The Thomas Family Chronicles: The Battle of Resaca Reenactment

Christian has been wanting to get involved with Civil War reenacting for some time, and keeps up with the battle reenactment schedule at the 28th of Georgia Volunteer Infantry website, which he has been hoping to join some day.

He became aware of the Battle of Resaca reenactment that was to take place on May 17th, and contacted the the captain of the 28th Georgia to find out if they were going to be there participating. Captain Campbell e-mailed Christian back and told him that they would be there, and that he'd like Christian to participate rather than spectate -- a dream come true for Christian. Rather than me ramble on about the day, I had Christian write down his memories of his first reenactment. Here is his account:

On Saturday, May 17, 2008, I had the privilege of participating in the Battle of Resaca Reenactment. Our family arrived around 10:00 a.m. and after signing me in as a reenactor, we located the 28th Ga's camp and headed up the hill to their camp. It was the only Confederate camp in the open. There were woods on three sides of the hill, with other Confederate campsites located within the trees. The Company Street, the empty strip of grass which the tents are placed on either side of, was on the top of the hill. The hill itself had a very flat top, which made it a perfect place to set up camp. The Regimental tent was at the end of the company Street and was the "headquarters" of the regiment.

We proceeded directly to the Regimental tent, where Captain Campbell and several others were chatting. After introducing ourselves and talking for a few moments, Captain Campbell found an extra uniform that was my size. After getting the uniform on, we proceeded down the hill to the sutlers' tents so I could purchase some additional items for my uniform.

The Sutler Row was located about a fifty yards down the road from the Registration tent. There, I bought a shirt, trousers, suspenders, and wool socks. I was assisted by Sergeant Mike Davis, who was sent by Captain Campbell to help me choose the best quality equipment.

At this point, our family split up, I remained behind at the camp to prepare for the battle, while the rest of the family continued to look through the sutlers and got some food. Up at camp where I was, there were several bratwursts (yeah, I know they aren't period correct) that had been cooked over the fire and were lying around for anyone to take. I went ahead and took one, not wanting to be hungry on the battlefield, but I didn't eat much (the butterflies in my stomach didn't like food coming down on top of them).

Around 11:30, Sergeant West called me over and gave me a musket, so we could do some drills. Several others, including Mr. Sean, who was my mentor during the battle, came over and drilled with us as well. They taught me how to properly carry my weapon, face right and left, and how to double up into columns of four.

After drilling, I was given my leathers (the belt, cartridge box, and cap pouch) and another reenactor by the name of Philip, gave me his extra rifle. Soon after, Sergeant West called the regiment to assemble and prepare to march out for our overview. We took several pictures, had a brief talk and then marched off to the center of the Confederate campsites to assemble with the rest of the brigade.

After assembling, getting my rifle inspected, and waiting for a while, we moved out to the battlefield with the rest of the brigade. At the entrance to the battlefield, there were several Southern ladies who were handing out white carnations to the troops, and telling us to be safe. I stuck mine in my hat and we moved out to the entrenchments.

While the rest of the battalion stacked their arms, Sergeant West had our regiment remain in place for a ceremony. He called both me and another 16-year-old out to the front. He had us rip two cartridges and pour the black powder into our hands, then he poured water from a canteen into our open palms and had us create a black powder mud. We were then instructed to smear this "mud" on our faces. This was an initiation ceremony for newcomers as well as a way to let veterans know that we were new and would need some help throughout the battle.

After stacking our arms, we waited for about an hour and a half before the cavalry began their skirmishing. Soon after, the cannons on both sides began to blast away, and some infantry skirmishers faced off on the battlefield. We were instructed to form up, unstack arms, and prepare to move out. After a few minutes, the order was given. We were instructed to go up and over the entrenchments and form up on the other side. With a shout and a rebel yell, we climbed over the steep entrenchments and exposed ourselves to the battle.

We formed up quickly and marched forward where some Federal skirmishers were facing off with our own. The Federals began to waver as they saw our strong company come marching towards them. We halted, presented our arms, and pulled the trigger. The roar was amazing and hurt my ears at first. The black powder smoke stung my eyes as it came back at us, due to the wind, but after the first few volleys the effect was not as bad. Immediately after our volley, the skirmishers turned tails and ran back to their own entrenchments.

We right faced and quickly moved to another position as two Federal companies came out to meet us. They began to fire sporatically at us, but we turned and gave them a volley. After loading, we fired once more, but the incoming fire from the Federals was very fierce. We were ordered to fall back, and we did so in good order, firing as we went. Behind us, there were more entrenchments, which we quickly occupied and prepared to fire upon them from there.

Before we could do so, however, a Federal company scaled the entrenchments further down our right flank and began to flank us. We quickly formed an L-shaped line, with the little part of the L at our far right flank. We poured in a steady line of fire and the Yankees were forced to retreat.

We gave fire from the entrenchments for a while, but our battalion commander ordered us to form up on the other side of the entrenchments once more. We formed up and prepared for the final push. So far we had whipped the Yankees on every front, but now they were hunkered down and had no where to go. We marched forward to meet them and fired several volleys as we went.

The fire we received from the Yanks was hot and we lost many men during our push. I was wounded in my lower chest only a few moments before the end of the battle. Of course, it wasn't a real wound and after the bugles sounded "Taps" we all rose and formed up to move back to camp.

The march back seemed extremely long and my musket felt like it was made of cast iron! We finally made it back to camp and I returned the things I had borrowed to their rightful owners. I really enjoyed participating today, so I asked Sergeant West if he could inform Captain Campbell that I would like to petition for membership into the 28th of Georgia/123rd New York Volunteer Infantry. The members of the company would vote on my acceptance later in the day at a company meeting. It had been a great day, but it was time for our family to make the two hour drive home. We had not been inside the house for five minutes, when I received a call from Captain Campbell. As the members of the company whooped with the rebel yell in the background, he informed me that I had been accepted as a member and was now the newest recruit of the 28th Georgia. What a great way to end the day!

Arriving at the Resaca battlefield

The 28th Georgia Camp

Christian all ready to go in his borrowed pants and jacket. He purchased a pair of blue wool trousers (recommended so he can also represent the Union side if the numbers are uneven in future reenactments), and a shirt. He didn't wear the pants today, however, as he was warned that the wool would rub against his legs and cause abrasions if he wasn't wearing something underneath them, so he went with a borrowed pair of cotton trousers, which also would have been period correct.