5th Texas Cavalry Partisan Rangers

Update on an old Comrade of the 5th TX Partisan Rangers

2009-09-29T22:53:00.022-04:00

Hey all...I see Merle & Gary have been unable for some reason (may be lack of pictures) to get any pics of their exploits here in late 2008 and into 2009, so I will post a few pics of me in 2009 here in Texas to bring the blog up to speed over the last year. I got tired of seeing Basic Training pics of me here!

Here I am at the 8th TX Terry's Texas Rangers event in Livingston, TX in MAR 2009. A great event indeed! Lots of good riding...

The Harty Family at Livingston, TX

I love this pic of me and JT. He is a great horse...a bit old, but a 20 year reenacting veteran. He'll ride hard till he can't no more. He always knew just what to do and understood the commands...just needed the slightest inclination that I wanted him to execute and he would.

Here I am with my new pal, Larry Pope at Ft. Selden (ruins) NM in SEP 2009. I didn't get a pic of me mounted (yes, I got lucky again and Larry always has 2 horses with him because they are herd bound!) because my Sweetie Pie was sick (fighting a unknown urinary tract/liver infection at the time!) and couldn't take any of me on horseback. But I am again a part of the 5th Texas...this time the 5th Texas Mounted Volunteers under General Sibley out of, well, none other than Ft. Bliss! The group commemorates the history of the Sibley Campaign of 1861/1862 where Gen. Sibley tried to take New Mexico Territory - even California - for the Confederacy. They wore whatever they could get on hand at the time, which was Federal Blue. Also, we do the years at Ft. Selden, which were 1865 to 1890. So a lot of uniform range there during the Indian Wars.Here is a pic of some of the kids with a buddy in front of someone's tent. You can see a wall of the ruins of Ft. Selden there there to the right of the pic. A pretty darn cool place. The Friends of Ft. Selden encamp there monthly. We are looking forward to being a part of the group. You can also see Larry's horses in left background.

Also, I recently completed all my Army Training - 18 SEP 2009 to be exact. Here are a few pics of the highlights from the last year of trainings - October 2008 to September 2009

Here I am at Officer Candidate School Fall of 2008 at Ft. Benning, GA in the Senior Candidate phase (note the annoying white ascot)

Here's me in the field at OCS with a M240b 'light' machine gun. It is quite heavy, but make some great sounding (and surely devastating) suppressing fire!

My Sweetie Pie, Bethany, pinning on my 2LT bars. A proud moment for sure. I wish my Dad was able to pin the other one on, but was unable to make it down. He and Mom had some last minute car repairs that unfortunately prevented the trip...such is life. But it would have been neat to have the 2 people I most respect pin on those bars.

This is me back at Ft. Benning, but this time for Basic Office Leader Course II. It was probably late April. The rounds are my neck are for the awesome and incredibly accurate M 2. Then in my hands are the M240b (7.62 rd) and then on my arms the rounds for the M249 SAW...a big version of M16/M4 that shoots 5.56 rd. It was a lot of fun at the range. Also got to shoot Mark 19 grenade launcher. Almost as fun to shoot as 'ma' duece!

Here I am posing behind 'ma duece' after me and a pal mounted it on the humvee for our range exercise for D Co. at BOLC II. Again, a great machine gun. Actually, this is considered a machine gun, where as an M16/M4 is not. They are a rifle & carbine, respectively.

Here is some of my classmates early on at BOLC III here at Ft. Bliss, TX. Must have been June. This is the Leadership Reaction Course. There are probably 20 elements to the LRC. The LRC was originally developed via discovery by Allied troops at Nazi training camps when we tied up WW II. The LRC was an officer training course (problem solving and team building) for Nazi forces. We immediately saw its value and use it regularly today for all our troops. This is the 2nd time I've gone through the course.

Here is one of my pals standing in front of a Patriot launcher set. We didn't get much time around the actual weapons, as most of our training was with a computer screen. Soon we will be staring at a computer screen for 8 hours at a time. But we did get to the 'park' every now and again.

Here are some of my classmates doing the 'Ranger Challenge Run' it was called. We did the run with probably 30 lbs in the ruck sack (not bad at all...anything around 60 lbs & up and it starts to get heavy). Someone is being carried in a stretcher there. You tried to find the lightest guy you could. We then carried them for about 4 blocks. That was one aspect of the run/course.

