PARADES  Billy loves a parade (good chance to meet and greet the voters). Here General Smith and Colonel John S. Mosby appear in the Washington, Va., St. Patrick's Day parade.

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIVING HISTORY EVENTS offer an opportunity of acquainting people with Extra Billy's life and times. Generals Jubal Early, Extra Billy Smith, and John B. Gordon take a break during the Gathering of Civil War Eagles in Winchester, Va.

 

 

 

 

                                                  

CEREMONIES  Governor Smith and General Ewell unveiling a historical marker to Captain John Marr, the first Confederate officer killed in action, at Fairfax Courthouse, Va.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HISTORICAL SOCIETIES, ROUND TABLES, MUSEUMS, and HISTORICAL SITES  General Smith addressing the Fauquier Heritage Institute in Warrenton, Va.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Lee's Lieutenants, with Brig. General Smith on the far left flank (the position he held on the Confederate line during the battle) address the overflow crowd at the activities tent at the 2009 re-enactment of the Battle of Gettysburg.

 

 

 

 

 Former Governor Smith and Lt. Col. (later Lt. General) Richard Ewell rally the Warrenton Rifles after their Captain, John Marr, becomes the first Confederate officer killed in action at the re-enactment of the Fairfax Courthouse skirmish of June 1, 1861. As the attack occurred at 3am Col. Ewell and Governor Smith were awakened from a sound sleep and didn't have time to properly dress before going into action. At the bottom of the home page for this site is a 21 minute video of a presentation and the reenactment of this skirmish.

 

 IT'S A HARD WAR  Actually, sometimes things are not all that bad. At Luray Caverns Extra Billy has an attractive lady on each arm while General Ewell only has a banjo (the banjo player is walking behind General Ewell).  We had a special tour of the caverns while Nate, the banjo player, got to test the acostics inside the caverns. 

 

 

 

SCHOOLS  You never know, some of them may vote for Extra Billy in a future election.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CONFERENCES  Smith and friends (and a Yankee) at a CWPT teachers training session in Fredericksburg, Va.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE STORY TELLER There are a lot of stories told about Extra Billy Smith, and he tells a lot of them himself. It appears, however, that Captain Sally Tompkins has already heard the one that Governor Smith is telling at the Fairfax County 4H Fair.

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE REAL THING  In 1913  almost 55,000 Civil War veterans gathered at Gettysburg on the 50th anniversary of the Gettysburg battle. Carrying buckets of lemonade to the Vets was eight year old Charles Bream. A quarter of a century later, in 1938, Mr. Bream was one of the event organizers of the 75th anniversary celebrations. Mr. Bream, now 105 years old, still lives near Gettysburg. During the 2009 Battle of Gettysburg re-enactment Lee's Lieutenants visited Mr. Bream and presented him a flag that had flown in his honor over the US Capital. As living historians we portray people and events we have studied in books while Mr. Bream has actually seen and talked with the men who made that history. We re-create history, he has seen history. I regret to announce that Mr. Bream passed away in May, 2011,

 

 Several months after Mr. Bream's death Lee's Lieutenants met Mr. Charles Gordon, of Arlington, Va., at the 150th Manassas. Mr. Gordon, age 92, served as a medic in the British army and was captured in Belgium in 1940, during the retreat to Dunkirk. His brother, serving in another unit, was killed during this same period. After four years as a POW in thirteen different camps, he was exchanged in 1944 and later served on occupation duty in Germany. As living historians we tell stories about people and events we have study and researched. Mr. Gordon told us stories that he had lived. Mr. Gordon is seated, center, with members of Lee's Lieutenants and the Federal Generals Corps in camp at Manassas.

 

                                                                           

HISTORICAL ACCURACY To a living historian it is important to portray your character as accurately as possible. Although in his mid-60's during the war, Extra Billy was very young at heart. In his own words: They say that I am three score and ten years of age, and I guess it is about so, but when the Yankees and the women are around I want you to understand that Billy Smith is not twenty-five. An example of his youthfulness is provided by Confederate artilleryman Robert Stiles: "I remember one day I heard a great cackling and shouts of laughter at the head of the column and riding forward to see what it meant found Gen. Smith dismounted in the road, surrounded by a bevy of pretty girls, every one of whom he was kissing, despite very vigorous sham resistance, and, as he performed the ceremony in each case, he would comfort his blushing, laughing victims, by the reflection, 'Never mind my dear, its all right; you just tell your father it was Extra Billy did it, and he'll say it's all right' ". If flirting with attractive women is what it takes to achieve historical accuracy, then that is an arduous duty which a living historian must undertake

 

 

BACK TO CONGRESS Extra Billy served five terms (1841-1843 and 1853-1861) in the U.S. House of Representatives. Each year the UDC holds a memorial at General Lee's statue inside the U.S. Capital Building to commemorate his birthday. In 2010 Extra Billy, Colonel Mosby, and Generals Armistead, Gordon, and Ewell joined the birthday boy as part of this observation. Extra Billy was unsuccessful in his bid for the US Senate in 1875, so it took him another 135 years to get back into this building.

 

 

 

 

 

FILMS AND MOVIES  Lt. Col.Richard Ewell (Chris Godart), Sgt. Bill Lacy (Co. D, 17th Va.), and Extra Billy Smith discuss the upcoming action with the crew filming the re-enactment of the skirmish at Fairfax Courthouse (June 1, 1861) before the 2011 re-enactment.

