Dark and Bloody Ground : Immersion Recap

 

I’m never exactly sure how to write these immersion recaps. Should I simply tell it as it happened? Should I write it as though it’s an 18th-century narrative, straight from the Draper Manuscripts? I never know. So I suppose I’ll do a little of both—maybe. We’ll see how it goes.

After traffic delays and some van battery issues, I finally arrived on site late Thursday evening. David and Dillon were already there and had gone into the woods. Elijah had arrived as well, and he and I quickly kitted out and went looking for our native counterparts. We spent the first night camped together, and by the next day the rest of our parties had arrived.

By mid-afternoon Friday, the hunting party was assembled and in the woods: five men total—myself, Elijah, Joshua, Ehrin, and Sayer. Elijah had brought some green deer hides, and he and Sayer set about making frames to stretch and hang them. While they worked, Joshua, Ehrin, and I began construction on the half-face shelter. We had one good felling axe, several belt axes, and a crosscut saw.

Work was going well when suddenly natives were spotted on the ridge above. Our camp was, admittedly, poorly placed. We sprang to our rifles and managed to drive them off. After that, we became more vigilant.

Later, I went to the spring for water and was ambushed by the native party. I managed to escape when the rest of my group came to my aid. We made a second attempt at dusk, but they had crept closer to camp and sprang an ambush. The fight that followed was intense and close-quarters—in the darkness, we could see them only by the flashes from their firelocks.

I passed a sleepless night, cold and uncomfortable. In the early hours, Elijah and I rose and built a small fire, keeping a watchful eye on the ridge. As the rest of the party stirred, we warmed salt pork over the fire and resumed our work through the morning.

While sitting on the back log of our half-face shelter, I spotted a native watching our camp from the underbrush. I slowly stood and walked to my rifle. Just then, fire erupted from the trees, accompanied by war cries. We sprang into action. Elijah crossed the dry creek and cut off any attempt at flanking. We formed an open line and began exchanging fire. I shouted, “Let’s show them what Virginians are made of!” and with that, we charged. They fell back a short distance and took up positions behind trees. At one point, I was just ten feet from one of them. It was close and intense, but we finally drove them off.

As we returned to camp, we saw one of the natives run down and grab our felling axe where Joshua had been cutting wood. With the axe gone, work on the shelter slowed considerably.

Later, while Joshua and Ehrin scouted up toward the spring, the natives realized our group was divided. They rushed our camp and quickly encircled us in their usual half-moon formation. We fought for our lives. After about ten minutes, Ehrin and Joshua broke through the native line and rejoined the fight. Elijah and I flanked to the left, and I pushed up to the ridge, expecting to find the enemy. To my surprise, I was alone.

Eventually, I stumbled upon the native camp—and there was our felling axe. I took it back, along with a tobacco pouch, and returned to camp with my prize.

   At this point, all the hides were on frames and scraped, and we’d made good progress on the half-face shelter. We were low on powder, so I decided to go parley with the natives. Upon arriving at their camp, it was decided I would be “captured” and taken above our camp to deliver a message: we were not welcome in Kentucky. And that’s how it ended.

It was a truly incredible weekend. So many vivid moments added to the realism—not just the skirmishes, but the quiet times in camp, the work on the hides, and the sounds of timber being chopped. From their perspective, hearing us in the woods deepened the experience.

One of the most special moments was having my dad come down and sit in camp for a while. It was a dream come true for him to see us doing this on his property, and I’m glad he could be part of it. We all camped together the last night with Eileen and Colleen joining us, went out for a group dinner and reminisced about our epic weekend and made plans for the future. 

I'm also glad that we had several relatively new guys, and they're more fired up about living history than ever.

This won’t be the last!  

Indian Spies and knapsacks. Oh, did you know I started a business?

     Well, the warm weather finally broke and we got some cooler days. Almost felt like fall there for a second but then it shoots back up into the upper 80s and Mother Nature laughs at us. Just when we were getting comfortable. Oh well. 

