Valley Forge Reenactment

[dominick]

I went to the Valley Forge reenactment for the 4th of July.  Here are a few photos of the cannon and crew.  I will post the videos as soon as they are finished uploading.  Dom

[Cat Whisperer]

That MUST have been a sight!

Thanks for posting the pix!

[KABAR2]

Great photo's of the cannon....................... But where's the snow? 

[dominick]

Here are the video links.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxtq_XmjlPM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u7gSQG0ahY

[Ex 49'er]

Dom, nice videos. I don't think I'd want to be standing as close to the  muzzle when it was touched off. Yeah, they
plugged one ear; but, I think they would still have ringing in their other ear.

[Cannoneer]

Thanks Dom, enjoyed the stills, and vids.


Added: One minor criticism of this reenacting crew would be that with all the time, and effort that they evidently put into looking period correct, I think they could afford to get rid of that galvinized water bucket, and get a proper wooden one.

[thelionspaw]

John: It's called, "field expediency". 

I just attended a lecture on Colonial Artillery and the presenter noted that the cast iron cooking pot was eventually shed for a tin one.

Makes sense to me. I served in an, "Underground Mess Kit Repair Battalion".

rc

[Cannoneer]

RC,
You're probably right, or maybe after all their expenditures on the gun, carriage, and outfits they have to save for a little while before they can afford a proper oak bucket. I got curious, so I went googlin', there are Amish made pine buckets that go for around thirty, but they're described as decorative, this one is definitely utilitarian. It seems a little high to me, but I'll defer to your judgement if this is a fair price, or not.   


Cannon Bucket
In the days before cannons were breech loaded (i.e. loaded from the back), a cannon would have to be "swabbed out" between firings with a rag or sponge on a stick dipped in water, and this bucket is what the "swab" would have been dipped into.  Our Cannon Bucket is built with a locking lid securely tied to bent steel handles  made by hand on our forge.  Height:  9", Diameter: 8.75" top, 9.5" bottom.

Price...$400.00

[KABAR2]

Of all places I used to find wood buckets in thrift shops,

they were leftovers from the 1960's & early 70's when the rustic colonial decor was in vogue.....

the most I ever paid for one was 5.00........ seek and ye shall find......

[Cannoneer]

Allen, around here I haven't seen to many thrift shops lately, I think these shopkeepers may have all gotten together in a conspiratorial fashion, and decided to change their job descriptions to: Dealers in Antiques. I don't frequent these "Antique Shoppes" all that much, but I've got the feeling that they would have a $100 price tag on the galvanized steel bucket, along with a description of it, as on its way to becoming rare. I tremble to think what price they would put on the wooden bucket that I posted, but that one would probably have the legend that George Washington took a sip of water from it (that is after they beat it up some).   

[thelionspaw]

We used to dine in a German restaurant in Ridgewood that recieved their herring in nice wooden buckets. The empties were always stacked-up on the sidewalk for the sanitation pick-up.  I still have one BUT my cannon bucket comes from  "Family Farm"; once called Central Tractor when it was better and I still raised beef cattle.  It is plastic and defies identifying it as such. I thought it was wooden and didn't realize that it wasn't, until I actually put it in my cart.  Close enough.

I used to work at a forge in a welding/blacksmith shop for a late friend. When I finished a piece, I'd hold it up and ask Bill, "How's this?"  He'd say, "Close enough. You can't see it from my house".

Where has all of the time gone?  On the up-side; I no longer have to tolerate or suffer fools. Actually; I never have.

rc