GETTYSBURG 135th REENACTMIENT FOLLOW-UP PACKAGE

This communication will be the final written information sent to your unit. By receiving this package it is assumed that you are the unit contact, and it is your responsibility to forward this information to your membership well in advance of the event. It is your particular responsibility to contact any member of your unit who you believe either will be in violation of the stated rules and regulations or may be in violation at the time of the event. Please do all in your power to remind your membership of our health, age, rank, and safety standards. If any young member of your unit, in your opinion may be challenged by the Field Provost for being under 16 years old (with a weapon), make sure a copy of the member's birth certificate is on his person... and not his father's. We do this in order to help ensure that our hobby remains strong, safe, respected, and historically accurate. We thank you for your assistance.

THANK YOU'S

The Gettysburg 135th Anniversary Committee, which is a joint venture between "Gettysburg Living History", (Randy Phiel, Wes Ayre, and Tony Strickland), and Civil War Heritage, (George Lomas) would like to thank everyone involved with the planning, organizing and running of this large undertaking which we hope will become one of the finest and most memorable of all time. We would specifically like to thank the commanders Dana Heim (U.S.), Charles Hillsman (C.S.A.), and their hard-working staff officers. They have our complete confidence, and we are all very much in their debt. Ron Paull of the "Great American Civil War Society" helped greatly in putting this together , and paramount in this effort is head reenacting coordinator Don Warlick and Glenn LeBoeuf for reenactor communications.

THE LANDOWNERS AND TOWNSPEOPLE

No reenactment could ever occur without the permission of many landowners in the Freedom Township/Gettysburg area. Reenactors have been, and must remain, courteous guests in order for our hobby to thrive and grow. We hope you can continue this and encourage the good behavior of fellow reenactors. Our deepest thanks goes out to all the townspeople of Freedom Township, PA as well as, specifically, Nancy Bushey for allowing her beautiful farm to be turned into a "battlefield" for a week. We all "all be in her debt for the great experiences we will remember for years to come.

"MILITARY" HORSES ONLY... NO CIVILIAN RIDERS

Civilians must not bring horses to this event. Space, control, and safety issues require this.

IMPORTANT UPDATE ON RVS AND MODERN CAMPING

All large RVs for reenactors and sutlers must be placed in the "modem camping area" next to the tenting areas. Water and port-o-johns will be provided. A $25.00 fee will be charged at the registration desk. This is in response to the township's parking requirements. Please call Glenn LeBoeufs 24-hour information line at 908-903-1064 and leave your name and daytime telephone number should you need to discuss particulars. He will return your call within 24 hours.

"UNIT PHOTOGRAPHERS" NOT ALLOWED

We feel the more we stress this, the more it will be understood by everyone. We will have perhaps two to three well-hidden and well-dressed video crews (no boom microphones) in order to provide a high quality video at a very reasonable cost. We must have the absolute minimum amount of approved video people in our battle areas so that you can get the most out of this experience.

BRING TENT POLES/STAKES

While we are camping largely in the trees, we would hate to see a lot of chopping of tent poles. With this many people coming the woods would soon be a prairie.

PLEASE GO THROUGH THE CHAIN OF COMMAND

Each commander will be incredibly busy all weekend. Please take your complaints /suggestions/desires to your unit or battalion commanders. If they deem the situation important, then it will be passed up to brigade, HQ, and, if required, the organizers of the event.

EMERGENCY TELEPHONE NUMBER

Our security team will have a 24 hour emergency line coming into the site. This is not a message service, and we will attempt to relay all emergency messages on a "best efforts" basis. Please make sure family members or employers know what division, brigade, battalion, unit, and company the person is with. Civilians should be sure to know whether or not they will be camped with their unit or in the Confederate or Federal civilian camps. We cannot search the entire site for you. You must help us. The telephone number as of Monday, June 29, will be 717-338-9355.

ICE DISPENSING HELP NEEDED

We are currently organizing 13 to 16 year old boys to help us dispense ice on the battlefield if it is needed. At stations along the spectator line, we may allow girls and ladies to assist if they are not too conspicuous. Please contact Dr. Alan Hordof at Federal HQ or contact Civilian Coordinator, Karen Mehaffey.

NO PETS

There will be no pets allowed on site or in the modem camping areas. We will not have an animal boarding area at this event. No animals can be left in or near vehicles under any circumstances.

ICE
Ice will be delivered by horse drawn wagon for sale the entire event.

SUBSTITUTIONS

Substitutions will be permitted at the registration bam with the written permission of the unit's's commanding officer.

ORDER VIDEOS EARLY AND SAVE

There will be two chances for reenactors to order videos of this battle reenactment at a discount, as well as guaranteeing early shipment. In this registration package there is an order form that you can send before July 1 to receive a discounted video of the entire weekend with a guaranteed "first to ship" status. Call 1-888-326-1863 during regular business hours to order your video now. Ask about the early ordering reenactor discount.

MILITARY COMMAND

Gen. Dana Heim (U.S.) Commanding Gen. Charles Hillsman (C. S.A.) Commanding Officer
Col. Reg Wirth (U.S.) Chief of Staff Col. George Miller (C.S.A.) Chief of Staff
Col. Craig Beachler (U.S.) Chief of Cavalry Gen. Barry Sheppard (C.S.A.) Chief of Cavalry
Col. Gil Strosnider (U.S.) Chief of Cavalry Col. Brian Carter (C.S.A.) Chief of Artillery

CIVILIANS

We will have two civilian camps that may be next to each other depending upon registrations received. We will place these camps where they benefit the event as a whole. At this time the federal camps will have a "refugee" camp directly next to the military camp and a traditional civilian camp nearer the sutlers and activities tent. There is more detail elsewhere in this follow-up package.

