Have you all ever visted the Gettysburg battle field? I did a few years back.What I seen of it the cavalry would have been sitting ducks.Unless they came in from the rear of where the yanks were dug in.The infantry could have taken the high ground if they had used the cover around them and moved slowly up the hill, instead of chargeing up it like they did.I almost cried while walking across the same ground that so many of our southern brothers fought and died.I will always believe that if ole Stonewall was still alive at that time,it would have been a differnt outcome.God bless DIXIE!!!

Also you all need to check out a thread on Hot Topics & Current Events.Then go to Presidental Decision 2008 and then to Pro-Confederate Flag.It was posted by navychief04.Most on that thread is wearing the gray or butternut.One ole boy is defending the yanks,his name is Nick.He seems to be a pretty good guy except he has his wires crossed.He lives in Maryland.Another borter state fatcat.Darryl,does your screen name JPope come from Gen. Pope? And fatcat is your name Scott? Scott I live about 2 hrs from you.If you go down the WK Parkway to E-Town then take I-65 to the BG Parkway and go around 50 miles .You will be in Anderson county after passing the Bloomfield exit.My kids live in Leitchfield Ky.You all check out the thread I posted above here on good old military.com.

Wild yes my first name is Scott. I to have been drawn to Gettysburg ..all my adult life something was drawing me there ..I tried to explain it to my family as something like you saw when Richard Dryfuss was drawn to that mountian in Close Encounters ... I finally got to visit that sacred ground in 1998 ...I have to tell you that chill bumps ran up my back like a window shade when I stood where the Alabama boys stood before going up Rountop...and the wheat field ....such a place can not do anything but make you humble ...and proud.. not just the boys in gray but the boys in blue who gave their all ... words can not discribe the feeling !

OFC

You are right, I did take it from John Pope. Like so many other officers during that conflict, not enough has really been written about him.
I have been to Geyytsburg so many times its unreal! I portrayed JEB Stuart for several years and had some very unqiue experiences doing the general.
I have seen some thing there that I have relayed to Mark Nesbitt over the years. He signed my copy of Saber and Scapegoat for me. It was a gift from the wife of Jubal Early. My friend's wife, he portrayed old JUBE.
I was sitting on the concrete wall just up from the Farnsworth house one evening, in full uniform and group of people from a ghost tour came by. The guide greeted me as "Good Evening General Stuart." Asked me to say a few words. As I was speaking a young boy about seven or eight came up and started touching my uniform and arm. He was seeing if I was real! Another evening, just at sundown I was standing with my friends, General and Mrs Early, in uniform and period dress, on Cemetery Ridge near the GAR memorial. A young woman came up and asked if they could take our pictures. She went back to her husband who had parked their mini-van down on the roadway. When they came up to take our picture, they left the engine running, the lights on bright and the doors open! They were taking no chances!
I had the commanding Officer of the Army Command school at Carlisle come up to me and asked if he could ask me something. He asked if I could stay away from Carlisle, as it was the first weekend he'd had off in 6 weeks! Great guy! We shared a cup of coffee and talked for well over an hour.
I had the people from the JEB Stuart Birthplace Perservation Society compilment me on my portrayal of the general when we were in Gettysburg. That was a great honor...one that I never let them regret when I did the general.
Gettysburg has and JEB have been a very big pull on me form my early childhood. I had family that fought on both sides.
Yes, guys I am feeling better!!!Once I was standing outside of Servant's store when a six old boy came up to me clutching a picture of the real JEB Stuart.
He looked up at me and said "General would please sign my picture. I've waited half my life to meet you!" Out of the mouths of Babes....I actually had tears welling in my eyes as I signed JEB Stuart, in a good facsimile. What more can you say?

<http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y248/Bamanut/HARLEY.jpg>

OFC, Scott, go to,
http://s253.photobucket.com/albums/hh67/Macgarrett/
You'll get to see some images me as JEB Stuart.
My wife portrayed Mrs Stuart (Flora) The black and white picture of JEB was taken on the East Battlefield near Hanover, east of Gettysburg, July 3rd,1996 The one of me sitting was taken at Old Roscoe Village, Ohio, July 2000.
Miss Flora and I, August 1999, in our hometown of Spencerville, Ohio.....and yes, the beard was real and naturally that color!

Darryl that is just to cool for school ...you really look into the part ..however I must say that it appears Gen Stuart has been eating a few more pinto beans and cornbread then in past picturs I have seen of him LOL ...but seriously good job !

Me and my wife on my Harley
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y248/Bamanut/HARLEY.jpg

OFC

Yeah! The bike pictures are great. Enjoyed them. Yes, you are right. Plus alot more molasses in the coffee cup too!
Truthfully I was about 190 to 210 pounds in those pictures. The records stated that JEB weighed between 185 to 200 pounds. He was just above average height, records vary 5'9 to 5'11. Average height in the CW was 5'7". He had hazel eyes and a cinammon red beard. I'm 5'9",hazel eyes and you could see the beard color.
Of course the beard is now almost completely gray/white and the weight is NO where near what it was!! My wife Rae is an excellent cook, as I am.
JEB was compact in the body, with longer legs than mine. We examined his uniform very closely at the Museum of the Confederacy in Richmond in 1999 and there was no doubt whether it would have fit me! That was scary!
Again, loved the bike pictures. Used to ride them myself, but that was back in the seventies.
I haven't been on a bike since Bike Week in '92.

