BACKGROUND

Sailors Creek, Prelude to Invasion, Warlike Along the Rapidan, Silent Machines, Hell-Spot at Port Republic, 1st Minnesota at Gettysburg, I Hear the Distant Thunder, Petersburg, We Soon Got Proud, and now, PICKET POST. The Liberty Rifles will be hosting this full regimental scale, hyper authentic, *OPPOSED* immersive event in Virginia. We'll be portraying the 17th Virginia Infantry on the picket line in the face of U.S. Army Cavalry in July 1863. As always, we will be recreating the units to scale, obsessing over the details, taking no shortcuts, and making no excuses. The details and immersive setting will be the focus of the event, in an effort to recreate the scene as it was in the final days of the Gettysburg Campaign.

This event is BY INVITATION ONLY and will adhere to strict authenticity standards to include kit, age, and weight. If you went to any of the Liberty Rifles' immersive regimental events you already know what to expect. If you missed those events, this is your chance to get in on a real authentic Civil War experience!

Registration

Registration is now open. The cost is $45 for both Liberty Rifles members and guests.  After filling out the form, send a PayPal payment “to a friend” (to avoid fees) to LRPicketPost@gmail.com or go to www.paypal.me/lrpicketpost.  To send a check, please email LRPicketPost@gmail.com for instructions.  THE CUTOFF FOR REFUNDS IS JULY 1, 2025.

UNIT HISTORY

The 17th Virginia Infantry Regiment was organized in June 1861 and composed primarily of men from several northern Virginia counties, with upwards of half of the regiment from the city of Alexandria directly across the Potomac River from (and until 1846 a part of) the District of Columbia.

Company A – Alexandria Riflemen (Alexandria)
Company B – Warren Rifles (Warren County)
Company C – Loudoun Guard (Loudoun County)
Company D – Fairfax Rifles (Fairfax County)
Company E – Mount Vernon Guard (Alexandria)
Company F – Prince William Rifles (Prince William County)
Company G – Emmett Guard (Alexandria)
Company H – Old Dominion Rifles (Alexandria)
Company I – O’Connell Guards (Alexandria)
Company K – Warrenton Rifles (Fauquier County)

Assigned to A.P. Hill’s (later Kemper’s) Brigade, the 17th Virginia would be heavily engaged on the Peninsula at Williamsburg, and shortly thereafter at Seven Pines, Gaines Mill, and Frayser’s Farm. The following month the regiment would fight at 2nd Manassas and shortly thereafter at South Mountain and Sharpsburg, where only seven of the 56 men who took the field that morning were present that evening.

After the battle of Sharpsburg, the 17th Virginia would recoup its strength. The regiment’s commander, Colonel Montgomery D. Corse, was promoted to Brigadier General, and took the 17th Virginia along with him to his new brigade command in Pickett’s Division.

Pickett’s Division would be sent to southern Virginia after the Battle of Fredericksburg to forage and lay siege to the U.S. Army garrison at Suffolk. With the siege lifted in May 1863, the 17th Virginia returned to the Army of Northern Virginia. While Pickett’s men missed the Battle of Chancellorsville, they joined the Army on the march northward into Pennsylvania. Corse’s Brigade remained at Hanover Junction to guard the approaches to Richmond, however.

With news of the defeat of the Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg reaching Richmond, Corse’s Brigade was rushed northward to join the retreating army and the devastated remains of Pickett’s Division. In late July, Corse’s men crossed the Blue Ridge and were dispersed to guard the gaps in the mountains while the army moved southward through the Shenandoah Valley. While the men were happy to be close to their homes for the first time in nearly a year, the regiment was alone, with two of its companies detached to watch nearby hilltops. The eight remaining companies of the 17th Virginia skirmished with elements of several regiments of enemy cavalry for nearly an entire day. A number of officers and men surprised by the initial advance of the enemy were forced to surrender, and three members of the regiment were wounded in the subsequent fighting, each while carrying the regiment’s colors. With the enemy content to place cavalry videttes in their front and await the arrival of infantry support to press over the Blue Ridge, the 17th Virginia settled into their positions for another day on the picket line.

