Hey all, sorry for being slow in posting again, its been busy around here, or otherwise I'm just wiped out. I've been having a blast, as always, and have been learning alot about the national parks, about the Harpers Ferry history, and about historic trades.
Since it is beyond my ability (at the moment) to remember when I posted last, I'll just post about what I've been up to recently that I can actually remember.
Well, recently, I've been to several major battlefields, and viewed the areas where my reenacting unit, the 4th US Infantry, fought. Needless to say, its been pretty surreal, and sometimes I can't quite believe that I am standing in the actual places where the events and deeds I have read about actually happened. For example, a couple weeks ago I went to the battlefield at Antietam, in Sharpsburg Maryland. It was sobering and stunning to me to be able to walk through the cornfield and along bloody lane, where so many young lives ended, or to stand on Burnside's bridge which turned out to be the Confederate answer to Thermopolye, with 800 men holding back several thousand.
This past 'weekend' (which for me is mondays and tuesdays), I went to Gettysburg with my room mate, Kevin, and one of his friends from college. Not only was the trip a lot of fun with plenty of jokes and quoting of the movie "Gettysburg", but it gave me the chance to see the battlefield more up close, which I was slightly limited in on my last visit to this amazing spot. For the first time, I walked through the Devil's den, and had a more up close look at Culp's hill. Thankfully, Gettysburg is so close (as is everything in this part of the country), that it shouldn't be a problem going back. :)
As far as work goes, it has been a blast, especially this week in particular, as my fellow interns and I are finally WORKING, not training. Don't get me wrong, the training has been very useful and sometimes fun, but I really appreciate finally being up close and personal with the public now. Thus far, I have worked in the Provost Marshal's Office, the Dry Good's store, and the blacksmith's shop.
For me, being the military guy in the group, the Provost office is the most fun, as I am talking about the military duties of the provost guard, back then the 34th Massachusetts Infantry, from Worchester county (pronounced "Woosta", according to some inhabitants of said county that I met yesterday).
It is an interesting challenge to tie in the duties of the Provost guards (issuing passes, transferring and booking prisoners, and keeping the hearts and minds of locals in the Union, maybe or maybe not at gunpoint) into the generic duty of the Union soldier, which is to free 4 million people who are in bondage. In this particular exhibit, the most 'interesting question' I've been asked is: "is it okay if we use our ghost detector in this exhibit?" I honestly wasn't sure what to say. :P
The dry goods store is also a lot of fun, its just like the old fashioned general store you'd see in a western film or something. The challenge here is to not only exhibit to visitors what everything is/does in the store, but how EVERYTHING is tied into both the industrial revolution and slavery.
An example that I generally enjoy using is the cotton cloth we have for sale in the store: the cotton is picked by slaves in the southern US, then is shipped north to the cotton mills in New York or Boston, or possibly to England or France. It is then woven into fabric by the machines of the north or other nations, then shipped back to be sold in southern stores. Or, if it is shipped to England or France, it comes back in the form of imported goods, like English china, French decanters, or Chinese tea. Therefore, the argument that "not all Confederates were fighting for slavery", really doesn't hold water, because they were fighting to protect a system whose lifeblood was slavery. This also makes the issue of slavery both a northern as well as southern issue, as well as a international issue, with Britain and France indirectly supporting slavery.
The blacksmith's shop was the most fun, in that I was actually DOING something, instead of just sitting around (literally) and waiting for the public to show up. So far, my metal working skills are making a S hook, with a few twists added for decorum. I am really looking forward to working the the shop more often, as I can make anything I want, and from what I've been told, take it home with me, so I'll probably make some cool stuff, I'm hoping. You may now call me Thor. ^_^
Oh, and the fireflies have been amazing. Tonight, especially. They made 4th of July look like birthday candles. Unfortunately, fireflies are better at dodging photos and cameras than most celebrities, and that coupled with my lack of photography skills.... welll. Yeah. :P
As for photos, I'm going to try posting my facebook album on here, thereby making my life a little easier. So until then, its over and out! Cheers!
He's Thor, he's Thor, he's mighty Thor! (YES, I just posted that. }:D )
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean about moving from training to actually working. It takes FOREVER to get there, it seems, but when it happens, it's very satisfying. Cool to hear that you've made it to that point. Well done.