Post from Maj. Gen. Terry Shelton, Overall Commander: On July 17, 2012, not quite 11 months ago the order was shouted throughout the country and echoed around the world, FIRST CALL! From Maine to Florida, Virginia to Colorado, California, Oregon to Texas and across the Atlantic to Romania, France, Germany, England, Poland, Belgium and Sweden the long roll has been sounded and man, woman and beast have answered the call. The column was formed and is now marching in grand style toward Gettysburg and a meeting with a monumental moment in history, the 150th Commemoration and Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg. In the face of adversity, the Blue Gray Alliance has remained undaunted. Obstacles have only been met with stronger will. This event is like no others of its size and scale. It is by reenactors for reenactors. All central planners are experienced reenactors who have bonded together so that thousands of reenactors will have a 150th Gettysburg that will provide the experience they have long awaited. Now my friends, the light had changed and it is now starting to illuminate the fields and hillsides of the Bushey Farm. It is now history’s spotlight and it’s shinning on you! It is your time, your time to march into the fray and make happen what up until now is only a plan. The series of battle scenarios that have been planned will give you an opportunity to experience them as they were. The sheer excitement of cavalry as they dismount to meet the arriving southerners. The fight through the town of Gettysburg which has not been reenacted until now. The 20th Maine’s bayonet charge will not occur as the grand finale of a single battle reenactment. It will occur as it did, happening in the background, while soldiers struggled in Devil’s Den and engaged in the Wheatfield. As the Wheatfield becomes fully engaged, the Peach Orchard will blossom into full explosion as the massed Federal artillery opens up on Kershaw’s left wing. The gallant Federal counterattack through the Wheatfield will not only give them a feeling of exhilaration, but will provide the Confederates with a glimpse of what it must have felt like to see that charge coming. The night and twilight fighting on Culp’s Hill and Cemetery Hill will recall those men who broke through to the Federal batteries only to have to give up ground that had been so costly to take. The thunder of the cannons prior to the Pickett, Pettigrew and Trimble Charge. The scene on both sides as the Confederates reach the Emmitsburg Road and storm the wall. This event will provide you the experience so often talked about, but rarely achieved. From military to civilian presentations, from battles to civilian socials, you will have the opportunity to experience a wide variety of period offerings. Because of your efforts and your commitments, what was once a plan has now become reality. The force multiplier has now forged us into a force of one. We stand at the threshold not only of a reenacting milestone, but more importantly of a historical remembrance that shall stand the test of time. The time has come my friends, the event is here…………….SHOULDER ARMS!
Posted on: Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:00:01 +0000
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