Royal Sussex Society - 35th Regiment of Foot - Captain's Blog

Royal Sussex Society - 35th Regiment of Foot

Victoria & Albert Wedding Tea Starts the 2023 Season

2/13/2023

Thanks to the help and generosity of Erich, Samantha, and the Friends of the Passaic River Coalition, we were able to hold a "wedding tea" event at Willow Hall in Morristown to celebrate the 183rd wedding anniversary of Victoria and Albert, the royal couple which set the standard for all subsequent royal marriages. We turned out a large number of our Victorians, including bringing some new people out, and from 11 to 4 used the house and grounds for a relaxed afternoon a la February 1840. Her Majesty and His Royal Highness occupied the bay window area of the dining room while visitors and Victorians alike were able to sip tea and eat sandwiches and snacks provided by the site. Our 35th Royal Sussex soldiers kept guard and conducted drills outside the mansion and on the back parade. It was a good opportunity for trying to get some of the winter rust off and work on the Manual Exercise of 1828. Maneuvers practiced included advancing by files, forming line into column and column into line, left and right wheels, obliques, and more.

Sir John was also delighted by a surprise presentation of a birthday cake and cupcakes, slightly ahead of his actual birthday. All in all, a lovely Saturday spent in good company. Our thanks to Athena and Joe for contributing their photos, found below.

2023 Meeting in the Books

1/9/2023

The 2023 annual Society meeting was held on Zoom and conducted in a speedy and efficient manner. The captain thanks everyone who joined us and offered their insights, comments, and questions. For those who did not attend, meeting notes are available upon request. All in all, 2023 looks like it should be a fine year for the 35th!

Candlelight Tours at OBPV 2022

1/2/2023

The 35th Royal Sussex was invited to attend the candlelight tours at Old Bethpage Village on Long Island, a familiar site for many of us who have done their Revolutionary War events over the years. This time was a little different, but a lot of fun. Christmas this year landed on a weekend and while almost all of our events are also on weekends, we made an exception and traveled out on Wednesday, December 28. As the village is predominantly mid-19th Century, we fit in well with the various houses and other volunteers on site. The entire place was lit up with hundreds of candle lanterns and while the air was cool and a little damp, a sort of fog lent a very cozy and mysterious atmosphere to the village. We were set up in the Kirby House, built in 1835, and spoke with a steady stream of visitors who came in for their tours. We had two soldiers and two ladies for the event and took shifts in exploring the village, with all its decorations. There was music and conviviality throughout. The event itself ran from 5 to 9:30 p.m. and because it was so dark, we got very few pictures.

Fort Mott Soldiers Christmas Highlights Victorian Customs

12/18/2022

Saturday, December 17, brought the 35th Royal Sussex Regiment to Fort Mott, a coastal fortification built along the Delaware River, for their Soldiers Christmas timeline event. The park staff hosts nighttime tours of groups visiting different parts of the fort where displays are set up showcasing how militaries of different eras and nations observed Christmas. Our early Victorian regiment was set up in the Switchboard Room along with representatives of the Revolutionary War 1st New Jersey Regiment.

From 5-9 pm, groups visited steadily and we spoke at length as to some of the Christmas customs which stem principally from the Victorian influence of Prince Albert and Charles Dickens. We were delighted to see many of our friends as well, occupying other locations in the fort, to see them before the holidays. This also wraps up our last "official" event of the 2022 season.

Captain Sir John, Lady Van Vliet, Mrs. Robin Barnes, and Miss Meredith Barnes outside Fort Mott.

Among the many displays was a large contingent of Tsarist Russian soldiers in World War One. The recent Treaty of London (1839) guarantees Belgium's neutrality and, apparently, this will cause the British Empire some problems in the early 20th Century, we were informed.

Neither cold nor dead of night dampens the Royal Sussex spirit!

Hawthorne Christmas Parade 2022

12/3/2022

Our 1830s Victorians marched once again in the annual Santa Parade in Hawthorne, NJ! Though our numbers were diminished from 2021, we still had a smart showing with Sharon carrying the Union Flag while our grenadiers marched down the street with bayonets fixed. At 7 p.m. the town's Christmas Tree was illuminated, marking the official start of the holiday season in Hawthorne. Following this, we met with Tina at a local diner for a lovely dinner and to warm up from a chilly but festive night.

