McDowell 2005 Event Report

(Note- This is the unedited version of an article that appeared in the July/August 2005 edition of Civil War Historian magazine. Only the last section was printed, reportedly because the magazine had "limited space". Oddly, in the same edition(Vol. 1, Issue 4) was the second part of a serialized article by Kevin O'Beirne, which the editors deemed fit to print in its entirety.

Draw your own conclusions...)

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McDowell 2005 Event Report
by Bob Denton, Co. K, 37^th VA Inf.

The McDowell Event-A Brief History

The idea to hold an event was born in McDowell in May 1996, when Travis Haymaker, Randal “Rooster” Haymaker, and I decided to visit the little town in Highland County to see “what was going on” and privately commemorate our ancestors’ participation in the much-neglected battle. Being familiar with the area (I first visited Highland when I was only 16 years old, and have been in love with the region ever since), I couldn’t wait to get there. We bedded down on Friday night, without tents, at the base of Sitlington’s Hill, only to be rudely awakened the next morning by a crashing thunderstorm. Soaked and still sleep-eyed, Reverend Les Leprade of the McDowell Presbyterian Church took us into his home and gave us a “little something to eat…” (a full breakfast!)

In fact, a tiny event was being held at the church that weekend; mostly staffed by local reenactors and townsfolks. We volunteered to give a public lecture, and then the conversations began with the Highland Historical Society and Chamber of Commerce that would eventually lead to the McDowell event that we know today.

The first “official” McDowell was held in 1997, and was originally conceived of as a “Confederate & Period Civilian Only” living history. The Chamber asked us if we could get “some Yankees to shoot at”, and the event suddenly morphed into a reenactment! It was literally our way of sharing Highland County with our friends, and that (and not preservation, per se) was seen as the principle goal.

At the time, our battalion (known then as the “5^th Battalion”) was one of the only groups to have an official period civilian unit, the Atlantic Guard Soldiers Aid Society (AGSAS), and the McDowell event would provide a perfect venue for this growing portion of the hobby. We also provided an opportunity for period-dressed local youngsters to bedevil the soldiers, particularly the Federals, hence the “town boys” were born.

Conceived from the beginning as a “high fidelity” event, the working parameters for McDowell were not born in a vacuum. We purposely modeled the event after ones that we had attended over the years that were successful, had unique and innovative aspects, and reasonably strict rules. We borrowed (with permission), the rules and regulations from Susan and Nicky Hughes’ wonderful Shaker Village event; the idea of “moving” battles, and alternating spectator and non-spectator battles in one event was taken from the early, and well executed Neshaminy events (the brainchild of a nearly forgotten reenactment innovator, Scott Shablin); any and all reenactments and living histories that had good ideas involved in them were used as models.

McDowell soon gained a reputation for extremely strict rules, which dissuaded many from attending. However, it also began to be seen as a sort of grail quest for many eastern reenactors. The ability to say, “I was at McDowell…” took on almost mystical quality, like a pilgrimage of sorts, much to our amusement. Of course, as the event grew in reputation, so did its detractors; but the magical quality of Highland County, the site, and the warm and welcoming folks of the region continued to sustain the event.

The 1999 event saw the beginning of a concerted preservation emphasis, which, unfortunately, raised the ire of a few outspoken locals individuals opposed to this effort. The local opposition to the event still exists among a select few in Highland, but the great majority of the folks there enjoys the reenactment, and look forward to its occurrence “on the first full weekend in May of the odd numbered years”. The concept of the town being occupied by the Federal troops and harried civilians was solidified in ’99, and used as a modus operandi through 2003. (Ironically, there were only two civilians in McDowell during the original occupation, the majority of citizens being hidden in the Davis Run Valley).

A different approach was taken in 2005 (i.e. CS in town, US out of town, two separate but equal groups of civilians, and a distinct emphasis on 3^rd person interpretation combined with 1^st person). Some things worked well, some didn’t.