Great pictures Darryl,sorry I should have said General.I cant get over it,you are a dead ringer for ole J.E.B.Scotts looking like Kenny Rogers I was going to ask if you all have been to the White House in Richmond but thats already answered. How about Stones Mountain? I went to alot of the major battle fields a few years back.I went to Perryville here in Kentucky also.Biggest disapointment of my life.It was run down,the cannons were rusting,fences falling down,etc.Made me sick.I heard they began fixing it up a couple of years ago.Darryl,Kids do say the darnest things.Great story. Dave

Dave Ive not been to Perryville however I have been to Gettysburg, Fredricksburg, Manassas , Chancellorsville, Murphreesboro, Chickamauga, Stones Mountian , Shiloh and Franklin ...I will make it a point to visit Perryville this summer ...might ride the Hog up there...Darryl was it not unusal for a calveryman to weigh 200lbs?? I was under the impression most calveryman could not be over a certian weight and highth ...just curious.

OFC

No, unfortunatley I haven't been to Stone's Mountain. Its one place I do want to go. I'm getting my wife around to the battlefield sites that I've been to before we got married. She was very edgy when we were in the Dunker Church at Antietam. She didn't want me taking her picture inside as the picture might show an additional figure with her. When we were at the cemetery on the Antietam Battlefield the spirits or whatever tied to push me off the wall. I stood up and explained to them why I was there and to look at my spirit and they would see the truth. My family and blood had fought in the war and I was there to honor them. It must have worked because the whole atmoshpere of the area changed.
We want to go to Shiloh this coming spring, because my ancestors on the Union side fought there and I've never been there.
Yes Scott, in answer to your question there were many cavalrymen who were 200 pounds or over. Wade Hampton, stood 6'4' and well over 200 pounds. Fitzhugh Lee was another. The standing joke was where in Virginia had they found a horse large enough to carry his bulk around? He tipped the scales at around 200 to 230.
Phil Sheridan was the one who said, "The ideal cavalryman is 5'6" to 5'8" tall, no more than 145 pounds, wiry and strong of build and unmarried."
That's probably what you saw or heard. Most people believe that Cavalry just get on their horses and ride. Not so, you ride mounted for three or four hours, get off and walk, leading your horse for at least an hour after that mounted period. At that time they also stopped for a noon meal that was an hour to two hour break.
Can you imagine riding with a woolen shell jacket, linen or cotton shirt, suspenders with woolen pants having an extra piece of backing material on the inside of the legs for more durable wear, wool socks, brogan wood pegged shoes, a kepi or bummer hat, Your pistol belt with holster cartridge box, cap box and saber sling. A two and half pound 1860 Army Colt 44 or 1858 Remington 44 revolver. Then a two to three pound saber and your carbine hanging on across your back clipped on to the leather sling across your chest. That carbine whether it be a Sharps, Spencer, Gallagher, Smith or Burnside weighing between 6 and 8 pounds.
Then your MacClellan saddle with your greatcoat tied on the front of the saddle, your blanket, poncho and shelter half tied on the rear of the saddle, saddle bags for your food, the horse's food, a picket pin, rope, extra horseshoes and ammo. Thirty miles a day in 80 to 90 degree high humidity weather is a VERY long march or ride! I've done it twenty miles at stretch! But I was thiry years younger at the time!!
Whatever extra weight you might be carrying, you would soon lose!

Gettysburg was always the big highlight of the campaign season. I always enjoyed going over there, whether to portray the JEb or just as me. I learn so much more everytime I'm there.
One of my best friends is Steve Alexander who is the premier Custer portrayer in the United States. If you've ever watched any of the Custer pieces on A&E, The Discovery Channel or The History Channel, Steve is the gent portraying George Custer. He and his wife bought the Judge Bacon house in Monroe, Michigan about ten years ago and have restored it to look like it did when Custer courted Libby in the 1860s.
The Sioux, Cheyenne and Kiowa Indians believe Steve is Custer, Yellowhair, reincarnated. They have since made their peace with one an other and are great friends.
Steve and I did many an event opposing each other on the field and the lecture hall.
My mailman once asked me who lived at my house! He said he's seen letters for General JEB Stuart, Colonel Lafayette Baker, Major John Wharton and General Darryl Hinkle. "So who is it?" he asked.
I answered, "they all live here." Which blew his mind even more! I have portrayed all of those men in my reenacting living history career, except the last one. I never got THAT far in the military!!!!!!!I'm lucky that the people here in Spencerville (2200), at the Post Office have a good sense of humor.

All this talk about cavalry and cavalrymen made me realize that I haven't checked on my tack in two years. I have it stored in the garage with all my other CW equipment, tents, camp gear, etc.
I have a size 14 Officer's model MacClellan saddle that was built for me by the brother of a friend of mine. It hasn't seen the back of a horse in almost 7 years. Got out my blankets and saddle blankets, checked them and then washed them up clean. Oiled all the leather and put a bit of polish on things. Found some moldy hardtack in one of my saddlebags! Yuck! Everything looks good again. Might get it out this year to display in front of our tent.
CIAO!

