Winter Maneuvers
BRADY TWP — The air around the Old Stone House rattled with musket fire last weekend as members of the 63rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry carried out winter maneuvers.
An upcoming clash might have had the Civil War re-enactors marching a little harder.
“It is our winter drill. Every winter we like to stay active through the offseason when there aren't re-enactments,” said Scott Buffington of Brighton Township, Beaver County.
“It's a great venue to go and do things and have it open for the public at the same time,” said Buffington. Plus, he said, the Old Stone House is heated which means a lot to re-enactors camping out in the winter.
“We typically get a lot of new members in the course of the year,” Buffington said. “You have to train them to carry it properly, the musket, and loading it and firing it and all the different evolutions of the close-order drill that you had to do as part of the army.”
One of the 63rd's recent recruits, Corey Wilson of Zelienople, may be new to the unit, but he spent five years with another re-enactors' group, the 101st Pennsylvania Volunteers.
“We (the 63rd) practiced marching forms, loading and firing the muskets,” said Wilson.
Buffington said the 50-member re-enactors' group needed to practice because the 63rd will be participating in this summer's 150th anniversary observance of the Battle of Gettysburg.
The Gettysburg Anniversary Committee expects some 13,000 re-enactors to take part July 4 through 7 in the recreation of a pivotal battle of the Civil War.
Wilson said, “We'll be portraying a few different units. On the first day, we'll be participating as the 56th Pennsylvania and get to fire the first shots at Gettysburg.”
Wilson said on the second day, members of the 63rd will be the famed Irish Brigade, and on the third day, the 14th Connecticut during Pickett's Charge.
Buffington, who has been a member of the 63rd Pa. Volunteer Infantry for 29 years, said the number of participants is down from past years.
“The hobby shrank in the past 10 years. In 1998, we had well over 20,000,” said Buffington. “In 1998, we had the privilege of a lot of media attention. The Ken Burns series came out, 'Glory,' 'Dances with Wolves,' the media was all over that. It hasn't been actively promoting the 150th anniversary of Gettysburg or the Civil War in general.”“Plus, it's a very expensive hobby,” Buffington said, “and young people just don't have the money to do it. It costs about $2,000 to get everything you need, that's all reproduction stuff.”“I do it to honor my third great-uncle, Col. Joseph H. Wilson, the founder and commanding officer of the 101st Pennsylvania,” said Wilson. “I do it to honor my family history and educating the public on how Civil War soldiers lived, fought and traveled.”But today's costs are nothing compared with what the original members of the 63rd Pa. Volunteers paid.“The original formed in August of 1861. Volunteer regiments enlisted for three years of service. Their muster-out date was September 1864,” said Buffington.“The regiment had a 1,000 men originally,” he said. The Pennsylvania 63rd had 78 men and three officers when it mustered out, he said.“Originally of the guys that started, there were less than 80,” he said. “But there were another 200 that were sick in the hospital or recovering from wounds.”He said the rebels weren't the Union soldiers' deadliest enemy, but disease.Buffington said that while the 63rd Pennsylvania fought in the Peninsula and Wilderness campaigns and was at the Battle of Gettysburg, “more men died of disease in the Civil War than men killed in battle.”“They lost 10 percent of the regiment to disease before they left camp, especially the farm boys. They weren't used to being around large groups,” Buffington said.Buffington said an officer who lost more men in battle than in camp was looked on as a good officer because he took better care of his men.Buffington said the Pennsylvania 63rd's first big campaign was in 1862, the Union's Pennisula Campaign to take Richmond, Va.The regiment, Buffington said, also fought in the the Second Battle of Bull Run.“Regiments were named in order of when they were recruited,” said Buffington. “There were 62 regiments that came before them. By the end of the war, there were over 200 regiments out of Pennsylvania. It's second only to New York in providing soldiers for the war,” he added.