Its notable that in 2000, the McDowell Reenactment was accorded the unique privilege of being designated a Library of Congress “Local Heritage Festival” event, the only CW reenactment ever honored as such. The event committee continues to work in concert with various preservation groups, including the Civil War Preservation Trust, the Shenandoah Valley Battlefield Foundation, the Lee-Jackson Foundation, and others.

Making the Scenario-The Sunday Morning Fight, McDowell 2005

Over the years, one of the high-points of McDowell has been the Sunday morning scenario, a “semi-scripted” tactical exercise held as a running fight, often covering several miles. In 2005 we changed the way this aspect of the event was executed. A dream of ours had always been to hold a fight on the original ground, and through the considerable diplomatic effort of committee member Jim White (often referred to as the “patron Saint of McDowell”, an agreement was reached with the landowners of the original ground, the Civil War Preservation Trust, and a private landowner, Oscar Driver.

During the scenario, our Federal participants were allowed to ascend by the principle approach of the 75^th and 25^th Ohio regiments, as they attempted to smash through the Confederate center, defended by the 12^th GA. Although a “phantom fence” (we didn’t see it during our original walk-through!) blocked the assault of the Federals up hill, it didn’t really cause much concern, as the original Buckeyes were never able to make it past the point where the fence resides today. Of course some of the participants complained, but it would have been different if lead were in the air!

The Confederate force ascended to the 12^th GA position using a trail taken by the 31^st VA during the battle. We placed the Johnnies in the position initially occupied by the 12^th, their left flank marked by a prominent standing limestone outcrop. The march in went past several enormous sinkholes that pock the surface of Bullpasture Mountain, sinkholes that were used by the original surgeons as field hospitals in an attempt to get the wounded below the level of musket fire. What happened next was strange, unintended, and a little spooky.

We had originally intended to fight from the topographic crest of the hill; yet we soon realized that the federals were forming too far below us, and out of range (of smoothbores). So we had the Confederates advance to the “military crest”, about 75 yards below the topographic crest. Looking back at the Confederates, I realized their heads were perfectly outlined against the sky, something that had been remarked upon by the Federals after the 1862 battle! The fight, which raged along these positions, was thus fought on the exact, original spots (we checked the battle maps to verify this), even though this had not been our original intent. In fact, the topography was controlling our movements, not vice versa. Unable to advance up the hill, due to the fence, and our sham musket fire, the Federal lines kept working their way to their left, trying to get around our right flank, as did the original Ohioans. But eventually they would reach the point where the assault would have to halt. As the Confederates countered by moving to their right, the hill began to gently curve right also, forming a perfect “internal line”. The federals would now have to stretch themselves thin, to wrap around and cover that line, eventually moving into a “saddle” between an adjoining knoll, and the one we were formed on. Moving into or across the saddle, with plunging fire from a curved line, would have made the passage into a perfect murder hole, as multiple muskets could converge their fire on the one point. It was now apparent why the 25^th and 75^th could go no further in that direction during the battle. When the federal line reached that point, we ended the action, as several of the battalions were low on ammo, and we were afraid the fatigue might precipitate some accidents as the men descended the hill to return to their camps.

We have often said that McDowell seems to succeed in spite of us, not because of us; and regarding this year’s Sunday morning fight that adage couldn’t have been more apt!

Acknowledgements

The 2005 McDowell event is now history, and we were blessed to have a successful and enjoyable event. But it couldn’t have been possible without the team efforts of a number of extraordinary, service oriented individuals. First and foremost, the core committee: the inexhaustible Jim White, Lorraine White, Crysta Stanton, and the rest of the Highland Historical Society and Chamber of Commerce folks; our talented and diligent sutler coordinator, Chris Daley; our (town) civilian coordinators Cheryl Parlati and Stacy Hampton; our Davis Run impression coordinators Hank and Linda Trent. And last but not least, the wonderful teamwork of our military coordinators and overall commanders, Bill Watson (US), Dave Pridgeon (CS).

Of course, our collective hats are off to the talented and dedicated reenactors, many of whom came great distances, without whom the event would not have been possible. Thank you all so much.

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