R.I.VOLUNTEERS CIVIL WAR REENACTOR ASSOC

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RHODE ISLAND VOLUNTEERS
CIVIL WAR RE-ENACTOR
ASSOCIATION

Re-enacting Civil War History & honoring the memory of
Elisha Hunt Rhodes.

CLICK ON PHOTOS FOR WAR BIOGRAPHIES

General Ambrose E. Burnside "Rhode Island's Own", by Gregg A. Mierka and William Sprague, War Governor of Rhode Island, by Lydia Raposa.

Elisha Hunt Rhodes

UNITS WE PORTRAY Second Regiment Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry, Company D

Second Virginia Volunteers, C.S.A., Company D

Rhode Island Volunteers Civil War Re-enactor Association, Civilian Unit

Try Our Second Rhode Island Links To This Page For More Interesting Facts
&
The History Of The Second R.I. Volunteers

For A Brief History Of The Second Rhode Island Volunteers, Click HERE

For A Look At Our Cartes De Visite Page "ONE" : Click HERE

For A Look At Our Cartes De Visite Page "TWO", A Tribute To The Men Of The 2nd A Flash Media Presentation : Click HERE

For Information About Our Activities: Civil War Re-enactments, Period Living History Encampments & School Presentations, Parades and Ceremonies, Click HERE
This Page is still under construction, but keep checking back.

For Information About Civil War Period Infantry Drill And Military Protocol, Click HERE
Our Drill Page is still under construction, but keep checking back.

The 2nd Rhode Island Volunteers train and drill by Hardee's Tactics. Above is an original 1862 Watson's of Boston officer-NCO haversack paperback edition used during the Civil War by most New England volunteer infantry units as the standard infantry manual, including the 2nd Rhode Island; written by William J. Hardee.
Collection of: G.A. Mierka

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The 2nd Rhode Island Volunteers Company D, Color Guard at a ceremony in Scituate, Rhode Island.

Some of our Favorite Web Sites

Elisha Dyer Camp No. 7,Rhode Island Dept. Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

Arnold's Battery A, First Regiment Rhode Island Light Artillery Unit Association And Its History, Artillery Drill, And Great Information

First Regiment Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry/1st Light Infantry R.I.D.M. Unit Association and Its History Related To The 2nd R.I. Its And Cartes De Visite Page

The Rhode Island Grand Army of the Republic GAR Civil War Museum, Library and Research Center, Cranston

Battery F, 1st Regiment, Rhode Island Light Artillery And Great Information About The Newport Artillery Armory-Museum

The Governor Sprague Mansion Museum Located In Cranston, Rhode Island

The Rhode Island Civil War Round Table For The Serrious Civil War Historians

Go here and scroll to get to the Major Sullivan Ballou 2nd Regiment, Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry, 1861, letter home to his wife Sarah, featured in the Ken Burns PBS series "The Civil War".

WANT TO REENACT AT CIVIL WAR EVENTS !
WE CAN HELP YOU!

E-mail Crpl. Ted Urbanski for more information about becoming a member of the Rhode Island Volunteers Civil War Reenactor Association and our events schedule. RInapsack Or e-mail Crpl. Bill Hooper for more information about reenacting with the 2nd Rhode Island, Company D.

Photos by Anna Cabrera, Press Photographer for former R.I. Secretary of State, Edward S. Inman, III. The 2nd Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry, Company D was selected by Battery A, 1st R.I. Light Artillery to be a part of the R.I. Secretary of State's Honor Guard Detachments of historical R.I. Civil War Units for a series of R.I. State Archives Civil War Broadside Presentations (in remembrance of Soldiers killed during the war from R.I. Cities & Towns) to the R.I. Cities of Cranston, Warwick, Cumberland and Newport.

On The Left: An Association photo, of Corporal Ted Urbanski, Company D Drill Instructor and safety NCO. The GAR Post Card above shows the distinctive Rhode Island "Red" bedroll on the napsack. All R.I. Civil War units (all branches--infantry, artillery & cavalry) were equipped with red bedrolls by the R.I. Sprague Mills. The Confederates could always tell from a distance they were going up against a R.I. unit due to their distinctive bedrolls through most of the war. The center photo shows Corporal Theodore Urbanski, President of the R.I. Civil War Re-enactors Assoc., Lt. Gregory Payne and Miss Linda Payne displaying the State Colors of the 2nd R.I.V.I., accurately hand painted on silk and researched through the R.I. State Archives by Lt. Payne. On The Right: An Association photo, of Lt. Gregory H. Payne, Field Commander of the (Elisha Hunt Rhodes Company) 2nd R.I. Volunteer Infantry Regiment, Co.D, R.I. Civil War Re-enactors Association.

