Events - Gunpowder Mills, 2006

Waltham Abbey

As last year, we had some real gunpowder mills to play with, very similar to the ones at Atlanta (this is the original, that's the copy). So the battle was, I'm told, based on that. Towards the end of the war, when the Union were winning just about everything. Saturday, we got over-run by infantry - both Rockbridge guns got taken despite heroic resistance, ours got pulled away back into the camp before they could capture it (and us).
Sunday noon, first of all a prisoner escaped from the Union camp and made it to our side under fire from them. We pulled a cannon round and pointed it at them, and they went a bit quiet. Then a deserter was found, tried, and shot, and later on his worldly goods were put up for auction by his twin brother. (The gentleman in question was retiring from re-enactment and moving to Crete, so this was his way of going out with a bang and disposing of all his surplus kit.)
Sunday battle was a bit different. We'd noticed the day before that the Union artillery were a trifle under-manned. In fact, they had more guns than artillery-men. Yes, you can make up the numbers with volunteers from the infantry, but it's hard work. So, to make a better show for the public (this being the object of the exercise), the elite and immaculate Washington Artillery were no longer to be seen manning one of the three Confederate guns, but a scruffy rabble of militia turned up to help out the Union. We ran one gun, they ran another, the Rockbridge pulled in volunteers to man all three guns without us, and a good time was had by all, especially the audience.

and this year the photos are being hosted on Flickr. Click on the thumbnail to see the full-size version and description. Some are general camp scenes rather than us in particular.