Hello again to all! Sorry it has taken a while for me to get back to writing this. Thanks so much to my wife, Rachel, for covering for me in my absence, but I figured I should probably write this now since Sturbridge is next week and Hubbardton will be lost in our memories until next year. So anywho … with out further ado let me give you “Revenge of the British.”
Well we were all sitting around eating a wonderful breakfast …
feeling pretty good about our stellar victory over the red coats the day prior …
When suddenly the British appeared from over the hill.
It was once again back to business as usual.
So we rallied for the cause …
We charged forward on the advancing redcoats …
Exchanging musket fire as we went.
Just when we thought that we had driven them back …
They came at us with a vengeance, pushing us back down the hill.
Sadly Bruce was the first of many casualties.
The next causality was Art.
We fought hard …
and well …
But in the end our leadership stood alone.
Yes I even took a fall in this one.
But I don’t feel bad because the one that got me, took out Glen and I with one shot, which is a pretty amazing feat in and of itself.
Yes, at the end of the day the British had their revenge, and while our loved ones mourned our loss …
I choose to remember the better times when we stood for God, Country, and Freedom.
Remember, while we may have lost the battle, we did not lose the war.
Sunday opened with some super yummy muffins made by Lori and Debbie. The men would have an early battle, so we started them off with some muffins before they went, and we would have a full breakfast when they returned.
Before the battle, there was some early morning conversation …
Then it was time to go to the first battle.
I will once again defer to Kris to describe the battle for you, but the morning battle was a recreation of the actual battle that took place here. We were so close to it, that I really felt like I was there. It was probably one of my favorite battles to date. Here are just a few shots for you.
The kids really enjoyed having a front row seat …
By the end of the battle nearly every single guy in our unit was dead.
But what followed is probably one of my favorite parts of any battle … “The dead shall rise!”
After the first battle a breakfast of eggs and sausage was made. The second battle was going to happen at 1:00. During the little break we had, Bruce, Kris and myself headed over to the museum. They had a light up map that showed how the battle occurred here, which I really enjoyed seeing. After the museum, we headed up the hill to go for a little walk, and we ran into Debbie.
It was so peaceful to just sit up there and enjoy the view. We eventually walked back down to have lunch, which Kitty made. It was chicken pieces and potato salad, which of course tasted very good.
Shortly after lunch it was time for the second battle of the day. Once again I will let Kris explain that one to you, but of course it went well (well at least from my perspective it did).
After the battle it was time to pack up. Once Kris changed, we matched without even meaning to! (Bright color alert! If you are prone to seizures, please skip over this photo)
Janie was holding try-outs for the First New Hampshire Chorus Line …
I also grabbed a quick shot of a couple of Marines who had no trouble whatsoever pulling a little metal rod out of a wooden pole, even though I may have pulled it out for them, but it can’t be proven and the forensics aren’t back yet, so we’ll just pretend like it never happened. Don’t worry guys your secret is safe with me!
After we were all finally packed, it was time for the long drive home.
Thanks Hubbardton for another great weekend! I think I may have to agree with Kris and say that this is becoming one of my favorite places to play. If you want to see all the pictures from Sunday, be sure to check out my gallery here.
After the battle on Saturday, the boys settled in to clean their guns …
While those that didn’t have guns to clean, reflected on the day …
In a very serious way …
As the guys were cleaning their guns, Kitty was getting her cornbread cooked. We hadn’t yet attempted cornbread, so it was a bit of a learning process, but it turned out really well.
Since Kris grew up in South Carolina, he became our taste tester. He would know if it was any good since he has eaten A LOT of corn bread in his life …
It was determined to be good!! So they took it off the fire, wrapped it up, and got ready to heat the dinner. Dinner tonight was an awesome bean stew that Lori makes. She made this at Fort Ti last year and we have been begging her since to make it again. Which she kindly did for us today.
Dinner was very yummy, everyone filled their bellies.
After dinner we had a little birthday celebration for Bruce whose birthday was today, and for Janie whose birthday was a few days prior.
Debbie brought strawberry shortcake, which was greatly enjoyed.
Once dessert was done it was time for the boys to get their military pay …
Then the women got paid, and some of them had a very safe place to keep that money …
Finally it was time to settle in and start some nighttime activities. These involved playing checkers …
Taking pictures …
Weaving …
Playing music …
Cutting up the drunken watermelon …
Going for walks …
Watching a play …
And listening to stories …
Saturday was a great day. It was a fun time with friends, and the best part of it all was we got to wake up in the morning and do it all again. Stayed tuned for all the action from Sunday! If you want to see all my pictures from Saturday, be sure to check out my gallery here.
The 2008 season rages on with each and every battle. On July 5th and 6th we had the battle of Hubbardton.
With every event I go to, my love for this hobby grows stronger and stronger. We did this event last year, and I think that it’s becoming one of my favorite places to play. With scenes like these, how could it not be?
The Saturday morning skirmish was something no one expected. We were simply standing around smoking and joking …
I was even thinking about giving peace a chance …
When those darn red coats decided it would be a good idea to attack.
