Tag Archives: Events

Camp Cooking

08 Wednesday Aug 2012

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Our first overnight, camping-in reenactment went fairly well. Why the artillerists had to bring a concertina to a gunfight, I’ll never know, but a 2:36 AM rendition of “Good Night Ladies” was truly unnecessary.

The most important thing I can emphasize about reenacting in high summer is to stay hydrated. We brought the big white water pitcher we used at the House Cleaning in April, sliced a lime into it, and filled it repeatedly at the town pump. The Young Mr doesn’t like lime in his water, so he filled the coffee pot for himself, but the rest of our Regiment and members of the 10th Mass helped themselves liberally. It was well worth bringing.

The meals we ate were simple: apples, bread, ham and cheese for breakfast and lunch (I forgot to bring the eggs…) and beef stew for dinner. The stew is the most interesting part of the business. Mr S bought the meat, and without even realizing it, he picked up the appropriate amount of rations. Men were supposed to be issued a pound of beef and a pound of flour or bread a day; women, half that, and children a quarter. The amount we packed was a pound and three quarters. Seemed like too much when I packed it into the cooler, but as it turned out, we ate it all.

Enhanced Ration Stew (feeds 3 to 4)

  • 1.75 pounds beef stew meat
  • 3 carrots, sliced
  • 1 very large onion, roughly chopped
  • 4-5 small, firm, potatoes, cubed
  • Half a small kettle of water
  • 2 packets or cubes of portable soup (beef boullion)

Note: start the fire and get it hot before you bring the meat out…

Cut the meat into smaller chunks, add to the kettle, and place over the fire. Brown the meat on all sides; note that this will take as long as it takes.

When the meat is browned, add the onions and cook until they start to get soft. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and cover.

Bring to a rolling boil for at least twenty minutes; stir occasionally. Be sure to add wood to the fire to keep it hot. I think we cooked our stew for about 2.5 hours, but it’s hard to say exactly, as we were not wearing timepieces. We started the fire after the battle, which would have been at about 3:30 or 4:00, and ate around 6:30.

I used my pocketknife to slice the vegetables first, and arranged them in our wooden bowls. Then I sliced the beef into smaller chunks, using a piece of firewood as a cutting surface—since it gets burned, you don’t have to wash anything but the knife in hot water. Thanks to the 40th Foot at the SOI for demonstrating that technique.

Finishing Touches

30 Monday Jul 2012

Posted by in Events, Making Things, Reenacting

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Sewing:

  1. Finish Overalls for Mr S
  2. Waistcoat for The Young Mr
  3. The Young Mr’s haversack– can finish in camp
  4. If there’s time: linen jacket for Mr S, off-hours.
  5. Bed gown or short gown for K
  6. Linen work bag

Things to Acquire:

  1. Cane rod, local source
  2. Blanket (wool with blue stripe, in Texas) or two
  3. Tent??
  4. Camp kettle
  5. Coffee pot?
  6. Tea pot (Jackware or brown-glazed redware)
  7. Canteen for K

Things to Modify:

  1. Paint knapsack
  2. Paint Ikea box
  3. Swap Ikea box screws for brass flat-head screws
  4. Marble paper or hand-paint wallpaper to cover sewing kit
  5. Hemp webbing for pack basket (Missouri source)

As you can see, I have a sewing problem. Right now, those overalls have become breeches, and I am at the knee band stage, just before 10 more button holes. I can manage those in a week, but I suspect that will be it. And a work bag, I can probably manage a work bag. Last year, I went to OSV with bleeding and punctured fingers. This year, I’d like to have fingertips I can do things with. Also, I need to sleep in order to do my job decently, so perhaps this list is more about learning my limitations than it is about things I really need to do.

Houston, We Have a Tent

15 Sunday Jul 2012

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Well, almost.

One of the guys in the regiment traded the widow of another guy a RevWar GI Joe for a  tent. But he doesn’t need the tent, so he called us because he heard we were thinking about making a tent. The conversation with Mr. S took many more words than that, but I think that’s about the gist of the transaction. Poles are being sought, and even if they are not found, we have a draw knife. So we have tentage for August– one more thing to cross off the list. I still want to make a hemp canvas tent, but at least we should be set for August.