The Quartermaster and Ordnance receipts and returns for Pickett’s Division from the 1st and 2nd Quarters of 1863 show substantial issues of clothing and equipment being distributed to the brigades therein. In one issue in June the division was resupplied with 700 new knapsacks, 800 haversacks, and 836 canteens to replace worn out examples that had been issued the previous year. Many of the 17th Virginia’s requisitions for large numbers of jackets, pants, shirts, and drawers were filled directly from the Richmond Clothing Bureau’s warehouse. Regimental reports from throughout the division completed on June 30 unanimously describe their condition as “good.” It is evident that in July, the 17th Virigina was well furnished with Confederate Central Government clothing and equipment from Richmond. Having recently been detached from the Army of Northern Virginia and missing the Battle of Chancellorsville, the likelihood of the men utilizing captured U.S. Army equipment beyond what small amount might have been refurbished and reissued is minimal. As such, its use should be limited at this event.

The idea behind these impression guidelines is to create an informed approximation on the appearance of the 17th through research and an understanding of the workings of the Confederate Quartermaster and Ordnance Departments in Richmond. Our goal will be to create a regimental impression.  This means some degree of matching patterns of haversacks, or matching canteen types, or matching knapsack types is most appropriate.  The idea is to replicate the look of a regiment that was being issued clothing and equipment from the national government.  We're not definitively saying that the 17th Virginia only had X, Y or Z, but we do argue that a Confederate regiment in this context during this period of the war, didn't have 50 different unique haversacks, and 50 different jackets made of 50 different fabrics, etc.  All reproductions must be high quality, utilizing correct patterns and appropriate materials. 

JACKET

1. Richmond Clothing Bureau “Type 2” jacket made of vegetable dyed grey jeans, ideally County Cloth “L1” or Tart logwood on natural yarn dyed jeans, woven specifically to match the fabric seen in four of the six surviving jeans Richmond jackets. Lining must be white cotton osnaburg, not plaids, prints, or other shirting.

2. Richmond Clothing Bureau “Type 2” jacket made of other grey or brownish-grey jeans.

3. Richmond Clothing Bureau “Type 2” jacket made of imported blue-grey wool is acceptable in very limited numbers.

*Miscellaneous uniforms, “commutation jackets,” citizen’s coats, uniforms with linings other than plain white cotton osnaburg, and Richmond jackets made of oddball colored jeans are unacceptable without prior approval.

For additional information on Richmond jackets, see Richmond Depot Jackets by Dick Milstead.

PANTS

1. Richmond Clothing Bureau pants made of vegetable dyed grey or brownish-grey jeans.

2. Other military-style pants made of similar domestic cloth.

3. Richmond Clothing Bureau pants made of imported wool.

*U.S. Army pants and pants made of oddball fabrics are unacceptable.

SHIRT

1. Richmond Clothing Bureau shirt made of white cotton osnaburg.

2. Other Confederate government-issue shirt made of white cotton osnaburg

3. Citizen's shirts. We're trying to limit the number of "homespun" check shirts, not because they're wrong, just very over represented.  So if you have a nice cotton print shirt, or plain cotton or wool citizen's shirt, go with that over the homespun.

*Participants are required to have a white cotton osnaburg issue shirt. Wearing a Walmart plaid “homespun” shirt as your only shirt is unacceptable.

DRAWERS

1. Richmond Clothing Bureau drawers made of white cotton osnaburg.

2. Other Confederate government-issue drawers made of white cotton osnaburg.

3. Citizen’s cotton or wool drawers.

4. NONE. Being seen wearing modern underwear is wholly unacceptable. If you don’t have acceptable period drawers, go commando.

For additional information on Richmond Clothing Bureau pants, shirts, and drawers, see Richmond Depot Clothing – Volume II by Dick Milstead.

HEADGEAR

1. Citizen’s “slouch” hats or imported black British hats are acceptable.

2. Richmond Clothing Bureau infantry cap with machine-bound oilcloth visor, made of domestic jeans.

*Please avoid oddball hats, shapeless hat blanks, forage caps, US dress hats, wheel hats, and kepis other than proper domestic jeans Richmond caps with machine-bound oilcloth visors. Just wear a good citizen’s slouch hat if you do not have an appropriate Richmond cap. The 17th Virginia’s requisitions seem to indicate that citizen’s hats were more common in the regiment than issue caps anyway.

For additional information on Richmond Clothing Bureau caps, see Richmond Clothing Bureau Caps of 1861-1863 by Craig Schneider and Conor Timoney.

