Brunswick Heritage Days

Hello All,

I was wondering if you know of anybody heading out to Brunswick this weekend? I will be heading out on Saturday. I'm just going to "Day Trip it" on Saturday. I'm not going to overnight camp.

I know that they are looking for rifles especially for the the Union side. This is what the host unit's (1st KY Cav) website says:

The City of Brunswick invites you to participate in the 3rd. Annual Heritage Days at the beautifully restored Heritage Farm. All branches of service and civilians are welcome. Throughout the day we will have ladies activities, skirmishes, living history, and a battle both days. Cash bounty for the first four pre-registered pieces of artillery.

Amenities include supper on Saturday night, breakfast on Sunday morning, firewood, straw, hay for horses if requested and running water. No powder ration this year for various reasons. Tents and overnight camping are encouraged. Sutlers are permitted.

Registration fee of $5.00, but will be returned with a signed waiver of participation form. For more information and a registration form please contact Ralph Widowski at 330-273-3085 .

Pre-registration required before September 1, 2005 for amenities. I think that a walk on fee would be $5.00.

Let me know if anybody else is planning on heading out.

Take Care,
Brian S. Herchek

P.S. The 5th Rocks!!!

5th Ohio Corps Badge

The corps badge worn by members of the Army of the Potomac's 12th Corps was one of the most easily recognizable employed by troops during the Civil War. A simple five-point star, the badge was most commonly made of cloth, colored red for the Corps' first division and white for its second. More expensive corps badges were made of metal, and ran the gamut from stamped brass to solid silver and gold. Others were simply manufactured of a metal alloy and plated with silver or gold. These metal badges were usually the work of talented jewelers and were almost always finely engraved with the soldiers name, unit, and battle honors. The exquisite badges were normally worn on the soldiers uniform coat, fastened securely by a T-bar pin.

Because they were fairly expensive to have made, most silver or gold corps badges were purchased and worn by officers, especially those that were quite elaborate in design. However, there are many exceptions to this rule, photographic evidence showing that many enlisted men wore them too. This is especially evident in photographs made of soldiers serving in the 12th Army Corps, which when merged with the 1th in April 1864, became the 20th Corps.

Many men of the hardfighting 5th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, wore a gold 12th/20th Corps badge of interesting design. Like all standard 12th/20th Corps badges it was a five- point star, but what made it different than most was that the numeral "5" was cut out of the solid center, making for a very distinctive badge. The men of the Fifth Ohio were proud of their military record, which saw them fight with honor at Port Republic, Cedar Mountain, Antietam, Gettysburg, and then in the western theater beginning in September, 1863.

Lookout Mountain, Resaca, New Hope Church and Kennesaw Mountain, where added to the Fifth's roster of battles in the year ahead. When mustered out in July 1865 the unit bore a reputation as one of the finest in the Union Army.

Colonel John Patrick commanded the 5th Ohio Infantry in some of the Civil War's bloodiest battles, including Cedar Mountain, Antietam and Gettysburg. A Scotsman, born in Edinburgh on March 11, 1820, Patrick came to the United States in 1848 and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio. Patrick began his wartime service with the 5th Ohio as lieutenant colonel and by September 1862 had risen to colonel. The regiment went west in September 1863, and with Patrick at its head fought in the battle of Lookout Mountain and in the early stages of the Atlanta campaign. At the Battle of Dallas, GA on May 25, 1864, Col. Patrick was killed when a canister ball pierced his abdomen.

In the above portrait, Col. Patrick wears an extremely fine gold medal presented to him at a banquet held in his honor in Cincinnati, Ohio. Patrick's gold medal was inscribed with these battle honors: Winchester, Port Republic, Cedar Mountain, Antietam, Dumfries, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Lookout Mountain.

Battle on the Canal a huge success

I don't think we could have asked for a better weekend than the one we just had at the reenactment in Zoar Village. Soldiers and familys enjoyed a good turnout. Between the 5th, 4th, and 21st, our company was comprised of 22 men. This made for some good camp life, and even better fightin'.

Friday started off humid and wet. Rain came and went. Then came again. But by Friday evening, the humidity gave way to cool air, and the rain just plum went away. Though 50 yards apart, we traveled between the military camp and family camp with ease. And why not. The Tavern was right next to our family tents!

