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| Fort Ticonderoga Guidelines for Reenactors (revised February 2005) |
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All participants in living history activities at Fort Ticonderoga are expected to be familiar with these Guidelines. Each unit commander or contact person is responsible for communicating this information to the members of his unit. Failure to comply with the Guidelines may result in immediate ejection from the site and/or removal from the Fort’s event invitation list. Ignorance of the rules will not be accepted as an excuse for failure to comply. The Guidelines are available online at the Fort’s website, www.fort-ticonderoga.org. Click on “Reenactors” then “Guidelines.” Copies of the Guidelines are available at the registration tent at each event.
Participation is by Invitation Only Fort Ticonderoga is committed to maintaining an environment of safety, security and authenticity at all times. Therefore, only units which have been invited by the Fort may participate in Fort events. Individual participants must be pre-enrolled as a member of an invited unit and be dressed and equipped appropriately for service in that unit. "Pre-enrolled" means that a unit member joined before the event and has received sufficient instruction to perform his or her duties safely and with historical accuracy. Emergency services can be summoned at any time by calling 911 on your cellphone or the pay phone outside the Log House Restaurant. No coins are required for emergency calls. WARNING: It may be necessary for emergency vehicles to drive through pedestrian-only areas or enter the site against the flow of one-way traffic. Be alert when walking or driving on Fort roads. We hope you have a good time at Fort Ticonderoga, but please, take it easy. The excessive consumption of alcohol isn't good for anyone and can have serious consequences. Please keep an eye on the members of your unit that wander off or go to sleep after drinking heavily. Participants who have been consuming alcohol should not be permitted to turn out under arms, use sharp tools, or drive a motor vehicle. Alcohol may not be consumed while the Fort is open to the public. The legal drinking age in New York State is 21. No consumption of alcohol by minors is permitted on Fort property. When the Fort closes for the day on Saturday, the paved road that runs between the camp and Sutler Row is closed to motor vehicle traffic. Until maintenance staff arrive the next morning, this area is to be considered a pedestrian walkway. For safety’s sake, a barricade is placed in the road at the end of the camp nearest the Fort. Do not move the barricade or drive around it. Under no circumstances may troops use paved roads, parking lots, or any traffic area as a parade ground while the Fort is open. Formations are to take place on the regimental and grand parades in camp, or in the Fort. Officers should use interior camp roads as much as possible when leading columns from the camp to the Fort and back. It is often very hot at Fort Ticonderoga encampments. Make sure the men and women under your command drink plenty of water. Canteens should be filled before going into action. A non-combatant with a bucket of ice water and dipper should be assigned to follow your unit in action. If at any time you or any other member of your unit begins to feel weak, dizzy, or sick to your stomach, speak up. Ask for help. Emergency medical personnel will be on-site during open hours on Saturdays and Sundays of event weekends. Fort staff with radios will always be present on the tactical field, ready to call for emergency medical assistance if needed. Pets are not permitted at Fort Ticonderoga events. Wild animals acting strangely (abroad in daylight, unafraid of humans, staggering, growling, etc.) should be reported immediately to Fort staff. Upon arrival at Fort Ticonderoga, participants must sign in at the registration tent. They will be issued a "Fort Ticonderoga Forces" pass, which they should keep with them at all times. The purpose of the pass is to help Fort staff determine whether or not they are bonafide event participants and therefore authorized to be on Fort property when the Fort is closed. Participants are responsible for the security of their own property. Fort Ticonderoga encourages all participating units to adopt high standards of authenticity. Before being invited to participate in Fort events, units must provide visual evidence that they meet (at the very least) basic, generally-accepted standards of historical accuracy. All questions or concerns regarding authenticity should be brought to the attention of the public programs coordinator, who will in turn speak to the unit commander in question. In all disputes regarding authenticity at Fort events, the decision of the Fort is final. Participating units must bear the name of a unit that actually participated in the Seven Years' War in North America (1754-1760) or the American Revolution (1775-1783). It is expected that each unit's portrayal will be appropriate for the period being portrayed. Event participants, regardless of who they portray, are