Geneva duo heads to Gettysburg for 150th anniversary of battle
FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE — Marshall Pederson, left, and his father Neal of Geneva recently participated in a 150th anniversary reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg. (Submitted photo)
By KATHY PAULSEN
Staff Writer
Marshall Pederson’s story began when he happened to see a cancellation, due to inclement weather, of a club meeting called the "Rochester Civil War Round Table" come across the bottom of the family television screen.
Being history buffs, Marshall and his father, Neal, looked up the the round table on the Internet and quickly joined the club. By the third year, they were asked to be speakers at monthly meetings.
They were told about an area reenactment. They went, and a Unit Captain called Marshall over to the camp. He looked over Marshall and made him get a uniform and join as a runner.
Marshall still laughs when he remembers, "I went to watch and before I knew it they were asking to look at my teeth, and told me that I was their newest recruit."
They enlisted in the First South Carolina Volunteer Infantry and are Rebels to the core.
Recently, the Pedersons took part in another Civil War reenactment that recognized the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Marshall parlayed the experience into his “Self-Determined” 4-H project at the Freeborn County Fair, writing an essay that received a purple ribbon and placed first in Open Class Short Story and Essays Class.
Marshall’s story is not only interesting, but authentic and inspiring to read. Marshall thoroughly studied and knew a great deal about his project. At last count Marshall has over 30 books about the Civil War and boxes of Civil War magazines from a Round Table member.
His story:
The Pain and Madness of the Civil War, by Marshall Pederson
"It is my fourth year as a Civil War reenactor and I'm on my way to Gettysburg, the site of the most well
known battle of the war, and during this 150th anniversary, the "crown jewel" of reenactments. The original battle is the focus of volumes of books, articles and other writings and movies. However, after 16 hours in an air-conditioned car with my cell phone and PSP to keep me entertained, I'm thinking more about the long march soldiers faced before arriving at this battlefield than anything else.
"As we arrive, I opened the car door to a blast of summer heat and notice a sea of white canvas. Tents are being set up in a pasture near a stand of trees and thousands of soldiers in blue and gray ‘setting up camp’ on different areas of the fields. I am transported back 150 years. With over 18,000 soldiers, artillery and cavalry, this is my largest reenactment yet, and I enjoy the camaraderie of my fellow re-enactors.
"The next day our company tours the battleground and museum. I am impressed that our uniforms are so historically accurate and how simple the needs were for soldiers at the time. Walking up Cup's Hill and imagining how many souls were lost on this very ground, I feel chills run up my spine and a sickening pit open in my stomach. Standing at Cemetery Ridge, site of Pickett's Charge that resulted in a massacre of Southern soldiers, I remember how the local creek ran red with their blood for days after the battle. I feel my soul sadden and realize this is hallowed ground.
"The third day features the battle of Seminary Ridge. My unit falls in with the Carolina Legion. We begin by drilling in the June heat, and then marching four miles to the battlefield. My feet are hurting; "brogans" are not comfortable shoes. My gear, light at the beginning of our trek, soon weighs me down as if it's filled with cannonballs. Cannons and muskets fire continually, and the shear number of soldiers awes me. There is blinding smoke and my gun is hot, burning my hands. The long blue line never ends its attack on us. I ‘die’ during this battle. Then we march back to camp; I'm hot, hungry and tired. We feast on potatoes, carrots and cool canned pears.
"The fourth day is the Peach Orchard battle. Another long march through the woods, where we stand for an hour waiting orders in the heat and humidity, in wool clothing that sticks to my body. I remember how, at previous reenactments I've attended, the South had won. During this battle, we are nearly surrounded by Union soldiers. I am ‘wounded’ and lay on the ground, with guns firing over my head, men marching over the top of me, and more soldiers falling down beside me. I imagine how a soldier would have felt, fearing the worst: infection, amputation, lingering death, waiting for the field surgeon to remove him from the field. Marching back to camp, my feet feel like two raw pieces of meat. I eat and go to bed early. I am physically and emotionally tired.
"The last day features Pickett's Charge. My feet are blistered, but we face yet another long march. Marching across the field, I am amazed by the massive numbers of Confederate soldiers beside and behind me. I know that more than half of these men will ‘die’ today. I consider how General Picket knew this was a suicide mission, but that soldiers were driven by their patriotic fervor. The Union army is a mile away, and I see how the Union artillery spreads across the line. Thousands of Union soldiers are lined up in front of us, protected by a stone wall. All that went through my mind was ‘"this is crazy"’ and ‘oh, my God, we are all going to die.’ Outnumbered, our position makes us like fish in a barrel marching across the open field. I am ‘wounded’ and my dad is ‘killed.’ I glance out over the field and it seems like everyone is down, ‘wounded or dead.’ It is no wonder that General Picket suffered a breakdown and never forgave General Lee for the orders of this day.
"I reflect on what happened on the journey home, mortified that people could do this to one another. I think about how our country today, is still divided in so many ways."
Marshall and Neal traveled to Gettysburg a bit early so they could tour the area and the museum. The first weekend of the150th anniversary of the event started July 26 and continued through July 30, and another weekend of events followed in August. Marshall and Neal, along with the other 18,000 infantry, artillery and cavalry, practiced drills as well as marched and did maneuvers. They had studied the Civil War and were well prepared to load their guns and fire their weapons, using black powder.
The participants lived like soldiers during the time period. They wore authentic clothing, including the heavy wool uniforms and shoes called brogans. They slept on the ground, on straw, and used old blankets, although Marshall did admit that a few had to use air mattresses. They used "outhouses" and there were water trucks available.
They tried to eat, as much as possible, like the soldiers did at the time, preparing their food over campfires. Marshall and Neal were able to keep a modern cooler in their tent that was disguised, and did use a few canned goods.
Marshall remarked he really enjoyed bacon prepared in cast iron fry pans. Coffee was made the old-fashioned way in old coffee pots that cooked the coffee in the grounds.
Marshall said they usually ate better and had more to eat than most soldiers during the civil war. Most soldiers of the time lived on hard tack, a type of bread made with only flour, salt and water, and of course, beans. If they were lucky they would have fruit from local orchards and on occasion wild game or bacon.
The local reenactment groups meet over the weekends, once or twice a month, May through October, at different sites including Adams, Mankato, Pipestone, Wasioja; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Norskadeyn, Wisconsin and Grand Forks, North Dakota. Some of the events are held every year, while others are every other.
The South Carolina Unit plans to participate in another reenactment event in Mason City the weekend of September 14-15. The event is open to the public and free to watch.
About 200,000 people watched the event each day in Gettysburg this year.
Marshall and Neal have also attended previous national events, one at Wilson Creek, Missouri in 2011, where approximately 6,000 Union and Confederate Soldiers participated. They also traveled to Antietam, Maryland in 2012, where about 8,000 participated.
Marshall and his parents, Neal, Shelley and sister, Carma, 13, have lived in Geneva for the past 12 years. Marshall, enrolled at NRHEG, will be entering 10th grade when the school bells ring this fall and Carma will be going into 8th grade.
Neal grew up in Lyle and wanted to serve in the Air Force, like his dad, but he had a medical issue that kept him from flying. Neal attended Hamline University and got a degree in Law Enforcement and currently serves as Captain of the Faribault Police Department. Shelley grew up in Albert Lea and is a substitute teacher for Albert Lea and NRHEG.
Marshall is a member of the Hayward 4-H club and a county ambassador. He entered several projects in the Freeborn County Fair.
Any young people interested in taking up a musket and playing army on the weekends should contact the Pedersons at 507-391-3150. Marshall is also an honor roll student and member of the choir.