Joe Bordonaro will be teaching campaign style camping. He started reenacting in January, 1999. He started going to campaign-style events in October, 2000. He has attended the following campaign events: Hodge Preservation March, Virginia, 10/00; McDowell, West Virginia, 5/01; Burkittsville, Maryland, 9/01; Recon2, Virginia, 5/02; and Pamplin Historical Park, 6/02. Although Joe may not have several years of reencting under his belt, he has attended a fair number of campaign-style events and has learned a number of skills which make sleeping in the field possible with only the small amount of bedding one typically carries at a campaign event. Joe says that "Sleeping is very important to my sense of well-being, as I suspect it is for most of us. It is hard to enjoy an event if you don't get a decent amount of sleep. So, if you are planning to attend campaign-style events, it's a good idea to pick up some pointers on how to sleep at these events." Joe recently completed an 18-mile march from Fox's Gap to Antietam National Battlefield, and then on to the site of the A140 event.
Darla Bowen will be instructing Vivandieres. Darla has been reenacting for 8 years. She began as a lady, then became a soldier with the artillery, then decided to blend the two by portraying a vivandiere. Most of her reenacting carrer she was a member of the Fifth Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery. Now she works on an independent gun crew. In the real world, Darla is an Exhibit Program Specialist at the Cincinnati History Museum where she gets the opportunity to persue her love of historical research and first-person interpretation. One of her numerous characters is Elizabeth Cain Finnan who was a vivandiere with the Eighty-First Ohio Infantry. While some of Elizabeth's background has been elusive, Darla has not given up the chase, especially since Elizabeth is so well received by the visitors to the museum. Darla graduated from the College of Mount St. Joseph with a BA in History. Her senior thesis, Serving in Skirts: The American Vivandiere in the Civil War, was well received. With encouragement from her history professor, Darla hopes it will be the basis of a much larger work that could be published. Her hope is to educate the public on the existence and the dedication of the women who visibly served with the soldiers during the Civil War.
Bill Christian has been involved with CW enacting since 1977. He rose in the "ranks'" of CW military role-playing from "private" to the "colonel" of the Western Brigade. Bill is the Publisher and "Editor-at-fault" of The Watchdog and is the author of the soon to be published Spy of the Cumberland (Edinborough Press) biography of Pauline Cushman. He will be demonstrating a period correct sutlery and helping with several of the classes.
Kenneth Coanshock has been a Civil War Re-enactor since 10/99. Ken has attended numerous "Main Stream" events as well as educational living history programs as Union Infantry. He has manned a 10 Pound Parrot Rifle, 12 Pound Howitzer and a Mountain Howitzer at "Main Stream" events and educational living history programs as Confederate Artillery. Ken is a member of "The Kearney Guards" and has attended several "Authentic" events and living history programs as Union Infantry. He was a Special Effects Technician for "Combat FX", two years. He has worked on film projects ranging from National Parks Service films to television productions as well as a general release motion picture. Ken is also a member of Historical Extras, LLC., Representative/ Coordinator for the New Jersey region. He has reenacted in several film projects for the National Parks Service and television productions as Union and Confederate Infantry, Union and Confederate Artillery. He is approved for artillery positions 1-4 by the National Civil War Artillery Association and a member of the National Civil War Artillery Association.
Jeffrey Cohen will be teaching NCWAA artillery drill. Jeff has been re-enacting with the New Jersey Civil War History Association, Inc. as 14th NJ Co. H and is a volunteer with 44th INF. {Division of Civilian marksmanship} He is a member of New Jersey Living History Association portraying Sixth New York Independent Light Artillery and First New Jersey Light Artillery Battery C. Jeff is approved for artillery positions 1-4 by the National Civil War Artillery Association and is a member of the National Civil War Artillery Association. Jeff will be bringing a full scale 10 Pound Parrott rifle for drill purposes.
Richard Hill is an amateur historian and folklorist with a forty-year passion for the Civil War era, is a volunteer historical interpreter for Fort Delaware State Park in his spare time. Rich has reenacted at battles, events, libraries, schools and civic organizations for more than five years, successfully representing US/CS officer and enlisted military impressions in all combat branches as well as impressions of a number of different social levels of citizen. He has made presentations to the Robert E. Lee and Major General Eliakim Parker Scammon Civil War Roundtables, has presented as part of the Monsignor William Noe Field Lecture Series at Seton Hall University, performed in The History Channel production of the Battle of Franklin and participated in the South Mountain March. Rich specializes in helping others build authentic first person impressions and relies heavily on soldier life vignettes to enhance personal scenarios.
Wendy King will be one of several teaching disguise and attitude. She will also be instructing in infantry drill. Wendy has been re-enacting since 1984, portraying a soldier for all but one year. (The first year was spent in a woman’s role, during which she quickly became bored.). Her booklet, Clad in Uniform: Women Soldiers of the Civil War, published in 1992, was the first public offering to focus solely on Civil War women soldiers. She is the web master of the Women Military Reenactors site and a message board dedicated to helping women properly reenact military and para-military roles. In 2001 she was one of three chosen to hold a workshop on accuracy in reenacting the Conference on Women and the Civil War . She also professionally and semi-professionally speaks on the military roles of women during the Civil War. She continues to re-enact in a soldiers’ role; encouraging correct interpretation from women who field as soldiers and educating those who aren’t familiar with the original women who fought in ranks.