The Colonel sends his complimentsan 'Ed'itorial
Niagara 2009
You are probably wondering what and why the picture above when there are so many pictures of the Niagara event. I want you to look at the picture and think about its meaning to you, then later I will tell you what I thought about when I stood and looked at it just a few days ago.
The 250th Siege of Fort Niagara was a wonderful event, one that I will remember for along time. First thing that comes to mind is the magnitude of the British camp and rows of tents. The next I would say was the size of the British Army that took the field on Friday and was larger than I have seen before for any event. And it grew on Saturday. The usual numbers of Rangers and irregulars were even bigger than the normal 4-1 regulars.
With the large numbers there come the usual command issues that would plague even modern commanders. The organization of small units into larger units and the diplomacies that go into that. Commanders meeting each other face to face for the first time and soldiers falling in with other soldiers they are not familiar with. For the most part this was successful and we met not just a few good people.
The over all command had its struggles of trying to stay within the lines of time, scenarios and the reality of the numbers of troops involved. Even the best laid plan falls apart with contact with the enemy and in this case it was no different. Trying to control too many activities and the lack of trust in the subordinate commands was the only thing I thought lacking, but that’s just my view. I think that for us a little of the freedom of the free flow should still be apart of the big scenario. I still had fun.
I wanted to compliment all you soldiers and followers that were able to be there. Without the help and comradeship it would have been a very trying weekend. The work around the camp fire was very beneficial to us all and no one went hungry.
After the event my family and I made a trip down to Trenton NJ to a place that has a bit of the regiment’s history, the Trenton Barracks. This is where part of the Regiment wintered in 1759 and on our first visit it was under a lot of construction. This time we visited and enjoyed an informative tour and a pleasant day recuperating from the event. Look it up, it has a very interesting history.
After Trenton we left there and by passed downtown Philadelphia and went out to Valley Forge. We drove around the park and saw that place were the Army of Washington wintered there. It is situated high above the surrounding ground. I always thought it in a valley but it is actually a good defensive position. We arrived late and the museum was closed so we pressed on. We stayed in Gettysburg for the night.
The next day we toured the battlefield with an audio tour CD. We were unable go through the museum or the cyclorama (the big circular painting depicting Pickets charge) we were on a tight budget. The battlefield is huge and the numbers of troops involved dwarf the fields and numbers we had around Niagara. The Wheatfield alone was 20 acres and held more than 4000 troops firing point blank on one another.
The monuments cover the landscape and help us to remember those bloody days with the names of those that fought there. Not a few times I felt myself overcome with emotion and awe.
I guess this is where I tell you about the picture above and the relevance it holds to me about our trip and time at Fort Niagara. The statue is from the State of North Carolina to memorialize their Confederate Sons that fought there. I don’t know why the artists chose that particular scene to immortalize but it spoke a volume to me.
The soldiers stand close together and one has fallen but still makes an effort to guide his friends. They have courage being in such close proximity, strength in numbers and their effort is focused. They are there to support one another at a time of stress and danger they move forward because they all move forward. Their success or failure hinges on the fates but they are there, together
I know that our trip wasn’t even a fraction of the importance of this great battle. Nor was it fraught with danger and the almost certainty of death for the participants. What we did have was the focus to go to a great event, some of our friends stayed behind that I might go. We gathered in numbers moved forward at each occasion even when things didn’t go as planned. We stood shoulder to shoulder with men with the same focus as us, to bring the past to life to remember those who fought there.
Just one last thing before I end, remember they had no photographs or videos to remind them of great events at that time. All they had was their own memories and stories. Now we too have stories and memories of this wonderful event to share. To march in the ranks along with you all keeps me wanting to experience more.
