2009 First Federal Division Maximum Effort Event
Conner Prairie Civil War Days — Decherd: Campaigning on the Duck River Line
May 15th – 17th, 2009

Conner Prairie — A Living History Park and Museum
Fishers, Indiana (just north of Indianapolis)

The Basics

We have a wonderful opportunity to experience Civil War History. The First Federal Division, as official guest hosts of Conner Prairie, Inc., will be commanding all the Federal Forces which will occupy the villages of Conner Prairie for the weekend. With a good combination of period correct surroundings (a mid 19th century village), extensive opportunities for living history, as immersive an experience of the life of a soldier as you desire, and the opportunity to engage in battle with the Confederate forces, this event has something for everyone.

The Location

Conner Prairie is a large, open-air living history museum made up of four distinct historic areas, a modern museum center and over 800 acres of natural beauty. Conner Prairie's mission is to serve as a local, regional and national center for education and activities exploring the lives, times and values of the 1800s in America.

Connor Prairie a place where stories are preserved for the future. Staff members strive to accurately research and interpret the past and to create public programs that bring 19th-century events and situations into clear focus for visitors. Programs range from the joyful festivity of an 1836 wedding to the dark uncertainty of the Underground Railroad to the explosive times of the American Civil War.

Conner Prairie is located in Fishers, Indiana, just six miles north of Indianapolis' I-465 on Allisonville Road.

The Scenario

This event will be set in May-June of 1863. The Army of the Cumberland, newly re-organized and recovering after the bloody battle of Stones River, is camped in and around Franklin County, Tennessee. The Federal forces for the event will portray the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, 20th (McCook’s) Corps, who have taken up residence in the town of Decherd, TN (the period village in Conner Prairie). They will be continuing to build strength, drill new recruits, and provision themselves for an expected upcoming campaign. Battalion commanders have individual unit portrayal information and should be handing that out in due course.

The CSA forces, under Braxton Bragg, have situated themselves along the stage and rail routes connecting Nashville and Chattanooga, 30 miles south of Stevenson, AL, near Tullahoma, along what has come to be called the “Duck River Line.”

The two sides are probing each other, and the Federal forces are charged with breaking the Confederate line in preparation for the Army’s move south to capture Chattanooga.

The weekend will be filled with various expeditions, reconnaissance, guard/picket, and battle engagement scenarios, with the forces staying 'in character' for as much of the weekend as possible. Participants should plan on 'being soldiers' from their arrival on site to their departure Sunday afternoon.

This is a wonderful opportunity for the officers and men of the Division to portray citizen soldiers all weekend long, without having to try to re-create a particular scenario. The opportunity for leadership in the field and strong living history in the camps is particularly appealing. The army will be 'on' all weekend, and there will be opportunities for camp, guard, reconnaissance, and picket duties in addition to the 'major' engagements that we will participate in with the public.

A Brief History of the 20th Corps (around the time we are portraying)

This Corps was identical with that part of the Army of the Cumberland, or Fourteenth Corps, which had been designated as the Right Wing until January 9, 1863, when, under General Order No. 9, the War Department directed that the Right Wing be set apart and designated as the Twentieth Corps. Major-General McCook, its former commander, and Generals Davis, Johnson, and Sheridan, its former generals of division, were retained in command.

The troops composing "McCook's Corps," as it was generally called in the army, were veterans who had withstood the fire of hard-fought fields. Many of the regiments had fought at Shiloh, and at Chaplin Hills, and all of them were engaged at Stone's River. McCook had distinguished himself at Shiloh, where his division contributed largely to Buell's success in the second day's battle; also at Chaplin Hills, in which battle his command was almost the only force engaged. The 20th Corps, at the time it was so designated, contained the same troops which fought at Stone's River, with the same organization of divisions and brigades. There were three divisions, each containing three brigades; in all, 37 regiments of infantry, and 9 batteries of light artillery, one battery being attached to each brigade. It numbered, just before the battle of Stone's River, 13,779 present for duty.

After Rosecrans' victory at Stone's River, the Twentieth Corps advanced with the Army of the Cumberland and occupied Murfreesboro, where it remained until June, 1863. The advance on Chattanooga then commenced, during which the corps encountered the enemy at Liberty Gap, Tenn., on the 25th of June. Its casualties in that action amounted to 42 killed, 231 wounded, and 1 missing; total, 274.

The 20th Corps accompanied Rosecrans across the Cumberland Mountains in his pursuit of Bragg, and on Sept. 19th fought at Chickamauga. In this battle McCook's Corps took eight brigades, 12,480 men, into action; it lost 423 killed, 2,698 wounded, and 1,215 missing; total, 4,336. One brigade — Post's (1st) Brigade, Davis' (1st) Division — was not engaged, being absent guarding a supply train.

Event Information

Registration

Participation in the event is by Registration ONLY. No walk-ons will be allowed. Please see:

http://www.connerprairie.org/events/civil_war_weekend

...for more details.

Registration is FREE. There is no event fee for participating re-enactors.

Please register with your organization no later than April 1st. The sooner the better, as always.

Registration is done by COMPANY and/or BATTALION only! No individual registrations will be accepted. This is a Conner Prairie policy, and will be strictly enforced. Please contact YOUR member organization/company/battalion to find exact registration instructions for your particular battalion.

Every participant will receive either free period rations or a food coupon for use at the snack vendors. This choice will be made at the battalion level. Please contact your commanders for more information.

Participation

All federal Participants will serve under the First Federal Division. Organizations and “pards” will not be split up, but in order to field proper size maneuvering elements, smaller organizations may be combined to form workable battalions/companies, etc. This will all be done in conjunction and cooperation with those units’ commanders.

All federal participants must follow the Rules and Regulations of the event, as well as the Rules and Regulations of the First Federal Division. Copies of the FFD’s Living History and Safety Rules are available at:

http://www.firstfederaldivision.com/about.html

More information will come through your chain of command in the weeks ahead. We believe this is an excellent opportunity for the Division and its friends to experience a quality Civil war weekend. We look forward to serving in the field with you all!

Continue to monitor the First Federal Division website:

(http://www.firstfederaldivision.com)

...for the latest news and updates!