49th Indiana, Co. F, starting the spring campaign...

[Phantom Captain]

Most of you know I'm a reenactor with the 49th Indiana Co. F so just thought I would share a few pics with you from recent weeks.


Here's our camp of instruction the last week of March. That's me on the far left aiming my reproduction Lorenz rifle. Yes, that's right a quality reproduction Lorenz rifle!! Three guys in my unit have them now with three more ordered and coming! They are really sweet. The 49th Indiana was originally issued Austrian Lorenz rifles so we are absolutely correct and thrilled to be carrying them. I brought a ton of live ammo this year, .58 minie ball cartridges plus both regular .69 ball and buck and ball loads to shoot in between drill. You all would be amazed how many reenactors have fired blanks for years and never once shot their rifles for real. Buck and ball loads were by far and away the most popular. My favorite too!

The pics go full size if you click on them...



Camp of instruction again. We shared camp with our counterparts the 44th Tennessee, also based out of Indiana. We decided to combine both companies for drill. I'm again, on the far left.



This was last weekend in Vernon, Indiana. In line of battle, nice muzzle flash!



We portray western federals of which I'm infinitely proud being a Hoosier myself and having six relatives all who fought for the western armies under Grant and Sherman from Shiloh all the way to the March to the Sea. I'm very proud of our modern unit as I think we really nail the western soldiers look. We are much more ragtag and individually unique compared to our eastern cousins who are much more cookie cutter. Here last on the right in the rear rank (blanket roll and flat top bowler).



Here my 1st Sgt. stands over our wounded. You get a great view of his Lorenz rifle. You can also see our differing gear and appearances. Slight variations in sack coat colors, gear carried, blankets, etc. I'm on far right with the tan blanket roll.



Break time down at the river...

[Ephrum]

As always, great pic's Phantom Captain!

It looks like you guys were having a good time.

Thanks for sharing them with us.

[louie raider]

i could be mistaken but in the 2nd photo the guy in the background marching with your company with the modern army jacket and blue jeans doesn't look like he's portraying the right impression... must be a sutler or something

[Armchair General]

Very nice PC! As always. Leads to an interesting question, wonder who would win in a fight, Western Hoosiers, or fellows from the Army of the Potomac.

[Phantom Captain]

Louie Raider wrote:

i could be mistaken but in the 2nd photo the guy in the background marching with your company with the modern army jacket and blue jeans doesn't look like he's portraying the right impression... must be a sutler or something

Very good eye Louie!! Still, we all know your eye for detail so it isn't surprising!!

Darn new recruits those are, still in their civvy clothes. Making the whole company look bad too with their lack of marching discipline etc. Not sure they even knew which side of the rifle to point with. :laugh:

Surprised no one has mentioned the coehorn mortar visible in the first pic yet. B) Oh yes, it's functional too!

[Phantom Captain]

Armchair General wrote:

Very nice PC! As always. Leads to an interesting question, wonder who would win in a fight, Western Hoosiers, or fellows from the Army of the Potomac.

Thanks AC! I think you know which side I would pick in that fight. Those easterners are a bunch of pretty boys and only beat Bobby Lee once they got our General Grant to take matters in hand and put things right. B) :cheer:

I'm all about the western armies. The AotP gets all the glory where our western boys are usually overlooked even though they did all the hard marching and, in my opinion, really shouldered and won the war. Here's a bit of reading for you to decide for yourself. I have to say, the Army of the Potomac pretty much fought the whole war in a few counties in Virginia and then up into Maryland twice and Pennsylvania once while on the other hand the armies of the west whipped pretty much everything in front of it except for the one big battle at Chickamauga and secondly marched down the Mississippi took Vicksburg and then marched halfway across the continent all the way to the Atlantic and then up to Washington D.C. Hmmmm, you tell me?? :laugh:

Enjoy! I find the Grand Review to be fascinating, so little is ever mentioned or read about it. It's funny, in retrospect, that they had to keep the eastern and western armies seperated by the Potomac for fears they really would start fighting each other.

http://www.33wis.com/articles/pdf/Big%2 ... Review.pdf

My favorite and most telling part of the article is from the end when the German ambassador is watching the western armies pass.

On the reviewing stand as the first divisions passed, the German ambassador reportedly said, "An army like that could whip all of Europe." A half hour later he gasped, "An army like that could whip the world." An hour later, "An army like that could whip the devil."

[Chamberlain]

A job well done as always PC !!

How are things going ???

Thanks for sharing !!

:cheer:

Chamberlain

[BOSTON]

During your entire week of training did you stay in tents, such as those in the pictures, prepare meals on site? If so, you'd have to be pretty dedicated unit, my hats' off to ya, especially if you had a good time.

Hoistingman4

[Phantom Captain]

hoistingman4 wrote:

During your entire week of training did you stay in tents, such as those in the pictures, prepare meals on site? If so, you'd have to be pretty dedicated unit, my hats' off to ya, especially if you had a good time.

Hoistingman4

Tents?? Tents are for easterners and confederates. :laugh: :cheer:

Yes sir, that's exactly what we do. If my girl is not with me I don't bring the tent at all. Usually on weekend events now I will stay one night with her in the tent (gotta make some concessions!) and then one night outside.

We do what's known as "campaigning". That is no tents, and only use the gear etc. that you bring and carry on your back. It only really sucks when it rains!! We've had some damn cold nights under the stars too but that's when a little forage whiskey always helps! The weekend in March was spent outside the entire time and sleeping under the stars, around a fire, on my gum blanket with only my greatcoat and a wool blanket over me. It's the BEST!

We crush our coffee in the morning with our rifle butts throw it in our tin cups with some water, boil it and skim off the grains, mmmmmmmm! Sugar and beans are kept in our haversacks and cook everything outside over a campfire. We make our own hardtack. One guy even bought a slab of salt pork which we are now using to try to capture exactly what they did. Usually we have a couple potatoes, an onion, maybe and apple or two, peanuts, dried corn, some cheese and the bacon to subsist on!

These are from Atlanta, last November. We actually got to stay on the Nash Farm battlefield. It was amazing! The nighttime temperature was down to about 30, eek. And I thought the south and Georgia were supposed to be warm!

Here you are looking at our camp. No tents see? The one tent you do see was used for storage of things that couldn't get wet, clothes, gear etc. You can see how we all have our gum blankets in a circle around the fire. Those are our beds woohoo! Just like Sherman's boys did it. We were the only unit campaigning and it garnered us a lot of respect from all the other units with all their canvas.

Again, click on the pic if you want to see it full size.





Brrrrrrr!!!



Our gallant western boys getting ready to be marched into battle.



A view from our line to the Confederate works. It was way cool in that trenches had been dug for us and a couple broken artillery pieces left in the field to make the battlefield even more realistic. Crouched down looking up at those rebels in their trenches was an amazing sight.



The order is given and all is smoke, fire and roar of battle.

[Armchair General]

Phantom Captain wrote:

Armchair General wrote:

Very nice PC! As always. Leads to an interesting question, wonder who would win in a fight, Western Hoosiers, or fellows from the Army of the Potomac.

Thanks AC! I think you know which side I would pick in that fight. Those easterners are a bunch of pretty boys and only beat Bobby Lee once they got our General Grant to take matters in hand and put things right. B) :cheer:

Hey hey hey! :ohmy: It ain't their fault they had half-wits and generals scared of ghosts commanding them! Sure Grant was the one to eventually beat Lee, but he wouldn't have been able to do it without the tough stubbornness and willingness to push forward through mountains of dead which was the Army of the Potomac