Guilford Court House AAR

The 2012 edition of the Guilford event was held last weekend in Greensboro Country Park in Greensboro, NC. As with most Guilford events, the weather was dicey. Friday and Saturday evening rains turned the ground into mud, but most of us stayed dry, and the temperature was thankfully mild.

We had a big turnout: approximately 12 infantry (including 3 recruits), 7 horsemen, several musicians and a bunch of distaff. We set up just about all the canvas we own to house the horde. A BIG thank you to the Pucketts and Hoskins for hauling all our regimental equipment. What a pain that is, especially when you get back home only to have to set up 30 wet tents in your backyard. Without your efforts, there ain't no camp, no fun, and no 2nd Regiment.

The foot soldiers spent a good deal of time training Saturday and Sunday. Having several recruits or short-time members present, most of the time was spent on the basics: position of a soldier, prime-&-load sequence, marching, etc. Based on our performance in the battles, much of the training stuck. We managed to crack several tight volleys, especially on Sunday. Hopefully we'll have a print and video version of the drill on our website soon, so folks can work on it at home. And we'll need it: we have a drill competition coming up next January at Cowpens. Keep drilling lads! It was also really cool to see the progress most of the soldiers are making on their kit. Little by little, piece by piece, our impression is becoming more uniform and more authentic. Thanks for all the hard work and money you've been investing on our appearance. Now to get the coats...

The 3rd Light Dragoons had a good turnout as well (temperamental mounts notwithstanding). And they did their usual great work on the field, portraying both sides in the New Market meeting engagement scenario at the start of the battles. That scenario is not possible without our mounted brothers-in-arms, and we are very fortunate to have these fine fellows under the umbrella of our unit. Well done!

And of course the 2nd SC musician had a good turnout. Once again, Ron, Anne, Sheri and Hunter were a big chunk of total American Musick Corps. And we have more on the way, with several young musicians working their way toward the field in the next year or so.

Finally, as usual, the distaff did an outstanding job of feeding the masses. Outstanding Scotch eggs, perlo, monkey bread, pineapple upside-down cake and more. And all done over a campfire in the rain! A big thank you to Chris, Sarah, Veronica, Anna and everyone who helped in the kitchen. And a shoutout to Scottie for displaying his woodworking prowess and knowledge to the public; kids really enjoy your tools, instruction and stories.

Next up is the optional "Armies Through Time" event at Camden next month, then the big regimental event at Middleton Plantation in Charleston on Memorial Day weekend. Stay tuned for more info on these events!

Cowpens After Action Report (AAR)

The 231st Anniversary of Cowpens is in the books, and it was a very successful event in general. There was a large turnout of reenactors this year, and a very large number of spectators, especially on Saturday.

It was also a successful event for our unit. Over the course of the weekend, the regiment fielded nine muskets. Most of us had over 10 years of experience in the line, and it showed. We really cracked some rapid volleys at the firing demos, and the new tweeks we put in to the Steuben drill this past year are starting to gel with the boys. We even drew crowds just practing marching in an empty field.

The troopers from the 3rd CLD looked great, as usual, and drew massive crowds for their demos. Check out the website for awesome action shots of Bob and Bert playing samurai chef with their sabers and some heads of cabbage.

Chris, Sarah and all the distaff did their usual outstanding job of providing for the boys; they also showed the ropes to two new distaff recruits. And Scott Bester did his usual great job showing his carpentry kit and skills to the public.

We also had a preliminary discussion with the folks at Cowpens NPS about preparing for the 235th reenactment of the battle in 2016. I know that is a long way off, but preparations have already begun for us to host this event. Stay tuned...

Thanks and "well done" to everyone who participated. Look for an email in the next couple of days concerning the upcoming February 25-26 regimental workshop, and a discussion of plans for the August (coatee!).