Here I am in my Dress Blues...this little set up cost around $600 time you get it all together. This is a formal look here. Red is for Artillery of course...even Air Defense Artillery (to the chagrin of Field Artillery who think they are better everyone else in the Army...)

This is the Army Service Uniform...same thing as the formal, minus the cap - oh and the bowtie. I'm not wearing it in the pic above, but would with that cap likely.

Here I am finally, at graduation from BOLC III...18 SEP 2009. About 14 months of training, pretty much non-stop. Finally complete...now onto my unit - C. Battery, 2-43 BN Air Defense Artillery, 11th BDE.

And of course, none of this would have really been possible if my super awesome and supportive wife, Bethany, was not with me every step of the way, encouraging me to press on when it was tough, praising when things were well, and always there to say it was right to do. After all, I well may not have decided to join the Army if not for her knowledge that it was the right thing to do...

Mustered In - Harty joins the US Army

2008-11-10T02:42:00.006-05:00

On August 1, 2008 I up and joined the United Army! Actually it took a bit longer than just a day of course to get all settled from start to finish, but that was the day I entered Ft. Knox, Kentucky for Basic Combat Training. I graduated from there on 3 October and went promptly (from the arms of wife who I only got to see for about a half hour that day!!) to Ft. Benning, Georgia to enter the Officer Candidate School. So as you can imagine, I've been just a bit too wrapped up to engage in reenacting as of late! But I miss it very much and of course, I miss the guys in the group as well. Below is a pic of me on graduation day from BCT, as well as a shot of my old 2nd Platoon 'Mad Dogs' of D. Co. 1-46 INF on the assembly field at FT. Knox.

Here I am standing next to our platoon 'rock'. At formation time, our platoon would stand in front of this and wait for instructions. I did the art work for this while at BCT. I actually finished it just days before this pic was taken. It was one of several murals that I did for our platoon while at BCT. When they found out I was an art major, I was given several 'special orders' to do murals. The list kept mounting as BCT wore on! I had a good time doing the murals and am proud to have done them. At any rate, I hope there are many proud 'Mad Dogs' yet to come who will get pumped up as they stand in front of this each day!

So in the interest of keeping the site viable, I'm 'handing the reins' over to Merle Collins so he can manage the site. As I go along my Army progression towards becoming an officer in the United States Army (graduation is set for 8 January 2009) I hope to keep the group posted on my progress. I also hope to be able to fall in with the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers again in the future as schedules and circumstances allow.

So ride hard, sling some lead downrange and keep them Yankees running for me while I'm gone, boys!

Guayndotte - November 1 to 2, 2008

2008-11-10T01:41:00.001-05:00

Here are some pics from our last event of the year at Guyandotte, West Virginia.

Hartford City, IN - October 11-12, 2008

2008-11-10T01:37:00.002-05:00

Here are some pics from the Hartford City Civil War Days in northern Indiana. Here is a video link of some of the action.

Caesar's Creek - Sept. 20-21, 2008

2008-11-10T01:26:00.003-05:00

Here are some pics from the 2008 of Caesar's Creek.

Gettysburg - 145th Anniversary Reenactment

2008-07-11T22:47:00.015-04:00

Well, where to begin with Gettysburg? It was a great honor to reenact what those great Americans from both sides of the conflict did. They made America what it is today, or at least made it possible. To be there on the battlefield...it is crazy that someone fought on Little Round Top and Devil's Den. Both areas were very poor ground. And Pickett's Charge...seemingly madness! But the Lord had his hand in the outcome of the battle. It was the first real win of the Army of the Potomac at that point in the War. And the first real loss of the Army of Northern Virginia. Just think on the odds of that being the turning point of the War!

