Struggle For Statehood

1863 Civil War Immersion event

The aim of the event is to enable military and civilian participants to experience the real life of their period counterparts, not knowing what will happen tomorrow. The unscripted nature of the overall event means that military-military and military-civilian interaction will be largely unscripted and unpredictable, requiring all participants to think on their feet and react in character as events naturally unfold.

There will be an overall scenario. For example the Union will portray a detached party from Co. E 13th WV Inf. that is out looking for a deserter (Samuel Stineman -- age 16, drummer boy from Pennsylvania, enlisted Charleston deserted March 10, 1863)., while the Confederates will be stragglers from Co. E 8th VA Cavalry who have fallen behind with a wounded comrade and are trying to catch up to their company.

No matter what we do, it is all something that could have happened in April of 1863 on this particular piece of land. Rather than trying to stretch reality any further than necessary, our goal is not to recreate a specific actual event, but is to recreate an event based on what could have happened, keeping true to the spirit of the times, knowing that it is for the edification of each of us in attendence, who want to see what it is like to step back to an occupied area as a soldier or citizen of 1863.

Now, before you all panic, there will be plenty to do, and that's what the listserve is for. If you'd like to get on board either the civilian (for civilian participants only) or military (ditto) listserve please send me a message.

Linda Trent

More on Deserters

On January 1, 1863 the Gallipolis ran a long list of names (several columns to be exact) of deserters from the 9th WV Infantry by company (unfortunately, they were not in the Point Pleasant / Guyandotte area during March / April 1863). And to show how big a problem this was, Co A had 17 men "Absent Without Leave," while Co B apparently had 0, Co. C had 6, Company D had 21, etc.

Deserters appear to have been a major problem throughout the Union , so much so, that Lincoln declared the following proclamation:

PROCLAMATION RECALLING SOLDIERS TO THEIR REGIMENTS MARCH 10, 1863

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES:

A Proclamation

In pursuance of the twenty-sixth section of the act of Congress entitled "An act for enrolling and calling out the national forces, and for other purposes," approved on the 3d day of March, 1863, I, Abraham Lincoln, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, do hereby order and command that all soldiers enlisted or drafted in the service of the United States now absent from their regiments without leave shall forthwith return to their respective regiments.

And I do hereby declare and proclaim that all soldiers now absent from their respective regiments without leave who shall, on or before the first day of April, 1863, report themselves at any rendezvous designated by the general orders of the War Department No. 58, hereto annexed, may be restored to their respective regiments without punishment, except the forfeiture of pay and allowances during their absence; and all who do not return within the time above specified shall be arrested as deserters and punished as the law provides; and

Whereas evil-disposed and disloyal persons at sundry places have enticed and procured soldiers to desert and absent themselves from their regiments, thereby weakening the strength of the armies and prolonging the war, giving aid arid comfort to the enemy, and cruelly exposing the gallant and faithful soldiers remaining in the ranks to increased hardships and danger:

I do therefore call upon all patriotic and faithful citizens to oppose and resist the aforementioned dangerous and treasonable crimes, and to aid in restoring to their regiments all soldiers absent without leave, and to assist in the execution of the act of Congress "for enrolling and calling out the national forces, and for other purposes," and to support the proper authorities in the prosecution and punishment of offenders against said act and in suppressing tile insurrection and rebellion.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. Done at the city of Washington, this tenth day of March, A.D. 1863, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-seventh.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

By the President:

EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War.

On March 26, 1863, the Gallipolis (Ohio) Journal published the following two items.

