March 15, 2003 Reenactment First Person Resources: We would like as many reenactor participants as possible to adopt a persona -- e.g. to portray an actual individual at least in name. If you need help in figuring out who to be, email us, as we'd be delighted to help. General Resources: Linda Trent has written a wonderful information sheet on developing your first person skills, entitled "The Art of First Person Conversation", which originally appeared in the Camp Chase Gazette. Vicki Rumble has developed a very useful "worksheet" for developing a first person character. Confederate Resources: Although only six of the actual 40 participants in the Herndon Raid have been postively identified, we have reconstructured the probable roster of Mosby's Command around this time. Click here to read the reconstructed roster. Most roles have yet to be assigned, other than Mosby himself, Welt Hatcher and "Jimmy the Irishman". The key roles of John Underwood, Dick Moran and James "Big Yankee" Ames will be assigned to mounted reenactors. The other known participants,,John Peyton DeButts and "Jake the Hungarian" may be played by dismounted Confederates. Specific roles with specific actions associated: John Underwood -- leads the scouting party into Herndon - only he and Mosby know the definite location. (This roll willl be filled by whomever the 4th Virginia assigns to ride up front) At the end of the raid, he leads of the group of Rangers who are escorting the prisoners James "Big Yankee" Ames - union defector, probably put toward the front of the column to help give the illusion of it being a federal cavalry unit, as he often wore his old uniform. Ames goes into the Hanna house and captures the officers, with Mosby and a few others. Dick Moran -- At the end of the raid, he leads of the rest of the column of Mosby's men, following Underwood's group John DeButts -- goes with Mosby to the sawmill and captures the federal soldiers hiding there. DeButts is grazed by a bullet in the arm and is the only Ranger injured in the raid. "Jake the Hungarian" -- no specific role during the raid itself. He is the one who escorts the captured officers to headquarters the folllowing day. Federal Resources: Approximately half of the dismounted Federals at the station are captured. Follow this link for the names of the captured. The bulk of the men were with Company L. The roster of Company L is on the Vermont Civil War website's section on the First Vermont. Specific roles with specific actions associated: Major William Wells, Capt. Robert Scofield, Lt. Perley Cheney and Lt. Alexander Watson: These officers are all captured at the Hanna house. As Mosby allows them to ride their own horses when they are taken prisoner, first preference will be given to mounted reenactors, to make the portrayal as realistic as possible. Lt. Edwin H. Higley, Co. K: If our Federal mounted unit is able to participate, it is Lt. Higley's column that gives chase. Sgt. Jonathan Blin Atchison, Co. A -- the only Federal who has to take a hit -- we need somebody (dismounted) with a sergeant's uniform, prepared to take a hit in the left upper thigh / buttock. (OW!) Civilian Resources: The memoirs of Kitty Kitchen Hanna are quite useful in giving a general flavor of what Herndon was like for civilians during the war era and how people were torn by conflicting loyalties. Specific roles: Specific individuals whom we would like to have portrayed include Mrs. Hanna (she's pregnant a the time of the raid!), her small son Charlie, her husband Nat Hanna (proprietor of the store at the depot), "Pat the Irishman" -- a local inhabitant and bit of a character, and Laura Ratcliffe, Confederate spy and friend of JEB Stuart, largely responsible for Mosby's getting the ok to start operations in the area, who lives at nearby Frying Pan. Other roles: Other plausible roles for civilians to play include: Townspeople of Herndon -- are divided between Union and Secessionist in their sympathies, so there's something for everyone. Names of local inhabitants may be obtained if you're interested by emailing us. Follow this link for a map of 19th century Herndon, showing where various families houses were located and therefore giving a number of local surnames from the period. People from out of town - local rural inhabitants from nearby places such as Frying Pan and Chantilly, come into town to do their shopping at Nat Hanna's. Visiting spouses / families of men of the 1st Vermont: (Although none were actually documented, this is the sort of post where such a thing would have been allowed and some indeed might have been here. If there had been a great many, it would undoubtedly have been documented. If you do not choose to portray a specific character, we'd appreciate your help, both with crowd control and in collect donations (the admission fee is voluntary for this event) for historic preservation from the crowd.   Key Links for Reenactors: Reenactors Schedule Event Scenario Site Map Parking Uniform Guidelines Civilian Guidelines Mounted Cavalry Camping /Hotels "First Person" Resources History of the Raid Contact us Return to Reenactor Information Main Page

Visit MosbysRangers.com For information on the event, contact: Richard Downer: mosbysraid@HRIAssociates.com (general information, logistics, civic involvement) Kathryn Coombs: MosbyWeb@aol.com (reenactors, living history program, website)