145th Anniversary Reenactment of the Battle of Droop Mountain

This past weekend saw the biannual Droop Mountain reenactment at the DM Battlefield park in Pocahontas County, WV.

It was in many ways an optimal weekend for the event. The weather could hardly have been better. Clear blue skies framed a fine golden and red leaf display. The temperatures were warm during the daylight hours and crisp but not uncomfortably cold at night. Saturday morning featured a tactical in which the Union forces achieved their objective of reaching an imaginary town of Beverly, through diversion and hard marching through the winding trails of the park, only to be later surrounded and annihilated by a numerically superior Confederate force.

Overall the following groups attended: The WV Reenactors Assn., 10th PA, 7th WV, 15th OVI, 10th WV, 2nd VA, 17th VA cavalry, 26th VA, 36th VA, 5th VA, and 13th VA. If I missed anyone, please post a correction.

Saturday afternoon’s battle scenerio was the opening stages of the fight at Mill Point which preceded Droop Mountain. In the original battle, the Federals conducted a reconnisance in force toward the Confederate positions and were initially repulsed (until the main body of the Federal army came up.)

Saturday evening featured a real wedding in the Confederate camp (best wishes to Jason and Ronna Studenwalt). Jay Kelly of the 1st WV presided over the ceremonies. That night, the traditional ball was held in the Federal camp with music provided by the Rich Mountain String Band and dances called by Phyllis Baxter. Some of the reenactors also went ghost hunting in the park under a mostly full moon.

On Sunday, the Battle of Droop Mountain was reenacted. This featured a series of assaults and flanking maneuvers around the Confederate positions which resulted in the collapse of the Rebel line and a Union victory. This was acted out with great panache by all the participants.

On the down side, the event suffered from a lack of Federal reenactors. Indeed, the Confederates outnumbered the Yankees almost 3 to 1. According to Mark Tennant there were approximately 32 Federals on the field Sunday including Artillery crews. The battle would have looked pretty silly had not Confederates from the 25th, 2nd and 17th Virginia galvanized and kept up a fire from the woods where their uniforms were largely not visible to the spectators. (Thanks guys!)

Also, no sutlers attended this year. That is: zero, none, nada! Another issue related to diminishing numbers of reenactors – the sutlers can’t make enough money to cover their expenses so they pass up events like this. Not that I need much of anything anymore, but I still like to look.

Still, the weekend was pleasant. The spectator crowds were good each day and seemed to enjoy the battles. Also, the park staff, under Ranger Mike Smith, did a great job of making the reenactors feel at home during our stay at the park, as usual. Thanks Mike! And, as I noted at the beginning of this piece, the leaves were stunning and the weather was outstanding for the entire weekend. That by itself may be worth the price of the gas.