“Well, it was a balmy September morning in a little valley just east of the Mimbres mountains there in New Mexico, in September of 1885,” began Marshall Trimbell, a historian out of Scottsdale, casually, as if he were recounting a funny anecdote that happened to him on the way back from the supermarket.
He launched into the story going back more than a hundred years, of Jimmy Santiago McKinn, a white boy in New Mexico territory who was captured by the Apache Chief Geronimo as a young boy, lived among the tribe for years, and even refused to leave the Apache when he was “rescued” by Gen. George Crook.
Trimbell’s story didn’t follow a straight line. It meandered whenever its teller remembered another little anecdote of Old West history — about Geronimo, or Crook, or the old photographer C.S. Fly in Tombstone.
Then he picked up his guitar, announced he’d forgotten the song he’d meant to play, and instead launched into two ballads, one about an Irish pilot who joined the cause of Mexican rebels in 1929, but accidentally ended up bombing Naco, Ariz., instead of Naco, Mexico, marking the first time any part of the United States suffered aerial bombing.
The History of the Soldier, held Saturday and Sunday, April 7 and 8, in Camp Verde, overflowed with information, just like Trimbell, who gave his presentation on Saturday afternoon. Dozens of historical reenactors descended on the fort for the annual event. All across the field were men and women dressed in outfits that would have fit in with the fort’s long history — fatigues of soldiers in the Indian Wars, and the Civil War, of course, but also uniforms that went beyond Camp Verde’s history to other moments in time.
Jay Eby came from Prescott dressed as one of Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders from the SpanishAmerican War. Though the war, fought in Cuba, never reached Arizona, Eby told of the A troop of the Rough Riders, which formed in Prescott and traveled to San Antonio for training before being deployed to Cuba. Eby has been dressing up as a Rough Rider for 27 years, more than 50 times the length of the brief SpanishAmerican War.
“People in Prescott didn’t know what a Rough Rider looked like,” Eby said. “They just see the statue. So we dress up like Rough Riders so people can know.”
“Without the history of soldiers, we shouldn’t have an encampment here,” said Camp Verde Town Manager Russ Martin, who was touring the event with his father. “We’re part of that history, so it’s nice to have an event that recognizes that history.”
Another part of Arizona’s history on display was the 1841 12-pounder Mountain Howitzer, a Civil Warera cannon weighing more than 700 pounds sitting in the middle of the field. A team of recreationists from 1st Texas
Light Artillery, a Civil War re-enactor society in Phoenix, stood around the massive weapon in full period garb, explaining the history of the cannon. It is similar to the one used by the Union Army at Fort Bowie in southeast Arizona in a battle against the Apache in 1862. The cannon shot 12-pound solid shots, as well as shrapnel-filled air bursts and shotgun-style rounds, and the re-enactors showed how to fire it, which lucky visitors to the event were able to do. They were given ear plugs, taught how to pull out the cord that launched the cannonball, and then did so once the re-enactors loaded the cannon. The Howitzer produced a loud bang and a large puff of smoke that lingered for a few seconds in the clear hot day.
“I think it’s great that there’s an organization sponsoring these events, because there’s not as many as there should be,” said John Fritz, one of the few re-enactors in uniform not decked out in clothes worn by American soldiers. Fritz, a Chandler resident who has been participating in reenactments for eight years, came dressed as a Soviet soldier in World War II. Though he usually does Civil War, Fritz, knowing he was coming to an event where there would be numerous other re-enactors dressed in 1860s dress and wanting to display the variety of military uniforms, came displaying one of his other favorite time periods in history.
“It’s neat to see all the different soldiers in uniform in one place. They’re sorta juxtaposed,” said Amanda Black, a Sedona resident who was visiting the event with her 11-year-old niece, Olivia, here visiting from Philadelphia.
“I like the fashion show,” Olivia said, before announcing that the antique telescope had been her favorite thing to see at the fort.
“It’s cool how passionate people are about history and how knowledgeable they are,” Black said.
Russ Zitlau, who traveled from Prescott to Camp Verde for the event, enjoyed examining the weapons — not just the cannon, but rifles on display from all eras of American history, many with ornate designs.
“It’s history,” Zitlau said. “You don’t know where you’re going if you don’t know your history.”
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551, or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
