Vol. 42, No. 5 The 39th Annual Ohio Civil War Show By Teresa Williams Drushel MANSFIELD, OH—The 39th Annual Ohio Civil War & WWI & WWII Show is still being called a grand event! Well liked by buyers and sellers, and most importantly, enjoyed by the public who attend the show to learn more about America’s history. The rain and cold temps, which were unfortunately on the radar for part of this year’s show, did not sto the history buffs who attended. Visitors enjoyed the 750 tables of memorabilia, weapons, books, prints, sutler materials and unique items, all within the seven building show. A great draw for the Ohio Show is the quantity and quality of displays. This year there were 24 in all! Each year the displays depict a part of ou history that shares how difficult the times were, how detailed the craftsmanship was and how the weapons were manufactured to protect and defend. The displays are an excellent way to learn and see authentic materials that were used in battle, i the camps, at hospital sites and in t front line of duty. The Ohio Civil War Show is like no other show, offering outdoor features to educate the visitors. Abe Lincoln was seen presenting the Gettysburg Address, a surgeon was performing a limb amputation on a wounded sol-
dier, the Camp Chase Fife & Drum Corp and 73rd OVI Regiment Band
played toe-tapping period music, the Infantry marched perfectly in line and the cannons roared with repeated Abe Lincoln is portrayed by Gerald Pa
acts Thousands fire against the enemy! The German camps showed visitors how the men lived and took care of their meals and daily needs while living with very minimal supplies to survive. Civil War weapons are no comparison to WWII weapons, and what a rare opportunity to see an M1 Carbine, BAR and a Thompson machine gun fired on the line. The quick rapid-fire is a unique sound of its own! The Artillery Show was a well-received addition to the main show 24 years ago and continues to awe the guests. The only show of its kind. Visitors enjoyed seeing full-scale guns along with a variety of artiller shells, a full-scale caisson, limbers and even a grand, detailed funeral wagon. Added attractions like “The Wall – The Spirit of America’s Story” and the Marlboro Volunteers Traveling Military Museum were a must see for all who attended. There were long lines at the entrance to the spe cial features. With so much to see and do, the Show will continue to become your travel destination each year. We promise to educate, to entertain and to make your visit memorable. Take the time to step back in time Mark your calendars for 2017 were history comes alive – Saturday, May 6th and Sunday, May 7th.
Same location – Richland County Fairgrounds, Mansfield, Ohio.
w w w. o h i o c i v i l w a r s h Facebook; Ohio Civil War Show
day and Sunday there were y. The cannon firing is ve
of the annual events are: Sutler’s Row Civil War Field Hospital b Period Church Service Sund
Living History Campfire by Period Music by Camp Chase Civil War Veteran’s Histor
Ohio Volunteer Infantry B oor theater with plenty of
We love our readers input and are uniforms when they shrink, proper looking for articles of interest for equipment for their events as wel the July Gettysburg Section. If you as be able to take time off work are interested in writing an article training. pertaining to some new discovery, I believe that reenactors and little-known fact, or anything you history participants are dedicate think our readers would enjoy, then dividuals who care very much abou please contact us. The May 23 dead- keeping Civil War history alive a line is fast approaching for that issue. that we should appreciate their e On another note, we have received thusiasm, even if they are not ab some letters, phone calls and emails be in complete dress. about our publishing photos of re- During the Civil War soldiers enactors inaccuracies and wearing had the same problems reenactors incomplete uniforms. As Civil War and living history participants h enthusiasts, we are struggling to today. The soldiers were often un keep our history and hobby alive der-funded, overworked from lack and we need all of the participants of enough manpower, carried old o we can muster up for historic events. out-dated equipment, had worn out Uniforms and period dresses are ex- uniforms and sometimes were withpensive. It is unreasonable to think out proper training. As spectator that everyone who wants to partic- we should learn to not be so crit ipate in living history events and is of these participants and the pho wealthy enough to afford to buy new raphers who capture their images.
