High Tide at Gettysburg - A Letter from Colonel Lavis
19 October 2007Gentlemen:
Please give this the widest possible circulation:
As I have said before, there is and will be mass confusion, and rumors and out right lies that will be spread concerning the Gettysburg event next June:
Some of this is just the normal traffic that always seems to take place, usually spread by know-it-alls, who just shoot off their mouths to draw attention to themselves. Some of it will be honest questions, and assumptions. And, sadly enough some will be put out there to discredit our efforts. Yes, there are those who do not want this event to succeed. And, there are those who are more interested in their own personal command situation, than in recreating actual history, and in providing the best experience possible for the men in the ranks. And, there are those who stand to profit personally from other ventures, and so do not want this event to succeed either.
Here is the actual situation: The event will be held June 27-29th 2008. It is entitled “High Tide At Gettysburg”
Reenactors are putting on this event. A quality experience is the main goal, for all who attend. The scenarios will be carefully chosen and scripted, to fit the terrain. Regiments will actually get to protray what those regiments actually did 145 years ago. No one will be allowed to break a scenario, commanders will be held responsible for disobeying orders. In the past, the battle has been halted until the allignment was corrected, and then taken up again.
The scenarios under consideration are: McPherson’s Ridge, Cemetary Hill, and the Wheatfield. This is not a carved in stone statement, but a place for us to start. We will not limit the battles by any time frame, again, we are looking to recreate history, not rewrite it.
This is all being done by volunteers, no one will be making a single cent from this event. This event is being put on for you.
It will be held on the site of the 130th anniversary event. Note this is not the Nancy Bushy farm, where the 135th was held, but this is the site where part of the movie “Gettysburg” was filmed. The red barn where the hospital scene was filmed will be the registration site. The camps and battlefields are directly across the road.
This site is very close to the battlefield. Only 2 miles, by road, from Longstreet’s HQ to the registration barn. The tower on Seminary Ridge, as well as both Round Tops are very visable, and actually overlook a portion of the battlefield. Some of the land is adjacent to NPS property. We are as close as we can possibly get. More than one mile closer than any other site.
The western battalions will be commanded by their own officers, this is a joint east-west ownership event, and the commands will be shared equally as well. The NSA, and those who elect to fall in with them, each have 1000 of the slots set aside for them, if they are needed.
The permit situation is exactly where we expect it to be at this point. We have a good friend who is in charge of the next phase, and is working with us to ensure that we get the final approval. It is going to happen.
There will be a meeting, in Gettysburg,Sat. Nov 17th. If anyone will be going to Rememberance Days, they can contact me, and I will let you know the time and place. It is not a closed meeting, we just need to know how many will be there. I will be making the trip down, just for the meeting, and General Dumfee will be joining me.
At the proper time, a web-site will be up, and it will be made known to all.
One final note: Gettysburg hold a very special place in the history of the United States. This is especially true for Civil War reenactors. This is not an earth-shattering revelation, you all know this. For years, Gettysburg has been given the nick-name of “Mecca”. Furthermore, it was a very special and hallowed place for those who actually fought there, and elsewhere, during the Civil War.
The main thing that those veterans, blue and gray, asked of us, was to never forget them, or their sacrifices for their beliefs, and for their country. We owe them, to give as close a protrayal as we possibly can, of what was done on that field. Putting a bunch of reenactors, on a flat piece of ground, in front of bleachers does not meet that obligation. Do not be fooled by the over-worn phrase “We are educating the public.” If the public is not seeing history reenacted, then they are not being educated. Instead they are just being ENTERTAINED, for a price. They are seeing a show, nothing more.
Anyone taking on a Gettysburg reenactment takes on a special responsibility, equal to the place in our history that it holds. This requires a special effort to get it right. The people working on this event are determined to do just that, not just for us, but for “them” as well. This is going to be one special experience.
My Respects
Mike Lavis
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