By Austin Williams, 5th Virginia Co. A There are many sources from which one can purchase a Federal arsenal musket ammunition crate and there are readily available guides in print and online to make your own. Confederate arsenals, however, are more difficult to locate and I am not aware of any sources for a reasonably …
Drill Bits: Inspection of Arms
By Brad Ireland, 4th Virginia, Co. A During the war it was necessary for officers to inspect the weapons of the troops under their command to insure that they are clean and in proper functional order. It is even more important for the inspection of arms at reenactments to ensure that the weapons are functioning, …
Gilham’s Manual vs Hardee’s Revised Manual: A Primer to Differences
By Austin Williams, 5th Virginia Note: This study compares the 1862 printing of Hardee’s Revised Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics to the 1860 printing of Gilham’s Manual of Instruction of Volunteers and Militia. Gilham’s offers portions for use of the musket as well as the rifle. The rifle portion closely resembles Hardee’s manual, which was …
The 27th Virginia at the Battle of Port Republic
By Austin Williams, 5th Virginia At 3:45 on the morning of 9 June 1862, the 27th Virginia Volunteer Infantry slowly crossed a makeshift footbridge over the South Branch of the Shenandoah and marched through the quiet village of Port Republic. Under the command of Colonel Andrew J. Grigsby, the 27th formed part of the Stonewall …
Drill Bits: Ready… High or Low?
By Brad Ireland. 4th VA, Co. A There has been much debate at our drill sessions on the use of the “High Ready” verses the “Low Ready”. Much of the discussion has centered around the statement “depends on if this is your first fire”. This statement is incorrect per Gilhams Manual. There are two ready …
Drill Bits: Pictorial Description of the Gilhams Manual of Arms
By Brad Ireland, 4th VA, Co. A Gilham’s manual is designed so that each command for the manual of arms is broken down into two part; a prepatory command and an execution command. The prepatory command lets the soldier know what he is to do. The execution command tells him to when to do it. …
Military Etiquette and Deportment
Reenacting has gone from a pastime where participants were only expected to “act” like soldiers for a few hours over the course of a weekend to one where living history opportunities are encouraged and fostered throughout the course of the event. In this atmosphere it is essential that each “soldier” is aware of and practicing …
Usage of Gilham’s Manual
By Erik Mink, 4th Virginia Many articles have appeared in The Camp Chase Gazette concerning the usage of “correct” drill manuals by reenactment groups. These articles have down-played the importance, and even the utilization, of William Gilham’s Manual of Instruction for the Volunteers and Militia of the United States [Confederate States]. I remember being asked …
Gilham vs Hardee: In Defense of Gilham
By Eric Mink Over the past few days there has been a very active thread concerning Gilham’s manual, its usage and comparison with Hardee. The constant concern seems to be how heavily Gilham may have been used and where its usage compares with Hardee. For the past six years, I have been chasing Gilham’s “ghost” with …
William Gilham: Soldier, Educator
The following write-up is of a talk delivered to the Rappahannock Valley Civil War Round Table by Eric J. Mink on January 10, 2000. The January meeting began with the audience being asked how many have heard of William Gilham. Only about 10% of the long time students of the war raised their hand. Yet …