| The Raid on the St. Andrews Salt Works | | | [23-Apr-2012]
Got up early sat to be at Panama city by 10am for the St. Andrews Salt works raid. Stopped at battery 155 out in St. Andrews park on the way. The only remaining structure is a circular platform for a 155mm gun. Its under a pavilion so im sure its overlooked by most people. There is a good sign in the center if anyone stops to read it.
The St. Andrews Raid is one of the few reenactments to have a boat landing. Got there and the weather was miserable and only got worse. They called the reenactment (scheduled for 2) by noon because of pouring rain. Did get to see drill and sword drill as the troops and sea cadets practiced. One problem, there were no confederates in sight. If the reenactment had happened Im not sure who they would have fought.
|
| Natural Bridge 2012 | | [04-Mar-2012]
I dont like the new location. I know it now where they fought but its not as good for spectators. No one likes to watch a game from the end zone and thats where we are now. Behind the confederate lines. The artillery is to the left and the infantry on the right to there is no good place to sit. If you sit to the left half the photos have cars in them in the background. The Union is always too far away. I also dont like the set up of keeping people out till just before the reenactment then letting everyone in. The sinkholes could be roped off if thats the problem.
|
| Olustee 2012 | | [20-Feb-2012]
It was supposed to rain all morning and be pretty bad in the afternoon. It stead it drizzled a little and by 1pm cleared up. Reenactment was sunny and windy (soldiers kept loosing their hats). They made some changes this year, the artillery dual didnt last as long and there was action on the field while it took place. Cavalry was closer, even if they just stood around a lot. More Confederate dead and they wiped out a whole Union company leaving just one black solider for a while till they finally got him. Turn out for the reenactors was high, the crowd was low. The grass was high in a lot of places and made more interesting photos. Concerning the photos, I used the continuous mode so there are a lot of them.
Bought a pair of Union blue pants, a couple of period shirts and suspenders. Going to start dressing for reenactments. Still need period waistcoat and a hat. |
| Dade Massacre | | [08-Jan-2012]
Spent most the day driving to Bushnell for the reenactment at the Dade Battlefield. The fog was thick like monsters come out and eat you think till almost Ocala. At the battle you are very close to the action if you sit at the rope, bleachers are much further back on a hill and may actually have a better view since the Seminoles are hidden in the palmettos for the battle. The narration needs a lot of work, particularly the U.S. side. Most of his narration is useless rantings that dont help anyone understand what is going on. The park system also needs to work on their over engineering of the parking and transport system, trams really arent needed and one entrance fee would be nice.
|
| Marianna Days | | [25-Sep-2011]
Marianna does an event to commemorate the Raid on Marianna every year. A parade down main street combined with the usual reenactment events. The parade is unusual, after the few floats and local beauty queens a running skirmish is fought down the street by reenactors. Its the closest you will ever get to one unless your in the line of battle.
Later that afternoon is the standard recreate a Civil War type battle reenactment. They need to work on the location. The action was to far away and behind scrub to be watchable, several people I was near left because it wasn't really watchable. There were almost no sutlers either (3).
This is the start of the reenactment season:
Oct 23: Jacksonville Invasion at Ft. Caroline
Nov 20: Raid on the Suwanee
Jan 22: Brooksville
Feb 5: Okeechobee, 2nd Seminole War
Feb 19: Olustee
Mar 4: Natural Bridge
Mar 11: Crystal River
April 21: St. Andrews Bay salt works, Panama City
|
| Renactments 2011 | | | [06-Mar-2011]
Finally uploaded the Olustee photos and day before going to Natural Bridge. Took Gibson to Natural Bridge, its difficult to take any photos while corralling a 3 year old. He was fascinated by the guns and cannons once they started however. |
| Natural Bridge 2010 | | [07-Mar-2010]
Natural Bridge seemed quick and small this year. When I got there it was almost deserted. No cars on the side of the road. It filled in later but I still think attendance was down. The Reenactment also seemed smaller, no colors for the Union troops even. Checked on the cache in the park and did 2 others on the way back. Its nice to be able to take Plank road and not go through town and Woodville now.
