The Gettysburg Foundation has graciously agreed to open up the side yard of the historic Rupp House on Baltimore Street to Civil War Historical Impressions (CWHI) for use in interpretation on the weekend of Remembrance Day 2023. The plan is to establish a bivouac adjacent to the Rupp House with two 20-30 man companies to honor the 153rd PA and the 61st GA. Both units offer compelling stories of honor, sacrifice, and determination. The latter is commemorated with two monuments at Gettysburg.
These forces were engaged on July 1st, 1863 at and around Blocher’s Knoll — today known as Barlow’s Knoll. This action took place a little over a mile and a half north of the Rupp House (which was torn down by the Rupp family to make way for their post-war home that stands there today). As the day progressed, the fighting pressed across the Rupp family property until it was taking place along the axis of Baltimore Street itself. Rupp later claimed that US and CS soldiers were shooting at one another through his house from opposing porches. You can read more about the fighting at Barlow’s Knoll here and here. The second article offers a particularly moving account of the 153rd PA that is worth the read!
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Impression Guidelines
153rd Pennsylvania
Insignia
– 11th Corps, 1st Division badge (red wool crescent for enlisted, metal or embroidered wool for officer) worn on one of the following: disc of cap, front of Hardee, or left breast of blouse/frock/jacket
Headwear
– Forage cap or undressed Hardee is preferred
– Kepi or black citizen’s hat accepted in limited numbers
– No full-dress Hardees, mechanic caps, wheel caps, or havelocks
Blouse/Frock/Jacket
– Issue (SA or contract) or private purchase blouses are preferred
– Quality frock coats or private purchase jackets are accepted
– No SA or state jackets, heavily modified blouses
– No shoulder scales or white gloves
Pants
– Issue or private purchase pants in sky blue are preferred
– NCOs may apply trim down the seams of their pants
– No dark blue US, CS, civilian, wild colors, patterns, pin-striping, etc.
Shirts/Socks/Underwear
– Issue or civilian are all acceptable
– No wild colors, patterns, etc.
Footwear
– Issue brogans are preferred
– Citizen’s shoes are accepted
– No boots unless it is all that you own (please try to wear pants over boots)
Belts
– US issue belts with leather keepers preferred
– NCOs may wear Pattern 1851/61 belt plates
– No brass keeper belts, CS, or civilian belts
Cap Pouches & Cartridge Boxes
– Pattern 1861 boxes with sling and plates, Pattern 1862 (Watervliet) cap pouches, and Pattern 1859 (two-rivet) scabbards preferred
– Pattern 1857 boxes and Pattern 1855 (shield front) cap pouches, and Pattern 1863 (seven rivet) scabbards accepted in limited numbers
– No Pattern 1864 boxes, CS, Western Theater, Antebellum, or other late-War items
Weapons
– Model 1861 Springfield rifle-muskets are preferred
– Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle-muskets are accepted if that is all you have (preferred bright barrels over blued)
– No two-band rifles, carbines, breech-loaders, or lever guns
Haversacks
– Federal issue haversacks are preferred
– No CS haversacks or wild carpet haversacks
Canteens
– Federal smoothside or bullseye canteens preferred
– No CS tin drum, kidney, or star canteens
– No civilian drinking gourds or leather bottles, etc.
Blankets
– US issue blankets preferred
– State or British-import blankets accepted in limited numbers
– No Southern or civilian blankets
Ground Cloths/Rubber Cloths
– Issue rubber blankets preferred
– No CS painted or civilian cloths
Knapsacks
– Model 1855 double bags preferred
– Blanket rolls accepted if you do not have a quality M55 double bag
– No Model 1864 double bags, hard frame packs, or Antebellum single-bags
61st Georgia
Headwear
– State-issue kepi or forage cap preferred in blue or gray – black trim is optional
– Citizen’s hat (especially if black) accepted
– No mechanic caps, wheel caps, or havelocks
Jacket/Frock
– Trimmed or untrimmed Georgia issue jackets preferred
– Commutation system jackets accepted (black trim is a plus, but copy surviving examples)
– GA-style trimmed or untrimmed generic frock coats are also accepted if that is all you have
Pants
– State or Confederate issue pants preferred
– Citizen’s pants of a gray or butternut color accepted
– NCOs may apply black trim down the seams of their pants
– No Federal pants, wild colors, patterns, pin-striping, etc.
Shirts/Socks/Underwear
– Civilian, or state / Confederate issue are all acceptable
– No wild colors, patterns, etc.
Footwear
– State or confederate issue shoes preferred
– Citizen’s shoes and Federal brogans accepted
– No boots unless it is all that you own (please try to wear pants over boots)
Belts
– Roller buckle, Georgia frame, and English belts preferred
– No US or CS oval plate buckles
Cap Pouches & Cartridge Boxes
– Richmond or English boxes, pouches, and scabbards preferred
– No US or Western Theater items
Weapons
– Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle-musket is preferred
– Percussion Springfields are accepted
– No two-band rifles, carbines, breech-loaders, or lever guns
Haversacks
– Georgia state issue haversacks preferred – various colors and patterns
– White linen or canvas haversacks are acceptable
– Tarred southern-made haversacks are acceptable
– No US haversacks or wild carpet haversacks
Canteens
– Tin drum canteens preferred
– Federal smoothside canteens acceptable
– No kidney, bullseye, or star canteens
– No civilian drinking gourds or leather bottles, etc.
Blankets
– Georgia issue blankets preferred
– Plain wool blanket with or without solid end stripes
– QUALITY Federal blankets acceptable in limited numbers
Ground Cloths/Rubber Cloths
– CS-issue painted blankets preferred
– QUALITY Civilian or Federal if it is all you have
Knapsacks
– Blanket rolls or single-bag (Kibler) packs are preferred
– No US double bags
Program Schedule
Friday PM: Camp unofficially opens to allow for setup, hanging out, and spending Friday night under canvas (if you prefer not to or cannot get a hotel room). This doesn’t have to be a hardcore “embrace the suck” thing — there are plenty of other events to be had where immersion is the focus, so if you have a nice sleeping bag rated for cold weather, tuck that up under your wool blanket!
Saturday
9:00am: Camp is defarbed and open to the public to interact with us over coffee around our fire.
12:00pm: All participants assemble across the street at Lefever Ave for the parade. The parade is open to more than just the two companies who will be with us at the Rupp House, so if you’ve got a hotel and still want to march with us, fall in and form the battalion!
3:00pm: Assemble at Barlow’s Knoll to address what transpired there and leave flowers, wreath, or luminary in honor of the men who fought and died there. The program officially concludes after this, but the bivouac will remain open to those who wish to hang out and stay over Saturday night.
Registration & Donations
There will be a registration fee of $10 to stay on the Rupp House Grounds with allocations per person as follows: $8 as a donation to the Gettysburg Foundation, $1 to Civil War Historical Impressions, $1 to Homespun Historical Ventures. At $10 per person, this beats getting a hotel room if you’re willing to sleep outside!
If you’re planning to just join us for the parade and program at Barlow’s Knoll, it is encouraged to bring $10 (cash or PayPal, we’ll have a QR code handy) as we’ll be passing a hat to collect funds and increase the impact of our gift to the Gettysburg Foundation.
We hope you to join us for an enjoyable weekend for a great cause!
After submitting your participant information, please pay your registration fee via the buttons below. Registration is not considered complete until payment is received. Please use the same email submitted in the form above to make your payment below.