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28th New York Infantry Regiment

Niagara Rifles; Scott Life Guard

Review of 2009 Niagara County Historical Society - January 17th and 22nd Blue and Gray Debutante Ball , Newark, NY - March 28th Spring Drill, Groveland, NY - April 18th Newtown Battlefield, Elmira, NY - May 1st-3rd Fire On The Genesee, Letchworth State Park, NY - May 15th-17th Memorial Day Events - May 24th & 25th Marion Living History, Marion, NY - June 13th-14th Jamesville Beach Park, Jamesville, NY - June 19th-21st Good Old Days Farm Market, Macedon Center, NY - June 27th 146th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, Gettysburg, Pa. - July 2nd-5th Independance Day Events, Palmyra, NY - July 4th Niagara County Historical Society, Lockport, NY - January 15th and 22nd Throughout the 2008 reenacting year, the members of the 28th had been carrying out fundraising. The purpose of this fundraising was to start a fund to restore the national flag carried by the 28th New York which we knew was housed at the Historical Society in Lockport and it was decided that we would present the results of our fund-raising, in excess of $800, to the Historical Society in January. Darin Everdyke, Unit President, presenting the Check The national flag of the regiment has been housed at Lockport since the 1960s and the museum staff unrolled the flag for us to look at. However, while we were at the historical society we also had an opportunity to look through a box of other flags which had been folded up and, at the bottom of the box, we found a large silk flag. When it was removed from the box unfolded we found it was the Regimental Flag of the 28th New York. The Regimental Flag of the 28th New York We were unaware that this flag was even at the Historical Society, and based on how it had been stored, I suspect that the Historical Society also did not know they had it. Both flags have since been rolled in acid-free paper and we now have TWO flags which we are carrying out fundraising to restore. Blue and Gray Debutante Ball, Newark, NY - March 28th In conjunction with the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, a number of members of the 28th New York participated in the Blue and Grey Debutante Ball, which, this year, was held at the American Legion in Newark, NY. Pictures of the event can be viewed on the website Pictures page Spring Drill, Groveland, NY - April 18th Members of the 28th NY and friends got together for a refresher drill at the home of Unit President, Darin Everdyke. Cobwebs were shaken off over the course of the drill which covered the Hardee's School of the Soldier, Company and some aspects of the Battalion drill manual. Despite being a bit cold, the weather behaved and we left the drill better prepared for the upcoming reenacting season. Ben Newton Memorial Weekend, Newtown Battlefield, Elmira, NY - May 1st-3rd As has been the case for recent years the reenacting year began with the Elmira event at Newtown Battlefield. We had a good turn out from the 28th NY and, as before, companied with the 136th NY and 149th Pa. In something of a break from the usual run of events, Saturday was a Union victory. It was followed by an addition to the schedule which was the Union forces pursuing the defeated Confederates, while the public followed the fighting from behind the Union lines. The drop off from the path made some sections of the pursuit interesting, but once the path opened up to woodland it became an interesting tactical event. Confederate Infantry on Sunday Sunday was a follow-on from the battles on Saturday. A small Union force held the field and, when the Confederates attacked, the remaining Union companies arrived to support the defenders. The 28th was moved into the fight at the double-quick and moved to the right of the field. We were required to deploy several skirmishers to our right to protect our flank and despite the right holding, the left of the line broke and we were required to withdraw under constant hand to hand fighting. Fire On The Genesee, Letchworth State Park, NY - May 15th-17th The first 28th New York sponsored event of 2009 is one which we always ensure we have a good number of our members attend. For the scenarios this year we tried to break from the traditional battle plan by having something of a background development take place each day. On Saturday, the Union forces were deployed as an army in retreat which was being harrassed by Confederate forces. The battle itself started away from the battlefield as a tactical where only the start and finish positions were known. Under pressure, the Union began a staggered withdrawal providing cover for the Artillery as it took up position. Following substantial pressure, the Union forces broke onto the field and, under cover of artillery fire took up position on breastworks on the field. The Confederates arrived on the field shortly afterwards and the relentless Confederates attack gradually drove the Union from the field. Union forces deployed on the Breastworks Sunday was a continuation of the previous days fight, representing reinforcements arriving to support the remains of the Union army. Initially, the pressure was all coming from the Confederates as the small Union force was