Sir,
I
beg to report on operations of the 44th Georgia August 21 and 22 in
at the Great Battlefield. Once again the regiment encamped for the weekend at Spangler’s Spring for our
living history presentation under the auspices of the National Park Service.
The 44th made a fine showing for visitors who watched our demonstrations of musket loading by the
nine count and firing, and who came into our camp throughout the weekend. In addition to
Capt. VanBuskirk, the 44th had nine rifles for the weekend, a good showing. Joining the
Captain were Sgt. Rick Sasor; Cpl. Art Mallette; Pvts. Jonathan Sasor, John Locus, Billy Rengel,
Dan Kimball, Ken Doran, David McLain and Yours Truly. Our camp also was graced with the
presence of Betty VanBuskirk, Michale Hewett-Rengel, and Jean Anello. Elizabeth McLain,
Mary and Emily Doran and Marylou and Christopher Lordi also paid us visits throughout the weekend.
Troops
began moving into
Yours
Truly was holding up the rear and rejoined the regiment around
Weather both days was hot and muggy. The sun was strong Saturday, but some overcast and a
touch of rain on Sunday gave the boys a bit of relief, although we had to work extra hard at keep our muskets dry.
A good number of spectators came over for all three of Saturday’s firing demonstrations, and many followed up with
tours of our camp. Once again, the boys went out of their way to engage visitors, strike up conversations, and answer
their many questions, much to the pleasure of our NPS host, Ranger Tom. The conversations stayed steady until
about 4:00 in the afternoon when it was decided that we would clean ourselves up and gather for dinner at our favorite
Gettysburg eatery.
It was a most enjoyable time as we sampled a variety of victuals. The chatter at the table was bright and relaxed.
The highlight, however, was the surprise birthday cake with single candle that was presented to an unsuspecting
John Locus. John was serenaded to a course of “Happy Birthday” from the wait staff, and all at the table, as well
as a few curious onlookers in the restaurant. Ever the epitome of sophistication and elegance, John hacked at the cake
and ate it with a knife. But it was all in good fun and it gave us at the table a good laugh.
We circled back to our camp and gathered under the camp fly to continue our conversation. John regaled the troops
with
stories of life as a civilian in
The banter continued well past dusk and into the evening with faces dimly lit by the flicker of a low campfire.
A
bit past
to call it a night. The tents were pretty wet Sunday morning from the on-and-off showers the previous evening.
It was a gritless Sunday as Yours Truly did not spend the night in camp and took leave of my chef’s duties this weekend.
A few of the boys, however, kept up the tradition of a hardy morning meal of steak and eggs and of course the burly,
campfire-brewed
coffee.Rain teased us for part of the morning and made a showing around
It soon stopped and in less than an hour later, the skies opened up and sun came roaring through, giving our canvass
a
chance to dry. Our afternoon
firing demonstration ended around half-past
All the regiment’s gear was pretty well packed within an hour, but we stayed around to talk about some upcoming events,
especially those that will mark the 150th anniversary of important battles.
Our
next scheduled event is at
If you plan to attend, please let the Captain know.
Also,
at the
we will have our annual Company meeting. Please make every effort to attend.
Submitted with My Compliments,
Pvt. Mike Lordi
Company Scribe