Greeting All.
As some of you know the 145 ann. of Gettysburg is coming soon and those who are wanting to participate need to get registered by March 15th. Several of us who portray the 35th Indiana will be portraying the 14th Indiana in Vincant's Bde. We've been busy rolling cartridges so each man will have 600 rounds that equaits to 6 lbs of 2F powder and a lot of cleaning at night for the next days battle. We'll have a warm reception for Genl Lee's boyos. As well as do honors to our fallen comrades of days gone by.

bangfxr, I was there ten years ago for the 135th. What an experience! I STILL get goose bumps when I look at the pictures of Pickett's Division marching out! Wow! What sight that was!!
Don't think we'll make though to this one! Too much stuff around here that needs doing. We might make some of the ones around Northern Ohio and Southern Michigan.
Good luck going over there. Have a great time of it!

Sorry you wont be there I called registration to make sure they had mine and they have registered was 12,000 in uniform alone.
I was at the 125 as part of Pickets charge talk about the pucker factor looking at that ridge and the distance across open fields. The cold chill that ran down my back, the hairs standing on the back of my neck and the goose bumps. This time I'm in blue and will be behind the stone wall looking down at Pickets charge.

The list of possibilities is long. U.S. Grant, R.E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, William Sherman, James Longstreet, or Bedford Forrest. To me its a very close race between William T. Sherman and R.E. Lee. Lee somehow managed to hold together his army in the face of overwhelming odds and time and again if not beat his enemy at least hold them off. At Second Manassas, Sharpsburg, and again the Chancellorsville he was able to totally stop his enemies advance at two of the three. While at Sharpsburg he was able to hold onto his defensive line in the face of more then 2 to 1 odds, and still retreat back to Virginia. To keep the fight alive for another day. Shelby Foote said that Gettysburg is the price the South had to pay for the genius of R.E. Lee he took great odds and in the end wasnt able to produce the victory he needed to win the war.
With William T. Sherman you have a man that was several decades ahead of almost all the other general of his time. I cant think of a battle or a campaign that he lost with the exception of First Manassas, in which he was a brigade commander. After First Manassas he went west and was under U.S. Grants command and the rest as they say is history. He brought modern warfare into the war when he burned his way across Georgia and the Carolinas and most likely brought the war to an end much faster then it would have otherwise ended. Under him making war during a campaign never came to an end. Earlier in the war the battle was fierce but only fought a few days at a time. Under his command the war transformed into a 24 hour a day seven day a week process.
For thoes reasons I think he takes the top spot in my mind.

bluegator,Man I cant belive you would say Sherman.How is it that what he did on his march to the sea make him great?He killed women and children and burned their homes to the ground.His troops ransacked the south at the end of the war.For no reason other than he hated southerns that much.Just look at history and you will see what Im talking about.Read into it,forget what you were taught in school on the subject.It was all one sided.The south was bad.GOD BLESS DIXIE

Bluegator, I can understand why you picked the two that yuo did. I agree with what Shelby foote said about the genius of Lee. Lee did have to take the long odds to survive for as long as he did.
That gave him the victories needed for the south to survive, but in the end the long odds worked against him in the fact that he couldn't keep up a war of attrition in the loss of manpower. He also could not afford to be cornered and be held in one spot for any amount of time.
I believe Grant realized this and the only thing he did different from his predessors was line up the next day and the next day and the next day and keep hammering. He knew eventually he would weaken Lee and stress him out to where he would make a mistake.
As for Sherman, he and Grant brought a new type of warfare to the war and they brought the beginnings of the modern staff into being. One of the things the US Army never really had was a GENERAL STAFF in the sense that the Europeans had. The fighting for a few days at a time or one battle and no more for six months was not winning the war. They had to formulate a strategy that was continous, yet included continous action that contributed to the overall campaign goals. That included total war.
As for his campaign, Sherman did not hate Southeners, he hated the institution of slavery that they practiced. You seem to have forgot Dave who started LSU and was the first Dean of the school. Sherman enjoyed living in the south. He really didn't want to leave, but could not raise his hand against the Union.
I don't agree with everything he and his men did, but do believe alot has been stretched somewhat in the repeated tellings of the last one hundred + years. Shelby Foote himself made mention of the stretching of the tales of "Uncle Billy and his boys."

I would have to pick several. These are a few. JOE SHELBY, PATRICK CLEBURNE, NATHEN B. FORREST and THOMAS JACKSON. FOR THE NORTH I WOULD PICK GRANT, THOMAS, JOSHUA L. CHAMBERLAIN and Sheridan. As for the best? I can't pick one I have been an admirer of Patrick Cleburne. This man had no military back ground Was no more than a Brigade commander But was a genius in combat. Joshua Chamberlain was another with no military back ground that found his true calling as a leader of men in combat. These are my picks . I'm sure some of you will tell me I'm way off but before you do remember I'm just giving you my opinion. Not judging yours