Rebels & Recoats at Old Sturbridge Village

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    THE CHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGE COUNTRY LIVING

    STURBRIDGETIMES

    THE

    MAGAZINE

    SEPTEMBER, 2011

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    16 THECHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGECOUNTRY LIVINGTHE STURBRIDGETIMESMAGAZINE

    REBELS&REDCOATS

    SQUAREOFFATOSVByRichardMurphy

    Among the Kings Rangers were: Scott Halpin, Dave DeManbey, Dave Granton, Patrick Lynch and Michael Alcock.

    2011 SturbridgeTimes photos by Richard Murphy

    How does it feel to be a traitor?

    Such a question implies an insult and challenge.

    Not so at Redcoats & Rebels. The young man, John

    McGough, who received the inquiry had heard it be-

    fore and was ready to answer with grace and confi-

    dence. He was part of a Revolutionary War militia

    unit with a difference. The young man was fighting

    for King George of England and he made no apolo-

    gies. Also, he was an American.

    His reply to the challenge was that he was not be-

    traying his country. Rather it was the rebels. John

    was loyal to the rightful sovereign. From a purely le-

    galistic point of view, he had an argument. At what

    point does a nation have a right to separate itself from

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    17THECHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGECOUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGETIMESMAGAZINE

    Among the Eames Rangers were: Robert LeBlanc from S.

    Portland, ME and Scott Boissoneau from Hillsborough, NH.

    the government they live under? Our founding doc-

    ument, The Declaration of Independence, laid out

    an answer. It was not to everyones taste as there were

    as many who maintained His Majestys cause as those

    who wished to depose his rule.

    Redcoats & Rebels, held at Old Sturbridge Village

    in early August, is the largest military re-enactment in

    New England. This is in itself surprising as there is

    great passion in this country for Civil War re-enact-ment. Then again, we do pride ourselves on being

    the Cradle of Liberty.

    There was no dearth of rebels on that Saturday and

    Sunday, but the other side was represented by as

    many who thought as our young man did. The Loy-

    alists were on the march. They were forming up to get

    ready to fight. Most were in red, but some of the

    Kings men were in other hues or not even in uni-

    form.One group, The Kings Rangers were in green.

    Marching in ranks by the Common, they halted and

    wheeled about. Facing us moderns across more than

    two and a quarter centuries, one of the rangers told

    us what he was doing in history. Sgt. Rickley said

    with a grin, Were from the government and were

    here to help you. The smile on his face after we

    laughed told us he had gotten the desired response.

    Nice little bit of humor, but the show, or war must

    go on. The crowd followed the British units to the

    Freeman Farm exhibit where a battle, or more pre-

    cisely, a tactical demonstration would take place.

    18th Century warfare as portrayed, seemed to re-

    semble the eras dance, the minuet. There were good

    reasons for that. As everyone fought in massed units,

    it wasnt difficult to see which side had the larger

    force at any given point. Unless there was an obvious

    tactical advantage, the weaker force knew it wiser to

    give way.

    Of course, if the cannons were firing live shot, a

    few gaping holes in enemy ranks would have changed

    everything. The attendees were lucky to have been

    spared that. Also, there were no bayonet charges. A

    full melee where troops stabbed each other would not

    do. After all, this is really the 21st Century and the

    paperwork after such gore would have been horren-

    dous.

    Yet, there were l ingering questions. Fortunately,

    there was a man who had the answers. Major Steven

    Leet was resplendent in his red uniform. A layman

    would not have been able to tell, but he was a Royal

    Continued on page 23

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    23THECHRONICLE OF STURBRIDGECOUNTRY LIVING THE STURBRIDGETIMESMAGAZINE

    Engineer and vital to the war effort. There were only

    53 of them in the British forces in America.

    Major Leet may not have been ready for the first

    question, but he rose to the occasion. In the greatest

    battle ever fought in Massachusetts, Bunker Hill, The

    British were mowed down when the rebels let them

    come close enough to see the whites of their eyes before

    firing. Major Leet was asked if his army would have

    been better off to wear sunglasses that day? He replied,

    At least baseball caps with long visors to shade the

    eyes might have helped.

    There were more questions for the Major. As any-

    one who has had infantry training knows, you dont

    stand there and get shot. One gets as close to the

    ground as possible. Why were the soldiers just stand-

    ing up and being perfect targets. Maj. Leet had the an-

    swer, It would be difficult to load a musket lying on

    the ground. Also, the men stood and fired in blocks

    due to the muskets inaccuracy. Its not as if you had

    to work at getting shot, but we would have to wait to

    the Civil War to get good at killing.

    All through the park, there were men in uniform

    who were informative about their roles and the war.

    There were also women. One trio was asked, Are

    you camp followers. That title implies some un-

    savouriness. The ladies replied that they were the

    legal wives and traveled with their husbands. The

    camp followers were with the Brits. To be diplomatic,

    the question was not pursued as such among the Eng-

    lish.

    There was so much knowledge to tap during Red-

    coats and Rebels that one day was not near enough.

    Ann Lindblad, Vice President of Marketing and Com-

    munication at the Village, noted how the second visit

    policy would allow both days for one admission. Still,one would have to hustle to take it all in. The amount

    of knowledge on offer in the two days felt like the

    equivalent of a masters degree in Revolutionary War

    Studies.

    Ann pointed out even apparently minor aspects of

    wartime life are covered. There was a demonstration

    of inoculation for smallpox. Plague going through a

    camp could be the equivalent of defeat on the field of

    battle.This was the ninth Redcoats & Rebels. Planning

    for the tenth will start almost immediately. Even so,

    the staff looks forward to it. Those who didnt get

    enough can take heart. On September 10th The Vil-

    lage will hold Drummers Call with fife and drum

    units from all over New England and New York. Not

    as big, but it should hold history buffs till next Au-

    gust.

    Continued from page 17

    Redcoats and Rebels: largest military reenactment in New England

    Even the minor aspects ofwartime life are reenacted.

    There was a demonstrationof inoculationfor smallpox.