Revolutionary War Soldier Re-enactors at Red Bank

What a fabulous presentation Paul Ferrante and two young men gave at Red Bank Battlefield on Saturday April 23rd at 1:00. Paul F. is a natural speaker, and he has collected a treasure trove of gear to show and explain to those of us who are interested in the Revolutionary War. One man was dressed as a Hessian, one as a Continental Soldier and one as a British Infantryman. Paul explained the details of the clothing and how they showed the rank and the job of the soldier wearing them. He also showed all the accoutrement a soldier would have to carry marching from assignment to assigment. He was equipped with all the tools of the trade, the weaponry and the tools needed to keep the weapons in working order. The audience of about 50 visitors and 8 volunteers was kept spellbound by the bounty of materials and the stories and information attached to them as Paul showed and demonstrated them. We finally got to see 'grapeshot' and other kinds of ammuniation as well.

One of the great privileges, I think, of being a volunteer at a historic site like the James and Ann Whitall House is the opportunity to meet and learn from the many trained, educated and self-educated, impassioned people who volunteer along with you. Any day that you are volunteering, you can learn so much from the other volunteers - each has his or her own area of expertise, his or her own passion, whether it is the battle on the water, or the gardening, or the history of the battles, or the details of the combatants, and so on, you are bound to learn new things and have a new field of interest opened for you.

Paul and his assistants are all Re-enactors, but I confess, I didn't take a pen and note pad with me, so I didn't take notes and can't remember their regiment, but they have promised to return and I will try to keep you posted so you can enjoy the presentation as well. Also, I am not on facebook, but if you are you can find more information about The James and Ann Whitall House and Red Bank there.

If you have followed this blog for any length of time, you know that I have a great interest in the WPA and the Civilian Conservation Corps. Two members of my Meeting have recently returned from a vacation in Shenandoah and they visited many historic sites including Appomatox Court House since one of the two is a Civil War Re-Enactor. But they also took the scenic SkyLine Drive and I have written many times about how my father when he was 16 joined the CCC and helped build the Skyline Drive. It was in the days, as he reminded me, before big machinery, and everything was done by hand, picks, shovels, axes, wheelbarrows, sweat and tears. It was one of the best times of his life. That was why he retired to West Virginia, so he could return to the mountains that enchanted him as a city boy in the CCC. One of the two Meeting Friends who had been on vacation in Shenandoah loaned me a book, 'Shenandoah Heritage, The Story of the People Before the Park' by Carolyn and Jack Reeder which I have been reading all afternoon. It is the story of the mountain people displaced by the park, many if not most of whom had been on their homesteads for generations. It reminded me of a series of books I had boght and read back in the 1970's called The Foxfire Books, about mountain craft and survival tools. I gave it to my father when he moved to West Virginia. That was a great set of books and a unique literary project and success.

Happy Trails! Jo Ann (remember, don't bother with comments function on this site, it is polluted by spam and bots - use my e-mail if you want to talk, thanks! wrightj45@yahoo.com)