FOOTWEAR

1. Domestic or imported military shoes.

2. Citizen’s shoes or boots.

3. U.S. Army Bootees if that is all you have.

SOCKS

1. Confederate issue socks, ideally made from white cotton or wool.

*Please avoid outlandish colors and patterns. Rag wool socks are unacceptable.

CANTEEN

1. Plain tin drum canteens on a plain webbing, sewn cotton, or leather sling is strongly preferred.

2. Wood “Gardner” pattern canteen on a plain webbing, sewn cotton, or leather sling.

3. Confederate arsenal refurbished and reissued U.S. Army canteens.

HAVERSACK

1. Confederate haversack copied from an original government-made example.

*This is an easy way to create some uniformity within a company. Simple cotton haversacks such as the " Neal," or “Goulding” bags are great options. Haversacks made of carpet, tapestry, ticking, etc., are unacceptable.

KNAPSACK

Knapsacks are encouraged based upon surviving documentation from the Spring and Summer of 1863. Pickett’s Division was identified as having knapsacks to a degree worth mentioning, and the 17th Virginia received them in considerable numbers throughout 1862 and 1863. To promote a semblance of uniformity, we have identified three types of knapsacks that will be acceptable for this event—if you do not have one of these three types, or do not have a HIGH QUALITY reproduction of one of these three types, go with a blanket roll.

1. “Knapsack with straps” –the common design of Confederate knapsack today often called the “Kibler” or “Mexican War” knapsack.

2. Imported British “Isaac and Campbell” or “Ross and Co.” knapsack.

3. “Reissued” U.S. Army knapsack.

BLANKET

1. Imported British blankets in blue-grey and white. Receipts from the 17th Virginia note a number of “grey” blankets being issued.

2. Other Confederate issue blankets, citizen’s blankets, and U.S. Army blankets are acceptable. Proper Southern coverlets are acceptable if that is your only option.

*Old timey grandma quilts, Woolrich blankets, surplus blankets, and regionally-specific Northern coverlets are unacceptable.

GROUND CLOTH

1. Confederate issue painted canvas ground cloths, typically 6’ long and around 3’ wide, are acceptable. U.S. Army gum blankets are also acceptable. Painted floorcloths and other oddball waterproof covers should be avoided.

OVERCOATS

1. None.

ARMS

1. M-1855, M-1861, and Richmond rifle muskets are preferred. Bring one if you have one

2. P-1853 Enfield rifle muskets are acceptable.

*All arms must be cleaned originals with no “patina” or defarbed reproductions. All must be clean, oiled, and in excellent working order.

ACCOUTREMENTS

1. Domestically made Confederate issue cartridge boxes, cap boxes, belts, and scabbards with ANV provenance are preferred. Richmond Arsenal oilcloth and leather belts and cartridge box belts, as well as plain roller buckle or frame buckle belts are encouraged.

2. Imported British belts, cartridge boxes, cap pouches, and scabbards.

3. U.S. Army accoutrements if that is all you have.

*Cheap sutler row accoutrements with big white nylon stitches are unacceptable.

TENTAGE

The 17th Virginia was fully supplied with 20’ x 12’ 9” Fly Tents issued through the Quartermaster’s Department in Richmond. As we will be recreating the regiment on the picket line, we will not set up a formal camp. No tentage other than fully hand sewn Fly Tents is acceptable.

MESS EQUIPMENT

The 17th Virginia was provided with complete sets of mess equipment for each company, to include cast iron skillets with lids and camp kettles. Individual participants should not bring any mess equipment beyond the personal utensils in their haversacks unless asked to by the event organizers.

For additional information on Confederate mess equipment and how to identify period cast iron, see Biscuit Bakers and Camp Kettles by Craig Schneider.

ADDITIONAL ITEMS

Any personal items must be original or accurate reproductions of period items. “Old timey” jugs, Mason jars, or other items are prohibited. Cell phones, modern tobacco, lighters, ragg wool gloves and socks, or any other anachronistic items are wholly unacceptable.

We are placing high expectations for personal appearance and behavior upon the participants of Picket Post. Modern haircuts, ponytails, modern underwear, modern socks, modern glasses, and inauthentic or inappropriate kit, etc., are unacceptable. As rations will be issued and all participants are expected to arrive with an empty haversack and not bring any food of their own into the event.