expected to behave in a decent, orderly manner and follow the instructions of superior officers, Fort staff and volunteers. Fort Ticonderoga is a private, non-profit educational institution. Our survival depends on the goodwill of our visitors. Please treat them with consideration, courtesy and respect. Activities or programs (including alarms) may not take place in the Fort without the permission of the Director of Education and Interpretation. It is important that special event activities not interfere with normal, daily Fort programs. Event participants are not authorized to raise or lower flags on Fort flagpoles without permission. Participants whose portrayal requires that they wear body paint should be considerate of other reenactors and visitors who do not want to get paint stains on their clothing and hands. Please wipe off as much of the paint as possible before using the Fort’s showers and remove any residual paint left on the Fort’s chairs and benches. The registration tent is set up outside and to the right of the Fort's front gate (behind the hedge) at the beginning of every major event. Unless stated otherwise, registration will be open Thursdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. Friday hours are 9:00 am to 10:00 pm. If you arrive during these hours, sign-in before entering the site and setting up camp. If you arrive after these hours, enter the site through the back gate and sign-in the next morning at the Fort’s tent on Sutler Row. The Fort's tents are 18th-century marquees without walls. When you arrive at the encampment field, park along the paved road at a 45-degree angle, so that your vehicle is completely out of the road. This will enable more vehicles to park at the same time and will make it easier for other vehicles to get by. Find the quartermaster. He will direct you to your unit’s camping ground, show you where to find hay, wood, water and portajohns, and if necessary, help sort out encampment-related problems you may have. For easy recognition, quartermasters wear brightly colored shirts or jackets. Participants will be informed at the registration tent what the color of the day is. Camp equipage should be unloaded and cars moved as quickly as possible to the reenactor parking field. Leaving vehicles in the unloading zone for hours on end is extremely inconsiderate. Parking space is limited and other participants need to unload their vehicles too. There will be plenty of time later on to chat with friends. Essex County landfill rules require that garbage be put in clear garbage bags. Please use the bag issued to your unit at the registration tent. When it is full, place it in the dumpster located near the Maintenance Facility. More bags may be obtained at the Fort's marquee in camp. During open hours on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays of special event weekends, traffic through the site is one-way (running clockwise). All vehicles enter the site through the back gate and exit through the front gate. After the front gate is closed each day, all vehicles exit and enter through the Back Gate only. WARNING: Emergency vehicles may enter the site at any time through the front gate, against traffic, and shuttles run both ways between the parking field and the Fort. Be alert when driving or walking on Fort roads. Fort roads must be kept open at all times so that emergency vehicles can enter and exit the site without hindrance. All reenactor vehicles must be parked in the field marked, REENACTOR PARKING. This field is within easy walking distance of Sutler Row, the 18th-century and modern camps, and the Fort. Disabled reenactors, sutlers and modern campers will be given special permits to park ONE VEHICLE only in the overflow lot near the Fort. Other vehicles must be parked in the reenactor parking field. The main lot near the Fort is reserved for disabled visitors. All vehicles must be moved to the appropriate parking area by 9:00 am Saturday and may not be brought back to camp until after the tactical demonstration on Sunday afternoon. Transportation is provided at all major Fort encampments to shuttle reenactors and visitors back and forth between the parking field and the Fort. Shuttle hours are Saturday and Sunday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Unless stated otherwise, wood, water, hay, portajohns, steel fire plates, and garbage bags are provided by the Fort. Each tent is entitled to a half-bale of hay for bedding. Please help keep encampment expenses down by not wasting hay. The hay yard is not an appropriate playground for children. At major warm-weather encampments, ice will be sold at the maintenance facility at the times listed in the participant schedule. Rustic showers are located on the lower field at the bottom of the stairs (near the public viewing area for the tactical demonstration). The row of portajohns at each end of the encampment field will include one handicap-accessible unit to accommodate participants with voluminous clothing as well as disabled participants and visitors. A pay phone and wheelchair-accessible restrooms may be found at the outside lower end of the Log House Restaurant.