We were alerted to the danger by Lori, and as always Janie was the first to react.
Kolby waited in the rear, ready and willing to fight …
He’ll make a fine soldier one day for sure!
The good thing about the morning skirmish is that we didn’t have to drill. That way we could get back to what we enjoy, well a lot more then drilling anyway, sitting around hanging out with friends
We could safely do this because we had a great look out watching over us …
Thanks again son, you make a father proud.
Like all things military, the battle started off with a good old game of hurry up and wait …
And then some more hurry up and wait …
And then, yep you guessed it, even more hurry up and wait …
In all honesty, this battle almost didn’t happen on account of a bear, something about a picnic basket …
Okay it may have been more like …
But since no one was able to get a picture, we’ll just say it was this …
But, either way, our great leaders scared it away …
Meanwhile Janie was the smartest one on the field and she took a little break.
And then finally with Yogi out of the picture the battle of Hubbardton, Day One, was on.
It’s hard to say who wins or loses in these battles because no matter how much planning and prep work goes into them, it seems that once the battle starts, it takes on a mind of its own. Saturday’s battle was no different and while it took a while to get going, once it did, it was great. We came over the hill to a wall of red coats, not a single one of us let our fear get the better of us. We stood hard for the cause, and as we started down the hill, I got the true feeling of what the revolution must have been like (when we were winning anyway). We swooped down the hill full steam ahead (I heard later that the red coats were supposed to win that day, but no one told us that, or we just chose not to let them.) We charged right at them …
Leaving a trail of red as we went …
Finally we proved to be too much for them, and they had no choice but to call it a day, and our commanders collected their surrendered sword.
We had a lot of fun playing that Saturday and I tip my hat to all the Brits, Colonials, and Hubbardton VT crew who made it happen. Blame it on my uncle, a photographer out in California, because he’s the one that taught me to always get a picture of the guy taking the pictures.
I can’t say enough about how much fun this battle was. However, even though I didn’t realize it at the time, I think another reason we had so much success, has a lot to do with a little outside helping hand.
Thanks again son …
Be sure to come back and see what happened on Sunday in what I like to call revenge of the Brits!
Today we had a late battle. Usually on Saturday, the battle is just after lunch, but today it wasn’t going to happen until 3, so we had quite a bit of time to kill. Just after breakfast, the men formed up to check in, make sure all was well, and that they were ready for the battle.
They got a lecture for the day’s events …
And most paid attention …
But there are always a few rogue troops who just don’t listen …
And some who just want to know what time they can leave …
But they got all the news they needed, and were eventually sent on their way. The women took the down time before lunch to get some projects done.
The kids got to have a drilling lesson from one of the soldiers.
And they took their task very seriously …
Maybe a little too seriously.
A bayonet charge before lunch is enough to unsettle any woman of refinement (good thing there was none around), so I was quite glad when it was over and we were able to settle down back in the camp. Jim decided that Kolby needed a powder horn to go along with all his other accoutrements.
And Kolby decided that was the best idea he had heard all day …
I have never seen Kolby sit in one place that long before, but he was very wrapped up in the whole process, and he didn’t leave Jim alone until the project was completed.
And Kolby was very proud of his gift …
And was even happier to be able to use it when it was needed most …
The rest of the morning and afternoon was spent with friends. We had sandwiches for lunch and a lot of great conversation.
Finally battle time rolled around …
I won’t go into any great detail for you, because Kris will be writing about the battle from his perspective, and trust me he is much better equipped to talk on the subject then I am. But I will say it was a very good battle, the boys fought well …
And there were very few colonist casualties …
And plenty of Redcoat casualties.
We all had a fun time watching the battle. We were able to sit so close, that it made it much more thrilling to watch, we all wanted to get those Redcoats!!
Today it was my turn to make breakfast for the troops. This was actually the first time I have made breakfast at a reenactment. Since it was a lazy morning and the guys really didn’t have any where important to be, I didn’t rush to cook too early. When I finally felt that enough people were awake to warrant me cooking, I had Lindsay and Larissa help me get things started by cracking the eggs into a bowl.
Then they came over and tossed the bacon into the pan so I could cook it. Yes we took the easy way out today and we bought the pre-cooked bacon, but hey camp didn’t open till 10:00 and it made so much less of a mess then uncooked bacon!
I ended up making a big ‘ole bowl of bacon, but I knew it wouldn’t last long.
Bacon never seems to last long no matter where you are, well except maybe if you were at the local vegetarian convention, which we weren’t, so it was all gone before lunch.
After the bacon was cooked, the girls dipped the bread for the French toast while I cooked it up.
And I didn’t even burn a single slice!! I tried to keep the pan half on and half off the fire to control the heat. I am still learning how to cook over an open flame, but it’s getting better every time I do it!
Everyone seemed to enjoy breakfast. Larissa and Lindsay were really the ones who made it, I just cooked it. Soon enough, they too will learn how to cook over an open flame and they will be making meals all on their own. *sob* Our girls are growing up!!