|
| Olustee 2010 | | [14-Feb-2010]
A beautiful day, drove to Olustee and skipped the sutlers. I wanted to sit on the southern side this year since its been years since I did that just for the change so I need to get to the line early. Of course the decided to fight with the south more to the right of the field this year so I was looking at their backsides most the battle. Used the new blackberry as a camera, it did pretty well. Despite the weather the southern line seemed a little sparse, but there seemed to be a good Union turnout.
 |
| Natrual Bridge 2009, Blackberry Trellis, Weather Station | | | [11-Mar-2009]
A warm spring day. They have cleared some of the brush on the Union approach and it looked like the Union was forming lines a bit closer to the confederates than they normally do. The wounded guy was interesting but he just wouldnt die and kept moving around.
After the reenactment finally finished putting up the new blackberry trellis on the peak of the berm between the houses. Mounted the rain guage and temperature sensors from the weather station to it. Still need to get wire vises and tighten the wires some. There is enough room to lengthen the trellis in both directions another 15 feet (its 15 feet between the posts now) over the years and to put in a second trellis downhill before it gets to close to where the major drainage flow would be in a bad storm. Right now there are only two blackberry bushes, the Choctaw and one from Mr. Huggins. I should get new shoots from them and will fill in as needed. The current trellis should hold 5 plants before i need to expand it.
 |
| Olustee 2009 | | | [15-Feb-2009]
I finally made it back to Olustee. They had a horse team moving a cannon out in front this year, very nice. A lot of the photos are similar I was playing with the high speed so they almost look like single frames of a movie. That is before the battery died a third of the way through the battle. There is nothing after the artillery duel. |
| Natrual Bridge 2008 | | [03-Mar-2008]
They paved the road over the last year and that made it interesting. The crowd stayed on the road rather than moving up to the rope, on the other side of the gully. That let me crouch down in the gully and move a bit. I also had the new camera with the 15x zoom so a lot of shots are closeups of faces or guys across the field. Only problem was being down in the gully all the shot are through the two bars of the fence.
|
| Natrual Bridge 2007 | | | [04-Mar-2007]
Like an idiot I deleted all the photos from my camera before going out the next weekend. I blame a lack of sleep from Daylight Savings time work. Found the Natural Bridge cache (GC10FN6) on the way in. The Rangers were a bit stupid this year. Telling everyone not to stand at the rope, but halfway back across the road. Everyone moved back then back to the rope. Silly Ranger. There was a small turnout for the battle this year, and all the deaths were on the far side of the field. They did a better job with containing the reporters rather than having them in front of everyone. They also added some onsite parking. Not nearly enough but at least they are making an attempt. |
| Horse Landing | | | [18-Nov-2006]
Went home a week early for Thanksgiving so I could go the Horse Landing again. It was interesting. They had a small town built (Baldwin) and started with a raid on the town then moved to the fort assault which was driven off by the Confederate defenders. Adding the town made it difficult to watch, you really had to move from down there back to the earthworks later. Took a lot of pictures |
| Natrual Bridge 2006 | | | [05-Mar-2006]
Im really disapointed with the reenactment this year. Not because of the reenactors but becasue of the park service. The had a ditch dug about 5ft on the spectator side of the wooden fence, right where we normally stand. They put the rope inside the ditch so we had to stand behind it. Making eye level just at the foot of the wooden fence. Then they let the press wander around between the rope and fence, in everyones way. So the photos are all taken with the camera above my head, and around the press, lots of action is missing. |
| Olustee 2006 | | [21-Feb-2006]
It was unusually cold and overcast this year so no sunburn. It didnt rain but looked like it might for all but a brief period during the battle when the sun came out. The battle was pretty good this year, they moved the initial skirmish back to the field rather than out in the woods so the public could see what was going on better. The unit portraying the 54th MA wasnt there this year, and I missed them, the organizers kept the Union forces at a distance like they expected them too. It seemed like the South came out into a full line of battle across the field rather early and the actual line to line fire fight lasted longer than usual.
