This event rocked for us civilians! Gall, did we have fun!  I was honestly about ready to leave the hobby because of boredom, but now I'm re-excited and ready to go again.  When's the next one, huh?    Any civilians who missed this one missed one of the best civ hide in the woods events in a long time!

Seriously, it was great, and the last minute addition of Rachel  Shifflett was brilliant.  We couldn't have asked for anything better.  I hope she didn't think we were all too weird.

For those who don't know, Rachel was a last minute addition added to our group about half an hour before we were to go live.  She'd never done first person, didn't have any prep time, and about 15 minutes before we went live Friday night I managed to brief her on what first person was, how to do it, and what our overall scenario was, and she did BEAUTIFULLY!

Our overall scenario was based upon numerous accounts of Union deserters at this time passing through Loudon County, VA. Including an account by Amanda Virginia Edmunds (August 14, 1862) stating "Numbers and numbers of [Union]deserters are passing all the time. Now they will not fight for the negroes." http://loudounhistory.org/history/slaves-after-war.htm

Hank's character was a fictional member of the Independent Pennsylvania Engineers, who were repairing bridges in the area
http://www.pa-roots.com/~pacw/indengcoc.html and had been in Lovettsville, north of the event site, just before the time of the event, when he had chosen to desert.  Historically they had 7 deserters in September or October 1862.

When we went live Friday night, Hank took off first, and got well ahead of us and planted himself alongside the road.  Rachel and I hung up our things on two posts that became our neighboring "homes" for that moment only.  She had no idea what she was walking into.

When we got down the road a bit we saw a man (Hank, obviously ) sitting along side and asked him who he was and what he was doing out here alone.  Eventually, after a considerable interrogation, we concluded that we had found a Yankee deserter, and returned to our "homes" to get some food, and camping-type supplies.

My character had met a deserter or two over the last couple of months, and was known by a few intimate friends to offer succor to Union deserters in the way of food, water, rest, clothing, or whatever they stood in need of, and help them on their way south.  She was a rabid Secessionist (one who would say or do whatever necessary to further the cause), who's son was killed in the cornfield at Antietam fighting with the 8th VA Infantry.

Friday night while Hank cooked up the pickled pork and hoe cakes, he and I sat and talked about numerous topics, asking Rachel for her opinions whenever we thought she'd be able to answer without feeling threatened or cornered.  We knew she hadn't prepared much and that this was one of her first events, and definitely her first immersion-style event, and she was just thrown right in there no prep what-so-ever.

After a while we retired to bed and awoke early Saturday morning.  Saturday morning we got started off for the "Cobb family." The Cobbs were an entirely fictional family who were not portrayed during the event, that were created basically by us as another "safe haven" for Union deserters.  However, we got going too fast, and managed to start moving before the armies, and found ourselves at Welbourne completely by mistake.  But it worked out great because in the meanwhile, unbeknownst to us, Noah had arrived and was just getting ready to try to find us.  Our arrival at the pasture gate united us with "Mr. Tucker" and the four of us continued on toward the Cobbs.

It became evident that we needed to turn around and get back into the playing field, so I made up a story that the place was crawling with Yankees and wasn't suitable for our deserter friend to be near, we had to turn around and head back toward the little stone bridge.

As we got back closer to the small stone bridge we heard some shooting and decided to try to find a safe haven to wait out the day's activities.  We ran back alongside the hill, and then found a place where we could get back into the woods.  We holed up for a while in one spot and then decided that we were still too visible, so we retreated back up the hill till we found an area in dense vegetation on three sides and snuck inside the horseshoe.  There we stayed for what must have been two, three, four hours, waiting for the activity at the small stone bridge to cease so we could chance to get out and find water.   After a while Hank, Noah and Rachel went out to see if they could find a pond that was supposed to be located at the head of a ravine, they came back without success.  Later in the day Rachel, Noah and I went out with the same plan.

Noah stayed out a bit longer, while Rachel and I decided we were getting rather low on water and chose to try to get down to the creek for water.  The Confederate army held the bridge and they decided that they'd interrogate us just a bit.  Then they wanted to know where our men were.  About that time, Noah was coming down the hill and came over to where we were.  I was ordered to go get Hank's character.  At first I started after him, but then thought better of it, and decided that I wouldn't risk putting him in danger.  My character was going to pride herself at helping deserters, not hindering them, and while he was in a most excellent location, well hidden, I decided not to bring him back to the Confederates and returned to let them know that.  

I assured the CS army that I was a good loyal citizen who's son was in the most courageous regiment of all, the 8th Virginia Infantry, recruited out of Loudon County, and that I could answer any question that they had regarding my ward, and that I would not expose him to possible danger.  Everything I told them was 100% factual, there were no tales spun, no nothing, just plain facts.  About this time the Yankees attacked again, and after further consideration, the CS allowed us to return to our nook and safety.  Again, we laid low for a considerable length of time, and after a while the fighting was taken to the hillside upon which we hid.  We laid back and waited for it to pass, and after a while we decided that it was about as good a time as any to take off.  We scurried about as fast as ladies can in their long dresses and the heat, and approached a fenced in field with bridle jumps.  We climbed over one of the jumps (careful to keep as modest as possible), and walked along the edge of the field.

