Saturday, 1st October - Sunday, 2nd October, 2022
We returned to Ft. Harker in Stevenson, AL for the first reenactment to ever be held there. We had attended a drill there in February of 2021 hosted by the 48th Alabama and elements of the Hardee Guard Battalion. This location hosts a period fortification constructed by Union Forces to control a critical rail junction in Stevenson, which was a quarter of a mile away, in addition to having a prominent position on the Tennessee River.
The Reenactment "Skirmish at Ft. Harker" was planned and hosted by the 18th AL / 63rd OH of the Alabama Division of Reenactors. The event, held October 1st & 2nd of 2022 was fairly well attended for a first time event. The event was supported by the city of Stevenson, Alabama and we had the pleasure of meeting the mayor of Stevenson, who was very supportive of our hobby and the event. The Mayor and the event hosts seem eager to make this event an annual undertaking. I believe they will have a good bit of success in doing so. We will certainly be glad to continue participating in the event and supporting its growth and success.
About the Event:
The property featured a great deal of room to maneuver quite surprisingly, and could play host to a much larger event in future years. Though numbers were low given competition with other larger events similarly scheduled and attrition due to an active Fall Season for our and other companies, we had fairly decent participation from the company on Saturday. Sunday proved to be a different story altogether; however, we made the best out of the situation and the scenarios we undertook each day seemed to complement the strength of the companies present on each day.
Encampment:
We camped on a small ridge, which featured a road along a fence. The ground here was not the best in terms of being level, but more than adequately met our needs for the weekend and gave us and area of the grounds that was all our own. With the weather, we found the nights to be cooler with temperatures in the 40's and 50's and the days in the 70's and lower 80's. I simply cannot complain about the weather as the weekend was beautiful and made for a great experience in the field.
Our very own Colonel Scotty Myers, was in command of the 1st Division of Reenactors who provided the Confederate forces for the event. His opposite was Colonel Don Lay of the Alabama Division, who as hosts, served as the Federal Forces.
Each day's scenario called for the Confederate Forces to attempt an attack on the fort. The first day was a scenario which depicted the seizure of the fort and capture of the grounds by the Confederate Forces.
The second day saw the Confederate Forces repulsed and driven off with heavy losses.
Personal thoughts about the event:
I greatly enjoyed the event and I am ever more grateful that I have the opportunity to share my passion for our nation's history with the public through these events.
I am hopeful that the brief recaps about the events I attend and experiences I have had on this site will serve to give you all a better understanding of what we are working to accomplish in our hobby and how we go about sharing our knowledge with others.
I would further note how very fortunate I am to be part of a wonderful family of living historians and that these events do a great deal to remind me of how fortunate I am to be able to share my love for this era in our nation's history with so many others.
A Few More Pictures:
Historian & Author Brad Quinlin and three of his works he was kind enough to share with me.
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