :D

[PMB1861]

I will be portraying Captain Edwin Carlton Blackmar, of Company F, 15th Iowa. But I don't expect any gratuity for bringing that impression to the event.

[Artyman]

People know me as a kind and thoughtful person, and I don't go out of my way to criticize what a local group does to host an event but....In my experience,

Generally, all Lincoln impersonators are awful, and Lee impersonators are even worse. I've seen a handful of generals who do fair impersonations, but often not being capable of actually doing or contributing to the leadership part. Better to leave these wanna be's out.

Sometimes there are multiple Lincolns and Lees and Grants. Crazy! Makes my eyes bleed, as Glenn Beck might say!

But the kids like it, sorta like meeting Mickey Mouse or Goofy at Disneyland

IMHO

Harry

[Silas]

http://image2.findagrave.com/photos250/photos/2011/325/80861991_132203280231.jpg

Headstone at the Shiloh Nat'l Military Park's cemetary for the person I am portraying : 2d Lt. Jesse Penniman of Co. A, 15th Iowa.

[Spinster]

Fellers,

That's the beauty of this site set up for the BGA Shiloh.

In any spectator event , there is always a strain between what participants want to see, and what spectators want to see. In an attempt to provide many things for many people (with neither the things nor the people being perfect ) we've done something a bit different than the norm.

Sutler Row, speakers tent, modern food vendors and such like is up bordering on the hard top road. Folks can hang around there all day admiring the shiny generals, eating corn dogs, and listening to speakers. Whats more, it's free. Yep, no admission to that area.

Then there is a good sized field and the admission gate, to see the battles and the camps. Folks will have to walk a bit to hunt you up. Fact is, for many of you, a spectator will never find your camps.

And, if you've no desire to see shiny generals or corn dogs, just don't cross that fence line. If all you need is powder, rounds, and caps, Jack's Powder Keg will be located in an accessible neutral ground between camps. If you need to go shopping, well thank the SCV fellers for doing the site work around Sutler Row. And for their funding that enabled ground work to get done while folks were dallying on getting registered.

Remember that it costs to put on events, and some deep pockets have to be available in the early months. As a hobby, we are famous for waiting till the last minute to register and pay, when somebody had to write checks for many of these costs over a year ago.

[navygunner]

I'd have to stay in the middle of the river to portray either of these gunboat captins but as gunner Herman Peters I could go ashore to find out where Grant wanted us to laydown fire.

Geo. Dailey
gunnersmate USNLP/NMLHA
(western waters)
Pvt. Battery D 1st Michigan light artillery

[Artyman]

Cool! Why the blank after PE?
Harry

[Silas]

I don't know. That surprised me, too, but he was killed during the first days battle. Identification of him and his full name could have been hampered by a host of reasons including, but not limited to : excessive bleeding on his documents ; torn documents from shell or ball ; evening ghouls going through his pockets for valuables ; wild hogs ; a poorly carved original marker ; and et cetera.

[Union Navy]

I'd have to stay in the middle of the river to portray either of these gunboat captins but as gunner Herman Peters I could go ashore to find out where Grant wanted us to laydown fire.

Geo. Dailey
gunnersmate USNLP/NMLHA
(western waters)
Pvt. Battery D 1st Michigan light artillery

I'll be doing Lt. Gwin so you have someone to report to!

[PMB1861]

http://image2.findagrave.com/photos250/photos/2011/325/80861991_132203280231.jpg

Headstone at the Shiloh Nat'l Military Park's cemetary for the person I am portraying : 2d Lt. Jesse Penniman of Co. A, 15th Iowa.

So Silas, how early are you taking the hit?

I'm glad you're not in my company, because then I'd be obligated to send some fellas out to retrieve you from the field.

[Pvt Schnapps]

What this hobby needs is a good August Willich impression.

[Jubilo]

Yes Comrade Schapps. Comrade Wilich is on everyone's mind!
I think folks have gotten off track a mite from my post. I was not referring to the "celebrity" type generals ( the ubitquitous Lee,Jackson,Grant,Longstreet), who give presentations at events but a reenactor on the field portraying and actually being, an actual, order-giving officer. Grant or Beauregard would not have been seen by the enemy but Sherman and Albert Sidney Johnston may have. I did ask the gallant Brigadier General William G. Rambo, of the sovereign state of Alabama, if he was portraying Illinoisan General W.H.L. Wallace, on Sunday but he replied in the negative; he will be a "generic," Federal officer. More's the pity. Just some historical ambiance is all I suggest.
all for the old flag,
David Corbett

[PMB1861]

Yes Comrade Schapps. Comrade Wilich is on everyone's mind!
I think folks have gotten off track a mite from my post. I was not referring to the "celebrity" type generals ( the ubitquitous Lee,Jackson,Grant,Longstreet), who give presentations at events but a reenactor on the field portraying and actually being, an actual, order-giving officer. Grant or Beauregard would not have been seen by the enemy but Sherman and Albert Sidney Johnston may have. I did ask the gallant Brigadier General William G. Rambo, of the sovereign state of Alabama, if he was portraying Illinoisan General W.H.L. Wallace, on Sunday but he replied in the negative; he will be a "generic," Federal officer. More's the pity. Just some historical ambiance is all I suggest.

