Here are some old-fashioned looking pics of us...I hope you like 'em!
Here Merle and I are as we first rode onto the scene that day. It took the Yank cavalry quite some time to catch up and engage us. So much for plans!
"Where in the devil are those Yank cavalry, Merle?"
More prancing in front of the crowd...
Here I am, Colt Sheriff drawn, with Bob waiting for the Yank cavalry to come around and engage us. Bob is riding his outstanding stead, Fred...who happens to be a large mule. Fred was quite the showman...and Bob did just fine too!
'Maybe if we rode over here, we could catch those Yanks by surprise...and maybe even put on a show for the spectators?!'
Closeup!
I love this pic...are those hobbits heading into town?! Nope, just our gang heading to breakfast! They have wool overcoats to ward off the chill.
Here is Jake, posing for a pic. He is taking a chug off of 'my' bottle, that only I get to drink out of (except my Sweetie Pie of course!). He is making it look like he is chugging some moonshine I guess?! Goofy kid!
Here is a great pic of Jimmy hanging out with Travers.
Here is Joe on Chic. Joe sat on Chic for quite some time while Chic was eating clover. Joe enjoys the horses a lot and seems to be a natural...just like his namesake I guess!
Here is Tom, sitting around camp, playing on his new bugle. He purchased it with birthday monies. Too bad he screwed around with it too much and lost the mouthpiece about an hour after this picture was taken. And if he would have only kept it in his tent for the rest of the day like I told him to...
Here my cute Eme and I are posing with Travis, Merle's lovely Tennessee Walker.
This was pretty cool...after lunch, the band of minstrels that was playing took up 'Dixie'. Everyone in the room (I don't recall seeing any Yanks there, but anyway...) all stood up and starting clapping and singing along. It was great! Even little Jimmy is clapping along! Well, it looks like Jake and Joe were too lazy to stand, but so it goes!
Here is me in my new spiffy civilian frock coat that Bethany recently made for me. Isn't is sharp looking?! I got several compliments. Not too bad considering it is made out of upholstery fabric! I does look line a rough silk blend, or even a jean cloth at a glance. You'd have to be a real anal 'stitch counter' to spot the wrong cloth! Besides, it was made on the home front...anything goes! Heck in this getup, I could be convalesceing, or fixing to spy on some Yanks, or even out campaigning with the 8th MO Cavalry!
And here is my Sweetie Pie! Doesn't she look super?!Guyandote Civil War Days was the last of the season for us. The days were nice, the nights were frigid, but we survived. No rain or wind, so that is always a plus! The site we were at left a lot to be desired...
we were underneath an overpass coming off a bridge that beautifully spanned the Ohio (that is it in the midground underneathe that bridge of course). We were seculued, but got very little interaction with the public because of the seclusion. And that to us, in an important part of the event.But what can you say? This was a real Civil War battlefield and the first one that I have participated in that was such. In early November 1861, Confederate forces retook the town. But the next day, Yanks reclaimed the town. The town was definitely a split town prior to the War and remained so throughout. Even today, the town seemed definitely more Southern Sympathetic! On Saturday, the crowd cheered when we 'won the day'. On Sunday, applause for the Union forces was very sparse, and half-hearted. Bethany tells me were even some 'boos' to be heard when announce that the Yankees re-claimed the town!
But the folks in town were real friendly. They fed us several times, had warm showers available, and some of the town folks, when they saw us pull out of town (we were, as usual, the last to leave!) all waved at us from a corner shop. Very cool!
Merle and friends under his set up.
Confederate Infantry pressing the Yanks in the street.
Here we are posing in front of an old cemetery there in Guyandotte. You can't tell from the pic, but the tree behind us, a sycamore, I believe, was the largest of its kind that I have ever seen. In fact, it was one of the largest trees period I've ever seen!
Ok, Merle...here I am at it again...trying to mount from a standing position without stirrups. You can see the problem. This time, I got my upper leg to clear, but I just can't get my left one to actually clear more than a few inches from the ground. I have surely, always had 'white man's disease'. White men can't jump...at least this one!
