History fans relive 1700s at Old Stone House
SLIPPERY ROCK — The annual Old Stone House Venango Path French and Indian War encampment paid tribute this past weekend to 18th century colonial life: blacksmithing, weaving and, of course, musket and cannon fire.
The war, which lasted from 1754 to 1763, derives its name from the two main enemies of the British: the French forces and their Native American allies.
The name is misleading, however, as Native Americans fought on both sides of the conflict. Although the British victors dubbed the war French and Indian, the French and Canadian citizens called it the Seven Years' War.
"This war is a part of my local history, and it's a bit of a forgotten conflict," said Erie native Nick Bolla. "Had the French and Indian War gone differently, we might be speaking French here today."
Now living in New Castle, Bolla has been a re-enactor in the Compagnie Franche de la Marine de la Riviere au Boeuf, or Compagnie LeBoeuf for short, for eight years.
Bolla's unit is named for Fort LeBoeuf, which was in what is today Waterford, Pa. The French also had garrisons at Presque Isle, near Erie, and Fort Duquesne.
Dressed in a wool undercoat, knee-breeches and a regimental coat called a Juste au Corps, Bolla educated visitors on his garb, which he called "the three-piece suit of the day," as well as his gear and duty.
At the end of Bolla's musket was a bayonet, a French invention named for the region where it originated, Bayonne.
"(The Compagnie LeBoeuf) was primarily intended to garrison forts, not campaign like a European army," Bolla said.
At his side were a belt ax and five-foot flintlock musket which, although rifles existed, was the preferred weapon of the military.
"We are trained in speed, not accuracy. A good soldier should be able to fire off three or four volleys per minute. And the belt ax was much more useful than the standard sword in the wilderness of the Americas," Bolla said.
Across the yard at the English encampment, however, one man still bore a soldier's blade.
Jack Oelschlager of Canonsburg, in full Redcoat attire, served as captain of William Trent's Virginia regiment, one which briefly held the Ohio River head, now "The Point" in Pittsburgh, before being overrun by French soldiers in 1754. In 1758, the English retook the garrison and built Fort Pitt.
"I've been a re-enactor for 25 years. I became interested in powder firearms in the mid-1960s, and it went from there," Oelschlager said.Trent's Company has about 20 members today and participates in events across the country. The unit has worked with The History Channel to produce documentaries and played a role in the movie "Last of the Mohicans."The unit participated in the Battle of Niagra on July 4, one which used more than 2,800 re-enactors."It's almost like a family, as much a social organization as a military one," Oelschlager said.Ken Cherry of Butler has made these re-enactments a family affair, involving his wife and two children."This gives kids hands-on experience in their own backyards," said the recently retired social studies teacher from the Butler School District.Cherry said his goal is to eventually compile a children's book on the French and Indian War."You have to be an entertainer to be a teacher, anyway," he said.Cherry, who portrayed a British soldier on Saturday, has spent 20 years as a re-enactor."I always had a love for history, but after I first saw these guys at Penn's Colony, that was it, I had to enlist," he said.Enlistment means having a uniform custom made or sewing it oneself as well as gear and a firearm.Muskets today are a difficult commodity to come by, but gunsmith William Douglas of East Freedom, known as Sweet William the Gunsmith to his customers, has been producing custom muskets, blunderbusses and flintlock pistols for 50 years."The first one I built because I wanted a gun but couldn't afford one," he said.Douglas has not kept count of the firearms he has produced in five decades, but said he averaged 10 to 15 per year before retiring. Now he just spends a few hours a day carving, filing and assembling his custom guns.He also uses a few modern methods."I use a chain saw to cut the initial shape. How many loggers do you know who still own an ax as anything but ornamentation?" Douglas asked.The fully functional firearms are mostly smoothbore, meaning the barrel is not rifled to spin the projectile and increase accuracy."For 50 yards, they are as accurate as a rifle. After that, the accuracy drops off drastically," he said.
