Thursday, February 24, 2011

A blast from the past......

My title has two connotations today, as this post has been sitting in the queue for quite some time, and due to lack of free time, negligence, or downright laziness, it is just now coming to light. That this is the first connotation, and the second is that it focuses on the past. How much in the past? Take a look:



"It is glorious to see such courage, in one so young!"

Yes, it is a Civil War Reenactment, and those are the gray uniforms we are rooting for, those are my brothers (literally), out there on the field. Before you ask those oft repeated questions we Confederates hear, let me first say a couple of words. First of all, I do not support the slavery of the South, and they were in the wrong on that front, but if you study history, you will find that there were many other issues that contributed to the War of Northern Aggression, and it is on those counts that I support the South. This post is too short to go into those points, and perhaps someday I will, but not today. For now, I will merely echo the words of the great general Albert Johnston, "We may be annihilated, but we cannot be conquered."

However, while my brothers are out doing the dying, shooting, and sweating, my mind is occupied with other matters. Civil war reenacting attracts many artisans, among them metal workers. So, I sit under a nice shady tent, and make things!  

Dirty work, but worth it!
Instruction, from the master craftsman.....

  The final product. 
The menfolk, ready to march into battle. Don't they look happy?
The womenfolk, ready to retrieve the wounded.
Rally 'round the flag, boys!
I cannot lead into the next photo without a bit of commentary. The most impressive element of a Civil War reenactment are the cannons. We usually have ten or so artillery pieces at an event, and when they go off, it is as if the very atmosphere is being rent in two. The sound that ten pieces make is deafening, but it is all the more amazing to ponder that at Gettysburg, there were around 600 pieces of artillery. It is truly a sobering number. 

In spite of my, now retiring, ways during the battles, I have, in the past, participated in the fight, and while out on the field, when the smell of the powder hung heavy in the air, with the shouts of the men rang through the heavy smoke of the battlefield, and the cannons discharging their volleys, I closed my eyes for a moment, and thought myself out of the safe 21st Century, and back to being a soldier, marching onto the battlefield, risking life for my home, and my family. I took the lid off of that pent up emotion, all of that fear, and for one second, just a brief flash, I let the terror take over. At that moment, I respected those men who went onto the battlefield, and even more those men who had seen battle, and yet kept fighting for something that they believed in. No man would have faced that horror, simply for the sake of keeping another race of men enslaved......

Fire!




The next photo also needs a bit of explanation. Nic, being the dramatic brother that he is, had to add a bit of flair to the proceedings, so at a key moment in the battle, when all seemed lost, he decided to desert. And what did his fellow soldiers do? They promptly shot him in the back.....
Nic, the coward, starting to run.....
The coward lives! No hard feelings?
Meanwhile, back at camp. Anton doesn't like "perspiring" as he calls it, so he guards the supplies.
Mr. Lincoln seems unaware of the dangerous position he is in.....
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air! Wrong war, yes, but they still glare and burst, all the same!
 A lovelier couple was never seen, and even though you have seen this photo before, one should always take every chance to show off such a wonderful wife as this! (Yes, I am so modest.....)
We had a grand time. Even though we cannot change the past, we can still memorialize it, along with the men on both sides, who gave their lives for their homes, their beliefs, and their countries. 

Later y'all!

BFH

P.S. Tiff made her dress, and my shirt. Most comfortable shirt I have ever worn!

4 comments:

The Girl with the Red Lenses said...

Love the pictures! What did you make? It is so Beautiful! Great job! Miss you guys! So fun to see a picture of Tiff's growing tummy. So excited for you two!

Becca

Butler Family Member said...

What fun! I love Civil War reenactments! ~Kelsey

Anthony said...

This post brings up some hot, sticky, itchy, interesting, and in a weird way, fun memories. To hear the canons is really a moving experience. Gettysburg must have been quite a sight. Great post! Love you guys.

Anton, Esq. to be

Simply Tiffany said...

Becca,

Ben made a pewter rosette for me. It has a story behind it, too. *laughing* I'll be very glad when the baby is moving in my arms...

Kelsey,

They are fun events...more this year!

Anton,

*laughing* You are funny...

It was a reeeeeeeeeally hot weekend, but it was fun. I'm looking forward to the next one. *dreams of pushing an old pram around*

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