THE LADIES

Women were important to the war effort. Click the right and left photos for more information. Read about Kady Brownell, Daughter of the Regiment. Click the center photo for proper Civilian clothing for the ladies. We don't provide a link to Civilian clothing for the men because we expect that all true patriots are in the military fighting for our ladies back home,
especially the girl in the right photo,
who is our favorite "Pin Up Gal", that all the men dearly admire on those long campaings fighting the Rebs......

THE LANGUAGE OF THE FAN, VICTORIAN SOCIAL BEHAVIOR

All ladies of quality or proper and good up-bringing as well as "true" gentlemen, were thoroughly educated in the "Private Conversation" or "Secret Language Of The Fan", often displayed widly but very discreetly at social gatherings, especially by young ladies courting. The words of the fan language were never spoken in public. The fan language was often used while simultaneously carrying on a spoken conversation with someone else, unrelated to what the lady was saying to another with her fan. Anyone who did not find a way to acknowledge or failed to understand the fan messages being conveyed by a proper lady and her fan, risked greatly offending her. At an early age, women were taught never to get a tan, never eat like a field hand in public, always have perfect posture, speak intelligently, have good manners, never cut her hair, wear a dress that never showed her feet, and do her best to maintain an hour-glass figure. Mothers and Grandmothers were socially duty bound to teach their young girls these rules without exception. The regular practice of shaving legs and under-arms for ladies came in the 1890s and later, when the safety razor was invented and in many cases still later in the early 20th century when women were allowed to reveal their legs with their normal clothing. During the Civil War Period, on hot days, men and women were never allowed to bath together or swim together as a group, and all men and women, "including soldiers" bathing as a "gender oriented group", bathed in their undergarments, never totally un-clothed. This social standard was "strictly" observed in the military. The Language of the Fan at times went against proper standards or acceptable Victorian Period social behavior. Young-people enjoyed the language of the fan as a way of rebelling against strict Victorian Standards imposed upon them as a normal aspect of evryone's life-style, especially during the Civil War.

PROPER LANGUAGE OF THE FAN DIALOG

Women not carrying on a conversation with their fan, hung them from their waist or tucked them away in a small hand-bag, but ready for use at a moment's notice.

Sir I Desire Your Proper Acquaintance.....

Carry Your Closed Fan in Your "Left" Hand and Hold it Briefly and Repeatedly in Front of Your Face.

I Wish to Speak Privately with You Sir.....

Close Your Fan in Front of the Gentleman and Walk Slowly to Where You Want to Meet Him.

Follow Me Sir.....

Carry Your Closed Fan in Your "Right" Hand, Holding Briefly in Front of Your Face, Making Sure That Only the Gentleman Sees.

Please Wait For Me Sir.....

Open Your Fan Wide, but Do Not Wave it and Turn so Only the Gentleman Sees.

Sir, We are Being Watched.....

Close Your Fan and Twirl it in Your "Left" Hand and Walk Away if You are Not Seated, or Look the Other Way if Seated.

My Good Sir, I truly Love You.....

Discreetly and Slowly Draw Your Fan Downward Along Either the Right or Left the Side of Your Face or Cheek, Opposite From Public View.

Goodness Sir, Yes; or Kind Sir, I Certainly Will.....

Rest Your Fan Closed on Your "Right" Cheek, Facing So Only the Gentleman Sees.

My Dear Sir, Do You Love Me....?

Discreetly Present Your Fan for a Moment in Front of Your Face, "Closed".

No How Dare You Sir; or Sir, I Certainly Will Not.....

Rest Your Fan closed on Your "Left" Cheek and Ignore the Gentleman.

My Apologies Sir, I Love Another.....

Twirl Your Fan Closed in Your "Right" Hand and Look Down.

Sir You Frighten Me; and/or Sir You are Too Willing.....

Hold the Handle of Your Fan in Either Hand Up to Your Lips.

Sir, You Have Changed; or Sir, You are Not the Same as before.....

Draw Your Closed Fan Across Your Forehead and Look Pleased if You Approve of the Change or Sad if You Do Not Approve.

Sir, I Strongly Wish You Would Leave at Once; or Please Sir, Get Away From Me, I Have No Interest in Being Around You At All.....

