Martins Station Recap, Thoughts on Militia Companies and Billy Heck's Retirement

  

  Eileen and I travelled down to the Cumberland Gap this past weekend and for the first time set up the store. It was a great success and I want to thank all who came by and perused and purchased. It was great to see old friends and new. 

Myself drumming for the forts company circa 2004-05

   

     I want to congratulate Billy Heck on his retirement and just say what a wonderful job he has done over the years making Martins Station one of the most special places to visit and attend events at. I've been coming to Martins since I was 11 years old and it made a huge impact on me. Everything from drumming for the fort militia company under the watchful eye of Captain Titus and the long death marches that are now legend. Getting sold as an indentured servant to the late Wayne Milton and being thrown up on the back of his horse and riding out of the station. Seeing the August County Militia for the first time come sweeping onto the field in relief of the station during one of the Raid events and thinking to myself, I want to do whatever those guys are doing.  Walking into the station on a Friday evening and seeing the common house all lit up and warm with punch and shrub, song and story. It's an atmosphere that few places have and which Billy so meticulously cultivated with the help and support of the reenactors who bought into the vision. Thank you Billy!

Billy Heck 

    Piggy backing off of the Prickett's Dunmore event, I really wanted to bring a bit of that to Martins and we successfully managed to wrangle up about 10 volunteers for a drill outside the fort walls. The militia thing always seemed to be a contentious issue around the hobby in the old days. The idea that militia equalled a certain level of undress, or ill discipline. I would say that while there may be some truth to it, it's largely overblown and over stressed. I think the discipline in some places was probably very ill and in other places very healthy. I think once again we run into this sort of vision of the rugged individual that this blog has spent its life trying to temper with a more nuanced and sometimes downright opposite direction. Just like the life of the modern day Martins Station and the vision Billy Heck cultivated over those years, no amount of rugged individualism could have carried us through the tumultuous years of the American Revolution. It took individuals coming together for a common purpose that brought us what we have today. Martins Station was a labor of love for so many individuals who came together to create a wonderful atmosphere and environment that has stood for the last 25 years. 

    In 1777 the militia regulations in Virginia read : 

"There shall be a private muster of every company once in every month, except the months of January and February, at such convenient time and place as the captain, or next commanding officer, shall appoint, and a general muster in each county, on some day in the months of April and October, in every year, to be appointed by the county lieutenant, or other commanding officer: For notifying the time and place whereof, the captains, or next commanding officers, shall have power to order so many of their serjeants as they shall think fit to give notice to every person belonging to the company of the time and place of such general or private muster, as the case may be; and if any serjeant, so appointed, shall fail in his duty, he shall forfeit and pay forty shillings for every such failure. Every officer and soldier shall appear at his respective muster-field by eleven o’clock in the forenoon, armed or accoutred as follows: The county lieutenant, colonels, lieutenant colonels, and major, with a sword; every captain and lieutenant with a firelock and bayonet, a cartouch box, a sword, and three charges of powder and ball; every ensign with a sword; every non-commissioned officer and private with a rifle and tomahawk, or good firelock and bayonet, with a pouch and horn, or a cartouch or cartridge box, and with three charges of powder and ball; and, moreover, each of the said officers and soldiers shall constantly keep one pound of powder and four pounds of ball, to be produced whenever called for by his commanding officer."

    Not exactly a bunch of Natty Bumpos running around. This document goes on to discuss fines that could be levied if one didn't do ones duty. This was an every day part of life and so meeting for a monthly muster, one would have gotten decently proficient at drill and would have understood and known what was expected. 

    Martins Station is a place where the balance between the myth and the reality comes together. I was always glad that Billy, Titus and the others really made sure that the militia element was well represented. Titus was a disciplinarian and he always gave you a sense of realism that I've rarely experienced. His whole manner was the 18th century and he made sure that everyone around him was there with him. 

Kyle Willyard has done an excellent job of filling his shoes and making sure the fort garrison is always well ordered. 

    

        Nobody is ever truly on their own hook, not now and not out on the frontier of 18th century Virginia. Billy Heck, individual he may be, was supported by many other individuals and a vision was realized and continues to be realized by all those that continue to attend and be inspired by Martins Station. Now more than ever, let this be a lesson to us as we continue to realize the vision of our forbearers.