As soon as we got there, I realized that my old pal David Wolfe was doing a talk as Abe Lincoln. I did get to see him do two talks as the 16th President, and I was absolutely moved by both. They were each unique, covering different ground about Lincoln. During the later one, he actually talked, as Lincoln, about being assassinated by Booth. It was the first time that I have watched a Lincoln impersonator really go there in character. It truly made David seem almost ghostlike himself as he channeled the martyred President.David Chaltas did a very convincing presentation as Robert E. Lee. He was excellent too, and I even saw him tear up as he told a story of a father and son on opposite sides of the battlefield.
A funny moment occurred when Chaltas stepped away from a crowd while telling stories to answer a cell call. A Confederate soldier near him, in a very serious tone grumbled about Lee using one of those fancy Yankee phones.
I ended up totally blowing my budget in the sutler's area. There were some interesting vendors. A blacksmith made these great hummingbirds on a pole. I texted my wife a photo and she said that she would love one. I did think these were pretty cool.
There were a couple of interesting authors on the field too. I was personally very excited to see author John R. Scales selling his latest book on Nathan Bedford Forrest. It is published through Savas Beatie, who has put out some interesting titles lately. in fact, I had a very positive experience with Savas Beatie Publishing when I was trying to track down a copy of their book on the Gettysburg Cyclorama. These are good people.Anyway, I ended up buying a couple of books from John, and we chatted some about Forrest.
We were able to buy $3 sandwiches for lunch from a church group and we bought homemade rootbeer which was a real treat!
After exploring the sutler area and enjoying a nice lunch, we walked through the area where the reenactors camped out. Most had little set ups in front of their tents, and they seemed eager to talk about the Civil War and soldier's lives during the war.Many had actual relics they had come across displayed. One medical table had medicine bottles and other related items a doctor might use during the Civil War. The camp area had a bit of a DIY museum vibe going on. All of the reenactors had something to talk about too. Some talked about their relics, some told stories from the Civil War.
John Scales was scheduled to do a talk on Forrest as the day was winding down. I definitely wanted to catch that!
John did a great presentation on Forrest and his battles. He told some entertaining stores about Bedford Forrest and his adventures during the Civil War.
The sky had been cloudy all day and the rains held off until right in the middle of John Scales' presentation. Luckily, he was talking in front of the 1830's cabin on the battlefield, so the discussion was moved to the cabin's covered front porch. This made his presentation feel more like a discussion. It was a nice way to interact with the author.
Scales, an accomplished military man himself, seemed very focused on Forrest's way of thinking AS A GENERAL. He noted that Forrest had a lot of knowledge about feeding, moving and managing his troops based on his experience as a horse and slave trader.
Scales was also able to point out where certain things during the battle of Sacramento would have occurred. It was very exciting visualizing the battle, ON THE BATTLEFIELD, with Scales.
I think most of us at Scales' presentation also enjoyed a discussion of Forrest without getting into the controversies that are often brought up in our current climate. This was pretty much a well informed talk on the military mind of Bedford Forrest.
My dad and I left Sacramento with the rain coming down in buckets (I hear that rain seems to always affect this event). On the way home, we stopped for burger's at Jay's Drive-In in Calhoun, which is one of my favorite burger places.
This is a great 3 day event, and even paying $7.50 for the one day I was there was a bargain in my books.