Fort Ticonderoga's Public Programs Coordinator oversees or directs every aspect event planning and execution. He coordinates the efforts of Fort staff, volunteers, senior command staff, and event participants to create a safe, authentic, educational and enjoyable experience for visitors and participants. Fort Ticonderoga appoints a senior staff for each event. The senior event staff consists of the following officers:
Each overall commander will appoint an adjutant, who will to attend to the order, discipline and interior police of the army. Adjutants will call the roll of units at each officers’ meeting. Overall commanders and seconds-in-command are asked to serve as such for three years. Overall commanders are succeeded by their seconds in command. Fort Ticonderoga will then appoint new seconds in command. Adjutants serve at the discretion of their overall commander. Other senior event staff serve at the discretion of the Fort, as long as they are willing to do so. Officers who have served as senior event staff in the past may be asked to serve again at a later date. Fort Ticonderoga reserves the right to appoint or dismiss senior event staff at discretion. All participants are expected to follow the orders of officers placed over them by the Fort or by senior event staff. A unit commanders' meeting, run by the Fort, is held Saturday and Sunday mornings. The time and place is specified in the participant schedule for each event. It is expected that the commanding officer or senior officer of every unit present will attend this meeting each day. If no officer is present in a unit, a noncommissioned officer or or some other member of the unit should attend. To keep meetings brief and the number of attendees to a minimum, only ONE representative from each unit may attend. If a unit is not represented at this meeting, it may not participate in that day's tactical demonstration. This is a vitally important administrative meeting that promotes clear communication between the Fort and participating units. The purpose of the meeting is to coordinate the operations of all forces, go over emergency procedures, and address problems and concerns. A very brief unit commanders’ meeting is held immediately after each tactical demonstration to resolve any issues that may have come up during the tactical.
Only period-correct candle lanterns may be used in camp. Coleman-type lanterns and halogen lamps, for example, give off an extremely unauthentic light and spoil the camp's 18th-century atmosphere. Unbroken bales of hay should not be seen in camp. Hay was not baled in the 18th Century. Hay may not be piled around the outside of tents. In consideration of those who would like to get some rest, quiet will be enforced in camp after 11:00 pm.
All fires must be built on the steel plates provided by the Fort. Open flames and coals inside tents are prohibited. (The word "tents" should be understood to include all forms of shelter used by encampment participants.) This means that all candles must be securely fixed in fully enclosed lanterns. Candles should be lit outside tents. Lanterns must be placed or suspended in tents so that they cannot be knocked over easily, and so that they are not near straw, canvas, blankets, clothing, or ammunition. Smoking in tents is prohibited. Hay or other combustible materials may not be piled around the outside of tents, or strewn on the ground near a fire. Fires may only be built in the Fort-designated kitchen areas. Each army's quartermaster can show participants where the kitchens are located. Braziers may only be used in the kitchen area. A filled water bucket must be kept near each fire. Each unit must keep a fire extinguisher in their kitchen. All members of the unit should know where it is and how to use it. A period-compatible cover should be made for it of white linen or cotton cloth marked in black with firemens’ axes crossed behind a water bucket. Fires may not be left unattended at any time. If a unit cannot spare anyone to watch their fire, then they should put it out. Fires must be at least fifteen feet from the nearest canvas. A quarter guard will mount in each camp Saturday night. Using the Fort’s tent on Sutler Row as its guard house, the guard will run frequent patrols through camp, noting—and in some cases correcting—all fire-related infractions of the Fort’s Guidelines. The officer of the guard will give a written report to the Fort’s Public Programs Coordinator at the Sunday morning unit commanders’ meeting. Protecting Fort Ticonderoga's Collections and Archeological Resources The removal of archeological materials or digging of any kind is strictly prohibited on Fort Ticonderoga property. The Fort actively prosecutes "pot hunters" and asks for the assistance of all encampment participants in watching out for and reporting persons engaged in these activities. Fort Ticonderoga does not use metal detectors. If you see anyone carrying or using a metal detector on Fort property, if you see a metal detector in a car parked on Fort property, or if a person with a metal detector claims they "work for the Fort", please report it immediately to Fort staff. Fort Ticonderoga reserves the right to prohibit vehicle entry into the encampment field under rainy or muddy conditions. In such cases, participants will be asked to park along the road and carry their equipment into and/or out of camp. The Fort will provide wheel or handbarrows to facilitate