After a while we approached another jump only this one Rachel and I decided to duck through the rail fence on the right side rather than climb over.  The gentlemen went over the jump.  Then Hank's character tried going over another stone wall, and about that time we saw both sides and he quickly jumped back across and off we went along the fence some more.  Finally, when we thought we were safe, we cut back down through the field and toward the woods.  Noah's character saw one or two CS cav up on the hill and we hastened our way down a path into the woods.  As we neared the bottom of the path the CS infantry came out from below, and the cav came down from where we did and came in from the other end of the road as well entirely blocking any hope of escape.

The CS searched the men, and questioned them, and after a while finally let us all go.  But before we got very far we noticed that Rachel was no longer with us.  We turned around and she was getting up on her husband's horse.  Apparently the CS cav decided to leave early and Rachel was leaving with her husband.  So off we went, Noah, Hank and myself.  We found water up at Welbourne and then returned to the field of loose horses, where the three of us laid out our beds, started a fire and sat up and talked well into the evening (or so it seemed).  We tried to sleep, but the weather was cold, and the fire kept going out after an hour or two.   The inquisitive horses also kept coming by to check us out.  Noah made some sort of comment about how big horses look when one's lying down looking at them.  

As morning dawned, we decided that we were behind CS lines and could probably circle around any action.  We started out in the heavy fog, and it was Noah's character that saw the blue coats signaling the approach of people (us!).  We were still quite a distance away, and changed course and scurried over the hillside and across a field, and back over another stone jump.   With the Yankees hot on our trail, and under the circumstances, I didn't bother with etiquette.  I just hiked up my dress, threw my leg over the wall, and over I went as fast as possible.  My mind racing with what happens if I get caught aiding a deserter?   We straddled or went through yet more standards and continued running.  My legs felt like they were going to give when we heard the two sides engage.  We could slow down a little.

We pulled out the map and studied it trying to see how best to get an aerial view of the ford and the area around it, and saw that we weren't far from a vantage point.  Hearts were crashing down the chest cavity, legs were shaking from exhaustion, and head was spinning with anxiety of getting caught as we ran across the open fields.  Finally we did it, we reached the point we'd been trying so desperately to reach.  We looked out, but the vegetation blocked our view of the occurrences below.  We each looked at the other and agreed together that it was worth the attempt to get to the ford.

As we reached the bottom of the hill, we entered a pasture, and once again made fast moves across it.  Just as we were convinced that we had done it, we slowed to a walk.  I turned to Hank's character and said "I wonder how the Johnsons are?" to which he replied, "There are no real Johnsons, they're fictional."  I shushed him and told him there could be Yankee pickets around here."  And just about then, we heard "HALT!" and out of the woods comes a Yankee picket.  

After a while Hank figured out that he was the lone picket, and that there were no others.  The picket asked us if we were hungry, to which I replied that I have been wanting an apple for the last several days.  The picket decided to try to take us up to his camp to get an apple for me when Hank's character leaned forward and told me to "get hurt."  And figuring my fate can't be made any worse than it currently was, why not make the attempt?

So, as we started climbing up the hillside I faked a fall and a bum knee (couldn't straighten it).  Hank and Noah kind of stepped back to let the picket have a look at it and then Hank jumped his gun and held on.  The two of them went down and fought for the gun.  Hank tried to uncap it, but the picket managed to unsheath his bayonette and held it to Hank's neck, and the picket yelled, "You're done!  You're done!" (or something to that effect).  The picket got up, and then ordered Hank to sit up.  By now Hank's character was pretty upset with Noah's character as Noah made no attempt to help to get the gun away.  And the three of us sat there.  

Finally, Hank looked at us and said, "The fight never happened.  It's his word against ours."  And from then on out, I decided that I never asked for an apple, I walked out perfectly well (since the knee would only have been injured in part of the ploy to get the gun), etc.  I could barely overhear some of what was being told to the soldiers, and for a minute there I thought we'd get to walk away, but it wasn't to be so.  Our fate continues to rest in the hands of the provost marshall.

Now my question is, if we can't smooth talk our way out of all this, what's my fate gonna be?  Civilian, aiding a deserter, assisting in a plot to take the gun from the picket holding us prisoner, ...  Perhaps my fate wouldn't be as bad as that of a spy, but what would it be?  Thoughts?  

I had a great time with everyone and running from you all.  As I've said before, for the number of jumps we hurdled over the last few days, I think we at least deserve a fox tail, if not the hide.   I also wanna thank the Yankee picket, you did great!  I'd say you were one of the heroes of the day since you were the last thing between us and freedom.  We almost had it.

Linda Trent
(barely sore in the knees, and abdomen, but otherwise doing great!)  

--Last edited by Linda Trent on 2007-10-09 08:32:50 --

There's just one "what if" that I kinda wished might have happened. It's funny to think about anyway.

Weeks before the event, when we needed to decide what to portray, we found evidence of deserters in the area historically, so I decided to be a deserter.

A few days before the event, organizer Chris Anders emailed Linda and asked if she knew anyone available to portray a deserter. She wrote back "maybe..." They talked on the phone, and she explained the whole situation.

As it turned out, based on his own research, Chris had independently decided to have the Union army trying to find deserters, without knowing what we were doing. If he couldn't find someone to portray one, he'd just have them hunting imaginary ones.

If he hadn't emailed Linda, and had sent his men out hunting what he thought were imaginary deserters, I would have loved to see the look on his face when they actually caught one!

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net