This pic is fitting to start off this post. This is a picture of the first time that a Confederate flag has been allowed on the actual path of Pickett's Charge with men in uniform - well since the day it actually happened! I got on the march late. I had to run across knee deep grass to catch up to the group. And that was about a half mile run. And it was tough in that grass with my slick leather soled boots! And when I got there, it was clear that it was only 'brass' doing the walk. That is 'Longstreet' to the immediate left. But I bet I was the only one in that group of men marching that actually had an ancestor that participated in Pickett's Charge. Captain William Munford Tuck, Co. K, 3rd Virginia Infantry, was a part of General Kemper's Brigade. Captain Tuck is one of my 3rd Great Grandfathers who fought in the War Between the States. He survived the Charge, and was actually captured at the Angle...he made it to the stone wall! He sat in a Union prison the rest of the War, and barely had enough strength to make it home upon his parole. You know, he was so well fed and cared for in that Yankee prison because they made sure they Confederate prisoners of war were treated so humanely...anyone ever hear of Camp Douglas Prison Camp in Chicago? Yea, I didn't think you did...the Yanks did a great job of covering up their attrocities in their own prisons by highlighting what went on in the ill-equipted prisons of the Confederacy. Good luck trying to visiting the Camp Douglas Memorial in Chicago. It is on the South Side and you will find no signs pointing the where the monument is located.

Anyway, it was a real honor to walk Pickett's Charge. It was absolutely unbelievable and difficult to imagine what it must have been like, facing all that deadly direct fire from musket and cannon alike at such close range...WOW!!

Here is one of the views of the Virginia monument at the beginning of Pickett's Charge... beautiful! Probably the best monument among hundreds at Gettysburg.

And of course, no talk of Gettysburg would be complete without discussing Virginia's favored son, Robert E. Lee. His equestrian statue on this monument is probably second only to the great Lee Monument on Monument Avenue in Richmond.

Here is a front view of the statue. The inscription says:
VIRGINIA TO HER SONS AT GETTYSBURG

Here I am with the Virginia Monument -
It was a proud moment for me!

Here I am with Niles Clark, who is portraying General George Pickett. We are standing on the stone wall at 'The Angle'. Can you see over my right shoulder that opening in the trees? That is where the Virginia Monument is. And that is the start and subsequent length of Pickett's Charge. Wow! As you can see - plain, nearly flat open field - all the way - a long way to march under horrendous fire.
Here is a view of the farm where General Pickett was and his staff were stationed observing the progress of the Charge. It is just inside the Emmitsburg Road and very near the action at the Angle.

Merle and I also visited Little Round Top that day. It had a commanding view as you can see. The is a statue of General Warren, the man who's quick decision saved the day on Little Round Top and made it possible for Colonel Chamberlain and his 20th Maine to be heroes that day.

Here is a nice pic of me with General Warren - Hero of Little Round Top. Sheridan tried to ruin his good military name (and did a good job of it too). But history now reads different and you can go back and read up on this great tactician and general. By the way, you are not supposed to hop up on the rock like this. Didn't see the sign on the rock until too late...oh well!
You can see Devil's Den in the distance. You will also note how rocky this ground is. What is not readily noticeable is how steep this hill is. I would not want to charge either up or down this hill! Incredible!
Here is a look at just a few of the rocks at Devil's Den. A great place to hole up. A terrible place to charge up! But General Hood's men took this position at great cost. Gen. Hood lost use of an arm on this action.Here is a monument to General Hood's 5th Texas Infantry. Our reenactment group, the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers, grew from the 5th Texas Infantry group - from personal relationships of reenactors in both groups. That is where the relationship ends, as the Rangers were at Trans-Mississippi outfit - Col. Martin's Regiment.

And here is General James Longstreet's Monument. He deserves a much more impressive monument, but for years he had nothing at Gettysburg. Longstree t was pretty awesome! I'm a great admirer, and I'm glad his name has received some vindication after all these years.

And here is the guy who portrayed Longstreet. This fella's name is Jay Vogel. He lives in what he calls Western Virginia (yea, it was a sure ripoff that West Virginia was allowed to become a state...it was illegal in the manner in which it was accomplished...a political move to be sure!). But this guy knows his Longstreet and does a good job portraying the great general - Lee's Old Warhorse!

At this point, we'll now finish our brief ride of actual Gettysburg sites and move into the portion of the reenactment. The event was staged at least 5 miles away from the battlefield sites. Here is a pic of Merle and myself (actually at the end of Gettysburg tour that day) in a wagon that these 2 great Missourian's built themselves. They are pretty cool guys. They were from SW Missouri over by Oklahoma. They were the real deal, and it was awful nice to get a ride from them in this mule drawn wagon up the hill to save our feet! This was my first experience in a mule drawn wagon, and it was pretty cool. I know the guy on the right's last name is Miller - so a salute to you both!

Due to time, I won't arrange these pics in any order that I normally would painstakingly take. I'm about ready to head off to the Army, and am running short of time. So I'll just note them as they are!