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Cooperation between Civil War Roundtables can be a great way to boost membership and interest for all involved. I’m a member of two Roundtables and have visited five others. There are some differences, but overall m impression has been that the concep remains universal: achieve a more detailed study and share the common interest in the American Civil War. Greg Biggs wrote in the April the concept of sharing speakers between certain groups and how well it worked for those groups. Similar events have taken place here in New England, and I’d like to share more ways these groups help each other. In the mid-1990’s, I joined the Civil War Roundtable of New Hampshire. After returning to my New England roots, I was thrilled t find fellowship in my interest in t Civil War. Moving from south cen-
tral Pennsylvania, I assumed New Englanders would only be interested
in the Rev War. I was happily wrong By 1999, the New Hampshire group elected me as president and I wasn’t sure what the job would entail but soon found my niche. Most meetings operated well, and we were still riding in the high tide wake Civil War interest from the early 1990s, but the group rarely planned far ahead in scheduling speakers. Coming from a radio background, I knew that promotion was key to any successful event: Get the word
out! But to do so meant looking months down the road and perhaps even a year. Around that time I visited the Monocacy Battlefield in Frederick, MD, and spoke with Park Ranger, Gloria Swift. She explained how she did a few different talks for group like roundtables and was agreeable to the idea I proposed of taking a New England trek. As president, one of my many
tasks was handling the incoming mail for the group. Usually reading other roundtable newsletters was af ter the fact of their meeting, but a feeling of how neighboring groups operated and most importantly, I go contact information. Once back home, I reached out
to the Green Mountain CWRT in Vermont and the Joshua L. Chamberlain CWRT in Maine.
I already knew the contact for the CWRT of the Merrimack in
northeast Massachusetts. All three other groups were very interested
New England, and so it began. After the meeting in New Hampshire with Gloria, I asked her if she knew other people who might be willing to come to the northeast and tour as she had. She gave me a half a dozen names and contact information. Before long, people like Robert E.L. Krick, Craig L. Symonds, and others were taking the trip north. We continue all these years later an look for sharing a couple of times a year. Usually, the guest is treated to dinner that night by the CWRT, and the guest gets a hotel room that nig paid by the local roundtable. Then the overall travel expense is split between the four groups. It works ou perfectly. Green Mountain meets on Tuesday, Merrimack on Wednesday, Chamberlain on Thursday and finally, New Hampshire CWRT on Friday. The network of Civil War Roundtables has helped us beyond historians and park rangers from far away. With the chance of bad weather in the winter months in here in New England, the idea of importing a
speaker is usually not worth the ris as cancellations can happen which
could cost a lot of money for nothing. Most roundtables work on limited budgets. Some our members have volunteered to give a talk on various Civ il War subjects for our roundtable. Each has perhaps a favorite subject within the Civil War. These speakers are scheduled for the cold months so as to avoid issues if cancellation i necessary. As we have contacts from our neighboring roundtables, options
for our members have opened up. If someone has gone through the hard work of research and putting together maps, handouts and in many cases creating a PowerPoint presentation, to share it only once can leave one with the unpleasant feeling that the time and materials were not worth the effort. With each roundtable looking for speakers to fill the cal dar, many members of one roundtable can become the guest at another.
Usually, the other roundtable is clo enough still for the speaker to driv up and head back home for just the meeting, meaning no need to hotel expense. People get to give their talks mo than once, and now a stronger bond is made between roundtables. Names
aren’t just email addresses but now have a face and voice. I first spoke another Civil War group in the fall
2001 and was able to share my personal interest in Monocacy. It was
soon after the 9-11 attacks and felt reassuring to find even more people
In 2006, a young man from our group was attending Bowdoin College and involved with the Joshua L. Chamberlain Museum. I worked on putting together a tour with him as our guide and teamed up with members of the CWRT of the Merrimack. The dozen or so in our party travele as one group and got a first-rate vi with extra treats beyond that which the usual tourist would get. We then ate a meal together and got to share in the camaraderie of mutual interes in the history. The May 2016 meeting of the Civil War Roundtable of New Hampshire marked our 25th anniversary. We have worked on creating a special meeting with a musical program by The Hardtacks, a New Hampshirebased group who perform period music. We’ve invited our friends from other Civil War Roundtables to join us in our celebration. The Civil War Roundtable of the Merrimack will add to the festivities by presenting their “Stephen C. Foster Award” to The Hardtacks that night. Our friends at the Merrimack group present the Foster Award to individu-
als and groups who perpetuate and promote the musical culture of the mid-nineteenth century. So again, cooperation between the roundtables will make a great night even better with the excitement of the award and with friends from other roundtables joining us. Civil War roundtables can do much more by working in cooperation. Even if your flavor is blue o gray, we are all working on the same team and together many special things can happen. In 2007, I joined the Civil War
Roundtable of the Merrimack, and I consider the friends in that group as important as the ones from New Hampshire. My wife, Elizabeth is the president of the CWRT of the Merrimack and the vice-president of the CWRT of New Hampshire. I run the websites for both organizations.
William (Bill) Hallett is past pre ident of the CWRT of New Hampshire, past newsletter editor for th
CWRT of NH. With his wife Elizabeth, they have hosted “Footsteps of Heroes: Civil War Walking Tour of Newburyport” since 2010.