Civil Servants
Re-enactment group reminds festivalgoers of era's darker side

BY DON MERRILL
Cincinnati.Com

The 6th Re-enacting Group from left to right: (Front) Richard Schuricht, Leon Drake, Scottie; (Rear) Tim Meper, Caleb Depue, Robert Delaney (Photo by Don Merrill)

Boats, food, water and people. That's what you would expect to find at the Midwest's premier riverboat celebration. Unless you've been living under a very big rock, you must know that Tall Stacks '99 is eleven years in the making, harkens back to Cincinnati's riverboat history, and expects to draw nearly a million people.

But what about what you don't expect? Like, would you expect to find a bunch of guys in mid-nineteenth century military uniforms squatting around a campfire, swilling coffee and talking about the Civil War? No? Well if you leave the Public Landing, cross the Taylor-Southgate bridge into Newport, and turn right, you'll come upon the encampment of the Newport Barracks; a civil war era unit that was part of the historic 6th Ohio Volunteer Infantry.

These volunteers, who today represent the 6th Ohio Re-enacting Group, portray the daily rigors of military life as part of what Newport is calling its "Bluegrass Journey." This walk down memory lane begins with a re-creation of a pioneer town street and includes the Newport Barracks, the old fashioned Heinz Hitch and its team of Percheron horses, continuous entertainment on the Newport Stage and more re-enacting by the Campbell County Pioneers.

A regimental campfire. (Photo by Don Merrill)

Formed from the sons of Newport's wealthier families, the Newport Barracks became the militia for Newport in 1852. In 1861, they were reorganized into the 6th OVI. The unit served and skirmished in Kentucky, Tennessee and throughout the South. But the 6th OVI was not only made up of native sons. Group members say the ranks also had fighters from Confederate states because parts of the South were sympathetic to the Union. In addition, immigrants and ethnic groups formed and deployed their own units, like the Italian Garabaldi guard, the Scottish 79th New York, and the Black 54th Massachusetts and the 1st South Carolina.

Today, as one of the oldest groups of its type in the country, it travels to wherever major re-enactments take place. "We travel from Mississippi to Pennsylvania to Michigan to Georgia - wherever they have re-enactments of different types," says one crusty veteran who would only identify himself as "Scottie." He was, no doubt, the unit spy.

Life in the Newport Barracks probably consisted of rifle drills, mess tent duty and more than a dozen other not so glamorous duties, which is what visitors to Tall Stacks will see. And although they portray those responsibilities of the early infantry, the 6th Re-enactment Group has an even more important mission of it's own. "Even if we just show the kids the rifles and how they shoot and things like that, who knows?" says group member Leon Drake. "You might spur one on to look a little bit more into it and keep this going on for future generations."

The present generation already owes quite a bit to the Civil War. Although the encampment is full of period-like canvas tents, rustic campfires and smelly, battle worn men, it also spouts a historically significant woman's touch. During the conflict, women served in the garrison and tended the wounded. This service was the pre-cursor to today's American Red Cross. If you go, you might see several "angels of mercy" carrying basins of water to and from the encampments. "This is a living history," says Drake. "It's mainly for the kids. Wednesday, we had over a thousand school kids that came through on field trips."