I am please to say that we have made it through yet another successful reenactment at Beaver Creek State Park here in Ohio. It is truly one of the best places to camp of any reenactment I have been to. The Federal Army feels quite at home in the pines and along the river. I even noticed some of my fellow reenactors brought their fishing poles this year!
With 80 Federals and 40 Confederates, the action started early with a 6 am tactical Saturday morning. Under the leadership of Lt. Kirkwood, we could hear the action rolling through the woods from far down-range to just above the mill. The returning troops from both sides displayed smiles that told the story of a good time. Nothing like a hot scrap to get you hungry for breakfast.
After conducting dress parade and drill in the early cool hours, the main battle for the spectators kicked off about 1 pm.
Our sharp shooter company deployed into a skirmish line as we saw the Confederate pickets through the dense woods. After driving them back, the battalion moved forward only to see the main Confederate line and artillery just ahead. We stopped to fire, but the thick forest we were engaged in made a portion of our onslaught ineffective.
The southern troops moved toward our line and began to press our flanks. What they didn't expect is that we had made plans to move our sharp shooters from flank to flank with several predetermined commands. This kept the boys in butternut and grey sliding side to side in response.
Though the trees helped keep casualties down, we finally pinned the Confederate units and agreed to halt the engagement to tend to those wounded and mortally departed souls.
Following the barn dance Saturday evening, the Federal and Confederate pickets pestered each other across the mill pond. The Reb artillery even lobbed a few shells into our camp. The spectators enjoyed the after-dark show and the acoustic assistance of the pond made for quite the experience.
The battle on Sunday was what the commanders of both sides had been waiting for. This was going to be good. Around 12:45 pm, the Federal infantry moved out on a road march with the sharp shooters as guards and flankers ahead of the battalion. The column came under fire from the woods to our left. The Confederate skirmishers had assembled breast works and engaged our sharp shooters.
Bringing the battalion into a battle line, we moved into the forest behind the sharp shooters and supported the pushing of the Confederate skirmishers with fierce volleys. As we swept them out of the woods, they retreated across a bridge where we could see Rebel infantry and artillery on the heights in the village.
As our troops came under withering musketry, we raced forward to the embankment to lay down fire and support our companies as they crossed the bridge to the other side. Once all troops were across, the battle became an all out knock-down, drag-out fire fight with each side attempting to out maneuver each other’s lines. The Confederate canon and rifle fire laid our troops low and we were forced to withdraw back across the bridge and into the woods. The pursuing enemy forced our hand as they followed and we relented.
This was probably one of the hottest fights I have witnessed at a local event in many years. My kepi is off to the Federal company commanders from the 5th OVI (with the 51st and 61st OVI), 5th OSS (with the 83rd PVI), 7th OVI (with the 66th OVI), and 105th OVI. Because of your training and leadership, I was able to say "go do XYZ" then stand back on the far side of the bridge and watch you do it.
A big thank you to the 2d Battalion HQ team. Bob Penix is hard core. After rotator surgery on Thursday, he was there on Friday addressing paperwork and even conducting battalion drill with his arm in a sling. Grant Kirkwood earned his boards this weekend by laying out the Federal camps, planning and leading the tactical, and making sure everything ran smoothly.
Another big thanks to Wayne Unger and Mike "Stonewall" Lawson for their leadership on the Confederate side. They made several dozen Rebs seem like 100, and it is always fun to plan out the scenarios with my pards and Brothers.
On top of everything else, THANK YOU to Tom Allison and the Beaver Creek team for all of their hard work in putting this event on. It was Tom's idea to fight on the bridge and what a perfect place to have an engagement.
As we announced last year, Beaver Creek will alternate with Argus Park. Our next event at Beaver Creek will be in 2011.
Submitted,
Lt Col C.L. Smith, Commanding
2d Battalion, Birney's Division
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