U.S.S. Fort Henry Living History Unit

Introduction

The Mission Statement of the U.S.S. Fort Henry is "To establish and maintain a positive and accurate image of U.S. Navy sailors and marines lives in the Civil War era, by presenting nautical history and general seamanship knowledge to the public." This is done through period naval and nautical living history demonstrations, battle reenactments, school programs, parades, memorial services, and performances of traditional sailor's music. Our members portray crewmen from a U.S. Navy gunboat on station off the coast of Florida. Motto: "Style and Profile."

The U.S.S. Fort Henry traces its roots back to when several of the unit's organizers were in another "naval" unit. Dissatisfied with the change in leadership, these men started a new "marine only" unit, the Sergeant's Guard, in mid-1996. Shortly later, we changed the name to "The Sergeant's Guard on the U.S.S. Fort Henry." Gradually growing, our first sailor joined us in early 2003 where upon we changed the name of the unit to the "U.S.S. Fort Henry," now having sailors and marines (more below). Within a year we were recognized by, and became a member of the 4th Brigade, Department of Florida, as a company in the second battalion. By early 2005, the unit had grown to where we now have our own "navy compound" (encampment) at reenactments. Also in 2005 we joined the NMLHA and are unit number 986. In late 2007, we broke from the 4th Brigade as far as command, and now aid them on the field by order of the Admiral. (Organizationally, we are still part of the 4th Brigade for safety and event reasons.)

As we migrated from a marine only unit to a ship's company, we searched for an appropriate name. The requirement was that we would try to find a name of a ship that served near our own area (West Central Florida), and had marines as well as sailors stationed on board. The U.S.S. Fort Henry was the ideal choice, and not only met, but exceeded our requirements! The Fort Henry's crew was very active in raiding the enemy's land fortifications. The ship was on duty for most of the war. Originally a New York ferryboat, these ships were transformed into gunboats and served in various squadrons. Pictured at the right is the U.S.S. Commodore Barney - a ship similar to the U.S.S. Fort Henry. (More information on the original gunboat and members of the crew can be found under the [Research] tab.

    Our main Goal is to reenact the roll of the Civil War era Union Sailors and Marines as infantry and artillery. At reenactments we set up an authentic camp representing a temporary extended term encampment. As not being a camp on the move, we are able to bring in more supplies and equipment.

     When it comes time to go into battle, we report the rest of the 4th Brigade as support. The brigade commander directs us to placement on the field, which often requires a lot of movement as we often "fill the gap" or "protect a flank."

      As we go on the field we follow traditional battle commands for infantry. We may move with the rest of the brigade, go out as skirmishers, go into a flanking movement, or charge the enemy. Like the army units we are on the field with, we must know our commands and how to execute them. At time we might provide artillery support and often both artillery and infantry support.

      Other parts of the day are filled with various activities, just like the men did in days of old. Training on the field and in camp at a company level (especially for recruits). We also do cutlass (sword) drills, pay call, and have time off to visit the sutlers. While in camp we get many visitors (spectators) who want to know more about the role of the sailor and marine in the Civil War.

      However, we go beyond reenactment events. We perform memorial services, often as a ceremonial rifle squad, museum activities and open houses, school days and programs, parades, and presentations to various organizations and groups.   Our presentations can be tailored for specific needs, such as "role of the marines" and "sailors," battle tactics, equipment, etc.

Organization. The structure of the unit is broken down two ways ("Unit" and "Field"): First, we are an open Unit composed of a core group (four members) which are the founders of the unit. This group filters and handles the detailed information and day to day operations. The core group handles the accounting and both internal and external communications. Important decisions are presented to the membership for comments, and vote approval. Open discussion is encouraged. Second is the structure is for first person impression (right) and for the orderly execution of reporting and orders on the field at events. The second structure Field, is shown at the right. It shows the relationship of the members as they portray the crew.

As our notoriety and credibility increase, we will continue, both as individuals and as a crew, to enhance our levels of authenticity. This is not something that can be forced from above. To the contrary, it is something each of us take a great deal of personal pride in. To that end, we must keep that idea in mind in our naval mannerisms, in our uniform appearance, in our campsite, and in battle. Go to "Naval Camping in Florida" to find out how and why we set up our camp this way.

Authenticity and Anachronisms. There are obvious things we can do to help enhance our impressions. Modern eyeglasses, wristwatches and clothing items should not be worn. If one must have modern sleeping gear and food containers, they must be kept out of sight of the public (and fellow reenactors!) while at an event. An aspect of the impression that many land-based reenactors give no thought to is their personal actions. We owe it to both ourselves and those who come to observe us to give our best impression as much as possible. Remember that we are portraying sailors and marines, not army soldiers. This is important since sailors and marines, unlike soldiers who were trained only to march and shoot, were skilled artisans of their trade.

The seaman’s trade is one that most landlubbers feared to engage in. For those of us who are, or have been, in the naval services, keep in mind as you portray sailors that you ARE sailors, real sailors, and draw upon your experiences at sea for your arrogant attitude and your "background knowledge" of the sea. For those who have not been to sea, draw upon your own knowledge, background or hobbies (other than this one) for material for your personal impression. If you are into carpentry or guns or sewing or mechanics, you can use those things to form a basis for portraying a rating specialty. The key to naval reenacting is the specific knowledge you can show and the information about your position in the crew you can show to the public. Believe me, it will show in how they perceive you.

U.S.S. Fort Henry	Living History Reenactors of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps portraying the sailors and marines as an infantry expeditionary force during the Civil War.

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