It rained at the Colonial Plantation in Ridley Creek last weekend. The wind blew at the Colonial Plantation in Ridley Creek last weekend. A bunch of super hard-core "Streamers" showed up at the Colonial Plantation in Ridley Creek last weekend and managed to have a very successful event.

I was the Confederate Commander for the event. As is my usual plan, I arrived on site Thursday afternoon and set up my HQ's on the road leading into the site. After getting set up, I went out to get some dinner. When I got back, low and behold, the gate to Ridley Creek State Park was locked and I was on the wrong side of the gate! I only live about 40 minutes from the site, so I just drove home and spent the night in a warm bed, with sheets. I got up about 6:00 AM and the rain was coming down in buckets and the wind was blowing like there was no tomorrow. As I drove back to the site, I wondered if this was going to turn into a one man event- Me!

I had a real Viet Nam moment on Friday morning. I had gotten back on site about 8:00 AM and layed down on my cot to catch a few extra winks. The rain pounding on the canvas put me right to sleep. Phil Katcher, my Adjutant, showed up about 10:00 AM. I got up and we were standing under the fly that covers my tent, just shooting the bull. Suddenly we heard a crash. It was amazing, there was a twenty foot long branch sticking out of the side of my common tent. The butt end was stuck four inches in the ground, about a foot from where my head had been, only five minutes earlier. Somehow, the branch managed to miss the fly, but stab through the tent under it. Still can't figure out how that happened. All I know is five minutes earlier and one foot to the left and I wouldn't be writing this AAR!    

Later on, Andy Siqanuk, who was my Federal partner in crime, showed up. At this point, we were now up to about a five person event - mostly officers. Oh yeah, and it kept raining! As the day wore on, the Hard Cores started showing up. At one point, I saw smoke pouring out of a common tent. I walked down to see what was going on and found that two of my stalwarts had built a small fire in their common tent. When I asked them what the "heck" (Not the actual word I used!) they were doing, they correctly pointed out there was no possible way their tent was going to catch fire. They also noted they had the only fire in camp! Hard to argue with that logic! By Saturday morning, roughly half the folks, who registered, were on site. Oh yeah, it was still raining! There were about equal numbers of crazy folks in blue and gray, roughly forty guys per side.

Andy and I put together our "Scenarios" for the two battles on Saturday. Not much more than this is where we'll start and you guys win in the morning and we win in the afternoon. Oddly enough, the scenarios went off pretty well. Pretty easy to play things by ear, when there's only forty people per side.

We had the regular Ridley Creek co-ed party Saturday evening. The rain stopped for a while. Funny, it started raining again, just about when the keg was kicked. Mother Nature knows what's important!  

Bill Cross, who served as my Provost, and I had left some stuff at the HQ's tent. (We had moved our bedding to a barn on site. There was no bloody way I was sleeping in that tent!) We got stuck back in the tent as the rain fell. I do believe we solved most of the problems in the Hobby, during the two hours we waited for the rain to let up.

Sunday morning dawned as an almost perfect early Fall day. Sunday's scenario went well, but ended early. I gather the Federals were pretty much out of ammo and out of troops, when the "fighting" stopped.

I was really proud of the reenactors Sunday afternoon. There is a one lane road into the site and it was a muddy mess. We put a plan in place to get everyone off site and thanks to the participants, it worked. For once, there were no "special" folks, who just couldn't bring themselves to follow the plan.

Most of the Confederate participants came from the 10th. Virginia, the 9th. Virginia, the 4th. Texas, and the 1st. North Carolina Artillery. On the Federal side, it was the 1st. PA Reserves, the 12th. New Jersey, the 7th. PA Reserves, and the 26th. Pennsylvania. Many thanks to all of you.

The event was very successful for the Colonial Plantation. They made almost $2,700 dollars profit from the event.

Bill

Our guys enjoyed the event as always.
Most of us would have been there friday night, but saw no reason to start the weekend soaked through.  So we rolled in by 9am on Saturday and had our shebang up and ready to go.

The rest of the morning we relaxed and did some drill and inspection of the boys to make sure we were ready.  I think many of us came in light on powder not realizing how much fighting we were going to be doing.

Each of the battles went well from my standpoint.. but my son took issue with the Sat morning battle.  He tried his hardest to get my attention as we marched out to let me know the Federals were down by the barn and there was one hididng behind a tree.  Afterwards, he let me know he wasn't happy with me for not listening and charging those Federals.. I had him pass him complaint up the chain of command (which means I passed him on to Joe L.)  That seemed to tide him over.

The afternoon battle went well also and I think we were all pretty wore out.  I know I went to sleep "early" and didn't wake up until I felt the rain leaking from the shebang.. and then put my blanket over and went back to sleep.

We woke up a little damp, but in good spirits and commenced breakfast and had our church meeting.  Then prepped for the fight that was coming.  Again a good fight, but it ended a little abruptly.  Most of us were waiting for that last Federal push..

Either way, a fun weekend.  A chance for us to expose some fresh fish to the hobby and to work closely with them.  Can't wait until next year.

It's supposed to rain at events.

Quote :

GrumpyDave wrote : It's supposed to rain at events.

Grumpy,

Well, it sure seems it's supposed to rain on Ridley Creek.

Esteemed Mr. Rodman,
First and foremost, it was a pleasure to attend the latest living history program at Ridley Creek.
It was a difficult start, as you well know. It took me well over five hours of surface travel over a very clogged highway system to cover the 133 miles from my front step to the park. And then I spent about an hour and a half tramping through extremely wet grounds until I could locate you and Mr. Cross and share an adult beverage and some philosophical meanderings.
Then I got lost, trying to make my way back to my van. Thanks for your personal assistance in accomplishing the task, by the way.
Saturday morning, the sun poked through the clouds from time to time. The two pairs of shoes, and two pairs of sodden socks that I had spread atop my van proceeded to dry up, little by little.
It was pure joy to meet so many friends during Saturday and Sunday, as well as to enjoy some fancy military maneuvers I could photograph.
The results, for anyone who cares, are here:
http://www/zphotos.smugmug.com, then click on the 9ridley gallery.
Enjoy, or not, if that is your wont. If you do and want to tell me about it, fine. If you don't, that's fine, too.
My thanks to the Texas folks for their hospitality in camp, as well as the bunch of 12th New Jersey depravates, even in spite of the fact they failed to bring some "boilo." I promised them to try to make some of the poisonous stuff for public testing at Cedar Creek. God help us all!
In any case, Ridley Creek was quite an enjoyable weekend. Yes, in spite of the copious precipitation (that's rain, for you guys who live in the trailer park).
We all have chosen to "play" outdoors. Why should we bitch and moan when the weather doesn't cooperate?
Step up, ladies!
If you want to remain perfectly dry, take up bowling.
No disrespect intended to the bowling set.
Julio