Here is a great pic of infantry moving out. This took a great deal of time - getting all these fellas lined up properly. And since Infantry made it all happen in the War, they were often the spotlight of show at this reenactment. As cavalry, we often had to sit and wait. In this case, it took well over an hour to get everyone down the hill. Those web foots are looking pretty sharp!

It was always great to see the fife and drum lead the way. And they were all sharp and practiced, too. Unfortunately, they felt the need to practice their craft very late at night and very early in the morning. No sleep for us back in the cavalry section was needed - at least that must have been what the fife, drums, bugles and even bagpipers thought!!! It took a couple of nights sleep at home to get the sound of fifes out of my dreams!

I wish I had a better pic (it was snapped at an awkward angle off my horse) but these guys rocked. I would hear these beautiful hymns in the morning and thought someone had a recording of period music. It finally dawned on me that these guys were putting on a great live show every day. Outstanding! They weren't noisy and shrill like the fife, drum, bugle and bagpipes! These guys were smooth, harmonic and downright respectful of the Cause. They could have played all day long for my taste.

Don't those North Carolina colors look great?! They are coming onto the field for Pickett's Charge on Sunday afternoon. Being as I started with the 26th NC, Co. G Infantry when I entered the hobby, I have a special place in my heart for North Carolina.

Ah, and here is Colonel Fremantle who was a neutral spectator from Britain. He found his way to Gettysburg and rubbed shoulders with Lee and Longstreet and several other prominent military leaders in the South in his travels. He later wrote a book based on his journal while traveling as a neutral observer in the South and other parts of the United States. In his book, which was published before the War ended, he stated that he thought the Confederacy would eventually certainly gain it sovereignty. Apparently, this reenactor is an Englishman, Roger Hughes. His accent certainly sounded quite authentic. Now I see it was the real deal and no acting!

Here is a picture of General Pickett's staff (minus me of course who took the picture!) You'll note Niles Clark as Pickett, then Merle and Gary. I rode between Merle and Gary during the battle.

Here is a close of Niles Clark as General Pickett. He did a great job that day!

Here is Niles taking the fall from his horse when a shell came too close to General Pickett
during the charge."My Boys...I can't see my Boys!!"

Ah, here is the fearless leader of the 8th Texas Cavalry, Co. I, Captain Dave Wilson! He had a great beard and was surely Texan through and through. These comrades portray probably the best cavalry unit in the entire War Between the States, Terry's Texas Rangers -
the 8th Texas Cavalry.

A view of one of the sections of Confederate camp. This was a mix of artillery and infantry folks. Way in the distance is the grandstands and sutlers shops.

Saddles stowed...it was an easy way to keep camp looking nice and neat, and of course, the investment of a saddle more secure. However, since it was often raining, the saddles were kept in Merle and Gary's tents much of the time overnight.

There are our fearless and obedient (well, most of the time!) mounts. Gypsie, Ritchie and Travis. I got to ride Travis this season, and he is a great ride. Still needs training to get him to do the famous, easy riding 'rack' of a Tennessee Walker. But nonetheless, he rarely shys from the din of battle. Although he did on one day when we filled a gap of infantry. I can't say I blame him...there was more gunsmoke and noise that day in that small space than I ever saw!

Here is Gary, Al and Merle greeting retreating soldiers after the repulse along the Union center that 3rd day known as Pickett's Charge. Note how I am not riding Travis at this point. I start to see the issue with riding a horse that looks like Traveller...whenever there is a Lee reenactor around, my feet are going to hit the ground! But it sure was neat see "Lee" up there. And I must admit, I got a rush from going up and shaking 'Lee's hand' and felt for a moment as I got caught up in the scene that I was indeed shaking the famous American's hand! Al Stone did a great Lee impression!

Oh, I like this pic of Al and Merle and these generals with cannons and historic farm in the background. Whoever took that has a good eye for pictures!

Gary, Al and Merle pose for another shot.

Ah, the evidence is produced...a wool blanket with a shotgun blast clean through the blanket! This 'trial' went on for about a half hour. Poor Reyn really got raked over the coals. I guess that is what happens when one comes back to one's own tent and accidentally discharges his shotgun in the middle of the night!

