We Make History
Proudly Presented
The 1864
Remembrance Ball
April 3rd, 2004 Phoenix, Arizona
Comments from our Friends of The North & The South
Dear Lord Scott,
I would like to again thank you and your ladies for your gracious hospitality
and hard work that made the 1864 Remembrance Ball a brilliant success! As
always I had a wonderful and memorable evening. It was grand to see faces and
talk with gentleman that I have not seen since the American Heritage Weekend
last November. Ms. Bennett who accompanied me that evening to her first Ball
had a grand evening and spoke often
of how friendly and helpful everyone was and how wonderful to see that
gentility is still alive and well in our time. The music, performances,
recitations and sing-a-longs were the icing to a masterly crafted Ball. It
was a great relief to me that the owner of the shoe I had rescued from the
fray and whom I thought had abandoned me, did not, nor was she sympathetic to
the North or to the State of Kentucky as we at first surmised. Merely she was
anxious to restore her footwear lest her ankle be seen in public and reproach
brought to her good family name as well as to her spotless reputation. I look
forward
to future events as well as to the next American Heritage Weekend. May
providence bless you and your family with much peace, happiness and
prosperity.
Your Humble Servant in Arms,
Lt. Edward E. Tucson, Arizona
Army of Tennessee
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Lord Scott,
I would first like to thank you for the wonderful evening! It seems that every time I participate in one of your activities it is even better than the last. I thoroughly enjoyed myself last night. I am glad to have met some of the homeschool people, they seem a very fun and nice crowd. It's nice, sometimes, to see some different people interacting with one another. These balls are indeed breaking the myths, as you so eloquently put it, and I look forward to next season very much. You should definitely keep going with the special presentations like Spencer & Jackson and the period monologues, they add so much to the evening. As always the dances were quite fun! I especially liked the "Fern Dance": simple, to the point, good clean fun. I only hope that at least some of my classmates will continue to come to next year's balls as I plan to do. I’m making new friends and becoming better acquainted with my classmates. I feel it's coming along quite well, thanks to you. So, once again, thank you very much for the evening and for all of this. I hope to hear from you about the American Heritage Weekend, and if you have any other information about reenactments, I'd be more than happy to hear about it.
Sincerely,
William C. Scottsdale, Arizona
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Dear Lord Scott:
To you and all who made the 1864 Remembrance Ball such a beautiful success -
thank you! The Ball was not only visually splendid, but immensely enjoyable. I
fell in love with the energetic Civil War dances and was much impressed by the
manners of the gentlemen.
With each event I attend, the participants only increase in their courtesy and
in understanding of historical customs. I never found my way to a seat the
entire evening!
The broom dance was quite amusing! I waltzed with the broom twice but was
fortunate enough to get a partner who managed to ward off any other
broom-bearing ladies for the rest of the dance. :)
My friends and I went away with more memories than I could possibly have time
to recount. Thank you over and over for all the time and effort you put into
creating living history events. You may never know the extent of the good We
Make History has cultivated in myself and my young friends!
Sincerely,
Miss Martha M. Payson, Arizona
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Dear Lord Scott,
Thank you so much for arranging this last ball. The dance selection was delightful, and so were the other entertainments. I truly appreciated hearing from those who had recently been at the front. It was also a great joy to be able to see both Union and Confederate soldiers at peace in one room. Only in the Ball Room could such a thing occur. Each of the balls that I have attended has been better than the last, and so I shall be waiting anxiously until the next. I remain yours,
Miss Valerie H. Phoenix, Arizona
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Lord Scott,
April 3rd's ball was my second and I enjoyed myself just as much as I did at
the February one. Once again, thank you a million times over for all you do,
for providing an atmosphere where people of all ages, genders, classes, and
circumstances may come and enjoy themselves in an old-fashioned way. I love
dressing up for these balls, meeting and having a good time with friends,
listening to the music of the period, and just having a wholesome good time in
general. Thank you once again and I hope to be able to attend these events for
a long time to come!
Cathi G. Glendale, Arizona
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Dear Lord Scott:
I want to thank you for hosting another splendid ball Saturday night. It
brought back many delightful memories. It is far too long between these
balls. It was once again so nice to see all those smiling faces with everyone
having a grand time. Spencer and Jackson are wonderful entertainers. What a
way to end the season! The music and dances were perfect for the evening,
and hardly a chair was filled when the music was playing. I hope that my
small contribution to the evening provided some benefit, and I look forward to
the next time we can gather together for an evening of dance and socializing.
