Wednesday, March 5, 2008

The Siege of Socorro

Reenactors travel hundreds of miles to act out battles

Nat Holland El Defensor Chieftain Civil War Correspondent

"Texans rout Union forces at Valverde" or "Confederates capture Socorro" might read the headlines following the events of late February 1862 as Confederate forces moved north from El Paso towards their fateful encounter with Union forces at Glorieta Pass.

The Battles for Socorro is a series of events held each year by Civil War reenactors to commemorate these two events. The Siege of Socorro, held on Friday, was a running battle from Clark Field to the Socorro Plaza, where the town was eventually surrendered.

The Battle of Valverde was reconstructed Saturday afternoon in two phases next to the Escondida bridge. The weekend closed with a non-historical battle on Sunday in which Confederate reenactors assaulted "Fort Escondida," a fortification constructed in the style of the Civil War period.

So why do the reenactors travel, some of them hundreds of miles, to act out battles that happened in a war over a century ago?

"There's a lot of different reasons why they are involved. Some of them are the best historians, some for fun, others are romantics trying to relive the past," said participant Dick Goddard, a professor of archeology and history at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colo. "A couple of years ago we formed an artillery reenactment group. It gave (my students) a different way of discovering the past. When you reenact there are little details you would never get from reading or researching."

"I've been doing this 23 years and every time I go out I learn something new," said Ken Dusenberry, of the Artillery Company of New Mexico. "Doing the living history helps me understand what I am reading in the history books."

Those thoughts were echoed by spectator Duane Shaw, of El Paso.

"I came to El Paso eight years ago and one visit to Fort Craig set me off about learning about all this," Shaw said. "You can buy all the book you want or go online, but I've learned more about the war, particularly in the Southwest, sitting around the fire."

Around 430 spectators were counted observing the battle from the Escondida bridge during the height of the action on Saturday.

"I think my favorite part of this is going through (Socorro)," said Confederate Albert Nungaray, of El Paso. "I've done a lot of events and it's not every day you can shoot a cannon next to a store and no one gets mad. Alarms are going off and everyone is laughing about it."

The booming of the artillery and the clash of historic battles may tend to be featured in the limelight, but reenactors fill a diversity of roles on - and off the battlefield.

"We watch the wagons," Confederate teamster Leonard Clapes said in character. "Out before the battle a bunch of mules ran off east of Black Mesa because they smelled the river. We had to leave a bunch of wagons because we couldn't pull them, so we burned them so the Union couldn't get them."

Musicians were a necessity for fast communication. Drummers particularly could quickly pass signals during battle and summon troops for various reasons.

"There was always a drummer on guard duty to alert the soldiers," said Union drummer Hal Meyer. "It was a lot more effective than sending some guy around to tell everyone, 'Hey the enemy is coming.'"

In the spacious western U.S. scouts were frequently employed as the first line of offense — or defense.

"As a scout you are an advance party to find the enemy," said Union scout Austin Dimick. "You can catch people or kill them. If we're snatching people we go in groups, but we usually work alone."

Spies are another position often glossed over.

"Graydon's Independent Spy Company was made up of ne'er-do-wells, but very industrious chaps," said David Kubica of the 1st New Mexico Volunteers. "They would dress up as merchants and infiltrate Confederate camps."

One such story of union spies was related by Confederate Ted Sleeman.

"Some people claim it's true and some not," Sleeman said. "At Fort Craig the Yankees got the bright idea that they were going to tie a bunch of dynamite on mules and send it over to the Confederate camp."

The spies lit the fuses, released the mules, then galloped back towards Fort Craig the story goes. The mules didn't stay at the Confederate camp, instead they raced back towards Fort Craig right behind the men who released them.

Officer's among the reenactors carry many of the responsibilities of their predecessors.

"Mostly it's administrative," said Commander Steven Grizzell, of Teel's Texas Battery. "Making sure the men get ammunition and feed them — they get whiny if you don't feed them."

Food was one of the biggest problems the original Confederate forces faced, according to Grizzell.

"The bad thing is when we get farther north we lose all our supplies," Grizzell said, in character. "The horses are starving. Since it's winter there is not that much food to buy or take. A lot of people look at Confederate scrip and hide their food."

"It is kind of a stressful position," said Commander Russ Schneider. "I'm going to discuss with the Union commander what is going to happen. I make sure we have a guideline what is going to happen so we don't step in front cavalry when they are charging or have live guns."

While there is a focus on authenticity, there were many disparities between the present reenactors and what the historical soldiers would have experienced.

"We try to have the same weapons, equipment, dress and tactics," said Confederate Ron Taylor. "We have better camping."

"We're eating a lot better than they did," Sleeman said. "Probably only the officers had tents. Privates would have a canvas blanket."

Modern amenities, such as cell phones, peaked out from time to time, and no one complained about the short trip to the portable toilets. The women and children commonly seen around the camps over the weekend would have been an anomaly. Union and Confederate reenactors amicably wandered between camps and chatted.

The greatest difference between the historical war that divided the U.S. and the present day reenactment, is the resurrection call at the end of the battle.

The dead and injured get up off the ground, and the victorious and the defeated cheer each other on.

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