July and August are pretty busy months for me for reenacting. From the 4th of July through the end of August I seem to live in the past and reenact the present, for I participate in seven different events over the course of that eight week time period, bouncing between the 1770s and the 1860s.
So be prepared: there are more reenactments and living history events to be documented.
Hopefully the weather will cooperate.
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Preparing to leave for Colonial Frankenmuth |
Powerful storms in... |
...Hastings & Frankenmuth |
A bitter cold winter with minus double digit temps.
A spring filled with rain - one of the wettest springs on record.
A summer heat like we haven't had in years, just shy of a hundred degrees multiple times.
And some pretty intense summer storms.
The weekend of July 20 and 21 was one such weekend where the actual temperatures approached one hundred degrees, and then add to that a line of severe thunderstorms with a downpouring of rain and straight-line winds. My son spent a night and a day at the Civil War event at Charlton Park in Hastings, Michigan, only to leave a day early due to the over-bearing heat, a barrage of mosquitos, and flooding conditions that occurred there.
Arriving in Colonial Frankenmuth. |
I was not able to attend either event on Saturday, but I did make it to Frankenmuth on Sunday, along with good friends Mike & Jackie, and luckily the storms had all passed by then and we had sunshine, lower temps, and low humidity - picture-perfect weather.
For this week's post I will present a photographic report:
Most of the Americans were set up on a hill and caught the brunt of the storm, though the British were in the lowlands and didn't seem to get hit quite as hard. |
Joey, Chandler, and Ross. Ooops--- - Joey, Richard, and Mike. |
Michael Scott, who goes by the name Nodin (which means "The Wind"), is a Native American who is a part of the Turtle Clan of the Sault Ste. Marie (Michigan) Tribe of Chippewa Indians. |
The doctor is in. |
I always enjoy seeing this sort of accessory. What a great place for your apple jack! |
Battles are almost a must at any reenactment, and Colonial Frankenmuth was not a let down. Seeing and hearing the flint-locks flash and fire is a real treat, even for those of us who get to see and hear such a thing quite often. And one of the battles for this event (there are four battles total over the weekend), centered on one that took place during the French & Indian War.
The Battle of Carillon, also called the 1758 Battle of Ticonderoga, was fought on July 8, 1758, during the French and Indian War (also known as the Seven Years' War).It was fought near Fort Carillon (now known as Fort Ticonderoga) on the shore of Lake Champlain in the frontier area between the British colony of New York and the French colony of New France.
In the battle, which took place primarily on a rise about three-quarters of a mile from the fort itself, a French army under General Marquis de Montcalm and the Chevalier de Levis decisively defeated an overwhelmingly numerically superior force of British troops under General James Abercrombie.
The French Army frontally assaulted an entrenched British position without using field artillery, a lack that left the British and their allies vulnerable and allowed the French to win a decisive victory.
The fort, abandoned by its garrison, was captured by the British the following year, and it has been known as Fort Ticonderoga (after its location) ever since.
This battle gave the fort a reputation for impregnability that had an effect on future military operations in the area.
Voyageurs & frontiersmen~ |
42nd Regiment of Foot. The Royal Highland Regiment |
The Royal Highland Regiment: "We survived the storm of 2019!" |
Mr. & Mrs. Mann of the Queen's Rangers |
Not a posed picture. Well, kinda sorta not. Seriously - - Mike had no idea that Joey was sneaking up behind him with a hatchet. |
Everyone survived the crazy weather and most tents and accessories survived as well, though maybe a bit battered. But we are reenactors; I, myself, was holding my tent down during such a storm about a decade ago when a tornado was within a mile of our campsite, so, yes, I've been through it as well.
The past must go on!
Time to head back... |
And speaking with visitors can be one of the best parts of all, and it's those guests who had never been to a reenactment before that I enjoy talking with the most, for they remind me of a wide-eyed child filled with wonder. Well...most of them, at least. Yeah, you also have those who think we're bat-s*** crazy for what we do and how we dress.
And that's fine, too; they are a challenge and usually we can win them over to some extent.
I want to thank the Massachusetts
Until next time, see you in time.
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The city fathers & mothers of Frankenmuth also make all of the reenactors feel welcome and have provided a delicious chicken dinner for the Saturday participants.
Each year Colonial Frankenmuth continues on to give the tourists that little extra that maybe they weren't expecting. In this day and age, presenting history nearly anywhere we can is a good thing.
By the way - - -
the very top picture in this week's posting is a photo-shopped photograph.
All others are as you see them.
To read about life on a colonial far, please click HERE
To read first-hand accounts on the battles of Lexington & Concord, please click HERE
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2 comments:
so sorry you had such poor weather events this summer. I have a conundrum. I'll just quote the phrase under one of the photos of the battle, which didn't make sense to me. "The French Army frontally assaulted an entrenched French position without using field artillery, a lack that left the British and their allies vulnerable and allowed the French to win a decisive victory."
Ah...I see the confusion. I was typing too fast.
Thanks for letting me know.
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