Place Your Closed Fan on Your "Left" Ear and hold it there.

Sir I think You Are Despicable; or I Hate You Sir.....

Draw Your Closed Fan Repeatedly in an Agitated Manner Through Your "Left" Hand and Sow a Scowl When No One is Looking.

Sir, I am so Very Sorry; or Please Sir, Forgive Me.....

Draw Your Closed Fan Across Your Eyes.

Sir, You Are So Very Cruel; or Sir, You Have Hurt Me Dearly.....

Repeatedly Open and Shut Your Fan Several Times Holding it in Front of You at Your Waist in an Agrivated Manner.

Sir, How Dare You, I am Engaged.....

Open Your Fan and Flutter Fan it on Your Face and Chest Quickly and Look Away From the Gentleman.....

Sir, You May Think You Have Caught My Fancy, but I am Married.....

Open Your Fan and Fan Your Face "Slowly", and Look Away From the Gentleman.

I May or May Not Be Flirting but Let Us be Friends; or We Can Only Be Just Friends, but I Like Your Attention.....

Drop Your Fan on the Floor or Ground in Front of You and Wait For the Gentleman to Pick it Up, a Message Also Conveyed When Dropping Your Hanky or Mit.

RHODE ISLAND'S OWN

THANK YOU FOR YOUR VOTE & SUPPORT

Click the links in this table For:
THE RHODE ISLAND HERITAGE HALL OF FAME, PLUS SEE THE GENERAL BURNSIDE AND GENERAL GREENE BIOGRAPHIES BELOW
The 2003 inductees of the R.I. Heritage Hall of Fame
Thank you all for your support by contacting the R.I. Historical Society-R.I. Heritage Hall of Fame, and nominating both Generals A.E. Burnside and G.S. Greene to the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame. Each year important Rhode Islanders, past & present, are selected. Prior to November, 2003, "no" Rhode Island Civil War Veteran had ever been chosen. You can e-mail additional suggestions to the R.I. Historical Society HERE to find out more. Your support helped to put an end to this oversight. We are pleased to inform all our viewers that �12� important Rhode Island Civil War Veterans and nationally known Pre-Civil War Social-Political Activists were selected.
Again thank you all for supporting the work we do.
Huzah, the R.I. Reenactors Association, 2nd R.I. Volunteer Infantry, Co. D,
(the Elisha Hunt Rhodes Company).

RHODE ISLAND'S OWN, GEORGE SEARS GREENE BIOGRAPHY

RHODE ISLAND'S OWN, AMBROSE EVERETT BURNSIDE BIOGRAPHY

This site is managed by: Gregg A. Mierka, Vice President-Webmaster, R.I. Reenactors Assoc., c/o Gen. Nathanael Greene Homestead Museum, at Spell Hall, Coventry, R.I.

For more information about the history of the 2nd Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry, Co.D, email Gregg A. Mierka Webmaster
All R.I. GAR Civil War Museum Home Pages were researched, written & Web-designed by Gregg A. Mierka
Sources: Memoirs of Rhode Island Officers, 1868; RI GAR Encampment Proceedings 1868-1876; The 1893 R.I. Adjutant General's Report, by Elisha Dyer; All For The Union, by Robert Hunt Rhodes, 1985; and Union Blue, by Robert G. Carroon, 2001
For information about the recent books cited, "All For The Union", contact R.H. Rhodes HERE and "Union Blue", contact R.G. Carroon HERE
To get information about the Ken Burns PBS series, "The Civil War", featuring Rhode Islanders in the Civil War, click HERE at Florentine Films.
Thank You Brothers Bob & Jerry

�All Rights Reserved 2001, 2006

We wish to thank Brother/Companion Keith G. Harrison, Past National SUVCW Commander-in-Chief and, current National MOLLUS Webmaster, as well as all the artists/musicians for the use of their music on all the pages in our site. A special thanks also to Keith Laurent for arranging and playing Jay Ungar's Ashokan Farewell �1983 by Swinging Door Music-BMI Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Thanks also to Robert Hunt Rhodes for allowing us to use some of his material about his ancestor, Elisha Hunt Rhodes and to Ken Burns for featuring E.H. Rhodes and our State's Civil War History in his PBS series on The Civil War. And a special thanks to Edwin Bearrs, Brian Pohanka, Jeff Shaara and Ron Maxwell for their support for Rhode Island Civil War History and raising the American conscience about the triumphs and tragidies of the Great War of the Rebellion 1861 to 1865.

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