this process. Participants may not bring arms into the museum. This includes all firearms, edged weapons and polearms. Even when being careful, it's just too easy to damage glass cases and paintings. Participants are requested not to stray from roads, parking areas, or the encampment area while the Fort is closed. Posted areas are off-limits at all times. A public viewing area will be provided for every tactical demonstration. The tactical field and the public viewing area will be separated by a barrier. There will be a special viewing area for the Press. Only members of invited units, who have passed inspection by a Fort-appointed safety inspector that day, may participate in a tactical demonstration. If someone you don't recognize tries to fall in with your unit, please let one of the safety inspectors or Fort staff know right away. No one in charge at a Fort Ticonderoga event will assign a stranger to any unit without the permission of that unit's commanding officer. Tactical demonstration scenarios are carefully planned by Fort staff and senior event staff well in advance of the event. The goal of a scenario is to insure that a tactical demonstration is safe, authentic and enjoyable for participants and visitors alike. When units or individuals decide to "do their own thing", regardless of the scenario, this goal is not achieved. We ask that all participants follow the instructions of their superiors and stick to the scenario. A distance of at least 75 feet must be maintained at all times between opposing infantry units. A 60 degree, 100-foot deep arc of clear ground in front of each gun must be maintained at all times during tactical demonstrations. Supporting infantry posted beside a gun must maintain a minimum distance of 20 feet. No gun may be fired when supporting infantry advances beyond the muzzle and may not resume firing until the gun crew commander and supporting infantry commander agree that all is clear, or until the supporting infantry has advanced 200 feet. A strip of clear ground, at least 36 feet wide, should be maintained between the public viewing area and the nearest troops. No troops may maneuver, form or fire on this ground. Troops may not maneuver, form or fire in the public viewing area. When one force advances with charged bayonets, the opposing force should withdraw. When both forces advance with charged bayonets, they should halt before reaching minimum range for musket fire (75 feet), and both sides should withdraw. Advancing with charged bayonets at a pace greater than a common step is not permitted. Marching at the quick step, jogging or running with fixed bayonets is prohibited. Hand-to-hand combat is prohibited. The use of grenades is prohibited. In addition to drummers beating "The Parley", troops raising their hats in the air on muskets or pole arms should be recognized as a signal for all troops to cease fire immediately. During a cease fire, all troops should stand fast and wait quietly for further orders. Fort Ticonderoga appoints knowledgeable and experienced reenactors to serve as safety inspectors at each event. Fort-appointed safety inspectors are distinguished by a yellow sash or armband and are authorized to rule on all questions involving the safety of event participants and visitors. If a safety inspector tells you do something, do it. It will almost certainly be for a good reason. If you have a problem with a safety inspector, getting into an argument with him won’t fix it. Give yourself some time to cool down, then bring it up for discussion at the past-tactical unit commanders’ meeting.
Each unit, whether infantry, artillery, mounted or naval, must undergo two inspections before it can participate in each day's tactical demonstration. Each unit must appear for inspection at the specified times and places with its arms, accouterments, ammunition, and all other equipment that will be brought onto the tactical demonstration. The first inspection should be conducted each morning by the commanding officer of each unit. It is expected that all deficiencies will be noted and corrected at this time. Fort-appointed safety inspectors do not need to witness this inspection. The second inspection will take place each afternoon, usually just prior to the tactical demonstration. Each army will be assembled for this purpose on its grand parade in camp, ready for inspection and action. Unit commanders will inspect their units under the direct supervision of Fort staff and/or Fort-appointed inspectors. Inspectors may, if they wish, conduct personal inspections of any unit or equipment. Arms found at this inspection to be unfit for service may not be used or carried in the tactical demonstration. Units that repeatedly appear on the grand parade unprepared for inspection, or with unfit arms, may be dropped from the Fort's event invitation list.
Only black powder made for use in replica muzzle-loading weapons may be used at Fort Ticonderoga. Black powder may only be brought onto Fort Ticonderoga property in the form of pre-made small arms cartridges and/or artillery cartridges and priming tubes. Bulk powder in cans, horns, or any other container, is not permitted. The sale of black powder in any form is prohibited.
Black Powder Weapons in General The firing of small arms and artillery will take place only in designated areas and only in pre-arranged demonstrations, supervised by Fort staff and/or Fort-appointed safety inspectors.
