Doyle, thanks for your information. When I was at Ft. Belvoir In 1986 I was able to attend a re-enactment of the Battle of New Market and I got to see actual VMI cadets on the field. I was hooked. I came back and joined a unit. I was very active until Uncle Sam thought I should go play In the sandbox. Several years ago we re-enacted the March from Smithville to Pocahontas. 3 of the guys went barefoot their feet were severely messed up. I wore my brogans and was thankful for them. Needless to say they were well used upon arrival. I cannot imagine traveling from Virginia to Georgia and back thru the Carolinas like the 3rd did. Or the Trans-Mississippi to Texas and back. I am not sure what is worse marching on foot or surviving the rails and steamships. Yes they were much tougher. My dad and Uncles were WW 2 vets and they admitted they were not as tough as the Civil War soldiers. I know I was a wimp in comparison to them!