There are photos. 
|
| Olustee 2005 | | | [26-Feb-2005]
I got there kind of late this year. Early enough to park but most the good seat along the fence were filled. Gota spot behind some boy scouts who had spread a whole blanket out for 1 guy. They were waiting on others who never showed. Once the battle started I asked the boys if I and a couple of little kids could squeeze in, there was plenty of room. They let us but the scoutmaster was a jerk and said something about getting there early and not taking his kids seats. They could see fine 6ft is more than enough for 2 kids.
The skirmishers thankfully wern't out in the woods this year. However the artillery dual seemd intolerably long, and with little firing. The south seemed to bring out to many troops too early and out numbered the north severly through the whole battle.
It was a nice sunny day so the photos are good but not as interesting as the year it rained.
|
| A busy day | | | [16-Jan-2005]
Failing to remember exaclty how long a drive it was last year I went to the Brooksville Raid again this year, getting there only about a half hour before the battle started.
It had the same problem as last year, there is no good place to watch. The action takes place in the woods alot and swings around several times so its not clear what is going on. I was on the right flank of the Union this time, and they didn't have ropes up so we had to move several times as the action came too close.
There were also a lot of guys on the field with cameras, big ones on tripods ruining alot of photos. The may have been hidden from the VIP section but they were clear to all of us, and made no attempt to hide, be in period costume (not that that would have mattered with the large cameras), or even stay still. Photos of the raid.
On the way to the raid I stopped to do the cache 7 to 7 at a rest area near Perry. Maybe that is what caused the drive to take so much time?
Having more time on the may back I stopped at Homosassa Springs. I expected only Manatees and was suprised to a small zoo. Including a hippo. Which I just screwed up and deleted the picture of.
Near Cheifland I pulled over to see if Comet Macholtz was visible since it was finally clear, and I was somewhere dark. It is baerly naked eye. I took a bunch of photos with the digital camera. The will be posted later after I get a chance to process them.
Got home about 9:30 12 hours after I left, all for a 1 hour reenactment.
|
| Natrual Bridge 2004 | | | [09-Mar-2004]
Went to the reenactment Sunday even though I was sick. I think it made me worse too. Got there way to early. Looks like most the Union left too, a lot fewer reenactors than last year. Took a short movie of part of the 2nd advance.
Natrual Bridge 2004 |
| Olustee but no pictures | | | [16-Feb-2004]
I went to Olustee Sunday but I don't have a single photo because my camrea battery was dead. They changed a number of things making in very odd this year. The skirmishers started out in the woods, completly unable to be seen until they started shooting at the calvary. We didnt even know they had started and wondered what was holding them up. The they retreated back towards us, to the east, before circling down the field. A union horse got spooked at one point and went charging across the field.
Later the 54th MA (or where they the 14th RI as it was stamped on their canteens) was way down the field, more than haflway. Most the battle occured at very close quarters, closer than usual. Great for the VIP seats but horrible for everyone else. |
| Brooksvile Raid and Yulee Sugar Mil | | | [18-Jan-2004]
Drove down to the Brooksville Raid. It was not impressive. To many people had left becasue of the predicted rain, which didn't occur. The field was layed out badly so the action didn't flow well. I think the Confederate cannons on the Union right were supposed to be in the distance behind the lines. The battle starts too far back and snakes around at odd angles at times making one wonder if the artillery has been taken out or if the infantry is just igoring it. Met the guys from Co. A. CS Marines but they were too far away to get any good photos of them during the battle.
Stopped at the Yulee Sugar Mill on the way back. I expected a park but instead its just ruins at the side of the road with a few plaques.
Photos
Brooksville
Yulee Sugar Mill |
|
|
