AAR: Old Bedford Village

This event remains the premiere event in the hobby at this time. All I heard all weekend was WOW, great event!

The event had 1050 reenactors registered and 850 attended, a much better turn out than most events of late produce. Bigger than New Market and Gettysburg! This seems to lend support to the philosophy that reenactors are looking for new and exciting events to attend and are tiring of doing the same old events repeatedly. There were approx 900 spectators pass through in the course of the event giving the Village a much needed revenue boost.

Getting all the reenactors in, camped and comfortable was no real challenge, it went well. The battles were very hot and interesting. The public and event people commended us saying these were the best performance seen at the Village ever. The Federal Army consisted of 175 Infantry, 12 mounted and 17 dismounts from the Cavalry of the Potomac and 5 of Birney's guns to round out that force.

The Confederate Army consisted of 180 PACS and ANV Infantry, 35 mounted, 12 dismounts of the 35th Va Cavalry, and 7 guns of PACS. The Confederate forces were commanded by General Greg Bair of PACS and the Federals by General Ed Kelley of Birney's Division. A great time was had by all.

We have been warning everyone that there has always been a 700 reenactor limit and all others would be turned away. For the first time that limit was reached and exceeded. Some units were turned away as a result. Be fore warned in the future, this limit will become a huge factor in the event so it is suggested that you get your units registered very early in the year to assure your place for future events. Enough said.

I would like to thank Roger Kerwin the Executive Director of Old Bedford Village for the opportunity to hold this event - such a great backdrop for a Civil War reenactment - and all the logistical excellence he provided this weekend. I also would like to thank Col Mark Essig 3rd Reg Commander of PACS for his hard work to put this event together. We spent many hours on the phone together in the past months to get this event just right. Many thanks to my staff for their hard work and support this past weekend. A job well done!

In conclusion, this event is just one in a list of great events we are supporting this season. We pledge to continue providing fresh and exciting events for our memberships to attend in an effort to keep Civil War reenacting strong in our region for many years to come.

Many Regards,

Major General Edward L. Kelley Sr.
Birney's Division
Commanding