Today, after we went to an antique mall in Greenville, I started on a delayed project. We have wallpaper-covered boxes at work, and today I found a roll of wallpaper border. It’s not 18th century, but it reminded me of some late 18th-century paper at work. So I bought it, and started on boxes. The housewife I made is nice, but I’d like a bigger box for hiding things in–combs, toothbrush, who knows what. It’s a simple enough project using A. C. Moore boxes, paint, the border, and glue as well as generous applications of sandpaper. Tonight, paint; tomorrow, sandpaper.

Summer Eating

11 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by in Food, Reenacting

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What to eat in the field in August? Redcoats & Rebels approaches, and food must be prepared. This time, we are camping over. That means that pretty much everything must be ready by 1:30 on August 3, and there is nothing like a deadline to focus attention.

To start with, I turned to The Compleat Housewife: or Accomplished Gentlewoman’s Companion, published in 1739. The author presents seasonal menus, because one important thing to remember is that historical eating was seasonal and local. (This concept may sound familiar to fans of Alice Waters or Mark Bittman.)

The suggestions are, of course, beyond the realm of soldiers’ rations.

Westphalia Ham & Chicken.
Bisque of Fish.
Haunch of Venison, roasted.
Venison Pasty.
Roasted fowls a la daube.
White fricassee of Chicken.
Roasted Turkeys Larded.
Beef a la Mode.
Roasted Lobsters.
Rock of Snow and Syllabub.

But take a closer look: beef a la mode is a kind of pot roast, so beef in a kettle with water and veg cooked over a fire ought to do. It’s what we call “officer chow,” and what the boys ate at Fort Lee. I was mostly looking for vegetables in season, or fruits, but the farmers’ market will provide that limitation.

So here’s what I think:
Pasties made Thursday night or Friday morning for supper on Friday.
Gingerbread cake for treats.
Oatmeal and fruit for breakfast Saturday morning, or else boiled eggs, bread, and fruit.
Bread, cheese, fruit and sliced ham for lunch on Saturday.
Tea, shrub, and gingerbread cake for Saturday tea.
Beef stew for supper on Saturday.

Breakfast and lunch will be the same for Sunday, and we pack up and leave on Sunday afternoon, so I won’t need to make Sunday supper in camp.

It’s reasonably authentic to the 18th century, though not to common soldiers’ rations. But the guys won’t want to eat firecake and water.

Overall Objectives

07 Saturday Jul 2012

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When in doubt, hand sew: it’s good for the brain and the soul.

Thinking about reenacting in terms of mission worked in sorting out my Trouble with Ticonderoga.  The Fort’s Defiance and Independence event is meant to further their mission to “ensure that present and future generations learn from the struggles, sacrifices and victories that shaped the nations of North America,” and the BAR’s mission is to recreate the life of the common soldier of the AWI, and my family’s mission is to have fun while recreating the life of the common soldier of the AWI, if some part of an event doesn’t seem like fun, it doesn’t further our mission. And if it doesn’t seem like fun, don’t do it. It’s just that simple.

Another way of looking at this is to recognize that not every event is for every reenactor. Obviously you don’t take a Charleville to Gettysburg, but more importantly, if an event is primarily to recreate a military action, but you and your family are looking for a shared reenacting experience, you are likely to be disappointed.

I also thought about it all in terms of priorities: family first, then Regiment, and so on up the line. Better by far to hone what we have to interpret the Regiment’s history first, and to get ready for Redcoats & Rebels at Old Sturbridge Village.

This event has more tangled into it than you’d think. Last year was not so great. The Captain didn’t seem happy, Mr. S’s overalls did not pass muster in foot-related fit, the Young Mr. pouted for a half a day, and I was stuck in camp with a blowsy woman talking about babies while the public tramped across our blankets. This year, we’ll camp over and entertain Mr. S’s parents, who are determined to see one of the reenactments. OSV offers the most opportunities for them and for us. There’s the Village itself to entertain and feed them, and surrounding areas with antiques and sight-seeing. We will be “stuck” minding camp and won’t be free to entertain or feed them in the evenings, and if they stay for the twilight camp tours, there will be a curfew. There is much to like about this arrangement for us.

So in preparation, I’m making new overalls for Mr. S, who has lost enough weight that last year’s are just too big. For myself, I’m cruising bedgown images like The Provider. Chardin is a favorite painter, and while I can’t have a pinner apron, I have a blue and white striped petticoat. The white concerns me, though it would definitely get dirty fast, and there’s a lot to like about that, too.

No matter what we choose to do in the future, the sewing helps now.