    I've been doing some reading in preparation for the Dunmore event in a months time. I have never really delved to deeply into the Indian spies aspect of life on the frontier but it peaked my interest lately as I was reading one of the books compiled by Dale Payne, "Indian Warfare and Massacres on the Virginia Frontier Part 3." In it there is a whole pile of narratives from pension applications of guys who served as spies. It went something like this. You'd join up for a particular time of service and then you'd spend 3-6 days, sometime longer, out scouting around miles away from the fort. I've often wondered about the idea of guys wandering around in the woods aimlessly. The historical trekking format of the 80s and 90s seemed to be something along the lines of a primitive skills camping trip. People in the 18th century were not going "camping" or "trekking" just for the pure enjoyment of it, at least not in the same way we do. It wasn't a time for them to "get away from it all" and enjoy the relaxation of a night spent out in the woods around a fire. No, it was often the case that venturing out had a purpose and it could be a pretty big risk to life and limb. Now, I don't want to over play the idea of "survival" because that conjures up stereotypes and images that are based partly in reality and mostly in our "rugged frontier" mythology. So, instead of that, let's look at the more practical side of things before we get the idea that everyone was just living rough off the land, women in shifts and men bathing in walnut dye. 

We watched the gaps and low places...

 John Bradshaw gives us a good idea of the circumstances of the Indian Spy when he recounts : 

"I served as an Indian Spy in the years 1776 to 1779....The practice was for two men to leave Fort Cook, Monroe County, and be out 3-4 days each week, others taking their place on the return. We watched the gaps and low places in the mountains for thirty miles, to a point where we met the spies from Burnsides Fort. We were strictly forbidden to make a fire, no matter how inclement the weather."  

So here we have a nice account that gives a foundation for a trek or trip in period gear on foot in the 1770s. There's other reasons one might be out. Maybe you're away  from the cabin hunting on foot for a few days. But largely people were not doing this stuff for "fun" or "sport." It was a means to an end, and that end was the continued welfare of the family and the community. 

    So what of the gear, that's always the question? Well, we have several examples of gear carried that have been covered, recovered and covered again by this blog and several others. So, I won't bore you with a lot gear details but I do want to discuss the "knapsack." In his account. John Dickenson says "I was frequently out five and six days at a time subsisting on such provisions that I could pack in my knapsack."

Eating out of the knapsack 

     There are so many shoddy knapsacks and packs out there that I think the best and most plausible option remains what has been labeled the Uhl style knapsack. A simpler design you will not find and it steers you away from the more overly stylized ones and the off the rack variety. A simple linen knapsack with straps so as to be worn over the shoulder like a backpack. Now, what provisions might one subsist on for 3-6 days in the woods? 

    With the idea that fires were prohibited, as Bradshaw mentions above, we can assume that the food needed to be something that would keep and that could be eaten cold or dry without need of cooking. We can also assume that fresh game wasn't the object of the spying trip and that the only time you'd want to fire your gun would be if faced with danger from the enemy. 

    We can go back a few blog posts to the often quoted : "They take about a gallon of corn and parch it well, then they pound it fine and mix it with sugar as would make it sweet enough for coffee, then put it in a buckskin bag and stow it in their knapsack; then take a chunk of raw bacon, wrap it up well and stow in their knapsack." 

    So, pretty simple right? Meat, parched corn, sometimes made into a coffee of sorts. Enough to last 4-5 days.

     Another account given by William Hutchinson recalls "....I served at the imminent hazard of my life, lying out at night, with no covering but my blanket, and no other shelter but the forest."

No covering but our blankets. Oh, also, don't camp under one of these rock overhangs in a rain storm in a low spot. Ask me how I know.

     I don't know how many videos exist on YouTube that detail various "kits" of frontiersmen. So many of them have these elaborate bedrolls with various tarps and waterproof oil cloth etc. But here we have it from the horses mouth. "No covering but my blanket." Wait, are you saying they never had any waterproof canvas of any kind???? Nope. I'm just saying that we overcomplicate this stuff and I'd love to see more treks attempted in this manner. Sometimes the miserable ones are the most memorable. 

    Maybe I'll attempt one of these camps soon. It's getting a tad chillier at night and it might be a good idea to put my gear through a test for a night. It's been a while. 

    In other news, I have started a trading company. If you've been reading this blog for a while you may have seen a page called "J. Book at the sign of the Gilded Beaver" up at the top with a picture of me and Matthew Fennewald that said "Coming Soon...." Well, it hasn't been soon, but the time has finally come. We hope to be out at some events next spring and hope to see you there! Stay tuned for more updates!     

