Fort Point Garrison

We travelled to San Francisco to the Golden Gate of the bay. Under the great bridge, the fort stands protecting the bay from confederate raiders.

Soon after mustering in I was assigned to the 2nd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Company H. They are known as the "Black Hats" because of their use of the Hardee hat.

Our squad was assigned color guard duty. We raised the flag.

The Garrison fell in for role call and business. A telegraph was received indicating probable confederate spy activity in the area. The fort housed a significant amount of gold and it was believed that the gold might have been a target for the confederate activity.

The guards invested keen interest in all who entered or exited the fort.

After a short visit to the Garrison quartermaster, our day of drills began.

Throughout the day different civilians and infantry personal were questioned and some arrests were made.

To break up the monotony of the day the Garrison band entertains.

Local dignitaries and civilians visited the fort.

Captain Hess instructed the men on Bayonet Drill and Infantry Skirmishing.

At one point I observed Cadet training.

The time I spent at the Fort was interesting and educational. Garrison duty is filled with long hours of drills and waiting. Food is good and the quarters are spacious. It beats shelter halves any day.

In 1865 the Confederate Navy sent to Gun Boats around the horn to attack the bay. Fortunately a British vessel informed the Reb Navy that the war had ended. We will never know how well I would have defended that fort if the Rebs showed up.

Next Reenactment

Fort Point
San Francisco, California
January 31-February 1, 2009

Click on Picture to enlarge!
Fort Point and the Civil War
Throughout the Civil War, artillerymen at Fort Point stood guard for an enemy that never came. The Confederate raider CSS Shenandoah planned to attack San Francisco, but on the way to the harbor the captain learned that the war was over; it was August 1865.Severe damage to similar forts on the Atlantic Coast during the war - Fort Sumter in South Carolina and Fort Pulaski in Georgia - challenged the effectiveness of masonry walls against rifled artillery. Troops soon moved out of Fort Point, and it was never again continuously occupied by the Army. The fort was nonetheless important enough to receive protection from the elements.In 1869 a granite seawall was completed. The following year, some of the fort's cannon were moved to Battery East on the bluffs nearby, where they were more protected. In 1882 Fort Point was officially named Fort Winfield Scott after the famous hero from the war against Mexico. The name never caught on and was later applied to an artillery post at the Presidio.

Las Vegas Event 2008

I was under the impression that my soldier impressions were over for the year. Monday October 27 my wife called and asked me if I wanted to go to the Las Vegas reenactment? Of course, I did not have a choice. I told her I would make the sacrifice to go if she so wished. Our kids got out of school early on Thursday so we drove down to St. George, UT. Saturday morning we travelled to Red Rock Canyon, S.W. of Las Vegas. We must have travelled through some worm hole or time warp because we entered 1863. I found the Union Army camped in a field on Spring Mountain Ranch. I noticed some civilian children playing near by. Click on map to enlarge.
I reported to the Commanders tent. I was ordered to join other nomad infantry. I found out that our company was made up of men back from hospital or leave. We became our own company, "Friedmann's Orphans. We named ourselves after an old veteran 1st Sarg. named A. Friedmann. He is a rough, cussing, and tempered old soldier. If he has survived this war this long, I planned to follow him closely.The First Sarg. drilled our company until we were more than proficient. A few men had not learned about some Fire commands . So we practiced fire by rank, fire by company and my favorite fire by file. In the latter, being tall and tend to be rear rank I enjoy fire by file. Simply explained is when there is front and rear rows we do not fire by rows or the whole group, we fire by pairs. Being in the rear rank, I lower my rifle over the shoulder of the man in front of me and give the command to fire. Only the man in front of me and I will fire. The pair to our left will do like wise once we are finished firing. This continues down the line giving my front rank partner and I time to load and come to ready to fire. Then I command fire again. A good soldier should be able to fire every 20 seconds. Fire by company means all fire at same time. Fire by rank means either the command is given for front or rear rank to fire.

The first battle was short, at lease for us. It started with skirmishers (some sharp shooters that I recognized.) The cavalry joined the fight. Cannons were brought up from the rear.The first company entered the field and pressed the the Alabama boys back to their cannon lines. I have to admit those Mobile boys were the sharpest dressed and best drilled southern line I had ever seen.

The southern cannons fired canister shot and the whole company was decimated.
A second company was called forward and they experienced the same outcome.

Finally, our company was called forward. It made no sense. We were making a frontal assault on their cannon line. I was sure this would end in a massacre.

The Union Commander didn't have to worry about a fourth wave, because most of his men were dead. We formed up again for a salute. Click on pic to Enlarge

President Lincoln gave a moving address.
A second battle went much smoother. Our company was ordered to take the cannons. The First Sarg. marched us around in a wide arc to the southern flank of our foe. The rest of our battalion engaged with the Mobil boys and we were able to take the cannons. "Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah for Friedmann's Orphans!" The weather turned for the worst and it rained all night with great gusts of wind. I wore my kepi so it wouldn't blow away in the gusts.For the third battle the Commanders decided to attack as one line. The union artillery started with fury. Southern cannons returned with vengeance. The Mobile boys fought back hard. Their artillery was more accurate. The Commander sent our company to strike at the big guns. The rest of the battalion fractured.
Ducking and weaving to avoid cannon fire we made our way to their southern flank again.
We eliminated their cannon crews and others surrendered
After all the senseless killing and death on this ranch, we decided to negotiate the a temporary cease fire. After talking to some of the boys from Mobile I found out they weren't land owners or slave holders. I asked one fella why he was fighting us since he wasn't a slave owner or land owner. His reply was, "Because you boys came to our land to fight.
Spring Mountain Ranch was spectacular. I hope Nevada Day falls on a weekend that correlates with this event in the future. I will be there.