9/29/2005

Revolutionary battle brings together 'soldiers' and spectators in Swansea

SWANSEA - Commuters traveling down Route 44 in Rehoboth this weekend might have noticed the loud, intermittent sounds of gun and cannon fire emanating from the side of the road. The exchange of gun and artillery fire that took place on Redway Plain was no cause for alarm, however. The rounds were blanks, harmless ammunition used for demonstrations.

The demonstration taking place was in fact a re-creation of American Revolution-era combat between British soldiers and colonial militias. This historic atmosphere was re-created by a large contingent of historically savvy actors from far and wide.

On the open expanse of Redway Plain were two groups of tents. The smaller group, located at the rear of the field, near the woods, consisted mostly of vendors, dressed in full revolution-era civilian and military garb. At one of these tents was Rhode Island author Norman Desmarais, selling and signing copies of his latest book, "Battlegrounds of Freedom," which he said was the first guide to the American Revolution published in 30 years.

"People have the impression that the American Revolution is Lexington, Saratoga and Bunker Hill," Mr. Desmarais said. "They don't know all the minor battles."

For those who wish to know, Mr. Desmarais says his book offers a wealth of information on the lesser known battles of the American Revolution, as well as maps of the country that point out where many of these battles take place in relation to modern landmarks. To complement the themes of both his book and the weekend's events, Mr. Desmarais appeared in a white cloth outfit and a black brimmed hat — a re-creation of a Revolution-era soldier's uniform.

At the other end of the field were many more tents, with white cloth tarps made of material similar to that of Mr. Desmarais' uniform. Here, men and women walked around, talked and built fires, also wearing Revolution-era clothing. Children rolled around and played on a large pile of bailed hay.

Women cooked bread, clam chowder and other foods in Dutch ovens. And many men carried muskets or old-fashioned rifles, clad in various colonial soldiers' uniforms, including many like the one worn by Norman Desmarais nearby. Among the men clad in this particular type of costume was Swansea resident Carl Becker. Mr. Becker explained that the outfit's main feature was a white linen hunting frock, chosen by then-general George Washington in part to make British forces think twice before engaging his men in combat, for fear that they were expert hunters.

"Washington liked that look, because it made the British think they were all crack shots," Mr. Becker said.

In the middle of the large field, several cannons were manned by uniformed colonists preparing to defend their encampment from the advancing British forces. Artillery commander John Taber of Marion, Mass., explained that despite the historic nature of what he and his men were about to do, their activities had to be in compliance with 21st-century law.

"You have specific rules and regulations as to how much time there is between when a gun is fired and when that gun is fired again," Mr. Taber explained. "It has to be a minimum of three minutes."

And it was not long before the crowd gathered on the edge of the field near the woods would hear those cannons go off. Minutes later, a large number of British soldiers marched onto the field from a nearby encampment, most of them easily distinguished by their shiny red coats and white pants. Short volleys of rifle and musket shots were fired off by the British, before the colonists and militia men began to follow suite. The staged combat was slow-paced at first, with none of the fast-paced charges and prolonged bursts of gunfire associated with modern combat, as seen on TV. The combat demonstration gradually intensified, with colonial forces following orders to fall back a few paces as the cannons on both sides began to sound off in loud, jarring bursts.

As the intensity of the fighting escalated, the frequency of gun shots increased, though soldiers and militiamen had to reload after each shot. Casualties also began to mount on both sides, with many of the actors falling on the ground and lying still as if mortally wounded.

"You just drop, and you just stay there until the end," explained Peter Romanovich, a colonial cannon operator from Smithfield. "You can moan and groan, pretend you're wounded."

The action was intense, as was the suspense, with both sides appearing to have the upper hand at various times. In the end, however, the colonists won, with the surviving British forces trudging wearily off the field, dragging a small number of cannons with them.

"We're the advance party," explained Chris Woolf of Boston, as he marched back with his fellow British soldiers carrying a box of ammunition. "We ran into some continentals and militia who managed to overrun us."

The soldiers on both sides came from a wide variety of backgrounds, and hailed from all over the United States. Chris Woolf was unique among the Americans playing English roles, in that he is actually from England. Some American friends already involved in re-enactments turned him on to the idea of doing it when their group needed the fill the roles of British soldiers.

"I was a history major when I came over here from England," Mr. Woolf explained. "They said, 'you're a Brit. Why don't you play one?' "

"I was personally invited by Chris Woolf," said fellow British soldier of Boston, when asked how he got involved in the group. "Also, I wanted to learn about history from the British side."

Indeed, a fascination with history seemed to be the glue that bound all the participants. Many claimed to have either studied history in school or acquired a taste for it on their own. An interest in war-related memorabilia and antiques also seemed to be a common thread between them.

"I used to paint model soldiers as a kid," said Carl Becker.

Paul Cairrao of Bristol recently returned from military service in Baghdad, Iraq. Having been involved in re-enactments before, however, he was not deterred from getting involved in them again after his real-world military experience. In fact, he said, his love of history and fascination with old-style cannons made his role as a cannon operator enjoyable for him.

"I just like the history," he said. "And firing the cannons is a lot of fun."

"I had a thing for cannons for a long time," said Matt Schickling of Lynn, Mass., who operated a cannon along with Mr. Cairrao.

Many claimed to have had such an interest since childhood. Bernie Taber, another cannon operator, and wife of John Taber, jokingly said she felt that their interest in reenactments was a logical, if somewhat abnormal extension of a lifelong hobby.

"That's the problem," Mrs. Taber said. "We never grow up."

By Vinaya Saksena (vsaksena@eastbaynewspapers.com) Reprint from East Bay Newspapers. Copyright © 2005 East Bay Newspapers