"A Word to Deserters.--It is likely that deserters, who have so long been astray and treated so leniently, have come to imagine that nothing more severe than very earnest coaxing is to happen to them, and that the President's proclamation giving them until the 1st of April to report themselves and fall into their places in the army, is meaningless as some general orders on the subject. But they are mistaken. The time approaches when deserters will be dealt wit harshly. -- The people are greatly interested, that they may lighten the coming conscription, in returning all deserters, and they will be hunted up and down with a relentless rigor for whihch they are not prepared, and they will be punished in a way that will be as novel as effective. Heretofore it ihas been impossible to shoot a deserter without submitting his case to the Presidenct, and the President has been tender-hearted and the sneaks have not been shot. -- The commanders of departments are now authorized to shoot deserters, and the shooting will commence next month in earnest. There is no doubt about it. The generals commanding departments will make examples of those who may be convicted. Now, if the desterters do not wish to be hunted and shot, they wshould make the best time possible in reaching the rendezvous appointed for them. It is all nonsense to suppose the little squads of butternuts about the country who are talking of affording protection to the deserter can do any thing of the sort. -- They will be killed off like mad dogs if they interfer. -- Cin. Com."

The same paper goes on with a stern warning from the 117th Ohio Volunteer Infantry under Army Correspondence:

March 26, 1863

Notice to Absentees From the 117th REGIMENT.

Covington Barracks, Ky., March 18, 1863. Mr. Harper [editor]: With your permission, I would wish to notify all the absentees from the 117th Regiment O. Vols, now in Gallia county or elsewhere, throught the columns of your valuable paper of our whereabouts, what is required of them by their officers, and what they may expect if they do not obey the summons.

Henry F. ..., John ..., Abram ..., Jerome ..., Isaac ..., John W. ..., Burrell ... and John E. ..., privates in Company G, 117th Regiment O.V.I., are ordered to report at these Head-Quarters before the first day of April, 1863, or they will be hunted down, captured, brought to their regiment, and be obliged to suffer the penalty of a deserted to the letter, which is hard labor with ball and chain during the war, or death.

FORAGING

The change of scenarios does not mean that there will be no need of foraging. The Confederates will still forage for the chickens and fruits and vegetables, while the Union although well supplied with food may see the young pig and fresh (from the cellar) fruits and vegetables equally tempting. Each side will be supplied with a slaughter/butcherer who knows what he's doing to keep this as humane and sanitary as possible, while still keeping it accurate to period army life.