After this incident, and then a follow up story by Reyn of an old timer who blew off 3 of his fingers with his sawed off blackpowder shotgun, I deemed it wise to take Merle up on his trade offer of my period shotgun (which needed a fair bit of work to come to working condition) for the remaining tack that I needed to have a full set of riding gear. Done deal!

Judgement is handed out at the end of the trial...Reyn's 'natural sentiments' are ordered to be brought back into proper natural order...no more Yankee spys (well, male Yankee spys!) are to be in his tent...no matter what his story is! Money is being produced for his use back in town... (good Confederate bills no less!). The boys of the group said they would make sure all was set right for their young comrade and he had no more confusion in his life from the stress of battle...

Oh man, this picture does not come close to how awesome this was that day! There were guns going off everywhere! And the smoke was hot and heavy from the action. This battle, which I think was a representation of Little Round Top, was the best of the whole event. I wish I had remembered to capture some video of it. Oh well...

Infantry Up...Let's move it, boys!

This was a common view for us...let's hustle up and fall in line behind miles of infantry. You can see the line stretch for quite some ways to go in front of us. And again, in the distance, you can see the grandstands.
Ah, isn't that a pretty scene? Camp all set up and the first camp fire is set and burning. I really enjoy setting up a solid campfire pit. This is the site of all my eating that week. Just this fire and a small cast iron skillet. At one point, I left my cast iron skillet on the top of the wood logs of the 'log cabin' style firelay so the water to clean it would come to a boil. Just for a few moments you understand. Just to get a decent boil so I could clean it and my spoon. Well, I got distracted, and about an hour later John said - 'hey Brent...you forgot your skillet!'. He pulls it out of the fire and it is red hot! But Reyn, a cast iron conusieur says that all one needs to do is boil green apples in a skillet and it will re-season the iron surface effectively to continue cooking. And by gosh, it worked!

Here I am going 'fakey Yankee' for Buford's Stand. It rained hard and steady for quite sometime on this expedition. And we sat around a whole bunch. Those are brand new cavalry riding pants, bought special for all the riding at Gettysburg!

Gary, Merle and Reyn donning the blue...

Here we are, waiting to ride out. I believe this is day that many of ran couriers...it was pretty cool. There is Irish, Reyn and Buttons of the 8th Texas. I was right beside Buttons.

And looking the other way, Merle, Gary and some other guys who I don't recognize. I think Merle and Gary were the end of the boys from Texas.

There I am...a rare pic of me that I talked Merle into snapping.

John, Gary and Merle in the shade prior to battle. Sure beats 'Right Wheel' over and over again!

Pat, Bill and Brian resting in the shade.

Here we are, the Texas boys, bringing a gun to a knife fight. Normally, that is what one would want to do. But when the battle is supposed to be a saber fight, well, it doesn't look real good. But we would have whipped 'em! In reality, there should have been a gun fight first THEN the saber fight if we were trying to be historically accurate.

JEB Stuart after the cavalry repulse.

John Navarro smokin' his stogie. I thought it was a real cool pic...unfortunately, it didn't focus correctly...

Riding Back after a fight by the historic Erstwhile Farm, which was present
during the original Gettysburg Battle in 1863.

Lebanon Train Robbery - May 30 to June 1st, 2008

2008-06-03T14:59:00.006-04:00

Here are some pics from our recent event in Lebanon, OH. It was a small event as per reenactors, but there was a fair amount of spectators who loaded up on the train and and watched us burn some powder. There was about 10 infantry per side, and then we had some of our group play Union, (Gary, Herb and Rick) while Merle, myself, Bob and then a couple of guys I hadn't met before, Jeff and his son Nick rounded out the Confederate side. All of us riding are familiar with one another (well, I'm the new guy on the block...everyone else has fallen in together at several events), so it was a good time. The weather was a little on the warm side (and there was a real loud thunderstorm that we endured in the middle of Friday night!), but for a late Spring day, it was real nice!

Here is most all the cavalry in one shot...Herb, Jeff, Nick, Brent, Merle and Bob. We're just missing Gary and Rick. There are a few Yank infantry milling about. This is at the end of one of the battle when the infantry would put on a little talk and show for the crowd up close. Then spectators would come, pet the horses, ask questions about the War and so forth. So although we had no spectators in camp before and after battles, it was a nice way to still interact. I know Bethany had several good conversations with individuals as she took refuge from the sun under our dinning fly.