No, I think some of us clearly see the point. Rather than worrying about going to the event and just being the best Private, Corporal, Sergeant, Lieutenant or Captain you can and hoping everyone else involved does the same, you're worried about whether someone is pretending to be a General with 10,000 troops under his command when at best he might have 2,000 and prancing around play acting.

I did it a little tounge in cheek, but I am going to be portraying an order-giving officer on the field. I looked up the fellow and know his life story, including what happens to him at Shiloh.

I've been lucky enough to get 40 guys willing to follow me and participate in this event. There are another 9 guys who've done the same and instead of each of us playing Colonel, we're each going to take our spot in the line and work as a team in an honest battalion led by the man who put something very special together for this group. For just an instant that battalion will be larger than most reenacting umbrella organization 'brigades' I've ever seen on a field.

In my mind its about the milions of men who marched off to war who's only legacy is a line in a roster, not the Generals and politicians with books written by and about them.

I'm Mr. Peter M. Berezuk, a displaced New York Yankee in that den of Rebeldom called Virginia

[hanktrent]

I'm not even going, so my comments mean less than nothing, but I can see the point from another angle.

The average person's experience did sometimes include a glimpse of someone famous. If that can be factored into an event in such a way that it seems realistic, it would add to the experience of a private or lowly citizen to catch the thrilling sight of General Lee riding by with his entourage. Well, not at Shiloh, LOL, but you know what I mean.

The problem is, as noted, if the event is too small, he's not just passing by, he's there in your face, every time you turn around, all day long, and unless that's realistic for the historic situation, it's less accurate than pretending he's out there somewhere but you're never lucky enough to see him.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[captdougofky]

People know me as a kind and thoughtful person, and I don't go out of my way to criticize what a local group does to host an event but....In my experience,

Generally, all Lincoln impersonators are awful, and Lee impersonators are even worse. I've seen a handful of generals who do fair impersonations, but often not being capable of actually doing or contributing to the leadership part. Better to leave these wanna be's out.

Sometimes there are multiple Lincolns and Lees and Grants. Crazy! Makes my eyes bleed, as Glenn Beck might say!

But the kids like it, sorta like meeting Mickey Mouse or Goofy at Disneyland

IMHO

Harry



Harry

You hit the nail on the head. Kids like it--- Next generation someone has to keep the Hobby going. History will not suffer, save the 400 level class for those that have advanced to that point. School Days at a event I did last year was grand. Some of the demo's Staff forgot it was 5th graders, not the pro's here on the forum. Catch their imagination, we'll get the uniforms on them later.

Always

Doug Thomas
Lyons-Kentucky CS

[LittleJohn]

I figure there are several iconic images of personalities at Shiloh. W.H.L Wallace along the Sunken Road. U.S. Grant on board the ship and organizing the last line of defense. Federal troopers cowering under the bluff and along the river's edge. Lew Wallace wandering around lost. A.S. Johnston sipping coffee as his boot fills with blood. Braxton Bragg frantically order more men to their death. Sherman meeting Forrest on the battlefield for the first time. Buell's boys marching off the boats and coming to the rescue. Several iconic images of personalities at Shiloh that might ought to be re-enacted is some small fashion. Don't you think?

[LittleJohn]

Half Starved Rebels rummaging through the federal camp gorging themselves on beans and bacon and coffee.

Several iconic images of personalities at Shiloh.

[Jubilo]

Dear Sir,
That's the battle- spirit intent of my post. Thank you.
all for the old flag,
David Corbett

[JohnnyRebCSA]

At the 125th Shiloh there was someone portraying our Tennessee governor, Isham Harris. All the Tennessee troops enjoyed, and appreciated, this very much. I also remember another person portraying General Bragg....he looked very much like him. Yes, as stated above, these larger reenactments are the place to do this....in the correct manner. Wouldn't be quite right to pay someone to do it, though. They should want to do it from the heart as we do our best to honor those that went before us.