155th Bull Run

[GREENTURTLE]

It was hot.

[mike44thva]

Yeah, but it wasn't 150th 1st Manassas hot. Not by a long shot.

[GREENTURTLE]

That was the prevailing sediment.

[coffeecooler80]

Hot with a touch of sunburn!

[bill shack]

I went and it was very hot. The things that bothers me are the follow
1) all vehicles were to be out of the camp site and in the parking lot by 9:00 Friday night But the cars and trucks came and went all weekend long.
2) we were told not to bring cell phones or cameras but i saw officers walking around during the battle talking on cell phone and talking pictures.
3)we were told to defarb out camp site which we did, but there were people using 20 th century stuff all over the place while the camp was open to the public
4) i have been to cedar creek several time when Jake Jennet ran the place and it was very well done( my hat off to jake) but jake has retired and the new people run a very sloppy event.
5) it was very hot on sunday i heard 110 f, But they wanted us to hold sunday major battle at noon , we asked to put the battle early like 9:00 but they would not listen.

[mike44thva]

Bill:

I agree with most of what you said. I will add most of the vehicle problems on Saturday was ANV packing up their camp and leaving the event. There were a few guys that stayed, but over 90% bugged out.

[50th VA Corporal]

I went and it was very hot. The things that bothers me are the follow
1) all vehicles were to be out of the camp site and in the parking lot by 9:00 Friday night But the cars and trucks came and went all weekend long.
2) we were told not to bring cell phones or cameras but i saw officers walking around during the battle talking on cell phone and talking pictures.
3)we were told to defarb out camp site which we did, but there were people using 20 th century stuff all over the place while the camp was open to the public
4) i have been to cedar creek several time when Jake Jennet ran the place and it was very well done( my hat off to jake) but jake has retired and the new people run a very sloppy event.
5) it was very hot on sunday i heard 110 f, But they wanted us to hold sunday major battle at noon , we asked to put the battle early like 9:00 but they would not listen.



I also was there and served as Aide de Camp to overall Confederate Commanding General Brian Gesuero.

I would like to comment on this per your numbered points:

1) Every effort was made to control the autos in camp. There were many late arrivals coming from states as far away as Louisiana and Arizona, for instance, and all were told at the gate to expedite their loading and unloading to make their vehicles in camp minimal in time. Some came in the middle of the night when the gates were not manned. I was camping in the staff area where also PACS was camping and I do know it was a minimal intrusion.

Beyond a certain point of manageability it is out of the hands of the General�s Staff and into the hands of the event host. I do know EVERY entity commander, PACS, ANV, Longstreets, etc., was told the parking rules at the Thursday and Friday night staff meetings. A �threaten� of towing vehicles out if need be was stated to all members of staff.

When some of the membership of the ANV declined to participate in the battles � for whatever reasons they had � their membership started to move vehicles in behind their tentage causing issues with the shuttles navigating through. They were told to move them and it became such an issue not being resolved that the Cedar Creek officials became very agitated and went over to address them. I know as I was there when the Cedar Creek officials came to the Confederate Staff camp to address the issue.

Please do not fault the Confederate Staff with this issue as the parties involved had to put much unnecessary time into trying to rectify the situation.

2) Cameras and Cell Phones. I have yet to attend a National event where they have not invaded the field. All walks of the hobby seem to have them out. I never do � ever. Nor did I ever see any of the Confederate Staff, who was already burdened with emergency and scenario walkie-talkies, using them. This seems to pervade the hobby from mainstreamers to authentics alike.

3) Defarbing the Camps. Yes, I saw the modern intrusions. It�s that type of event that brings out all of the ilk we don�t like to see. I have resided to myself that I try to maintain the standard in my camp and impression wherever practical.

4) As far as �new people� running a sloppy event � I take offence to that. The entire Confederate Staff is qualified. Many meetings were held during the course of the event to make it a great experience for all the attendees. Every morning the Confederate and Federal Staffs of all branches met on the battlefield going over the scenarios with maps and doing walk-throughs. This entailed well over an hour each morning � every morning. There were evening meetings also. I had to hand deliver orders in some cases for those that did not attend meetings. You give instructions and hope every one follows them on the field. On Thursday and Friday General Gesuero personally manned the gate when re-enactors came on site and one of those days spent 14 hours doing so. It amazed me that he seemed to know 75% of the people coming through those gates by name! I know as I was there. It might have just been a �management style� you were not accustomed to as in the past. In 35 years in the same company I saw so many different �management styles� come and go if I had not adapted to I would have been out of a job. It is a fact of life.

5) It was hot. What did you expect? It was Virginia and it was July! I am 62 and hiked all over that battle field during the battle and to and fro meetings and delivering messages when needed. Kept hydrated and ate my pickles. Wore my frock coat all but one of the four days I was there � one day wearing a battle shirt out on the field. On staff we don�t have the liberty to go with just a shirt and a vest as I see others do.

There was some talk about moving battle times around a bit due to the heat but you can only have at the most an hour of wiggle room because the public buy tickets to see battles at specified times. Logic. Without the public coming there are no funds to do that event so that is a major reason battle times are not as flexible as some would want.

I do know this: One of the Cedar Creek staff members mentioned this most likely would be the last summer event on those grounds as there was far too many problems to handle and a lot of them stemmed from the participants.

It was what it was. My expectations had been met as I don�t set the bar to idyllic levels that are rarely achieved when thousands of participants you cannot control are involved.

I am returning to Cedar Creek next month to reprise my role � hopefully cooler weather and temperaments prevail.

Respectfully,

Captain James T. Lemon
Aid de Camp to Commanding General Brian Gesuero

[Spinster]

"Too many problems and a lot of them stemmed from the participants"

Friends, we get the events we deserve.

If we leave an event early, it behooves us to mitigate the impact on other participants. Sister and I had to do so years in order to meet a child's schedule. And that meant everything we had went out either on our backs or later on we had a handcart. It can be done. And done without selfishly and petulantly disrupting an event.

I don't know any person in event leadership who has not spent an inordinate amount of time doing traffic and gate control. It's part of leadership. Should we all behave ourselves better, plan better, and realize that nobody wants to look at a parking lot in camps? Yes.

Should we help our friends get in, unloaded, and to the parking lot--then get set up? Yes. It makes site roads run smoother.

We get the events we make.

[Rob Weaver]

I often have to leave an event on Saturday night. I pack light, make a trip out in the morning if I must, or right after lunch, so that the last load is stuff with straps that's supposed to go away with a marching infantryman. I remember all the way back to 130th Gettysburg, throwing my gear over the barb wire fence behind the Federal camp and crawling under it to my car on the other side. Got a great triangular rip in a shirt for the effort. No vehicles in camp has to mean just that. That's a hobby basic right there.