Herb, Brent and Jeff amidst a saber fight. Or as some like to say, the Dance of the Saber Fairies. Although saber fights amongst cavalry, and even cavalry charging into infantry lines, were very rare in the Civil War, it is a crowd favorite. Also it is fun for the reenactor!

Herb, Brent, Gary, Rick and finally Merle. Herb and Gary went Union at this event to balance out the Union number. Otherwise it would have been Rick against 6 Confederate cavalry!

Gary dueling with Brent.

Here is a good view of the spectators at the event. The small battle occurred in front of the them. Then the Yanks would come in and execute a few of their guys, have a drunken pistol fight maybe, and then get back on the train. You can see the head engine just behind them in the trees. There was a nice play structure for kids to play (our kids played on it all weekend!). It was a nice little spot for a nice little event.

Here is some nice chicken stew that Bethany cooked up for the kids and others. She and I didn't get to partake, as we are on a special nutrition plan at the time. But all said it was good and it sure looked good!

Here is a nice pic of Merle on his new reenactment horse, Ritchie - a Standardbred who is a recently retired buggy racer. He is a beautiful gelding with a lot of reenacting potential for Merle, as Ritchie is just a young fella still.

Here is a close up of Merle on Ritchie.

Here is Dave Koonce in his 'turncoat' talking to James O' Moore at the end of Sunday's last performance. Dave is the captain of the 5th Texas Infantry.

Bethany and Joe on the Train. The open air portion of the train was a lot of fun to ride. A five minute drive was a 30 minute ride on the train. There were seats in the cars of the train, but it was much cooler out back!

Brent With Battle Flag

Regimental & Company C Rosters & History

2008-05-20T02:06:00.001-04:00

Well, I thought it would be good to have links to the 5th Texas Partisan Ranger Cavalry Regimental roster, as well as the company we portray, Company C. The person I chose to represent is 2nd Lieutenant Andrew J. Lewis. Of course, this is almost perfect for me, as my 3rd great Grandfather from the 8th Missouri Cavalry Regiment is 2nd Lieutenant Joseph G. Lewis. And there is also an Andrew Jackson Harty in my family line as well. Pretty cool stuff, eh?!

At any rate, just follow the links to an outside site of the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers. You can also find the Regimental History, from Corporal Spoonemoore's point of view, if you follow the provided link. You can also see the Organizational History if you follow the provided link. Whoever put the original site up, great job. I have received no response from them, but wish to thank them for finding the research on this group.

Towards the end of the War, when enlistments were expiring, President Jefferson Davis called upon men to support their fledgling country still. This was the response of the Colonel Martin and his men.

Whereas the 5th Cavalry, Texas Partisan Rangers, having re-enlisted for the war, in obedience to a call from our congress, the following resolutions expressive of their sentiments and feelings are adopted:

First. That we, the officers and men of Martin's Regiment, do most heartily and willingly tender our unanimous services and cordial support to our country in vigorously prosecuting the present war so long as the footprints of the vandal pollutes the soil of our beloved South, pledging ourselves never to sheathe the sword nor lay down the musket until success shall crown our efforts and an honorable peace be proclaimed throughout our land.

Second. That we esteem it a privilege and an honor to have the opportunity afforded us to thus make known to our friends at home that we still are determined to protect the sanctity of their homes, honor, lives, and property from the ruthless hirelings of the north, or sacrifice our lives upon the altar of our country; to our comrades in arms that we are resolved to stand by them as friend to friend in battling for the great and glorious cause for which they are so nobly contending.

Third. That we tender to our commanding officers our hearty and cordial support in their efforts to drive the dastardly foe from our soil and in promoting the good and prosperity of our country.

L. M. Martin Chairman
Geo. White Secretary.

Sharon Woods - May 16-18, 2008

2008-05-19T23:33:00.004-04:00

Sharon Woods was our first real event of the year. It was quite a nice site to do an event. And it was a very enjoyable weekend. I got to ride Travis, one of Merle's Tennessee Walkers. Saturday's battle was only the second time I rode Travis (third if you count the half hour ride before the event!) and I did fairly well. Merle and I went out riding about an hour before the event, and a few things Merle has been trying to teach me a while finally clicked. And then Travis and I had a real fine time on the Sunday battle. The infantry and artillery all did a great job as well. Just one of the best events that I've attended. A nice relaxing, fun battle - not just for spectators, but for reenactors as well!

