Fiddler’s Green, Jacksonville, AL
5th - 6th May, 2024
Our home event, the annual “Skirmish in the Valley” was a rather fantastic two day affair. Despite the heat and humidity, the company enjoyed the very spectator heavy event, a great period ball presented by “Unreconstructed,” and the beautiful property on which the event is hosted.
As this event serves as our home event, I expected that we would have an opportunity to outfit and uniform a few new recruits for the company. I was especially excited to have three of my former students join us on Saturday as spectators, and then on Sunday in the field for the skirmish. In addition to having these three at the event, I also had many of my current students join us throughout the weekend, which afforded them a firsthand view of our efforts in the field. Unfortunately, given the heat and fatigue, we weren’t able to capitalize on this time as we normally would have. Instead the focus had to be on staying concealed from the sun’s brutal heat as it was very taxing and we quite honestly were not prepared.
Setting Camp:
We had originally thought to set the camp on the lower part of the property; however, the ground there was not deemed fit for our needs. Therefore, it was decided to set the company on ground we had observed the year before which we found to be somewhat better suited for our needs for this particular event. I can best describe this ground as somewhat flat with a slight slope and much like a shelf on the side of a hill towards the back of the property. It was easily accessible from both the road into the camp area of the property as well as the event area. Though a small area, it proved to be a good location for our needs at the event with the bonus of the tree-line that provided a more than appealing shelter from the harsh sun as the event wore on.
Saturday:
This event was much more relaxed in nature for the company as numbers at the event were lower than expected and the heat much greater than anticipated. The company enjoyed an opportunity to just relax and enjoy each other's company and this event proved the correct setting to do so. Much time was spent by the company membership under the trees and within the shade which proved to be very much cooler than that of the open shelf upon which we were encamped.
The morning began with coffee and talks around the camp’s center with most settling underneath the cook fly. We had a count of twelve for the day’s skirmish and breakfast was a leisurely affair. At 0900, I attended Officer’s Call held at the cabin where we discussed the details of the day’s skirmish and how the scenario should be conducted. Upon returning to the camp, the first of my students had located us and this made for a great opportunity to show off the camp and how we operate in a camp setting, what equipment we use, and why we set the camp in the manner we do.
Following visits from my students for most of the morning, the company had its first call at 12:45 in preparation for taking the field. Our number increased from twelve to fourteen men for service in the skirmish, just prior to stepping off with a few late arrivals. Aside from high humidity, the first day’s skirmish wasn’t too physically challenging, as the heat was somewhat manageable in terms of constant orders to take water and keep hydrated.
We staged on the far side of the property in the area in which we had originally planned to camp as the scenario called for the federal forces to approach from the east and ascend up the hill towards the spectators line.
With great appreciation to Chris Re, I have shared his footage from his channel “History Reminds Us” for your consideration. As a living historian, I appreciate the opportunity to view the footage, which gives me an opportunity to review and critique our execution of commands, and to improve my craft.
After the Skirmish:
Following the skirmish on Saturday and throughout much of Sunday, I took time to visit with students that attended the event from both Jacksonville High School and Oxford High School. Seeing my former students from Oxford was rewarding for me as I had not seen them since having left the school last spring.
On Sunday, my three former students from Oxford returned and took the field with the company. This was great, as they had an opportunity to see what we do in the field first hand. It is my hope that they enjoyed the experience and that we'll see them again. This was a reminder of why I have committed myself to education and how great these events are for providing experiences.
Sunday
I invited a few of our members to join me at St. Luke's Episcopal Church on Sunday morning at the 8:00am service given that it is my church, and that I had assigned responsibilities at that service. Though not Episcopalian, I believe they found the service to be interesting and I was very appreciative in their interest in attending. It meant a great deal to me personally and it was a nice surprise for our rector, whom I believe we surprised.
Sunday's Skirmish:
Much like with Saturday, our friend Chris, recorded and posted the skirmish to his youtube channel, which shows our burning of the cabin and pushing off the Confederate forces while taking the artillery position on top of the hill.
Fiddler's Green conclusively was an excellent event for the company. As usual the event site, hosts, and spectators were awesome and quite accommodating. For our particular company, this event served as a recruitment opportunity and as another opportunity of fellowship. From a historical point of view, the company discussed numerous topics related to the betterment of our craft and our company’s overall impression. Further, the company spent quality rolling powder, which was quite advantageous to our needs heading into the next event at Resaca.
I continue to greatly appreciate the support the company receives in and out of the field and hope that you’ll continue following our journey as we prepare to move into an active summer season. This particular year has been one of growth and development which will have us very well prepared with some of the potential events slated for the upcoming year. As we move into the next part of our year, our focus and goal should center upon improving our execution of commands in battalion formation and on the field, in order to become more proficient in our impressions and in order to continue bettering ourselves.
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