Pictures by Judy Kopitar.

Victorious Advance at Washington's Retreat, 2022

11/23/2022

The "Retreat to Victory" event hosted by the Bergen County Historical Society commemorates the fighting withdrawal of Washington's forces after the fall of Fort Lee to the British in November of 1776. We were very happy to be back at New Bridge Landing for this event again and it seemed to be bigger than in years past. Despite temperatures coming near to freezing, there was a large turnout of public as well as reenactors on both sides. Additionally, George Washington and two other officers on horseback were present to oversee the Continental Army. The event ran from 11 to 4pm and had two skirmishes scheduled.

The British force was a composite company of a few groups: the 15th (Lights), 35th (Grenadiers), 43rd, 54th, and 55th Regiments along with loyalists from the 4th Battalion NJ Volunteers. Opposing us were the New Jersey Line and militias. The first engagement saw the British force stopped and turned back at the bridge over the Hackensack River. The second was witness to a more successful British push which crossed the river and drove the rebels back from both sides of the Von Steuben House. From there, the rebels were steadily driven back. In the central field near the barnyard, the 54th and 35th Grenadiers formed the left, with the 43rd and 55th in the center and 15th Light Infantry on the right.

A bottleneck was pressed heartily by both sides, with the British forming a dense but powerful force while the light infantry were sent forward to deploy to the right in the open space near the Campbell-Christie House. This allowed the main British infantry section to hammer home the attack which then came to a victorious conclusion, although Washington and the main part of his force was able to effect an escape.

Our thanks to all the wonderful volunteers and staff who made this excellent event a stunning success!

White Plains Revisited: 2022

10/24/2022

The Battle of White Plains 1776 was commemorated at the Jacob Purdy House once again. The White Plains Historical Society were fine hosts throughout the day. At 10:30, the Union Flag was raised by the 35th and the 42nd Royal Highlanders to mark the start of the "occupation" and at noon there was a brief salute and raising of the Colours with General Washington. The background of the battle was explained to the public by "Abigail Purdy" and the names of the American Continental soldiers who died in the engagement were read with a drum roll for each name. The event had a few brief moments of drizzle which may have kept some people home, but there were bands playing military music throughout the afternoon and the reenactors were fed a lovely stew. Crafts, a surgery, and military life were on display throughout the event, remembering and commemorating a battle of particular significance to the 35th Regiment in particular and the New York campaign in general.

A Royal Engagement: Victoria & Albert 2022

10/16/2022

An extraordinary time was had by all at the Royal Engagement 1839 celebration held on the lawn of Willow Hall in Morristown. Our largest early Victorian event to date, we had Kim G. portraying HM Queen Victoria and Shane P. as HRH Prince Albert in addition to 6 soldiers and 5 ladies-in-waiting to the Queen for a total of thirteen Victorians in peak style.

The occasion was 183 years to the day when Victoria, as social superior, proposed to her cousin, Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. Their union was sealed on February 10, 1840, and lasted 21 years until Albert's death from what is believed to have been typhoid fever. Victoria never really recovered from losing her beloved husband and thereafter seen as having changed from the vibrant mother of the nation to the somber monarch in perpetual mourning.

Our event, however, was a universally happy one. The 35th Royal Sussex Regiment had an Other Ranks mess alongside the royal picnic, attended by those of quality. A luncheon was served for all, followed by a tea at 3:00 and a hearty dinner of stew, bread, and pie in the evening. Compliments are extended to Tony S. who served as cook for the day as well as to Sharon for all her efforts with food preparation. Shane brought his silver and finery along with additional furnishings to elevate a humble camp into a place fitting for a regal yet relaxing afternoon out.

Military drills were carried out to practice the men in the particulars of marching and musketry. A feu de joie was fired for Her Majesty on the joyous occasion.

Her Majesty also presented the captain with a brilliant knight commander's breast star for what has since been dubbed the "Order of the Diamond." This, she said, was in recognition of his 20 years serving as the Royal Sussex Society's president and commander.