Gary was absent due to sick horses, and Herb came as General Grant, although he didn't ride a horse during the battle. His wife Sydney was also on hand a Union foot soldier. Herb and Sydney had a guest who actually did cavalry during WW II. He was really a part of the last mounted men on horse. That's pretty cool stuff...having such a veteran in our midst! You can see him in pics below.

Merle and Herb

We also had a good Abraham Lincoln portrayer on hand. He recited for the crowd the Gettysburg Address. I also like that they called all the veterans up to honor them - reenactor and spectator. That was really great and fitting to honor these super Americans in this way.

The Gallant 5th Texas Partisan Rangers
Brent, Travis (falling in with us that day) and Merle. We had a great time, put on a good show and burned lots of powder pouring lead down on those Yanks foolish enough to march in range!

Surveying the flanks

Burning lots of powder...it is hanging heavy in the air!

Brent and Travis pouring some lead down on some hapless Yankee infantry

Putting fire on the Federals (that is almost a real cool pic!)

Waiting at the station after drawing the Federals up for our infantry hammer blow!

Ah, good - here come some more 'blue bellies' to shoot!

Decisions, Decisions!

The ever beautiful 'Old Glory' in resplendent battle honors of the 4th OVI Regiment advances to engage the Confederate infantry

Yanks are lined up and itchin' for a fight!

Tom and others watch on as our infantry advances on the foe

Our boys on the move to sweep the Yanks from the station.

Our boys under Polk's Flag, take back the station

Lots of fallen Yanks after their repulsed advance on the station

Travis (Tennessee Walker) and Richie (Standardbred) with their riders

Surveying the field after Yanks hold their original position

A happy Ranger - A good riding day on Travis!

Robert E. Lee

2008-05-19T22:49:00.000-04:00

While the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers never served under Robert E. Lee in any sense, we still are lucky enough to have one of the members of the 5th Texas portray the great American on many events. Here are a couple of recent pics of Gary Chambers portraying the Gray Fox. Gary portrays General Robert E. Lee at several local events to the delight of many people. Keep up the great work of keeping "Marse Robert's" good name and memory alive!

2008 Events

2008-05-10T21:40:00.000-04:00

Here are the events and dates for the 5th Texas Partisan Rangers in 2008.

April

18-20 Spring Drill, Mingo Farm, near Scio, OH

May

16-18 Sharon Woods, 11450 Lebanon Pike, Sharonville, OH
23-25, American Veterans Heritage Center, 4100 W. 3^rd St. Dayton, OH
31-6/1, Lebanon/Mason Train Robbery, 127 S. Mechanic, Lebanon, OH

July

4-6, 145^th Anniversary of Gettysburg, Gettysburg National Park, PA (for a reenactor or living historian, it maybe difficult to get you in at this point, as registration closed on 4/30)
19-20, Morgan’s Raid, Gorman Farms, 10052 Reading Road Evendale, OH

August

September

20-21, Caesar’s Creek Park, Pioneer Village, 8570 E SR 73, Waynesville, OH

October

November

1-2 Guyandotte Civil War Days, Huntington, WV

With gas being the price it is, we try to take it easy, about an event a month. And while May is a busy month, we average about 7 events a year, give or take here and there.

Purpose of 5th Texas Cavalry Site

2008-05-10T21:24:00.001-04:00

Hello and welcome to all who have entered here!

The purpose of this site is to raise awareness of the 5th Texas Cavalry Partisan Rangers...past and present. In this site you will find history on the Civil War Regiment known as Martin's Regiment as well as find out things about the present-day reenactment group that honors the brave men of the 5th Texas.

Our group is based out of Southern Ohio. We are a small group and are always open to have others join us...either 'for good' or just for the event at hand. We are a family friendly group and are willing to have the veteran or 'fresh fish' join our ranks of Rangers. We gather for fun, for making the public aware of the past so as to apply its lessons to today, and to enjoy each other's company while in period mode at the event. The only thing that we get uptight about is if someone is trying to limit the enjoyment that we have while at the varied events we attend! So come and join in the fun. If you seek a 'authentic campaign' experience you will need to keep looking. Maybe you should look for that in a museum or some such thing! While we take pride in our impression, we don't spend extra energies and monies on using only so-called exactly period items and expressions.