Black Powder Weapons and Ammunition - Small Arms Only replica muzzle-loading firearms may be used in demonstrations at Fort Ticonderoga. All firearms must conform to an 18th-century design. Pistols may be carried, but may not be brandished, loaded or fired in action by land forces or naval forces serving on land. Exception: mounted troops serving on horseback may brandish, load and fire pistols in action, but only when specifically permitted to do so by the Executive Director of the Fort, and subject to the same guidelines that regulate the use of muskets. Blunderbusses may not be carried, loaded or fired in action by land forces or naval forces serving on land. Every firearm, whether or not it will be fired, must be fitted with a substantial and securely attached steel or brass flashguard. Every firearm, whether or not it will be fired, must be fitted with a substantial and securely attached leather hammerstall. Participants armed with short-barreled muskets must form in the front rank of their unit. Powder horns may be carried but must not contain any powder. Ball, shot or bullets of any kind should not be brought to an event. During the morning inspections at the unit level, each unit commander must make sure that no ball or shot is being carried by any member of his unit. At the afternoon inspections, Fort-appointed inspectors will double-check cartridge boxes at random in each unit to make sure no ball is being carried. Small arms cartridges are restricted to following quantities and granulations of powder:
Weapon Type Maximum Blank Load Musket 125 grains of fffg or ffg Rifle 90 grains of fffg or ffg Blank cartridges for muskets and rifles should be made of paper, rolled in an 18th-century manner, folded, glued or tied, without staples or tape. The paper used in making the cartridges must be heavy enough to resist accidental ignition by stray sparks or damage before use. Cartridges should be carried in a leather cartridge box or pouch, or tin canister, appropriate for the period being recreated. Cartridges may not be carried in thin cloth bags or in clothing. Spare cartridges should be kept in a wooden box, similar to those used to carry artillery cartridges (see Black Powder Weapons and Ammunition - Artillery), or in some other substantial container of an approved pattern. Nothing but powder may be put into the barrels of muskets or rifles during tactical demonstrations. Rammers may not be drawn for any reason. Small arms, when fired, should not be leveled at opposing forces or at visitors. No demonstration of "rapid fire" or speed-loading may take place without the permission of the Executive Director. Unit commanders will order their men to search arms (spring rammers) and dump unburned powder out of muskets immediately after each tactical demonstration, before they march their units back to camp. Black Powder Weapons and Ammunition - Artillery Only replica muzzle-loading artillery pieces may be used in demonstrations at Fort Ticonderoga. All gun barrels, carriages and implements must conform to an 18th-century design. Gun carriages must be of the split or double trail variety. Mortars or swivel guns (on land) may not be used in tactical demonstrations without the permission of the Master Gunner for that event. The bore of iron guns should be lined with seamless mechanical steel tubing with a minimum 3/8-inch wall thickness and a yield strength of 85,000 PSI or greater. The vents of iron and bronze guns should be no more than 1/4 inch in diameter. A gun crew is to consist of no fewer than three trained artillerists. Each gun should be provided with the following implements, which should be kept in good working condition:
Portfires and tin priming tubes may not be used. Powder horns may be carried but must not contain any powder. Artillery cartridges will be restricted to the following quantities and granulations of powder:
Mortar and howitzer charges will be determined by the chamber dimensions of the piece. Artillery cartridges are to be made of heavy-duty aluminum foil and shaped with a wooden form 7/8 the diameter of the bore. (See the sources listed at the end of the Guidelines for instructions in making artillery cartridges.) The Master Gunner may, if he wishes, open cartridges to inspect them. Fixed ammunition should not be brought to events. Ball or shot may not be brought onto the tactical field, but may be part of a static display. Musket balls may not be brought to events, even as part of a static display. Ammunition may not be carried in fixed side boxes. Ammunition should be kept in a removable or separate chest, made with a canvas-covered, lockable lid. The canvas must overhang the lid and the lid must be made so that it closes automatically when a cartridge is removed. Guns should be primed with paper priming tubes. (See the sources listed at the end of the Guidelines for instructions in making paper priming tubes.) Guns may not be primed with loose powder. No wadding of any kind may be used in loading a gun. When ramming, the lightest possible hold on the rammer should be maintained. One hand should be used, if possible. Cartridges do not need to be rammed down hard. Seating cartridges firmly but gently in the breech is sufficient. At no time should any gun crew member place his body in front of the muzzle. A loaded gun must not be moved under any circumstances. The