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The Scenario

            

      The Union force is camped near a farm. Reports come in that suspected deserters/draft resisters/Copperhead activists are being sheltered, and a search takes place, with discovery, pursuit, and, when clear of spectators, gunfire with wounds. Those captured are marched off to the military camp, the wounded are taken to the field hospital in the barn for treatment.  That will be the planned, set-piece, scripted, active scenario.

       There will be period civilians before and after the deployment and chase; some are pro-Union, some are the family of conscription evaders or deserters. All are upset, angry, loud and expressive.  These were bad times, lots of emotion.

       The military will have a guard post set up to process spectator arrivals to the military camp itself, and we can make "tour guides" available to groups who want to explore the camp.  The camp itself will be laid out in the normal manner, although we'll try to make sure folks from the same home unit are on the same company street.  It won't be that hard; this is not exactly Gettysburg 150th.

       The military will, as resources permit, run patrols through the farm buildings and down some of the roads, looking for trouble.

       There may be an opportunity for a separate bushwhacker camp, discoverable by the patrols.  It depends on conditions in the forest.

        The usual living history activities can be presented, including drill demonstrations, hospital scenarios, firing demonstrations, life of the common soldier, etc. We’ll incorporate whatever units want to incorporate. But for the drill, there will be something different.  Who has actually run a patrol by the book? (Mahan, Butterfield, etc.) This is the event to find out how to do it.

And military: Please read the section on period Civilian involvement. They are organic to the scenario, not pushed off into their own separate world. 

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