Our team came together to assemble a fantastic event. Once the event ended, thanks to working together, took down and packed up one of the largest camps we have made in quick time, leaving no trace behind on the grounds.

Pictures below by Ari Lopez Wei, Meredith Barnes, Athena Wu, Ryan Schmelzer, and Sir John Van Vliet, Bt. KCD.

Battle of Brandywine 2022 a Triumph

9/26/2022

The British Brigade's big event of the year was held at Sandy Hollow Park in West Chester, PA. This is a location familiar to the 35th as we have done some events there in years past. This also marked our first British Brigade event since the winding down of Coronavirus restrictions, and it was an exciting experience to once again be part of a huge recreated battle. We had our camp fly set up along the edge of the company street near the sutler Samson Historical. We were near our friends the 23rd Royal Welch, DeLancey's loyalists, and Hessian Jaegers. As a unit, we were brigaded into a heavy company, called Second Company, comprised of the grenadiers and the highlanders.

We were also very happy to have with us our new associate member, Jennifer B., who came down from New England to join us. Our stalwart men and women set up our camp and spent the weekend engaged with a steady stream of visitors throughout the weekend. Each day featured a large battle that had the British deployed to a far field to start. The enemy came upon us and we steadily drove them from this distant, vast area through the woods. Once we cleared the Doodles from the woods, we engaged them in an open, pitched battle in the fields under the eyes of thousands of visitors. Both Saturday and Sunday's scenarios played out similarly, although on Sunday we did something not often done at Rev War events--we formed square in the presence of cavalry!

Saturday evening was particularly special as well because we were treated to the sight of a SpaceX rocket that lifted off from Cape Canaveral, but was visible even in the Pennsylvanian skies. Some thought it was a comet, but this was not the case. Once the spectacle of the rocket faded into the cosmos, a fireworks display lit up the evening for a few minutes to everyone's delight.

Sunday we almost got away scot-free, but Mother Nature had a rainstorm brewing up west of the Appalachians. Within half an hour of our return from the field, we were taking down the camp but not fast enough to avoid the relatively-brief but intense downpour which soaked everyone and everything. For some, this may have been a blessing, especially if they had camped out on site and had not had a shower the whole weekend. Nevertheless, soggy as we were, our spirits were not dampened and Brandywine 2022 was a tremendous success! Photos to follow.

Ringwood 2022 Timeline Breaks Records

8/15/2022

Wow and thank you! Our event this past weekend was the largest we in the Royal Sussex Society have held there to date, signing in 53 attendees in total. That is because of our great participants, Sue Shutte, and the wonderful staff at Ringwood Manor. We truly appreciate the time they took to come out, as well as sharing their expertise and love of history with the visitors. We also want to thank our special guest speakers Reuben Fast Horse and Michael Grillo for their excellent talks given each day on Lakhota culture and George Washington respectively. I also want to thank Sharon and Elizabeth for helping out with the day-of sign-ins, to Tom who served as Camp Marshal and my invaluable second-in-command, to Justin for all his assistance, and to Matt and Michael W., and Clint for their help with the Friday afternoon camp set up.

The weather was truly on our side Saturday and Sunday, and our collective concerns about a frying-pan heatwave situation did not come to pass. We got a break in what had been a scorching summer so far. We still have a bad drought to contend with, and the ground was extremely dry, so we appreciated everyone's understanding with not having any campfires which could have posed a serious danger. The directive came from the fire marshal and is a condition unfortunately affecting the whole area. And while we certainly need rain, I'm glad it didn't rain at least for this past weekend!

We had reenactors coming from as far away as Richmond to be a part of our event and, from what I have heard, everyone seemed happy. The visitors certainly were. It was great seeing so many familiar faces as well as new ones. One of the recurring comments I heard from visitors was that they were impressed by the wide variety and scope of the displays and the friendliness of everyone in attendance.

We will enter into discussions soon with the park personnel to set a date for next summer to hold another timeline at Ringwood. With the exception of 2020 and 2021, we have been fortunate to be able to hold at least one living history program there each year since 2005. Good people who might be interested in attending next year are encouraged to reach out and, when the time comes, to register. There is a lot of physical space we can use to expand and further grow this event.