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I was a regular visitor to Gettysburg, but I never went to any of the reenactments. I preferred spending my time walking the battlefields, than standing or sitting to watch any reenactments. I think I went to three different ones. One at Appomattox, one at Boone Hall Plantation, S.C., and one in freezing January weather on James Island, S.C. to reenact the Battle of Grimball's Causeway/Landing, that was being hosted by friends who were at the time involved in starting up the South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust. That was over 20 years ago. They lived on James Island, and had several Confederate batteries and forts on, and around the island that have eventually been preserved. The complex they lived in had Battery #5 in the middle of it, and that was the first site they were able to get preserved. They also found the site of the "Swamp Angel" Battery, and were able to get easements for its protection.

The 55th Massachusetts was stationed on James Island, and Folly Island, S.C. While doing research at Cornell, I came across a collection belonging to the Assistant Surgeon for the unit. It was a gold mine with maps, drawings, a diary, photos, etc., and a large part of it had to deal with the battles and skirmishes that the 55th was involved in on James Island. The Doctor had gone back to James Island years later, and communicated with members of the 55th, and also some of the Confederate soldiers who were involved in the battles. There were a ton of letters between them. I used to access the Charleston newspaper online back then, and found an article about a couple of people who were trying to get a battery, and the Confederate earthworks, called Fort Lamar preserved on James Island. I managed to get the name and phone number of one of the guys from the newspaper, and called him up. I sent him all the documents (tons of it), and within a month or two, they invited me to come visit so they could show me all the sites they had discovered, and were trying to get protected. One of the guys, and his wife put me up on that trip, and every other trip I took down there. It was extremely satisfying to be able to see the sites I had read about for years. Now in my 70's, I don't get around much, and haven't been to that area in probably 15 years. It's nice to see that the Trust has flourished, and gone on to get more sites preserved despite one of my friends having moved to Georgia.

The Trust preserves Revolutionary sites as well. I hadn't been to their website in a long time, and just did a search for it, and found that they have been busy getting several more sites preserved.

South Carolina Battleground Trust