Campaigners Only

An Event within the Event

ATTENTION: ALL ABLE-BODIED MEN

“16 HOURS AS A SOLDIER”

The Campaigner Event is cancelled for 2011 - we will do it again in 2012 and follow the same schedule

Again in 2012, Lamoni’s Civil War Days is proud to provide a unique period immersion experience.
The route for 2012 has yet to be designed but our intent is to make it different than in years past and allow for greater flexibility of movement. Contact the organizers (below) and check back closer to the 2012 Labor Day weekend.
Modeled after 2007 & 2008 & 2009 & 2010's popular campaigner events, we are planning again to provide you with a taste of military life on an active campaign. This tactical-level activity is completely unscripted.
There are no uniform requirements because we would rather make this experience available to you, regardless of your attire.
During this 16+ hour period you will be issued period-correct rations, given an objective and sent out on patrol, establish a remote camp, and not return until the following morning.
You may be assured that you will engage in some unscripted, tactical-level activities along the way.

This Event within the Event is strictly voluntary.
Although it is physically-demanding, it is also particularly appropriate for a first-timer who wants to try the campaigning experience.
As a campaigner, you will traverse the countryside marching through our scenic southern Iowa farmland.
This is your opportunity to live as Civil War soldiers actually lived for 16 hours.

Prior to finalizing the 2012 schedule, please refer to the schedule below as a model.

Beginning at 7:00 PM on Friday of the Labor Day weekend 2012, Confederate and Federal forces will move out from their respective camps. They will be issued rations, receive short instructions and then begin their respective marches across the countryside.
Neither force will know everything about the other so there is a healthy dose of the unknown and the spontaneous in this activity.
This experience will approximate the way Civil War armies lived outside of garrison or of winter quarters while pursuing the enemy and actively on “campaign.”

In order to make spontaneity unavoidable, no one will know all the details of the 2012 Campaigner Event in advance - not even me -
but everything you need to know in order to prepare yourself is posted here. Simply follow these guidelines and you'll be fine.
Call Doug Jones (641) 784-8484 with questions or to express your interest in joining this unusual activity.

NOTE: if you want to participate in this activity but cannot arrive at the event in time for the 7 PM Friday departure, we can still connect you with the campaigners at most any hour during Friday evening or early Saturday morning. Please make special mention of your late arrival time when you contact us - we may not be able to connect you to them if you fail to notify me in advance.

While on campaign, supply trains were always kept far to the rear in order to protect them from enemy attack. This meant that campaigning troops could not count on supplies reaching them: therefore, they carried with them what they needed to survive. We provide you with a list of what we recommend you bring (see list below) – it is a tried and true list of minimal items that will meet your basic needs. You are well-advised to travel light.

I will personally walk this route prior to the event.
You will find that this route requires approximately 70 minutes of unhurried, sustained walking each day. For the modern couch potato, this represents a challenge. The terrain is Iowa pasture, so it is uneven but not hilly. The scenery is beautiful and you will be free from all signs of modern life. But be mindful that the march is considerably longer than the round trip to your mailbox. While you will need to keep moving, you will not need to hurry and you will rest along the way.

WHAT YOU WILL BE EXPECTED TO DO:
• To fall in promptly at 6:30 PM (for a 7:00 PM departure) on the Friday of Labor Day weekend 2012, and become a period soldier.
(NOTE: if you cannot arrive at the event this early, we can still connect you to your pards. Let me know in advance about your late arrival so we can make arrangements.)
• To carry-out orders and perform your duties. You will be part of a team and your brothers-in-arms will be counting on you.
• To prepare your rations for supper and breakfast. You will eat as a mess.
• To serve a shift on picket duty. Camps will be guarded until well after dark but not for all night.
• To remain in period until arriving back at the encampment on Saturday morning. This means you should be ready for anything of a period/military nature at all times as there will be enemy units operating in the same area.
• Be prepared for military engagements. This is not a heavy “battle” or “powder-burning” experience; still, you must be prepared to act in defense of your brothers. For this purpose, bring a standard cartridge box with 40 rolled rounds.
• Attempt to maintain “first person” at all times, but at least refrain from modern speech and subjects. Silence is period-authentic.
• Be in reasonably good physical condition. We HIGHLY recommend some training in advance: you are well advised to walk a couple miles in the footwear you intend to wear this night more than once during the weeks prior to this event. Doing this will season your feet, prevent blisters and assure a pleasant experience. Besides, it’s good for you.

WHAT EQUIPMENT WILL YOU NEED?
• A haversack to carry cooking & eating utensils (including a canteen half, tin plate or fry pan, a fork, a spoon, a knife, possibly a boiler/mucket), some cotton rags/hankies to wrap rations in, canteen (report with it full), wool blanket & possibly a ground cloth/oil cloth for protection from wet, and a Long weapon (any period long weapon that is clean and in firing condition is appropriate, including muskets, rifled muskets, shotguns, etc. Please, no revolvers or long knives for infantry.)
• We aren’t concerned so much about your clothing/footwear/hat. We would rather have you enjoy the experience, learn and have a good attitude. If you wear an indicator of rank on your regular uniform and have another one available without rank, please wear the unmarked one so we don’t look like a "company of Corporals." Know that whatever you choose to wear will be acceptible, however.
• These are the recommended bare essentials. You may bring other items, provided they are approved by the Federal or CS commander but any extra weight you add will feel heavier and heavier the longer you march. Think simple. Having less is period-authentic.
• Even though mosquitos are not a particular problem in Lamoni, they are period so we provide some. For this reason you are well advised to apply modern bug repellents prior to marching off. If you choose not to use these modern repellents, however, be assured that most any version of a mosquito-swatting-dance is generally considered period-authentic.

WHAT EXPERIENCE IS REQUIRED?
(1) moderate physical conditioning so that you can hike 2 miles each day, (2) basic reenactor training, and (3) an interest in experiencing campaigner life.
You should be conditioned well enough to participate in sustained physical activity to begin with. As a minimum, you need basic reenactor training – how to handle a weapon, for example – and a desire to learn more about the actual experience of a Civil War soldier.
For the novice campaigner, this is an opportunity to experience something new and learn; for the experienced campaigner, this is an opportunity to fall in with bully pards in a beautiful setting. We expect you will enjoy it so much you will recruit your friends for next year.

WANT TO JOIN IN?
HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
Contact Doug Jones at doug@hdhunt.com (641) 784-8484 or Wes Keeler at wkeeler@q.com (515) 266-6718 or Christian Shuster at christianmichealshuster@yahoo.com (816) 309-4651. Be sure to visit the Civil War Days event web site to see an aerial photo of our countryside at www.civilwardays.org/directions.html.