US Airways - February 2013 - (Page 92)

them in adjacent buildings and constructed a kitchen to serve three meals a day. Not quite the gourmet cuisine served across town at the Governor’s Palace, this communal kitchen dished up one-pot meals of thick stew and hearty loaves of bread. Men at the forge were considered part of the army and so received rations, typically a measure of beef and flour. The cooks scrounged for the rest. Fortunately, Anderson proved to be an excellent manager, as handling this melting pot of craftsmen was a challenge. He drew some soldiers out of the ranks when he needed them — men with experience as blacksmiths, farriers, tinsmiths, and gun stockers — but he also used enslaved African Americans, Scots-Highlander POWs, and ten French gunsmiths who had been sent to Virginia as part of a secret contract with Congress before France started openly backing the Americans. Shouting in French, Gaelic, English, and African dialects, Anderson and Soldier for a Day There are two ways to learn about soldiering in the Revolutionary War: read a book or join the army. John Hill, supervisor of military programs, recommends dropping by Williamsburg’s Military Encampment and enlisting in the Second Virginia Regiment — for 45 minutes anyway. A recruiter helps visitors sign their one-year enlistment papers. “Are you over 16 and a free man?” he asks. (Women and children can join the roleplaying by creating a new identity for themselves.) After he gives a brief history of their regiment, a drill sergeant passes out wooden sticks for muskets and puts the group through the manual of arms. “Shoulder your firelocks!” he shouts. A bayonet drill follows. Recruits move through several stations, examining the tiny tent assigned to six soldiers. “Don’t worry,” the sergeant says, “you won’t all be sleeping at the same time.” The camp surgeon tells how he will treat wounds 92 february 2013 usairwaysmag.com his crew communicated as best they could above the deafening clang of hammers on anvils, the roar of six fires, and the hiss of red-hot iron thrust into cool water. Fast forward to today: For almost two years the public has helped with the reconstruction of the Armoury. As always in Williamsburg, visitors play an active part at the site, pounding pegs into timbers with a mallet, making one of 18,000 wooden shingles for the roof, or pulling the ropes to raise a 60-foot wooden frame. Two webcams positioned at 50 feet have drawn thousands of viewers from across the country. They tune in to watch, question, criticize, and send helpful hints as masons lay the foundations and build chimneys, carpenters raise the framing, and blacksmiths hammer out hinges, nails, and tools. One fifth-grader summed up his Williamsburg experience in a singlesentence letter: “Dear Blacksmiths, Thank you for being awesome.” The men and women who work in Historic Trades are historians as well as craftsmen. Master carpenter Garland Wood and master blacksmith Ken Schwarz took the lead with research. Two documents were crucial: the quartermaster accounts of details like payments to workers and Anderson’s daybook from 1778 to 1780 that listed the Armoury’s activities during its photos (left and top) by chris arace Kids will find memorable hands-on experiences. by amputating limbs. “Camp followers” — usually wives and family of the soldiers — demonstrate their cooking, laundering, and nursing skills. An artillery sergeant explains how cannons support men during battle. Using a light three-pounder on a grasshopper carriage, he shows how to load it. “Then we look for someone,” Hill says, “preferably between eight and 14, to fire the cannon.” Soon their enlistments are up. Before the fifers and drummers march everyone out of camp, the sergeant tells them what actually happened to Williamsburg’s real soldiers: Most shipped out to New York or South Carolina where many of them made the ultimate sacrifice. To learn more about the people who fought in America’s 18th-century battles and to hear their personal accounts of taking up arms, check out Williamsburg War Stories, new this year in the Military Encampment. Blacksmiths work feverishly to outfit soldiers. http://www.usairwaysmag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of US Airways - February 2013

US Airways - February 2013
Table of Contents
CEO Letter
From the Editor
Did You Know?
Making It Happen
Hot Spots: Best Literary Pilgrimages
Wine & Dine: Top Chefs on This Year's Trends
Wine & Dine: Comfort Food
Great Escapes: Secret Mexican Hideaways
Adventure: Best Hikes in the Valley of the Sun
Gear Up: Romantic Gestures
Destination 48: Phoenix
Travel Feature: La Magnifica Costa del Pacifico
US Airways Feature: Sky-High Sips
Best of Living: Scottsdale Saddles Up
Special Section: Chateau on Central
Best of Living: The Reef Residences at Atlantis
Williamsburg: Rediscovering the Revolutionary City
Arts Spotlight: Ovation
Special Section: Kentucky
Riding Lessons: Miller School of Albemarle
The Arts of Orange County
Must Read: Pandora's Lunchbox by Melanie Warner
Great Dates
Puzzles
Readers Resource Index
Your US Airways Guide
Video Entertainment
Audio Entertainment
U.S. and Caribbean Service Map
International Service Map
Airport Terminal Maps
US Airways Fleet/Customs & Immigration
Passenger Info/Contact US Airways
US Airways MarketPlace®
Giving: US Airways' Do Crew
Window or Aisle?

US Airways - February 2013