Redefining Rockel

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The Film of the Week

The WORD of the Week

Matthew 3:7-10

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

And do not think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Stupid Fact of the Week

There was only one civilian casualty during the three-day Battle of Gettysburg

02 April, 2006

"The Battle of Charleston"

I ran across the bridge in Charleston. If I recall correctly, I believe I finished in the ballpark of 21,000th place (out of 45,000+). I received no trophy. I received no plaque. What did I receive, other than shin splints, sore muscles, and the inability to move two days later? A bag of granola, a "Hooah" energy bar, several coupons, other odds-and-ends, and a copy of The Post And Courier.

On the front page of the "Local & State" section of the South Carolina rag was an article entitled, "The Battle of Charleston," accompanied by an incredible picture of a man dressed in Union army attire - atop a horse - firing an antique pistol while the hair on the mane of his mount swung off to one side, indicating that a rather harsh turning maneuver was taking place.

I read the caption below the picture:

"Stuart Lambert of the Laurens Orphans unit fires on Confederates during the Battle of Charleston re-enactment Saturday at Legare Farms."

Directly below this was another picture. Smaller than the first, it was filled almost completely with a large Union flag that was staked into the ground near a small tree. Another Union soldier strolled beneath its large billowing fabric.

I began to read the article:

"When Allen Badger wasn't sitting and watching gun, cannon and sword fights with her daughter, the Charleston attorney used a disposable camera to snap shots of Union and Confederate soldiers fighting Saturday in the Battle of Charleston at Legare Farms on Johns Island.

"Badger, whose 10-year-old daughter planned to use the photographs in a school project to earn extra credit, said the re-enactors take history off pages in a book and bring it to life.

"'They live the whole thing and put a face to the Civil War that lets the children connect,' Badger said."

Now, I love war re-enactments as much as the next guy, provided that the next guy doesn't care much for war re-enactments. However, Civil War re-enactments, particularly those "of the south," I find fascinating.

Yes, I'm a Damn Yankee. And yes, I'm Damn proud of it.

But more on that later. Back to the article:

"'I'm fascinated with the Civil War. It's so important to pass history to our children,' said [Lyn] Swecker, (a re-enactor).

"Laura Chilton, a 34-year-old re-enactor,... said the fighting and the smell of the gunpowder give her a deeper understanding of history and of war than just reading about it.

"'It gives you a sense of what it was like and what our men went through,' she said. 'It gives you a sense of what our troops are going through in Iraq.'"

Man, I love the south. But don't worry, I realize you can find a nut anywhere and that most of this doesn't even sound all that crazy or great or anything else that would warrant a posting on Red What and Blue. Be patient, we're almost there.

Since I am only really familiar with the extremely influential battles of the Civil War (namely, all the ones the North one), I was not at all familiar with the Battle of Charleston. I will assume that all of you reading are of like mind, and provide a brief synopsis, taken from the same article:

"The weekend-long event (the re-enactment), staged by the 27th South Carolina Volunteer Infantry, depicts Federal and Confederate troops, fighting for possession of cannons stuck in pluff mud on an island on the edge of the Stono River. Confederate soldiers rolled four cannons across a timber causeway to fire on Federal gunboats patrolling the river. The gunboats returned fire and eventually delivered infantry troops to the island. The cannons had fallen off the causeway into the mud as Confederate soldiers retreated, re-enactors said."

Ok, I know what you're thinking: "What the hell is pluff mud?"

Regarding the origin of the term, "pluff mud", the Myrtle Beach Convention Center's webmaster offered this explanation: "'Pluff' is actually the sound you hear when your truck keys fall out of your shorts pocket, while you're climbing over the side to drag the boat out of the aforementioned pluff mud." The closest match of meaning for "pluff" in the Oxford English Dictionary is "to blow out (smoke or breath) with explosive action, to puff". The sound of the word echoes the noise it describes.

So, pluff mud aside, what's the big deal with this battle? Of course you've never heard of it, it was over 4 stupid cannons. "Why even talk about it, Rockel?"

From the article:

"(Hundreds of people) turned out to watch Civil War re-enactors fight in the Battle of Charleston, a make-believe battle set in March 1862." (emphasis added)

posted by Rockel @ 4:10 PM

3 Comments:

At 2/4/06 7:04 PM, Anonymous said…

Im a damn Yankee and I'm damn proud of it as well!! Man you got to enjoy dem southerns every once and a bit.

peace love and jersey
At 3/4/06 8:45 AM, The Cobra said…

I often reeanct the Battle of Niagra. This epic battle, which is only reenacted immediately following the consumption of a Wallace Student Center Hummus Veggie Wrap, recalls an age old civil war fought within the walls of my own home. At least my battles aren't made up.
At 4/4/06 12:15 PM, Doyle said…

Fantastic. I love it. Kudos to those all-so-serious people who live in the land of make-believe. I vacation there, but at least I come home to reality once in awhile. And we wonder why our society is fueled by entertainment.