I couldn't resist an opportunity to gouge the officer types   Sometimes, no matter how long you've had rank, it's the little commands that are overlooked or miscommanded (is that a real word?). These are usually the ones that are the easiest ones to screw up. It's up to the soldiers and NCOs to decipher what the officers mean sometimes. Our unit has a informal standing rule that if the in charge man forgets to order it, go to shoulder arms before you march.


I can't remember the officer or where it was it at, but a Federal officer commanded his troops to "swing right around, just like a gate" when he meant for them to do a wheeling maneuver. In the heat of battle, or the excitement of the situation, it's easy to forget the proper commands.  

Gregg Hensley
The McDowell Boys

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Gregg Hensley wrote :  Our unit has a informal standing rule that if the man in charge forgets to order it, go to shoulder arms before you march. Gregg Hensley The McDowell Boys

Gregg,

I make that mistake all the time. My guys have the same informal standing rule!  

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Bill wrote : Bob, I'm getting the feeling you don't think much of your officers.

Actually my officer is pretty good but we sometimes find ourselves under the command of other officers and quite honestly it seems to be the majors and colonels who are more interested in bandbox soldiers instead of combat soldiers.

But that would be appropriate for the AoP.

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But that would be appropriate for the AoP.

Bob, what do you mean exactly?

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Ken Cornett wrote : [quote]Bob, what do you mean exactly?

You are aware of the AoP's reputation for spit and polish?  And that they were dressed up for the victory parade, where as the Western forces just came as they were.

If you want to know why they call me "GrumpyDave" you would have been in Gettysburg today.Yep, I'll say it again, that town brings out the worst the hobby has to offer, bar none. Let's start with gun totin' civilians, 1810's hurricane lamps and blue speckle ware. "What drill manual is that from?" Followed by, "I dunno?????" May God have mercy on them.  

--Last edited by grumpydave on 2007-05-27 17:22:29 --

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GrumpyDave wrote : May God have mercy on them.

Grumpy,

Were you hanging around the Wax Museum again?  

All I wanted to do was look at the books. Never made it inside. I was too angry.

Grumpy,

Are you still visiting the wrong Earwax Museums?  

If that is the price you paid for those excellent cemetery photos, then it was worth it. By the way, red restaurant in town has a nice used but not abused bookstore. I can rarely remember the name, but it is something like Farnsworth's.

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GrumpyDave wrote : If you want to know why they call me "GrumpyDave" you would have been in Gettysburg today.Yep, I'll say it again, that town brings out the worst the hobby has to offer, bar none. Let's start with gun totin' civilians, 1810's hurricane lamps and blue speckle ware. "What drill manual is that from?" Followed by, "I dunno?????" May God have mercy on them.

Dave

Typically I am not one to criticize another person's impression because it isn't my nature.  But today we did a Memorial Day parade here in town, and there was a guy who I was really tempted to ask him what his documentation was for the dead animal part on his hat.  Not the presence of it, as I know that has been documented, but the style of which he was wearing it.  Think of it as a dear tail mohawk on his forage cap.  



EDIT: I did a quick search online for a certain units to see if original photos might come up.  And I found this one, which seems to be the closest to how the soldier at the parade was wearing his.

 

--Last edited by lhsnj on 2007-05-29 11:28:22 --

Now that my friends is gaudy.

Just saw, for the 10 Meeleonth Time....

Scared rifleman screaming and running from the ranks....deserting in the face of the enemy.....a shout of "Shoot that Coward" and a file closer turning around and firing at him.

ENOUGH ENOUGH ENOUGH ENOUGH. I'm tired of this and won't take it anymore.

Oh, horse hockey, RJ. You live for that stuff.

(This post highly sanitized for the family friendly nature of this forum. Translation available on request. Taxes, title, and destination charges extra.)

Heck, at A140, the entire left wing of our batalion broke and ran. We found a fence row and made coffee. Three whole companies. It was sorta neat. Considering the mess that was happening around us. (cornfield)We had to though, to avoid the confederate battalion that was trying to flank us through the parking lot. Somewhere I herd, "The officers have decided this is stupid, when we yell, run."

Grumpy, like a large dose of Cod Liver Oil....

yea we regularly have a company or battalion skeedaddle.....

Lately we've been retiring by wings or simply retiring the colors 50 yards, sound to the Color, reform on the color, repeat a few times.

But the shooting of a desertee on the field of battle? Spare me.

Charles, you know I live for watching a reenacting unit recognize a bugle call at 300 yards and then acting upon that call.....

Either that or watching a reenactor do the modern Marine Corps high port around the stacks for walking through the stacks and 'breaking the regulations'. Neither of which existed during the ACW (neither running at the high port as a penalty nor the regs to not walk through the stacks).  

--Last edited by RJSamp on 2007-07-15 17:49:39 --

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RJSamp wrote : You know I live for watching a reenacting unit recognize a bugle call at 300 yards and then acting upon that call.....

Yeah RJ,

That might happen, if I could get everyone to stop shooting those pesky guns or beating on drums, and could figure out which bugle call I was supposed to react to. Now, if I had a bugler, tugging on my sleeve  and saying "Hey Tone-Deaf, the man just said to turn right, form a line of battle, and go forward." That I just might be able to accomplish. (On a good day.)

Personally, I like to see a Private carry a big log around. Serves two purposes. At City Point, I had a Private go down to the river and bring the cook a log, several times. Until I thought he had brought a big enough piece of wood and until he carried it to the cook in a long round a bout way. He remembered to polish his brass and musket when he was finished.

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Charles, you know I live for watching a reenacting unit recognize a bugle call at 300 yards and then acting upon that call.....

Between the ranger residence and the Holocaust memorial along the shores of Lake Ontario is about 700 yards of open field, and it is a great place to practice skirmish drill by the bugle.  Well, at least until one gets past the windbreak afforded by the old stone fort, and the hawk blowing off the lake outflanks the troops.  It's nice to have a bugler around.

Forget it.  

--Last edited by RJSamp on 2007-08-26 23:54:00 --