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5th Regiment Tennessee Infantry "E" Company
"We serve with a purpose, to Honor and Preserve"
Report of Action
{NOTE: This page is dedicated, to Event After-Action Reports, authored by one or more members wherein they relate their experience(s) during re-enactment, of a specific battle, of the War For Southern Independence. Some may choose, to write, their reports using terms common, to the War era, omitting any reference to 21st Century terms.} |
The Report, on the most recent Event, shall be found first, with all previous Report being superseded thereby. Prior reports shall remain, on this page, but are, in the order, of the Event, on which they report. |
Gettysburg 2008 |
(The following is the after-action report as I imagine it should be, not necessarily the way it happened!) |
In camp at Lexington, Kentucky Monday night, 4 August 2008 |
Gen. Huckabee, commanding Huckabee's Brigade: |
I was sitting at home on Tuesday the 1st day of July. When the silence, of my room, was broken by my cell phone ringing uncontrollably. It is standard practice for me, to not answer numbers, that I do not recognize, but for some reason I was drawn, to the call. That's when I heard what I had been waiting on for so long. |
. Evan: 'Hello?' . Caller: 'Is this Evan P'Pool the 2nd Sgt. of possibly the greatest re-enacting unit ever formed?' . Evan: 'That's the rumor, may I ask who is calling?' . Caller: 'My true name will remain secret, but you can call me Dutch Lytchford.' . Evan: 'How did you get my number, and might I inquire about your business with me?' , Dutch: 'You do not directly know me, but my business is very important. It seems that some of your fellow brethen |
have found themselves, in quite the scenario, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Your assistance is requested |
immediately! Please report to General Huckabee by Thursday morning July the 3rd. The General has come |
across the yankee aggressors, but he has managed to seclude himself out, of harms way, for now, in the hope, |
he can amass his troops and finally end this war....!' |
Evan: 'Wait a minute, you want me, to gather the troops, notify the captain and 1st Sgt. and be in Pennsylvania by |
Thursday. Have you lost your mind, we need time to...!' |
Dutch: 'There is no time, you must move now, God's speed. When this war ends, hopefully we can finally meet face |
to face. Good luck, to be honest, you're probably going to need all the luck you can get.' |
Evan: 'Thanks, I guess?' |
So, I hung up the phone and started scrambling around the house. I made calls to everyone, to let them know, we had just received the call. That's right boys, I told them, we are going to 'the show.'* Our assistance has been requested, this is our chance, to prove our dominance, and stop this war. Please pack as light as possible and make haste, for we must report Thursday morning. I received the same resistance I myself had expressed, to my mysterious caller. I explained countless times, there is just no time, to argue this, now is our chance and we must move at once! I made arrangements with Cpl. Robert W. Brooks, to pick me up, on his way, through Lexington the morning, of Wednesday the 2nd. When Cpl. Brooks arrived he had managed to round up Pvt. Patrick Sharp and 1st Sgt. Scott 'Toby' Johnson. Upon entering the car I was bombarded with questions. Why this, and how that, but I couldn't answer any of them. I finally shouted, 'Look boys, I just don't know, the call came in and General Huckabee is in trouble, we had to move with minimal warning and with no idea what kind of scenario we will be entering. If I could change this I would, but I just can't. Captain Davidson is well aware, of the scenario, and will be right behind us, so until he arrives Sgt. Johnson, its your show.' After a few more minutes, of trying, to sort out what had just happened over the past 24 hours, we just decided to drive. On the east side of Lexington, near Winchester, Kentucky, we met up with some, of our troops, who had been waiting for us, to arrive, at the preset rendezvous point. They were all wide eyed and raring to go. The Murleys, Mike Roach, Ken Powers, and Derrick Lindow all ran, to the car screaming, mostly at me. Their voices were filled with excitement and probably a little bit of fear. After catching up for a bit, we grabbed some drinks for the drive and headed off. The rest, of the trip, up there was pretty uneventful, we discussed possible scenarios and recorded messages to our loved ones just, in the event, this was the trip we did not return from. About 20 miles outside of Gettysburg we happened upon Colonel Bob Ward and his vehicle. He had managed to round up Principle Musician Miles Ward and the always elegant civilian Lisa Earle. During several phone conversations, it was determined that Bob Ward and Bob Brooks or "the Bobs" as they came to be known, were holding everyone hostage. They refused to stop until finally after a long conversation about how descriptive curse words can be, Cpl. Brooks had, to pull over, to wipe the tears from his eyes. Once stopped, every passengers bolted from the vehicle, attempting, to stretch, their legs they endeavored, at the same time, to run, to the bathroom! |