Preparations for Dunmore's War and did I mention I don't Shave between events?

DISCLAIMER: I don't shave my beard between events. But I DO shave for events and you should to. 

    As I write this on the morning of August 16th, I am thinking of Dunmore's War and the preparations I need to make as the 250th anniversary event at Pricketts Fort looms not very far in the future. The Dunmore campaign is something I have always wanted to reenact and portray. My 7th Great Grandfather, Francis Cooper was stationed at Glade Hollow Fort in modern day Russell County, Virginia.  

    So the question is, what should one take with them on Indian Campaign? I'm a sucker for a good gear post about lists of items one decides to take with them. I've made lists of basic backcountry gear in previous posts, but I'm going to try to dig a littler deeper this time around and see what happens. 

    I'm going with a cocked hat for this one, and a red cockade (which I have to make still) based on the following description : 

"My Brother Jams went with Dumore as a Lieutenant.  He raised some of his men in our county.  They had Cockades of red ribond. I admired the looks of these soldiers so much I would have been glad to have went with them if I had been old enough." -Westward Into Kentucky: The Narrative of Daniel Trabue p42

    Hunting shirt of natural linen and red leggings. In some instances blue leggings were issued. I am trying to pair down my gear a great deal from what I normally take. I want it to feel like the descriptions I've read of going on Indian Campaign. This will be a fun challenge. I think when we approach this stuff, we want to bring all our toys with us, cause let's face it, we accumulate a lot of gear and pieces of clothing in this hobby. So leaving stuff behind can make us second guess and think "But what if I need that?" or "What if I want to wear that?"

    So let's break down what I am carrying. It's still probably too much, but maybe I just overthink it. 

    First I have my shot pouch and horn. Just a basic pouch, inside is a cuttoe knife, patching for cleaning, and a few blank cartridges as I am not going to carry roundball at an event for safety reasons. From the bag hangs my Kyle Wilyard trade knife. 

    

    Next up, I have my tobacco pouch of muskrat and pipe in a native style. It also contains my flint and steel and fire kit. I based carrying this on a Cresswell account and I think it would have been a plausible item to have. He writes: 

Sunday, October 1st, 1775. Took leave of most of my acquaintances in town. Mr. Douglas gave me an Indian Tobacco pouch made of a Mink Skin adorned with porcupine quills.

     Next is my wallet with bags for dried foods and such. This will eventually contain parched corn, jerked meat, dried peas and bread along with a little flower or cornmeal. It will also house my horn spoon and bowl. In a previous article, Matthew Fennwald wrote about a "Wallet Well Stored" which I recommend and will provide some good period accounts of goods carried on Indian Campaigns. 

Moving along we have my water bottle, or pocket bottle. Kobuck has been writing and advocating for such for a while now and I'm going to take him up on it and see how this works. I can't find any evidence for canteens being issued so I'm leaving my wooden behind this trip I think (although I did carry it on my hike today.) 

    This time around I am going to ditch the knapsack that I usually like to carry (because of all that space for junk I don't need) and I am going to just carry a blanket on a tumpline. Inside the blanket will be a knit cap, extra shirt and maybe a jacket. Tied to the tumpline will be my trade kettle for cooking. 

    As my side arm, I am carrying a hunting sword rather than a tomahawk.

    That basically rounds out the gear. Now, how should one carry this gear. Carrying gear is all about strategy and common sense. I'm always amazed at how many guys I've seen over the years would show up to an event with gear hanging sloppily all over them, haversacks that hung so low at the knee that I highly doubt they had ever really been in the woods. If they had, that would snag on everything. So, a balance between high and tight, but loose enough to be able to get it on and off easily must be struck. 

    

Yes, I have a beard. Yes, I will shave for the event. 

    I put on my gear in this order. 

-Horn and Bag

-Canteen (if carried) 

-Hunting sword 

-Blanket roll 

    The order is based on the importance of the gear. If I have to make a run for it and I want to shed gear, my most important gear is going to be my shot pouch and horn, so it stays close to the body and everything else can be shed as I run from whatever danger. Obviously a scenario I don't want to experience. 

 

    The kettle ended up riding really nicely hung from the blanket roll and I was extremely comfortable. I love when I really nail tying up the bedroll. It's aesthetically pleasing and it makes hiking that much more enjoyable when everything is riding comfortably. 