 

 

 

    All in the family Extra Billy and his son and aide Frederick Waugh Smith (portrayed by Natalya Usmanova) at Blemheim in Fairfax Va. in December, 2011, Billy's four surviving sons, Austin, Thomas, Peter, and Fred all served during the war. Aistin was killed and Thomas and Fred were both wounded (Extra Billy was wounded four times).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WE TOOK HARRISBURG Although the Army of Northern Virginia was sidetracked at Gettysbiug in 1863 on their march to the state capital at Harrisburg, Pa., some of us returned several years ago and captured Harrisburg dispite the efforts of some Yankees to deny us the high ground around the National Civil War Museum,

 

 

AS FAR AS WE CAN GO  Generals Smith and Stuart, appearing as privates, reach the end of the line, and the land, and prepare to make a final stand at the water's edge in an event at Fort Taylor in Key West, Fl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 SABERS AND ROSES  In September, 1862, when the Army of Northern Virginia marched into Maryland JEB Stuart's cavalry stopped in Urbanna, Md., and took over the Landon House, then being used as a female academy, and hosted a ball for the ladies of the neighborhood .During the dance there was an alarm causes by the advance on Union troops into the area. The dance was suspended while the Confederates rode out to meet the threat. After the Federals withdrew Stuart's men returned and finished the ball. In 2009 Lee's Lieutenants was offered the opportunite of recreating that ball on the original site.

 

 

NEW GENERALS  Many of the Confederate Generals (not Extra Billy) are getting old so it is important to commission a new generation who can take command. At the Sully, Va. event two new Generals, neither of whom is a West Pointer, were commissioned but due to the shortages imposed by the Yankee blockade only one general's uniform was available. For the time being it appears that one  uniform coat will be enough. As the saying goes: "two heads are better then one",

 

 

TWINKLE TOES BILLY Alright, so maybe Extra Billy is not another Fred Astaire (some youngsters may have no idea who he is) but dancing with an attractive lady does tend to give wings to your feet, as it did here at the reenactor's dance at Luray Caverns.

 

 

 

 

 

 HOT TIME AT MANASSAS Despite temperatures over 100 with a heat index of 120, Lee's Lieutenants and Colonel William "Extra Billy" Smith, commander of the 49th Regiment of Virginia Volunteer Infantry, had a great four days doing living history at the Manassas Museum for the 150th anniversary of the First Battle of Manassas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General J. E. B. Stuart  Why were you late at Gettysburg?

 

 

 

 

 

General Richard S. Ewell  Why does Extra Billy carry an umbrella and why didn't you take those hills at Gettysburg? Unfortunately the video runs out before he finishes his answer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

General George Pickett What happened on July 3?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As a living historian and re-en actor, having numerous personalities is an asset. Dave Meisky currently has three: Extra Billy Smith, army paymaster Captain David Meade, and lowly Private David Meisky of the 17th Virginia. There are times when different personalities are on display at the same event. Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010 at Fort Taylor, Fl., Captain Meade talked about the money of the period during the morning living history session, Private Meisky fought in the afternoon battle, and Governor Smith attended the evening dance. The schedule below indicates the main persona who will be present:

     X - appearing as Extra Billy Smith

     $ - appearing as the paymaster, Capt. Meade

     P - appearing as the grunt, Pvt. Meisky

     O - appearing as some other persona

 

 

 

                                       2012

 

                                       2011

X  12/4           Blenheim CW in Camp          Fairfax, Va.

X  11/19         Remembrance Day Parade    Gettysburg, Pa.

X  10/3           Shepherds Center lecture         Burke, Va.

X  9/24            Heritage Day Parade               Warrenton, Va.

X  9/18            BSF Fund Raiser                    Stephensburg, Va.

X  9/10-11       Battle of Front Royal                Luray, Va.

X  8/12-14       Sully Civil War Weekend          Chantilly, Va.

X  7/21-24       1st Manassas                          Manassas, Va.

$  7/10            Gray Ghost Winery                  Amissville, Va. 

X  6/31-7/4      Battle of Gettysburg                 Gettysburg, Pa.

$  6/28            Paymaster presentation           Bedford, Va.

X  6/18            Skirmish at Vienna                   Vienna, Va.

X  6/12            Fairfax Museum                        Fairfax, Va.

X  6/4             Skirmish re-enactment               Fairfax, Va.

X  6/3-5          Gathering of Eagles                   Winchester, Va.

X  6/1             John Marr Commemoration         Fairfax, Va.

$  5/29            Brandy Station Foundation        Brandy Station, Va.

X  5/21-22       living history                             Lewisburg, WV

X  5/13-15       Battle of Clarksburg                   Clarksburg, WV

X  5/7            Blenheim Living History              Fairfax, Va

$  4/16-17       living history                              Brandy Station, Va.

X  4/15            Culpeper Museum                     Culpeper, Va.

X  4/8-10         Long Road Home                       Appomattox, Va.

P  3/16           Clarendon ES                            Arlington, Va.

X  3/10            Bull Run CWRT                        Centreville, Va.

X  2/25-26       Lee's Lieutenants workshop       Winchester, Va.

X  2/21           Washington birthday parade        Alexandria, Va. 

X  2/9             Railroad Museum                       Fairfax Station, Va.

X  1/15            Lee - Jackson Day                     Lexington, Va.

 

It really has nothing to do with Extra Billy Smith, but here is my favorite 20 minutes of television with a civil war theme. Enjoy!!!