What a great day… I am literally exhausted as I sit here typing at the keyboard. Today I assisted with scene setting and coordination during the re-enactment of Grant’s ‘War Council’ at Massaponax Church. While Terry Thomann of the Civil War Life Soldier’s Museum perched his camera in the upper balcony, using the same set-up and development techniques that Timothy O’Sulllivan used for a series of shots of the Union commanders, I was down on the ground helping to direct the people portraying the generals and their staffs. (It was probably a bit amusing to see me walking around calling out orders and telling people to ‘hold.’) There was a great deal of set-up and preparation to get the camera and people positioned and everyone did a great job with their parts. The horses were so patient and cooperated better than the people. Maybe it was because we were at a church, but the day was blessed and the resulting shots were outstanding. They will be available as prints in the near future.

There were plenty of experts on hand too, and I had a great afternoon talking with NPS guru Donald Pfanz, local historian John Cummings, Amy Umble (of the Free Lance-Star), and a bunch of others who are too many to name. General Grant (aka Harry Bulkeley from "Sherman's March") and I had lunch together and U.S. Grant’s actual great-great-grandson also participated in the shoot. The use of the actual pews, along with a great bunch of re-enactors, two wagons, several ‘extras’, and a dozen horses with attendants made the setting very accurate. We did two poses of the original series, one with Grant seated beside Meade and another with him bent over a group reviewing a map. We posed the surrounding officers as best we could with ‘pipe-smoking guy,’ ‘newspaper reader,’ etc. As The Free Lance-Star will be covering this event in detail, I will post a link to their article here in the coming days. I’m beat and only have enough energy left to simply share some candid shots I took when I wasn’t busy yelling at people. Enjoy…

UPDATE 9/21: Article in The Free Lance-Star
UPDATE: 9/22: John Cumming's post and sample photo

  

Civil War photography expert and museum owner Terry Thomann
positioning the 1800's wet-plate camera in the upper balcony of Massaponax Church.

We had plenty of spectators attending the church's 220th anniversary celebration.
 

Here are some of the developed tin plates drying.
They are a reversed image of what the print will depict.