driven from their defences and reinforcements arriving just as they were being pushed from the field. With infantry deployed onto the field, the Union began to drive the Confederate forces back and retook the breastworks which had been lost the previous day. Despite the best efforts of the Confederate command to break the Union flanks, they were gradually overwhelmed and driven back to the treeline and off the field. Memorial Day Activities - May 24th & 25th As in previous years the 28th New York participated in a number of events around Wayne County for Memorial Day. We participated in parades on Sunday and Monday at Newark and Marion, NY, respectively. In Newark, following a short parade, we participated in the salute along with the VFW Honor Guard (pictured below) and in Marion, after a longer parade, we fired along with the United States national anthem. Marion Living History, Marion, NY - June 13th-14th In conjunction with the American Legion activities over the course of the weekend, the 28th New York setup a living history encampment in Marion Town Park. The days events, starting on Saturday were started by the arrival of a National Guard Chinook helicoptor, the crew of which spent the day giving tours around the helicoptor. In the afternoon, the military members of the 28th participated in a parade through Marion which ended back at the Town Park. Jamesville Beach Park, Jamesville, NY - June 19th-21st This is a new addition to the reenacting schedule and one which we decided to support as much as possible. As with any new event, it was fairly small, but the facilities give it room to grow and the park itself has great potential for a good reenactment. One word can be used to accurately describe the first day of this event. That word is "Rain". From Saturday morning at 8am through to the early hours of Sunday morning, it rained consistently and heavily to the extent that we had upto four inches of standing water in the camp which required drainage ditches be dug to clear. However, despite the rain, the weekends events proceeded to plan. The field used for the battle has some nice terrain including a bridge which became the focus point for the start of the battle on saturday. Union pickets were guarding the bridge, but were driven off by Confederate raiders. As more Confederates arrived the Union infantry was deployed and the pickets began to fall back. The Confederates gained the upper hand when they were able to get a foothold across the bridge and deploy an artillery piece. The Union, outnumbered and outgunned were forced to withdraw from the fight. Firearms and cups A small tactical was carried out on Sunday morning which allowed us to get a better feel for the potential of the park. A long path snakes around the banks of the lake and opens up to a wooded area at a number of points. Additional creeks and bridge crossing points provide excellent choke points for a pursuit or ambush. On Sunday it was time for a Union counter attack. The Confederates were encamped on the far side of the creek with pickets guarding the bridge. They came under fire from the Union artillery and the encamped Confederates hurriedly formed up for a fight. By the time they arrived on the field, the Union forces had moved to prevent them from breaking out of their foothold and, despite having numerical superiority the Confederates were unable to use their numbers to full effect and were forced to withdraw back across the creek. All in all, in spite of the rain, it was an excellent event which I expect the 28th New York will attend again next year. Good Old Days Farm Market, Macedon Center, NY - June 27th The 28th New York setup a living history encampment in Macedon for the opening hours of the Farm Market. We were made to feel very welcome and carried out drill and firing demonstrations as well as demonstrated the campaign and garrison encampments expected during the American Civil War. 146th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, Gettysburg, Pa. - July 2nd-5th For the third year the 28th New York had a presence at the annual reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg. This year, being immediately after an anniversary event and with a little over 1500 reenactors participating, was considerably smaller than the previous year. However, despite the smaller numbers everyone involved had an excellent time. Our company was a combination of five different reenacting groups: 11Pa, 28NY, 110Pa, 136NY and 149Pa, and we spent a lot of time getting aquainted by carrying out numerous company drills sessions. We were involved in three battles over the course of the weekend which represented the second days engagements at Culps Hill and the Wheatfield as well as Picketts charge on the third day. The weather was not as hot as previous years and, by all accounts, everyone had a good weekend. We are already planning for the 147th anniversary next year. Independance Day Events, Palmyra, NY - July 4th While some of the 28th was in Pennsylvania, many of the other members were attending more local Independance Day activities. In Palmyra, NY, we setup a one day living history encampment where we had a campaign setup in place. Many members of the public stopped by to talk to our people who were present.