| Hunt Reports / Articles Extensive Cavalry Knowledge Makes Guide a True Treasure by AERON MACK HYNES, For Middleburg Life (Created: Sunday, December 14, 2008 2:57 PM EST) A twig snaps nearby, and suddenly he is wide awake, listening. It’s just starting to get light. He quietly peels back his blanket and peers out across the misty fields and nearby woods. One of the horses stomps its foot, and then goes back to snoozing on the picket line. As the mists begin to rise and the birds begin to chatter, he is struck by the beauty of this land. Taking stock of this warm June morning, he gets up and begins to make breakfast for the others. The Virginia cavalry would have slept on this very spot, and Todd Kern wouldn’t have it done any other way. Kern and his group are on an overnight expedition, following in the footsteps of Civil War cavalrymen. Looking around Welbourne Farm and across to Goose Creek, it’s easy to imagine that this is the same view the Virginia and Carolina troops would have seen when they camped here in the mid-1800s. Today, Kern strives to give his groups an historically accurate experience of what it would have been like to be in the Virginia Cavalry of that time, complete with horses in authentic cavalry tack, period dress, and meals of seasonally grown and available food which would have been eaten by the troops. This goes beyond re-enactment; they are living the past. To call Kern a Civil War buff would be like saying Tiger Woods is a pretty good golfer. He is a walking encyclopedia of all things cavalry, specifically of the Civil War era. Growing up near Winchester, his childhood was filled with stories from his father about John Mosby, Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. As Kern grew older he read everything there was to read about the Civil War, especially the local history and the cavalry. After college, he worked as a curator and manager for Civil War museums. Already an accomplished horseman, he began to get involved with re-enactments, particularly cavalry re-enactments. But because Kern was so knowledgeable about the history of the period, he became disappointed with the inaccuracies of the events he participated in. He yearned for a more authentic experience, an insight into what the soldiers felt living in the saddle for days or weeks. After more research into what it was really like to "live in the saddle," he started doing his own tours, focusing on a more historically accurate experience. It was around this time that a friend invited Kern to try foxhunting. He was hooked instantly. He began to understand how foxhunting and cavalry were linked, and why many of the major players in the Civil War’s cavalry were avid fox hunters. "Foxhunting and the cavalry have many similarities," says Kern. "You have your advance (the huntsman and hounds), flankers and scouts (whippers-in), main column (first field), logistics (second field or car toppers). You leave from a camp not knowing where you will end up, and one must be able to read terrain and traverse broken country, often at speed. Once the battle is joined (or quarry struck), the action takes on a life of it’s own: spontaneous, fast-paced and covering a lot of ground. You lose people and horses in the fray, and must continue. Foxhunting taught the cavalry officers how to think on their feet, read their opponent, and overcome obstacles on the fly." That "is precisely why many foxhunters became good cavalry officers, such as Richard Henry Dulany, who had formed the Piedmont pack by 1840 and became lieutenant colonel of the 7th Virginia Cavalry in the war," Kern said. Col. Dulany also started the Upperville Colt and Horse Show in 1857, the oldest horse show in America. "Horsemanship was an important part of day-to-day life in the 19th century," says Kern. "The reason the Southern cavalry dominated the northern cavalry early in the war was precisely because the southerners were such experienced horsemen,"Kern continues. "It was very much a horseback society. Between foxhunting, racing and farm work, they knew not only how to ride, but often knew everything about the care and upkeep of their horses. To be in the Confederate cavalry, one had to own and bring one’s own horse. The northern cavalry was at a huge disadvantage because they did not live the same type of lifestyle; their horses were issued to them by the army, and often the men didn’t even know how to ride." Through his work doing reenactments and hosting benefit rides for the Snickersville Turnpike Association, Kern met Nat Morison of Welbourne, and they became fast friends. Morison and his family have not only been here for eight generations, Morison is a direct descendant of Colonel Richard Dulany, and continues to reside in the family’s ancestral home. Through his friendship with Morison, Kern was able to offer his clients an even more authentic, not to mention beautiful, experience at Welbourne. "To see this area on horseback is to really experience it in it’s fullest. This is how life was back then, and to have Nat welcome me so unconditionally made it all the more special. Riding through Welbourne, you can really understand what life was like 150 years ago. This is truly an experience you can’t get anywhere else." Kern offers custom-tailored rides from spring through fall, and will book groups from two to ten people or more. He offers everything from a trail ride along old cavalry haunts ending with a boxed lunch at historic Goose Creek bridge (site of part of the battle of Upperville), to an overnight camp-out with dinner cooked over an open fire, to a weekend package including an overnight stay at Welbourne. Whatever your preference, you can rest assured you will receive a fully authentic and unforgettable experience. Tour costs range from $150 to $750 and up for weekend packages. Participants can bring their own horses, or Kern will provide them. All are guaranteed to be regaled with fascinating stories about the characters of the Civil War at no additional charge. To book a tour or get more information about riding through history, contact Kern at (540) 722-7219, or e-mail him at valhallastables@earthlink.net. |
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