I went up to Neshaminy on Saturday as a spectator to see if I could get my son to catch the bug and want to give it a try.  Plus it was a way to get us out of the house for a few hours while my wife graded papers for her classes..

We arrived and parked the car as the Federal were out doing the company and battalion drills in the main field near sutler row.  They looked pretty sharp in terms of movement, but I was surpised how many little 8-10 man companies there were out there drilling.  It would have looked a little neater had they combined into a couple larger companies.

We wandered over to the confederate camp to try to find "General" Rodman.  In the process I stopped and talked with some of the guys from units I knew and then my son who was more interested in the playground at the park had me lead him away to that.  After entertaining him there, and grabbing some lunch, we made our way down sutler row and chatted briefly with the guys from the Camptown Shakers who were taking a break while the Federal bands played at the intersection of paths.

Finally the troops formed up and headed off to the tactical which from the sounds of it was a hot contest.  My son and I headed for the battlefield to get ourselves a spot to watch.  While waiting we watched as a lone deer bolted from the woods where the tactical was and across the field into the other woods near the river.  

During the lull, the announcement was made about donations for preservation and the bucket was passed, but the time it got to where we were it was looking like they were doing pretty well. I had Riley drop some money in there so he could learn early about preservation.  Age 4 is a good time to start teaching these things I figure.

Once the battle started is was engrossed as the troops move back and forth across the field.  He was impressed as they fired and retreated and cheered as the confederates pressed them back to their works.  Then he told me as we left the viewing area when it was all over, "don't worry dad those soldiers were just pretending to be dead."  

When asked if he wanted to try something like this some day, he said empahtically..YES.

All in all the weather was cool and overcast, but no rain made for a good day.  My son enjoyed it and was wiped out and slept the car ride home.  So I want to say to those who participated, that it was a well done job.

Greg, that first picture scared the beejeebies out of me !

Ken

I can only digitally enhance things so much before it starts to look completly unreal..  

My very first Civil War event was Neshaminy too many years ago. I was with the Mifflin Guard Artillery at the time and the battery was also in its infancy. We dragged the Parrott Rifle through the woods for the tactical with authentic manpower harnesses as per the regulations. It was tiring but fun. This event is a good one to kick off the season and also as a first event. I will always remember the event and also how it was a cold damp night with the chill coming off the Delaware River  

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Ken Cornett wrote : Greg, that first picture scared the beejeebies out of me !

Ken,

Me too! Holy Weight Watchers, Batman!

Bill, a little public thanks for the place on your staff for the weekend. You have a nice commmunity of friends there.
Bill O'Dea  

--Last edited by Bill on 2008-05-03 22:22:18 --

I forgot to add to the AAR above, I was quite impressed by the number of Federals who took hits during the saturday battle.  It was neat to be able to see a field littered with the blue coats rather than them all standing tall behind the works.

Also there were 2 Federals who during the initial rout, took flight and really made a break for it.  They looked pretty good.  At the same time there were those companies who when being pressed decided it was ok to just right face and by files right their way out of danger.

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Hardtimes wrote : Bill, a little public thanks for the place on your staff for the weekend. Bill O'

Bill,

Many thanks to you, Larry Murray, Mike Schaffner, Bill Wilson, Mark Moore and Jose Rios. You guys made my job one heck of a lot easier.

BTW, welcome to the Forum. You'll fit right in around here.

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Also there were 2 Federals who during the initial rout, took flight and really made a break for it.  They looked pretty good.  At the same time there were those companies who when being pressed decided it was ok to just right face and by files right their way out of danger.

I think I was one of those two federals as I was the first guy onto the road where we were to reform.  The other guy was alos from my compnay but I passed him as he stopped to reload in the woods.

We just had the 2008 Neshaminy wrap-up meeting this evening. The spectators donated a total of $1,370 for preservation. The "profit" from the registration fees was $3,100 for a total of $4,470 going to various preservation activities.

This was little less than what was collected in 2007. The numbers of both spectators and participants were down a little and the costs were up.

2009 will be the 20th. annual Neshaminy event. The date has been moved back one week to April 17-19, 2009.

Thats $4,470 CW preservation did not have before...good job  

Been over 15 years since I have been to the Neshaminy event, but always enjoyed it. I was with the Mifflin Guard artillery back then and dragging an ordnance rifle through the woods during the tactical was a unique experience.

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Marc wrote : Thats $4,470 CW preservation did not have before...good job

Marc,

During the past ten years, or so, we have been averaging over $5,000 dollars per year. A lot of events have collected more preservation funds; but in most cases, they have been one-time deals. My guess is the annual Cedar Creek and Neshaminy events are probably the leaders in generating preservation funds over time.

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Bill wrote : We just had the 2008 Neshaminy wrap-up meeting this evening. The spectators donated a total of $1,370 for preservation. The "profit" from the registration fees was $3,100 for a total of $4,470 going to various preservation activities. This was little less than what was collected in 2007. The numbers of both spectators and participants were down a little and the costs were up. 2009 will be the 20th. annual Neshaminy event. The date has been moved back one week to April 17-19, 2009.

Still a job well done Bill.

The weather may have been a factor.  I know when I left my house that morning it was sunny and warm and when we got to the park, it was already overcast with a slight chill in the air.

Looking forward to bringing my son next year.  He seems to really enjoy watching it and will talk about it for days afterwards.

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lhsnj wrote :  Looking forward to bringing my son next year.  He seems to really enjoy watching it and will talk about it for days afterwards.

Greg,

Dress your boy up in funny clothing and fall in with the 4th. Texas for the weekend. He'd think he died and went to Heaven.

BTW,

I saw your name mentioned as a supporter of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation. Good job!  

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Bill wrote :   Greg, Dress your boy up in funny clothing and fall in with the 4th. Texas for the weekend. He'd think he died and went to Heaven. BTW, I saw your name mentioned as a supporter of the Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation. Good job!

I try to give a little when I can.
I even started my son down this road at his age, I gave him a handful of bills and had him put them in the bucket when they came by us.

I am working on trying to get him dressed up for some events.  But right now I have 2 16yo recruits I am bringing along to events, so I need to get them settled in first.

Bravo for the money raised at Neshaminy. The event is a good one for the local troops and those who travel down from NE & NY who are part of the Mifflin Guard. We usually field six companies for 150 to 160 troops. Good time to review and practice drill and tactics Saturday morning. Weather is mild. Tactical was quite exciting this year. Lot's of spectators wander camp and have a myraid of questions.

Andy Siganuk, MIfflin Guard

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Ken Cornett wrote : Greg, that first picture scared the beejeebies out of me !

I'm a little more concerned about that porcelin looking white pot sitting on the blanket in the 2nd picture.  Reminds me of something we used when I was a kid an it had nothing to do with cooking.

Tom, my grandmother referred to those things as "thunder mugs."

Curtis,

They called them "Thunder Mugs" up here in Pennsylvania too!