ARRIVAL

Please arrive during daylight hours between Tuesday, July I and Thursday, July 3. You will be allowed to register on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but you must be aware that no vehicles will be allowed in camp after 8:00 AM on Friday and before 3:30 PM on Sunday following the "Pickett's Charge" reenactment. No exceptions.

BUS ARRIVALS

Some of you will be arriving by chartered buses. Great! If you let us know you are coming by bus, we will be ready for you! Please write to us with your expected time of arrival, your unit's name, and the direction from which you will be arriving. Each bus driver(s) will be given a free weekend pass so that they might witness what you are doing that weekend. You must drive first to the registration bam on Pumping Station Road so that everyone can sign insurance waivers, register, and receive their ID passes, maps, and schedules.

WALK-ONS

Because freedom township has restricted the number of reenactors we can have on site, "walk-ons" may not be allowed. Any "walk-ons" allowed must register at the bam on the movie site of "Gettysburg" (1992) on Pumping Station Road. Under no circumstances can anyone take the field without being registered. We reserve the right to cancel "walk-ons" at any time should we reach maximum site capacity. "Walk-ons" will be charged $15.00.

"ADD-ONS"

Send us the name, the unit, and $10.00 for every late registration "add-on" prior to June 15. Everyone desiring to register after June 15 will be considered a "walk-on" and should register directly in person at the registration barn.

NO ONE UNDER 16 WELL TAKE THE FIELD WITH A WEAPON

The burden of proof is on you to prove a participant's age, not on us to prove he isn't 16. Please photocopy birth certificates of anyone under 20 years old in order to help us keep the battle areas as realistic as possible. Functional musicians only over 12. No one is to be on the field under 12 years of age under any circumstances.

HAY-STRAW

Hay will be free to all reenactors with horses. Straw for bedding will be sold at a nominal cost at the registration bam for pick up on site.

HORSE INSPECTIONS & WATERING

All horses must be checked at the registration bam prior to being allowed on the actual reenactments site. Current Coggins papers are essential. No watering of any horses from a common source should occur. Bring period (canvas or wooden) buckets to water horses individually. All horses will have one foot painted.

CIVILIAN "DEPENDENTS" CAMP

For the Federal civilians, you have two choices (three if you count camping with the unit you belong to if allowed to do so). Those civilians who wish to remain closer to the Federal army camping in the trees with a longer walk to the sutler, food, and activities area should be directed to the Federal "refugee" camp. The civilians who wish to be closer to sutlers, vendors, and "Living History" activities should be directed to the "Federal civilian camp" that will be camped in the open, next to the "Confederate civilian camp." We offer these two choices because we know what pleases some people displeases others. Due to space requirements, we can offer, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday in order to place the least stress upon yourselves prior to the event. Please make sure your federal civilians are aware of this choice.
Federal Civilian Camp Coordinator Mr. King Bennett
Confederate Civilian Camp Coordinator Mr. Lynn Bull

CIVILIAN VIEWING OF BATTLES

Civilians must proceed to the designated viewing areas at least one hour prior to the battles. Due to the large number of civilians coming to this event, we urge everyone to understand we can only hold a reasonably large space open for a reasonable amount of time.

DIRECTIONS

Undoubtedly the best ways to approach the site do not involve going through town or through the battlefield. Reenactors coming up from Virginia, the Carolinas, or the D.C. area should come up Rt. 15 North to the Steinwehr Ave. Exit. Head towards town and make the first left onto Bull Frog Road. This takes you directly to Pumping Station Road, where you will make a right and head 2 miles towards the Red Bam (registration). You must register, sign the insurance waiver, get your vehicle pass, personal ID medallion, maps, schedules, and "orders-of-battle," and purchase straw (if you wish, to be picked up on-site). You will then proceed to your camp area (modem campers will be directed to their tent/RV areas).
FROM THE NORTH
The previous paragraph holds true for people traveling down from New York, New Jersey, and Eastern Pennsylvania (in fact all of New England). Take 15 South to the Steinwehr Ave. exit, make a right at the end of the ramp and immediate left onto Bull Frog Road. Make a right at Pumping Station Road and go down about 2 miles to the Red Registration Bam.
DIRECTIONS FROM THE WEST
Take Rt. 30 heading East towards Gettysburg. Take Ortana Road South. Make left onto Rt. 116 heading towards Gettysburg. Make a right onto Camp Gettysburg Rd. Go to Pumping Station Road and make a left. The Red Registration Barn will be on the left. Look for CW signs at Camp Gettysburg Road and Pumping Station Road.
PLEASE DO YOURSELVES A BIG FAVOR
Arrive before Friday and during daylight hours if at all possible. You must have your car in camp no later than 7:00 AM Friday. All cars must be out of the camps by 9:00 AM Friday. If you arrive later then 7:00 AM, you must carry (or be shuttled from the parking lots) all of your equipment. Son-y, no exceptions. No cars can enter the site again before 3:45 PM Sunday afternoon. There will be thousands of folks staying over until Monday... why not stay with us one more night? There just might be an "impromptu" dance at the activities tent if we all have any energy left.

SORRY FOR THE DELAY

It has been a very difficult event approval process, and we had to wait until this past Monday in order to get all the authorizations we needed. Again, we apologize for the delay. We hope to make it up to you by providing you and your friends with an outstanding weekend.