Our military street started off in a tree-covered lane that led to the battlefield. I would say it is one of the best spots we have had in some time. With a continual pot of coffee on the fire, and the Company fly in front of my tent to provide us a little more shade, it would have been a great place to stay for the entire week (as long as we could get a shower somewhere on Sunday night).
Saturday morning came early (and I mean EARLY). The bugle woke us at 5:45 am for the tactical. We 'cootered up in the dark and did the traditional battalion formation for the next hour (weee). Once we moved, it was a mile out... a hot fight in the woods... and a mile back. Breakfast never tasted so good. My thanks to Bill and Matt for coming down to help Mike K. get the military fire going so we could wake up with some fresh java.

The rest of Saturday was a gift. NO DRILL! Instead, we suttlered and the three units making one company sat around getting to know one another. I would be more than happy at any time to partner up with the 4th and 21st. They know their stuff and are good to have in a donnybrook.

The battle in the afternoon took us out to a very scrappy looking field that was just perfect. The trenches were already dug and muddy. A great Civil War setting. After the lines moved back and forth (and our front rank got it's share of the mud), the armys (300 yanks to 100 rebs) stood their ground and the fight concluded. No victor.

Back in camp, we cooled down and got back to gabbing, smoking, eating, and laughing. Truly, the best part of any event. Saturday night, continued much of the same and we spent some good times with our new pards from the 4th and 21st.

Sunday morning started off with an early dress parade and, SURPRISE! Drill. We thought we were going to luck out.

After the usual pre-packing, we moved off to the battle.

The long and short of it is, we were flanked and the Company moved into the woods to hold them off. I would say, this was one of the hottest fights we have been in. The Company held the flankers from the rebs for a bit, just long enough to get the rest of the battalion into the woods to support us. What I saw there was the old aggressive 5th that made the grey bellys stop in their tracks. Without real rounds, it is hard to push and hold. It is only aggressiveness that wins the day. In my experience, the rebs are the ones who use this piss and vinegar to their advantage. I could not have been more proud of the Company for having its blood up. The Battalion Commander from Western Brigade, Mike Lavis, said we did an outstanding job and that he knows few units who could have done what we did. When the spring drill comes, I would like to refine our tactics and keep this aggressive attitude going. The rebs don't expect it. And it is why in years past the 5th has been put to the front to hit the enemy hard.

This has been a great season and I am have been honored to serve as your commander. I will continue to do so at your discretion.

Your Servant,
Capt Christopher Smith

Zoar looming this weekend

Hey all: Just a word from the ol' skipper here. Zoar Village (THIS WEEKEND) is to be our last official event for the year. Our numbers look very good, as does the weather. We will have a family camp and military street as we had two years ago.

This is an Army of the Ohio event, but our friends from Birney's will be there as well. I plan to get down there in the late afternoon on Friday. Remember, The History Channel will be filming background footage this weekend so please make sure you stay in the period duds and all modern "stuff" is hidden and stowed at all times.

Looking forward to a great weekend with you all!

Chris
The guy with the sword

D-Day Museum Report

A report from friend on the gound in New Orleans comes this update on the status of the National D-Day Museum:

The Museum's web presence will be back shortly. Steve G. from I-55.com was just up here to fetch some rails for the server. He reports that the Museum took minimal storm damage but was broken into by looters. Somehow the exhibits were not infiltrated though.

First meetin' of the season

Hey folks. Tomorrow night is the first meeting of the regular series through the Fall, Winter, and Spring. There are a number of topics to discuss of some importance so I hope all of you will be there. Please bring your musket and traps so we can get in a little more fine tuning after business.

Lastly, don't forget out last reenactment of the year at Zoar Village, September 16-18!

Meeting Location: Northwest Avenue Church of Christ, 737 Northwest Avenue, Tallmadge, OH. Corner of Northwest Avenue and North Thomas Road, approximately 1/4 mi southeast of the six corners intersection of Brittian Rd, Howe Road, Northwest Ave (Tallmadge) and Tallmadge Ave (Cuy Falls)

Unit sales help preservation

I am happy to announce that we have received the first check for $25.00 form CafePress.com from the sales of 5thOVI shirts, mugs, and bumper stickers.

CafePress.com is the free internet service we partnered with a year ago to set up the 5th Ohio Quartermaster where we were able to offer some goodies to unit members and, frankly, anyone surfing the internet. You would be surprised that we have had a number of sales around the country from folks whose ancestors fought in the 5th. The markup on these sales come directly to the 5th once a year to put toward our historic preservation efforts.

Thanks for supporting this program with your purchases. I will be presenting this check to the Chairman at our meeting in September.

Your Servant,
Christopher Smith
Commanding