Who are those lads and lassies over there near the cow pasture?

It looks like a time warp has spilled out Highland Scots from every century! We are the Historical Folk Life Encampment! Although we are a formidable looking group, I hope that you will all come over to see our little tent village. We have weapons displays and demonstrations.

We have a blacksmith and other fine craftsmen displaying their skills. So "drap by the wee hill" for a visit. If you have a drop of Celtic blood in your veins, you will enjoy this brief journey back in the mists of time!

The Hesse-Kassel Jäger Korps

In the mid 1770's King George III of England saw a need for additional troops to be sent to America to restore royal rule and to protect the Kings loyal subjects. The King and his cabinet entered into various treaties with the Landgraves from the Germanic states of the Holy Roman Empire. Approximately 16,992 soldiers from Hesse-Kassel served in America, with the total number for all the States at approximately 29,875 troops. This figure made up approximately 1/3 of the total forces the British had in North America during the Revolutionary War. A part of this force were highly trained individuals that were familiar with movement through forests and the use of rifles, unusual in 18th century warfare where smoothbore muskets were more commonly used. These men were the Jägers and were formed into elite units.  As with most of the Jägers, they saw action in every campaign in the war and can be documented in most actions of the Southern Campaigns. Captain Ewald was the well respected author of the Treatise on Partisan Warfare a book which is still required reading at the US Army Special Operations Training Center Fort Bragg NC.

The 2nd Company, Hesse-Kassel Jäger Korps re-enactment group was founded in 1995 as an educational non-profit organization organized to help educate and provide information to the public about the Jägers and life in the 1770 - 1780's. The primary focus of the unit is on the actions of the 2nd Company of the Hesse-Kassel Jäger Korps during the American Revolutionary War. Membership of the unit comes from throughout the southeast and primarily attend events of the Southern Campaign of 1780 and 1781. The group is open to any and all provided they have a deep interest in history and a desire to share their knowledge.

The Fishing Creek Refugees

When the British moved out of Charleston South Carolina in 1780 there began possibly the worst example of partisan warfare in American history. There was little neutral ground in the back country of South Carolina. If you were a patriot family and a Tory or British patrol came calling, your farm would be burned, your livestock killed or butchered for the patrol. Any grown men would be subject to be shot or hanged on the spot.

This scorched earth policy by the British and their allies, gave license to the patriot forces in South Carolina to give the Tories of South Carolina the same treatment. As a result women and children were seen walking to North Carolina trying to get away from the war. These women are from the New Acquisition district of South Carolina.

Long Bow

The hand gun vs. long bow controversy, which reached a climax during the late 1500's, was a bitter one. Those who favored the bow maintained the position that the bow was the more efficient of the two. An archer could fire 12 shots a minute into a man sized target at 200 paces (practice at shorter ranges was actually forbidden during the reign of Henry VIII).

The new arquebus could fire only 10 to 12 shots an hour, although the rate had risen to 35-40 by 1600. An arquebus was unusable in wet weather, it was cumbersome and it cost 30 shillings. (A bow cost about 6 shillings 8 pence, with arrows). However, those in favor of firearms were influential and by 1600, the bow was virtually obsolete in the English army. On the Border, however, where a light, inexpensive, rapid-fire weapon was needed the long bow was the weapon of choice for much longer.