With living history season full on us and many public observances drawing close on the Sumner calendar, we wanted to begin focusing more in-depth on our second pillar of understanding, replicating or "re-enacting".

Many of you will be attending events, both public and living history experience based, and you are either looking to create an impression or fine-tune an existing work in progress. This week we bring in long-time living historian Will Eichler to share some insight into developing the finer points of the kit into both an accurate and serviceable collection of items.

We also discuss important resources available to all of us as students and practitioners of historical interpretation through Civil War Digital Digest and the HistoryFix App. Offering everything from how to's and when to's to documentaries and full length historical films, no period research is complete without using these two well-developed tools. And within this episode, you'll find out how to get a 30% discount (that's nearly half!) on an annual HistoryFix subscription, so listen closely!

We hope you find this episode both enjoyable and informative.

View Civil War Digital Digest content for free on YouTube at:

https://www.youtube.com/c/CivilWarDigitalDigest

Once you have evaluated the content, we at The Wabash Inn Mess strongly encourage you to become a subscriber.

You can sign up for the HistoryFix platform by visiting:

https://www.historyfix.com/

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Welcome to the after action episode for the 2025Hardscrabble Invitational. The Johnny Reb III group gathered in White House, TN the last weekend in April and played out multiple scenarios that evoked lots of excitement and emotion among the participants.

Our guest this week is gaming aficionado and long-time play tester Patrick "PJ" O'Neill. We talk to PJ about engaging in close combat with the "enemy" and the characteristics of the charge. It's an opportunity for enjoyment and education this week as we discuss Johnny Reb III on The Mess.

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A battlefield is a self-cleaning organism. Time and elements will eventually erase all trace of what occurred in the maelstrom on hallowed ground. Unfortunately, war doesn't occur in a vacuum. Conflict displaces, spoils, and scars the living in the area where it happens. After the Battle of Antietam in September, 1862 efforts to remove the fallen were undertaken by the US Army and the citizens of Western Maryland so that life could attempt to resume a semblance of what was considered "normal".

The lost at Antietam were buried in place, in singular or mass graves, depending on side and circumstance. A need to identify and locate the remains of those left behind was undertaken by map makers who made an effort to mark as many burial plots and identify as many soldiers as possible. The most famous of these map makers, S.G. Elliott, produced burial maps of both Antietam and Gettysburg, one of which has recently been uncovered and placed on display in the collection in the Visitor's Center at Antietam National Battlefield. Hear the revealing story of battlefield grave maps and the S.G. Elliott map on this episode with our guests Brian Baracz of the National Park Service and Tom Clemens of The Save Historic Antietam Foundation.

Plan your visit to Antietam with:

https://www.nps.gov/anti/index.htm

Support preservation efforts at Antietam by joining SHAF:

https://shaf.org/

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It's no secret that The Men of the Mess are Western Theater guys. So it's only natural that we take time to recognize one of our favorite listens, The Department Number 2 podcast, which focuses on the developments in the west during the American Civil War.

The hosts, Darryl Smith and Derrick Lindow, join Wade and Norris for an hour of conversation sharing their passion and their vision to inform and educate their listeners on developments in the western southern states from 1861-1865. We hope that you will give them your time and your support to make sure that this important program reaches the maximum number of listeners!

Find The Department Number 2 Podcast at:

https://www.westerntheatercivilwar.com/podcast

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https://www.westerntheatercivilwar.com/

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westerntheatercivilwar@gmail.com

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On The Mess this week, we take a look at the immediate and long-term effects of the Battle on Antietam on the civilian residents of Western Maryland, particularly those in the picturesque little village of Sharpsburg.

Through extensive research, Steven was able to piece together the story of that awful day in September and it's aftermath, which he presents to us in his 2023 book release "When Hell Came To Sharpsburg". Students of the war understand that scars left behind were far more than just physical, and Steven traces the horror and trauma of the 1862 Maryland Campaign as it plays out in the lives of several families within Sharpsburg and the surrounding area.

You can pick up a copy of "When Hell Came To Sharpsburg" at:

https://www.savasbeatie.com/when-hell-came-to-sharpsburg-the-battle-of-antietam-and-its-impact-on-the-civilians-who-called-it-home/?searchid=0

Keep up with Steven via his website at:

www.stevencowie.com

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Re-enacting comes front and center this week on The Mess as we feature the 160th Anniversary Event of The Siege and Battle of Fort Blakely at Blakely State Park in Spanish Fort, Alabama.

Our guest is the park's interpretive ranger Brian DesRochers who gives us all of the details you need to know to attend this event, either as a participant or a spectator. We hope that our listeners who are able will take advantage of this opportunity will take advantage of one of the last opportunities to be involved in 160th Anniversary commemorations as 2025 sees them come to a close.

Information on the event and Fort Blakely can be found at:

https://www.blakeleypark.com/

Battle and Battlefield information is available from the American Battlefield Trust at:

https://www.battlefields.org/visit/heritage-sites/historic-blakeley-state-park

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Have you ever heard of a single battle where both sides were victorious (aside from Seven Pines and Fair Oaks, which were considered one battle but were obviously very different and distinct fights)? On this episode of The Wabash Inn Mess, author Marc Leepson tells us about the July 1864 Battle of Monocacy in which Confederate General Jubal Early won a military victory on the field, but the more overbearing result of the day was a successful delaying action brought to bear by Union General Lew Wallace which helped steal Early's opportunity to invade the nation's capitol.

Marc published "Desperate Engagement" in 2007, detailing General Early's move north and his campaign to sweep Federal invaders from the Shenandoah Valley and his move to demonstrate against Washington DC in an effort to force US forces to relieve some of the pressure on General Lee's Army of Northern Virginia in Petersburg and Richmond. Marc, a Vietnam veteran, has written ten other books covering stories of American History from various eras, as well as been a contributor to many periodicals. His most recent and most frequent work has been writing for The VVA Veteran, a publication of The Vietnam Veterans of America.

We hope that this special episode of The Mess finds a special place in your listening day!

Check out Marc at:

marcleepson.com

Pick up Mark's books here:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marc-Leepson/author/B001HCXCSW?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1743011355&sr=8-2&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

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Topography has often been a determining factor in combat. Especially in the days of foot armies such as were assembled during the American Civil War. It is virtually impossible to understand the circumstances of a battle without fist grasping the terrain and directional flow of the ground involved. This week's guest on The Mess, Brad Gottfried, is an author who has come to be known for his narrated map studies.

Brad has authored or collaborated on over twenty books related to the Eastern theater in the Civil War. His long-term goal is to offer a complete pathway of volumes mapping all major eastern campaigns from the first flashes at Manassas to the dying embers at Appomattox.

Spending an hour with Brad Gottfried this week was a highlight of our season, and we trust that this will become one of your favorite episodes as well!

Find Brad's books, available from Savas-Beattie at:

https://www.savasbeatie.com/search.php?search_query=bradley+m.+gottfried

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https://bradleygottfried.com/

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