Battle of Wyse Fork - review and critique

In my experiences as a reenactor, there are events that are great, that are awful, and that have potential to become better. The Battle of Wyse Fork event is one of those that can become better.

Admittedly, I do have a soft spot in my heart for reenacting events held in my home state. I can see the positives and potential in almost every event, no matter how good or bad it is. Happily, Wyse Fork wasn't one I have to stretch to find the potential. It's definitely there.

I do have confessions to make before I launch into this R&C. My first is that I didn't push myself to prepare for this event. I showed up on Saturday morning with as much of my kit as I could throw together. Then I borrowed most all of my uniform to do Federal. My other confession is that instead of toughing it out in camp, I joined "Hampton" 's Legion, and stayed at a hotel (a nice Hampton!) at my wife's urging near the site. In retrospect, I denied myself some pleasure of preparing for a decent effort on the part of the event sponsors. But then again, I didn't regret the hotel!

The Battle of Wyse Fork historically was a holding action in the late Carolinas Campaign. The main generals were Braxton Bragg and Jacob Cox. Actually, Wyse Fork is a part of the Civil War most people don't really know about, and holds a good deal of interest for me. The reenactment used two historical battle events as scenarios; the capture of the 15th Connecticut and Hoke's flank attack on the Federal left.

When I first began compiling information about this Wyse Fork, it was wholly through the event Web site, which was simple and to the point. It could have been dressed up better, but I do like it when I don't have to crawl all over a site in order to find the information I need the most. Other than dressing up the site, I would have loved to have seen a detailed description of the event scenarios and suggestions on how to appropriately uniform and kit up. Those two things would have helped set the tone and feel of the event for me.

I was impressed on the help the event received from local law enforcement, Boy Scouts and volunteers. I was able to get on to the grounds quickly and without problem. As some reenactors can attest, getting settled is the first big hurdle to many events. I only had to ask a couple bros where my unit was camped and I was there.

As with many events, this one had some considerable waits for action, but Saturday morning did work to my favor, since I came in around 10ish. I was able to settle in about an hour. Some of our guys have taken up the habit of playing baseball. Being that most of us are old farts, the guys that played seemed to come out of the game less healthy than they went in.

The battles on both Saturday and Sunday, while well-trooped, needed a little work in the realm of realism. The rather large crowd seemed to enjoy, but it's these type battles that make me wonder whether we're doing is a service to anyone. This is definitely not a cut on the event sponsors, but as reenactors, a needed point to ponder. Incidently, this battle helped raise money and awareness for the Wyse Fork battlefield park, so at least some very important preservation funding will come of this event. As a note, Wyse Fork is on the CWPT list as an at-risk battlefield.

I won't go too much into the battles, other than to say that Federals were doomed from the beginning in both scenarios. The only body of Feds were trapped between Confederate artillery on one side, and the Confederate infantry and cavalry on the other. Federal slaughter is always a crowd pleaser in the South. But in talking with some people, namely those souls who were Federals, there were a few things that could have been done better.

OK, I posed a couple of questions earlier - 1) are we doing a service to anyone with this type of event? 2) What could have been done better?

I honestly feel that events like Wyse Fork are a double-edged sword. On one hand, the event does raise money and awareness for a distressed battlefield, which makes subsequent fund raising easier, or at least more legitimate. But on the other hand, you're also selling your soul by not real telling the truth about the battle as a whole, catering to the lowest common denominator reenactor-wise, and feeding some people's "the South shall rise again" fantasies to raise the money.

Strategically speaking, selling your soul is giving the event a very limited shelf life, thus limiting potential to raise preservation money in the long run. Ultimately, noone is doing themselves any favors by catering to the crowds or to all reenactors at large. The event will eventually fold, and keeping the battlefield preserved will become more difficult. People will only know the event by the guns and cannon going off, the yankees falling, and the Confederates winning the day. They won't know the historical relevance of the battle, or who even won. Then you're back to square one, fending off developers who want the land, because people won't rally behind a cause they don't understand. You can do these reeactment things at the local park, right?

As I ranted posted in my Selma reflections, to keep an event going, you need to look at the quality aspect long before the event is even held. What groups will be serious about the event and deliver the authenticity and numbers needed? What kind of scenarios will be compelling to the reenactors, but still look convincing and exciting to the crowd? Those questions need to asked and then acted on.

OK, what would make Wyse Fork a more worthy and long-lived event?

First and foremost, attention to the event and the history surrounding it. Make the scenarios compelling to the participants. Rather than making set piece battles that look the same, do a rolling scenario and give commanders objectives to take within the context of the battle's history. The truth is that there's not enough of Wyse Fork to do an accurate blow-by-blow, so there's no reason to make the battle set-piece. The extemporaneous nature of the event would make it compelling for reenactors, and would lend to believeability for the spectator. The unpredictable nature of the action would keep the event fresh for at least two or three years.

Next, take care what reenactors you invite. Cast aside political ties. You're doing this for the preservation of the site and the your event, not to invite every Tom, Dick and Harry that you feel you have to invite because of unit politics. The first units that should be edited through are the artillery. Truthfully, one or two pieces would have been sufficient for the event. Eliminate those units who insist on bring the mountain howitzers, Cohorn mortars, or the 3/4 scale guns. They have no place in any reenactment, let alone any demo, fair or barbeque. Bear in mind, impression-wise, artillery seems to be the weakest link.

Publish guidelines to the invited reenactors about what they should look like uniform- and kit-wise for the time period. Don't over do it, but make sure people know what they need to look like. Include cheap and easy tips for a better impression. Use civilians as much as possible in any role that fits the event. Make sure that everyone has access to a high-level history of the battle, and what part of the battle that is being recreated. This way, everyone knows what their part is in the bigger picture.

Educate and market to the spectators. Make sure they know what this event is for, what relevance it has, and what the reenactors are doing. Do a one-page flyer that illustrates the battle and what part the reenactment covers. They're the ones you want to support your preservation efforts, so get the spectators behind you as much as possible. Convert them.

I can offer no guarantees if the above is implemented for the next Wyse's Fork that it would draw more people. I do think it would make the event more interesting for everybody, and just maybe give it a few more years of play time.