master gunner has the final say in all matters related to the rate of artillery fire. Crossed implements over a cannon barrel indicate that a gun is loaded or out of service. Do not walk in front of a gun so marked. Misfire Procedure: If the primer ignites but the gun fails to fire, wait one minute before attempting to re-prime and fire. If this is not effective, repeat one more time. If the gun fails to fire after a total of three attempts, pour water from the sponge bucket down the up-turned barrel and into the vent. Allow to stand and soak for five minutes. Proceed to worm the piece to remove the charge and clear the vent. Secure the piece as you would after a successful firing. It is advisable to place the removed charge in the sponge bucket. Cross the implements over the barrel to indicate that the gun is out of service. Gun crew commanders will see that the apron and tompion are put back in place after each tactical demonstration. Visitors are not allowed to handle edged weapons. Unit commanders are responsible for the safe use of axes and other sharp tools in their units. Axes are not appropriate playthings for children. Make sure that unit members who cut or split firewood, or perform any other work with a sharp tool, have been properly trained in its use. Hatchets and knives should remain sheathed during tactical demonstrations. Espontoons and halberds should be carried with the blade or point up. Commissioned officers may draw their swords as needed to direct troops on parade or in action, but must be aware of where the point and edge of their sword is at all times. Bayonets may only be fixed and charged on the orders of the overall commanders. The use of bows and arrows, and the throwing of hatchets, knives, or any other weapon, is prohibited.
Though boat crews and other naval groups will be invited to the event, none of the three battles will involve naval action. Boat crews that are willing to serve on land will be sent into battle as infantry, as were Col. John Bradstreet’s men in the original battle. Naval groups that are planning activities on Lake George or Lake Champlain before or after the Battle of Carillon 250th event are welcome to camp at Fort Ticonderoga. Come early and stay late! Any naval group that is planning on setting up camp before Wednesday, June 25, 2008, must contact the event coordinator to make special arrangements.
Naval Forces The Commander of Naval Forces, appointed by Fort Ticonderoga, will conduct inspections and direct the operations of all vessels participating in Fort event activities on Lake Champlain. All naval personnel will be expected to follow his orders and instructions. (See the sources at the end of the Guidelines for detailed information on naval gunnery and safety in boats during tactical demonstrations.)
Despite the fact that Indian forces did not play a major role on either side during the original Battle of Carillon, all groups that attend the event will be involved in the three scheduled actions.
Photographers whose work will be used for commercial purposes must obtain the necessary written permission prior to an event. Photographers should not expect to be granted this permission on the day or days of the event. The term "photographers" includes videographers as well as still-photographers and motion picture camera crews. Photographers permitted by the Fort to be on the field during tactical demonstrations--including members of participating units--must attend the officers' meeting each morning so that they can be introduced to the unit commanders, and so that they will know how each day's activities will unfold. During tacticals, photographers must remain in areas designated for them by the Fort.
It is expected that sutlers and all persons who accompany them to Fort events will comply fully with all applicable parts of the Guidelines. Sutlers are required to register in advance for each event in which they wish to participate. It is recommended that sutlers contact the Fort immediately upon receipt of their invitation and register over the phone with a credit card. All space in Sutler Row is assigned on a first-come-first-served basis as sutler registrations are received. Sutlers who show up at an event without registering will not be allowed to set-up, even if space is available. Sutlers who join and maintain a membership in the Friends of Fort Ticonderoga will be given a discount on sutler fees. Sutler fees, listed below, are based on the square footage that each sutler's entire set-up occupies, including tent pins and ropes: Square Friends Others Footage Pay per Event Pay per Event
Sutlers are responsible for the security of their own property. Sutlers must not block roadways during the set-up and tear-down phases of encampments. Since sutlers are located in the 18th-century camp area, everything about them must be period-correct. This includes their tents, wares, display tables and shelves, visible containers, price markings, signs, and their own clothing. The Forbidden Wares List (the following items may not be displayed, sold or traded at Fort Ticonderoga events):
Sources
Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Contact Fort Ticonderoga's Public Programs Coordinator, Karl Crannell, by email at karl@fort-ticonderoga.org, or by phone at 518-585-2821.
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