Arriving, in the evening, on Wednesday, we decided to just throw down our gear and camp for the night. Thursday morning came, way too early and we reported, to General Huckabee as ordered. We were glad to hear that we will not be moving out to fight until Friday afternoon. Although the guys seemed relieved, I knew that these extra hours, of anticipation, would allow them, to comprehend, the enormity, of the situation. Men piled into camp one car after another and we helped them find their respective camps. The General seemed pleased with the numbers of troops that had showed up and everyone seemed ready for the fight. Friday, we were blessed with a continuous drizzle from the heavens and everything we owned was soaked all the way through. As the drums rolled men began to gather their things, battle was approaching and moods changed. The laughter turned more nervous and the talking more rapid. The men were shaking either from excitement or anticipation, but either way I knew they were ready to fight. We marched onto the field that day and what a beautiful sight it was. One gray line after another descended onto the field and in view of the enemy. When finally a yankee cannon erupted and the expelled smoke hugged the ground. I told the men that the humidity was extremely high and this battle was going to get ugly real quick. Shortly there after, all you could see was the muzzle flashes and the feet, of the enemy. Our visibility was down to maybe 30 yards and the temperature was climbing. Suddenly there was a cease fire and we stood confused wondering why we had stopped. Then out, of the smoke rode a Union Officer, under a white flag. Apparently one, of their boys, had been hurt and the medics had to remove him. As he got close enough, he shouted to our commanders: |
Union Officer: 'Where in the Hell are you boys from?' |
Confederate Officer: 'All over, why do you ask?' |
Union Officer: 'Well, I'm from Vermont, and we have never had anyone fight us as hard as you |
boys have. We enjoy the competition.' |
Confederate Officer: 'With all due respect sir, you are far from competition.' |
Union Officer: 'I quess we will see just as soon as this cease fire is over won't we?' |
Confederate Officer: 'You're excused sir, and tell your men that the Tennessee Valley Battalion |
is, on the field, and we are bringing Hell with us!' |
We made a glorious stand that day and returned, to camp, exhausted. The voices had returned, to their relaxed tones, for the moment and we enjoyed visiting and catching up with long lost comrades. The officers disappeared, to discuss, the days battle and decide what if any the plan would be for tomorrow. The men cleaned their muskets and cooked some food. We all tried, to get a little bit, of rest, before the sun broke the horizon calling us all, to attention, for what we were to face during Saturday. For the most part, Saturday was a pretty uneventful battle. The Yankees are apparently a fragil bunch and after several injuries they called 'no joy' and we parted ways for the day. However, before the battle the men of the 5th Tennessee took off , to the mall, (sutler row), to pick up some much needed supplies. As we managed, to forage, for some food we noticed a huge white tent with a small stage. Spectators and Re-enactors alike had sought shelter here out, of the blinding sun, and everyone chatted about what they were seeing. Being the glory hogs that we are, the 5th Tennessee Boys Choir decided this was our chance, to sing, our songs and entertain the people, of Pennsylvania. The Choir finished 'Civil War News' and due to a demanding encore we decided to sing 'Re-enactorville.' We proceeded, to sign autographs, and take pictures for a while when all, of a sudden, General Lee came up and introduced himself as if we didn't know who he was. He was scheduled to give a speech at that tent and apparently we had delayed his appearance, but he did not stop us. The 5th Tennessee Boys Choir had opened up for General Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg. How cool is that! (T-shirts to come.) Returning, to camp, we got the word that Sunday was the day. We are going to make one large push, to try, and break the yankee lines. The men sat and stared not really saying much wondering what the following day would bring. Some men slept, some men sang, and some men turned, to the bottle, looking for peace. As dawn broke and the camps came alive, Chaplain Ken Powers called for a word with the Lord and we followed obediently. After a beautiful sermon we said our prayers and prepared to fight. The troops again waited behind our artillery as they bombarded the enemy positions for what seemed like hours. Then the command was given, to march, and without a word the men walked headlong into history. The charge was horrible and amazing at the same time. To imagine what it took for those men, to walk, that huge field knowing that death was almost the rule and not the exception. As the battle concluded and the crowd erupted, with amazement and appreciation, we gathered at the wall, to discuss, what had just happened. With a few tears, in our eyes, we grabbed a rock from the wall and headed back to camp. Some men like us decided, to head out, that night and get a good nights sleep, in a bed, with a shower and air conditioning. Others, like the Colonel decided, to stay, the night, in camp, and tough it out for one more night. I admired those staying in camp, because after four days, of being rained on, sweating, being dirty, and overall just nasty, I personally couldn't take it anymore. I had, to take a couple, of showers, to feel semi-normal again. Everyone made their own ways home, taking time, to stop, at other battlefields or historical markers. To the men that were not there physically, you were with us spiritually and we took you, to the wall with us. I can not express how much I appreciate all, of you, and how much these memories mean, to me. Until we meet again brothers, may God be with all of you. I recorded our trip and although it may take some time, I will release a DVD version of this after action report. Some of the stories contained, in this report, have been exaggerated or are completely false, but have been added for dramatic effect. The names have not been changed to protect anyone. Footnote: * The term "the show" was coined by Pvt. Mike Roach at the first rest stop. |
Respectfully submitted by your obedient servant |
Evan P'Pool, Pvt/2nd Sgt. |
5th Regiment Tennessee Infantry Co. "E" |
