Seamus found me at Fort Ti, having recognized me from my pictures on the Mohican Press website. That was a neat surprise!

Seamus, aka Mike Slease, recently formed up a reenactment of an F&I provincial regiment from Pennsylvania: the 3rd Battalion PA Regiment—the Augusta Regiment. This battalion was originally formed in 1756 to "sieze, occupy and defend the forks of the Susquehanna River." Fort Augusta was built there in the Indian town of Shamokin, now Sunbury, county seat of Northumberland County, PA. In 1758 they were absorbed into the 2nd Battalion and went with General Forbes to DuQuesne, leaving about 40 in garrison to run the place. It was a strong fort, and was never attacked in either the F&I or Rev Wars. (Mike tells me there is a re-created 1st Battalion, the Weiser Battalion, from southeast PA near Womelsdorf, where the original was from. Armstrong's 2nd Battalion has not yet been re-created.) Anyway, Mike was at Fort Ti leading this regiment.

Here's a picture of Mike from Fort Ti June, 2000.   Mike's story (below) is another great "how-I-got-into-reenacting" story, so I hope you will read on.  Also, please take a look at the gorgeous powderhorn he made me for my birthday, my WAR horn.

In 2000, Mike, as Col. Armstrong, completed an amazing 10-day reenactment of the 1756 Kittanning Expedition in Pennsylvania. The Kittanning Expedition website has a lot of information about the original event, the recent reenactment (including photos), and good links to early PA history sites.

Mike is an interesting character with a great story to tell about his reenacting. What he describes about "being bitten by the bug" is what has happened to everyone who does this hobby. Here is his story in his own words:

"When my friend, Pvt. Chauncey Goodrich, asked me to tell him how I got started in this fascinating, intriguing, obsessive, satisfying, frustrating, occasionally dangerous, and at times, horribly expensive hobby, I had to sit awhile and reflect on it, since it seems like I have been here forever. I started about 30 years ago, like so many of us, preparing for the Bicentennial of the United States, in actual reenacting. I decided that I needed a Bicentennial Project; something to pass on to my grandchildren when the time came. After due consideration of a number of things, I settled on building a Pennsylvania Longrifle. Never mind that I had no idea how or where to begin; that wasn't important. I was going to do it, and that's that! Well, I did do it, and 16 guns later, I don't even look at that first miserable attempt anymore! It was bad! But, I am getting ahead of myself.

"I have always, it seems, been interested in history, and in particular, military history. My father, when he was in medical school in the mid-1930's went to Gettysburg with some friends. While walking along a dirt road...so many of them there were dirt back then...kicked something in the dust. He bent down and picked up a piece of grapeshot. When I was a lad, he would get it out and roll it from hand to hand and fill my brother and I full of stories about the Civil War, and particularly, Gettysburg. I found out later in life that I had an ancestor there...and have visited often his locations on that field. We, as a family, made several pilgrimages to Gettysburg, and that served to cement my interest even deeper. I have passed that on to my daughters when their time came.

"When I was 12 years old, we moved out into the country, and our neighbor was a gunsmith. He had a halfstock caplock muzzleloading rifle made by an ancestor about 1875, and sometimes he would shoot it. He always took the time to clean it and store it properly, and allowed us, his son and me, to participate in this sport...both shooting and cleaning! I was bitten by the bug! The smell of sulphur is as common to me as my mom's perfume was. After Pappy Boyer passed away a few years ago, his son gave me that rifle, bag and horn. As I write this, I look up and see it hanging from a beam in my office, along with several others I have gathered up over the years.

"I always had an interest in the French and Indian War, I think, which was ignited by a plaque which hangs on the wall of a building in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, my home town, next to where the movie theater stood when I was a kid. On Saturdays we would go to the matinee and standing in line to get in, I would read about the Indian town that was there, the chief's house stood about where the plaque is, and it told about the raid in 1756 by Lt. Col. John Armstrong on that town. When we moved out to the country, I found out I was now living on Armstrong's trail!

"In 1976 the Bicentennial was finally here! My wife made Bicentennial "costumes" ... that is what they were...for me, herself, and our two little girls, ages 3 and 8. A photo of us on July 4, 1976 hangs on our refrigerator gallery to this day! While it was fun then, they have chosen not to get involved any more, however.

"My studies of the American Revolution started in earnest and along with that came speaking engagements, trips to sites of the conflict, and I saw my first reenactment! I was hooked! I HAD to do THAT!! So I set about to get myself equipped and clothed...quite hokey, as I see it now...but I was not turning back. I MADE an outfit of deerskin, which by the way, I had killed and had tanned. I made my bag, powder horn and everything I could. Fortunately, today there are much better goods available! I no longer make my rifles, although I do make some of my bags, and I have settled on powder horns as my major contribution to the game. Horn making has become my specialty. I am a member of the horn workers' Guild, The Honourable Company of Horners, and have exhibited and won awards at Dixon's Annual Gunmakers' Fair. In addition, I have recently been honored by being selected by Early American Homes magazine as one of its top 200 Traditional Craftsmen for 2000.

"In the years that have passed, I have done so many events, both for the public and for ourselves, that I would be hard pressed to name them all. I do, however, have several wonderful photo albums through which I can relive those events! I have been in extremes of weather: Hotter than the hinges of Hades to a 4 day deer hunt where it got no warmer than -6 degrees with 18 inches of snow. I have been all over Lake George in a canoe, fighting the French on every island and up and down Black Mountain, on glass-smooth waters to waves of 4 feet and wind which wanted to capsize us constantly, to night time tacticals which scared the bejeezes out of a person. I have been on woods tacticals for several days and lots of miles. I have been on solo camps to hunt or just to get out to talk to the trees.

"I have participated in events for the public at many of the bigger F&I or Rev War sites and forts: Niagara, Ticonderoga, Cherry Valley, and Johnson Hall in New York; Ft. Frederick in Maryland; Mansker's Station in Tennessee; Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, John Bartram's home in Philadelphia, Ft. Freeland and Conrad Weiser's Homestead, as well as Wyoming Valley and Ft. Augusta in Pennsylvania. There are many more to do, some of which we hope to do next year.

Read about Mike's experiences as Lt. Col. Armstrong on this great trek, from his daily journals: Armstrong's Journals

"The Revolutionary War impressions that have been developed are those of a Butler's Ranger, a Pennsylvania militiaman, commander of a rifle company, and a Seneca warrior. My French and Indian War impressions have been a Pennsylvania Provincial Ranger, a Seneca warrior, and now as the commanding officer of the 3rd Battalion Pennsylvania Regiment, the Augusta Regiment. In late August 2000 and for 10 days in September, I portrayed Lt. Col. John Armstrong in a recreation of his march against Kittanning.

"I have lived in Central Pennsylvania for a long time now, and this area is extremely rich in the history both the F&I War and Revolution. It was instrumental in the development of the country, and there is always something new to discover.

"During 2000 and early in 2001, a couple of friends and I have been writing The MacWilliam Chronicles on the Mohicanland website.

"I write the parts of Seamus, Nancy, the dark-haired lass, Timothy, and Chillisquaque Charlie. [The Chronicles start on the Chronicles page of the Mohican Press website.]"

Seamus MacWilliam (left) and Malcolm MacWilliam (right) on a winter trek.