    Hiked a mile on a local trail and everything really worked and functioned. Still tweaking and wanting to add a bit more on the practical side of things, but overall I am pleased with the outcome. 

    

    Thanks to my best reenacting buddy who also happens to be my beautiful wife for enabling the weirdness and taking pictures. She's the best. 

 

    

    

    

    

"to tie or strap up our packs..."

"Sappers String - what we used to have to tie or strap up our packs with, blankets, or budgets, or anything of that kind.  String about three fingers wide and then tapering off to go behind.  Made of nettles I suppose, stuff like hemp, platted, wide to go across their shoulders and then a string from there out. . . . . . . . . . Had gotten the string I think from the Indians."  William Clinkenbeard interview in the Shane portion of the Draper manuscripts.

Bedrolls!  It's one of those extremely critical items of gear for going out and doing much of anything.  Mine consists of two handwoven blankets, usually two pairs of spare moccs rolled inside, and a hemp tumpline.  While my intention of this write up is more to show the "how" of how i go about tying up the tumpline to the blankets, I feel some explanation and myth dispelling is in order too.  

The blankets -  I use two center seam blankets most of the time, both white in color, one thick but not too big with blue stripes on the ends, the other thin but larger with red stripes on the end.  If the weather is going to get below 15 to 20 degrees at night I usually add another blanket to this.  Think what you want but I'm no one blanket man.  I like to sleep at night.  When I started this game, I was scared to use white blankets.  I'd heard all sorts of horror stories of the bugs eating me alive with white.  I've found this to not be true.  The skeeters (at least around here) will find you and eat you alive at night no matter what color the blanket.  And white, for me at least, is the best choice because of the historical record.  White blankets predominate every thing I've ever seen.  

The choice of two blankets is as follows.  In warmer weather in this part of the country, bad weather can pop up at a moments notice.  The smaller blanket easily serves as a ghetto rigged lean to cover to keep hail and rain off.  The thinner blanket keeps the skeeters at bay and doesn't smother me too bad with heat.  Cooler weather means not as bad of storms, but I really enjoy having an extra thicker layer between me and and cold ground at night.  

The moccasins - A minimum of two pairs of moccs are at all times inside my bedroll.  I'd prefer about 5 extra pairs at all times, but don't always have that luxury due to lack of extra pairs laying around.  Real brain tan moccs soak up water like a sponge, and wear out about as fast chainsaw chains on rocks.  Wet worn out moccasins are not fun.  

The tumpline - My tumpline is one I twined and wove out of hemp.  It's about 21 feet long total.  The center section is equal to my three middle fingers in width and about 20" long.  That part is twined, tapers down to a diagonal finger woven portion, then braided at the tail splits.  Since I've made this tumpline I've learned a few things about proper construction, and have plans to make a newer better one very soon.  Evolving, progressing!  (it's my hope if nothing else is conveyed in these blog posts, that the take away is always trying to improve and do better)

The how -

Step 1.  I start by folding my blankets long ways (hot dog bun style!) and then cross ways (hamburger bun style!).  I lay one on top of the other, with the moccs piled up near one end, and lay the tails of my tumpline across this end with a big loop extending towards me where the burden portion is.  

Step 2.  I make one fold over the tumpline tails, with the moccasins right in front.

Step 3.  I roll the blankets up all the way to the end keeping it as compressed and tight as possible, and knock off leaves and random debris from the ground as I go.

Step 4.  I pull the tails of the tumpline, cinching it down, leaving the burden portion that goes across my chest the length of I can fit my elbow against the bedroll and my palm hits the center burden part.

Step 5.  I bring the tails back into the bedroll and go around it once, bringing them back under the initial wrap.

Step 6.  I start really cinching it down tight, and bring the tails of the tumpline into the center and cross them.

Step 7.  I come around the center portion of my bedroll with the tails, flip it over, and cross them again.

Step 8.  I come back around to my starting side of the tumpline tying by coming across the bedroll horizontally, across the ends.  

Step 9.  I do several wraps around and around the existing tumpline tie on the horizontal plane, rather than tying any knots.  I've found hemp swells with moisture and a bedroll with knots can be hard to untie after a rain storm.