From the 1812 Workshop

Well, Mississinewa is only 2 weeks away! As usual I have put everything off to the last possible minute. At present I am currently shrinking/sizing my emerald green, linen material for my rifle frock in the dryer. To keep from having the whole thing fray away, I stapled the cut ends with #4 Swingline staples (I don't own a sewing machine)! Ironic, but the stapler I am using is from Marion, IN, home of the Mississinewa battlefield, which is where this whole mess began and ultimately will end. Some kind of kharmic 1812 thing?

Outside, my shako hat mold is forming. I had no idea how to proceed with this. I have no shako blank, and to buy one is $$$, which I do not have. Thus, I did the 21st c. thing and looked to the inter-web. I found a YouTube video in which a guy made a hat mold by spraying expanding foam insulation material into a hat, to get the crown shape. I figured, why not do the same for a shako? Thus, I went to Home Depot; found the cardboard post hole tubes (look in the concrete supply area) measured a few and tried them on (you get strange looks from folks when they see a guy puttuing 4' long tubes on his head in the store), And bought one with an 8" diameter. I then cut it down to about 14" tall. I sprayed the interior with no stick cooking spray and shot a whole can of foam gap filler into it. If it works, I will be happy. If it is an "epic fail" as the kids say, I am only out $9.

Other projects: Making my Fort Meigs camp axe fit its handle with a wood rasp and hammer. Going back to Home depot for a cotton drop cloth with which to make my gaiters. Wish me luck!

<< Epic Fail>> The shako block has failed. There was not enough strength to the foam, and the center of the tube was full of liquid sealant. Oh well, I tried!

Fallen Timbers: 2011

While taking the kids to N. Michigan for our annual week long vaccation this past August, we stopped in at the Fallen Timbers memorial outside Toledo, OH. Once again my lousy camera skills combined with overcast skies to generate some lousy photographs.




The memorial is best accessed off of I-475, on the west side of Toledo. Take the US 24 exit, West. From there it is only a short distance to the site. Recent archaeological work has located the actual battlefield site to be a short distance away from the "park".

The park site itself is layed out in a grand lawn style, bordered by trees and walking paths, leading to a cluster of memorials on a small bluff over looking the flood plain of the Maumee. The largest memorial is that of Wayne, Little Turtle and what appears to be a frontiersman. Each of the bases 4 sides memorializes the peoples and events leading up to and following the battle.

Other monuments are dedicated to the US troops and militia who fought on August 20th, 1794. More poigniant are the memorials to the Indian warriors and Turky Foot, the Ottawa chief.

Trouble with Blogger

I have found that I can no longer sign in or comment on my favorite blogs anymore. My apologies, many of you are doing great work or posting things of interest. I hope to be enabled to comment soon....

Another Tecumseh tomahawk...

Here we have another pipe tomahawk presented as a gift by Tecumseh. This one was given to James Galloway, Sr. This piece is in the collection of the Fort Ancient Museum, Ohio Historical Society. I wish I was better at taking pictures of items under glass in appallingly dark museum conditions. A brief biography of J. Galloway, Sr. is: http://historyofohio.blogspot.com/2009/04/james-galloway-family.html

Tecumseh was here...

Here is an interesting piece in the Adena mansion and museum in Chillicothe, OH. It is a pipe tomahawk presented to Thomas Worthington by Tecumseh after he (Tecumseh) stayed at Adena, while further discussing peace in the new state and the details of the Greeneville treaty. The Adena mansion is run by the Ohio Historical Society, and has undergone a massive restoration and had a new museum built since my first visit in 1997. Well done, OHS!

Something new!

Here it is! My just out of the box, Euroarms, 1803 Harpers Ferry, rifle musket! Just in time for the Tippecanoe bicentennial! Now to get the rest of my kit together. HUZZAH!!

"A well regulated militia..."

I just got the kids back to their mom's after another exciting, fun and exhausting Fort Meigs siege weekend. The persistent rain this week/spring, and the occasional "leaden" sky seemed to keep the number of on lookers down, but still the event and attendees soldiered on! Another quality event! The kids militia as always is a huge hit with my son, Lawson (7), and he has the amazing ability for finding a buddy everywhere he goes. Lawson and his buddy fell in, were equipped, learned the rudiments of 19th c. drill, fought a mock battle and were musterd out all in about 40 minutes! This says volumes about the volunteers of Fort Meigs and their ability to "herd cats". Well done folks! Sadly, I was talking with fort staff more about clothing and stitching than paying attention but here is a shot of Lawson (loading)and his buddy. The fort provides the kids with a stand of arms for this activity. It is amazing to see how quickly the kids fall into line, take orders and execute commands with some alacrity. Hats off to the public schools for training them in linear order and voice command ("alright kids line up for lunch, recess, to go down the hall", etc) American militia training and performance would have been vastly improved in the war of 1812 with a levee of elementary school aides!

Along the road home...

When I journey back home to Michigan from my present abode in Columbus, Ohio, I take US 23 North. This in many ways is my true "road home", as I can take it from here in central Ohio, north all the way to my home town in Oscoda, MI. Pretty cool I think. While not as storied as the National road (US 40) or Route 66, there is some history along the side of it. Here are 2 markers related to the struggle for the Old Northwest. And here is a shot of 2 new recruits for the 41st Regt:

This shot of the kids was taken at Fort Meigs, Siege Weekend 2010. Thanks to freind, fellow wargamer and reenactor, Dave D.