Mike C. (a.k.a. Private Sam Tucker, 5th New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry)
Glendale, Arizona
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Lord Scott and Lady Lisa
The 2003 Victorian Christmas Ball was the first of your balls that I have
attended. It was so enjoyable, I thought I would never experience one as good
as that again. But now, your 2004 1864 Remembrance Ball has done it. I
thoroughly enjoyed myself last night at the ball. Mistress Deb is the best
dance caller you have used, and the band played wonderful music. As always,
the Grand entrance March was a highlight, and very
different for me this time. My wife was taken from me by another gentleman
before I could ask her to march in with me! Fortunately, I was able to march
with another lovely lady. Personally, I enjoy the 1860’s style of dancing more
than some of the other styles, although all of the styles have been good.
Living in 20th century, and now 21st century society, it is difficult for me
to break social habits and ask other ladies to dance. But at this particular
ball, I began asking other ladies to dance, and it was quite enjoyable.
I was glad to see that you made prize-winners abide by the rules. Please keep
your standards high, and don’t back down on the rules and regulations.
I plan to buy a Confederate uniform soon. Now that we know how good these
balls are, and plan to attend several of your events in the future, it is time
to purchase some of our own clothing. I am also still very interested in
joining the Continental Army.
We look forward to the next season of balls.
Thank you
Dean P. Phoenix, Arizona
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Thank you so much for a great evening! I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I plan
on attending the next ball in the fall!
Thank you,
Kirstin W. Glendale, Arizona
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Dear Lord Scott,
Thank you for all the effort and hard work that you put forth in arranging these wonderful activities for us. We had a splendid time and are looking forward to the picnic and ball this summer. Of course, we think the Highland Ball theme a grand one, as our hearts belong to Scotland! We have had interest from our Victorian Society attendees as to participating with us at your events, so hopefully, we will be able to bring a larger representation from Payson next time. We are eagerly awaiting the pictures and looking forward to hearing from you in the near future.
Respectfully,
Karen D. Payson, Arizona
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Thank you again for a wonderful time!! The children cant stop talking about how much fun they had- it was a real blessing for them to experience history in this way thank you! God bless you.
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Dear Lord Scott,
Thank you so much for organizing the 1864 Remembrance Ball. As always, it was a wonderful evening. I love the friendly and courteous atmosphere of the We Make History balls and consider it a privilege to attend these events.
Sincerely,
Jessica M. Gilbert, Arizona
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Lord Scott,
My family and I are ever so deeply in your debt sir and that of your fine staff for your efforts in making the 1864 Remembrance Ball a night to remember for all. The planning and most importantly the execution warrant you a commission on General Lee's staff. Might I add that it was most enjoyable to meet General Lee himself. He seemd in fine spirits and I enjoyed his leading that rousing chorus of the Bonnie Blue Flag. I daresay the cavaliers of the south certainly carried the day in not only our esprit de corps but we boast some fine tenors and baritones in our ranks. What our yankee brethern might lack on the battlefield or in choral ability they none-the-less deported themselves as true gentlemen at the dance. The ladies of both North and South were truly all belles of the ball. My compliments to your lovely wife and do give Miss Lisa my kind regards.
May the lord bless you and yours during this season of Easter.
I remain your obd't servant,
Jack P. Captain, 1st VA Cavalry Fountain Hills, Arizona
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Thanks for photographic contributions from:
1864: A Year in our Nation's History
Outnumbered, outgunned and blockaded, hopes in The South for a military victory were fast fading in spite of the leadership of General Robert E. Lee. In the North resources were abundant yet the public was increasingly weary of war. During his "Overland Campaign" of the Spring of '64 General Grant suffered 60,000 casualties, losing more men than Lee had in his entire army. President Lincoln fully expected to be defeated in the November election by General George McClellan, the democratic nominee, who like many favored a negotiated peace. Anything was still possible and the future was as of yet unknown.
A number of the War's most terrible battles were fought this year. The battles of the Wilderness, Spotsylvania Courthouse, Cold Harbor, Franklin and Nashville as well as the Siege of Petersburg and burning of Atlanta have all gone down as part of the legacy of a terrible and defining year which has remained in the national consciousness, highlighted by such films as Gone With the Wind and Cold Mountain.