		Struggle For Statehood 1863 Civil War Immersion event

	The aim of the event is to enable military and civilian participants to experience the real life of their period counterparts, not knowing what will happen tomorrow. The unscripted nature of the overall event means that military-military and military-civilian interaction will be largely unscripted and unpredictable, requiring all participants to think on their feet and react in character as events naturally unfold. There will be an overall scenario. For example the Union will portray a detached party from Co. E 13th WV Inf. that is out looking for a deserter (Samuel Stineman -- age 16, drummer boy from Pennsylvania, enlisted Charleston deserted March 10, 1863)., while the Confederates will be stragglers from Co. E 8th VA Cavalry who have fallen behind with a wounded comrade and are trying to catch up to their company. No matter what we do, it is all something that could have happened in April of 1863 on this particular piece of land. Rather than trying to stretch reality any further than necessary, our goal is not to recreate a specific actual event, but is to recreate an event based on what could have happened, keeping true to the spirit of the times, knowing that it is for the edification of each of us in attendence, who want to see what it is like to step back to an occupied area as a soldier or citizen of 1863. Now, before you all panic, there will be plenty to do, and that's what the listserve is for. If you'd like to get on board either the civilian (for civilian participants only) or military (ditto) listserve please send me a message. Linda Trent More on Deserters On January 1, 1863 the Gallipolis ran a long list of names (several columns to be exact) of deserters from the 9th WV Infantry by company (unfortunately, they were not in the Point Pleasant / Guyandotte area during March / April 1863). And to show how big a problem this was, Co A had 17 men "Absent Without Leave," while Co B apparently had 0, Co. C had 6, Company D had 21, etc. Deserters appear to have been a major problem throughout the Union , so much so, that Lincoln declared the following proclamation: PROCLAMATION RECALLING SOLDIERS TO THEIR REGIMENTS MARCH 10, 1863 BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: A Proclamation In pursuance of the twenty-sixth section of the act of Congress entitled "An act for enrolling and calling out the national forces, and for other purposes," approved on the 3d day of March, 1863, I, Abraham Lincoln, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, do hereby order and command that all soldiers enlisted or drafted in the service of the United States now absent from their regiments without leave shall forthwith return to their respective regiments. And I do hereby declare and proclaim that all soldiers now absent from their respective regiments without leave who shall, on or before the first day of April, 1863, report themselves at any rendezvous designated by the general orders of the War Department No. 58, hereto annexed, may be restored to their respective regiments without punishment, except the forfeiture of pay and allowances during their absence; and all who do not return within the time above specified shall be arrested as deserters and punished as the law provides; and Whereas evil-disposed and disloyal persons at sundry places have enticed and procured soldiers to desert and absent themselves from their regiments, thereby weakening the strength of the armies and prolonging the war, giving aid arid comfort to the enemy, and cruelly exposing the gallant and faithful soldiers remaining in the ranks to increased hardships and danger: I do therefore call upon all patriotic and faithful citizens to oppose and resist the aforementioned dangerous and treasonable crimes, and to aid in restoring to their regiments all soldiers absent without leave, and to assist in the execution of the act of Congress "for enrolling and calling out the national forces, and for other purposes," and to support the proper authorities in the prosecution and punishment of offenders against said act and in suppressing tile insurrection and rebellion. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. Done at the city of Washington, this tenth day of March, A.D. 1863, and of the independence of the United States the eighty-seventh. ABRAHAM LINCOLN. By the President: EDWIN M. STANTON, Secretary of War. On March 26, 1863, the Gallipolis (Ohio) Journal published the following two items. "A Word to Deserters.--It is likely that deserters, who have so long been astray and treated so leniently, have come to imagine that nothing more severe than very earnest coaxing is to happen to them, and that the President's proclamation giving them until the 1st of April to report themselves and fall into their places in the army, is meaningless as some general orders on the subject. But they are mistaken. The time approaches when deserters will be dealt wit harshly. -- The people are greatly interested, that they may lighten the coming conscription, in returning all deserters, and they will be hunted up and down with a relentless rigor for whihch they are not prepared, and they will be punished in a way that will be as novel as effective. Heretofore it ihas been impossible to shoot a deserter without submitting his case to the Presidenct, and the President has been tender-hearted and the sneaks have not been shot. -- The commanders of departments are now authorized to shoot deserters, and the shooting will commence next month in earnest. There is no doubt about it. The generals commanding departments will make examples of those who may be convicted. Now, if the desterters do not wish to be hunted and shot, they wshould make the best time possible in reaching the rendezvous appointed for them. It is all nonsense to suppose the little squads of butternuts about the country who are talking of affording protection to the deserter can do any thing of the sort. -- They will be killed off like mad dogs if they interfer. -- Cin. Com." The same paper goes on with a stern warning from the 117th Ohio Volunteer Infantry under Army Correspondence: March 26, 1863 Notice to Absentees From the 117th REGIMENT. Covington Barracks, Ky., March 18, 1863. Mr. Harper [editor]: With your permission, I would wish to notify all the absentees from the 117th Regiment O. Vols, now in Gallia county or elsewhere, throught the columns of your valuable paper of our whereabouts, what is required of them by their officers, and what they may expect if they do not obey the summons. Henry F. ..., John ..., Abram ..., Jerome ..., Isaac ..., John W. ..., Burrell ... and John E. ..., privates in Company G, 117th Regiment O.V.I., are ordered to report at these Head-Quarters before the first day of April, 1863, or they will be hunted down, captured, brought to their regiment, and be obliged to suffer the penalty of a deserted to the letter, which is hard labor with ball and chain during the war, or death. FORAGING The change of scenarios does not mean that there will be no need of foraging. The Confederates will still forage for the chickens and fruits and vegetables, while the Union although well supplied with food may see the young pig and fresh (from the cellar) fruits and vegetables equally tempting. Each side will be supplied with a slaughter/butcherer who knows what he's doing to keep this as humane and sanitary as possible, while still keeping it accurate to period army life.