Rules and Guidelines

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Battle of Aiken
Rules, Regulations, and Guidelines

The Battle of Aiken Reenactment will be conducted under the Rules, Regulations, and Guidelines established by Hardees Corp as supplemented by the Brigadier General Barnard E. Bee Camp #1575, SCV. All persons (or their designated representative) must sign a Liability Release prior to participating in any event at the Battle of Aiken Event Site. Violation of these provisions could result in removal from the event and fortiture of all fees paid. General Hardee and his staff will make the ultimate decision in all cases concerning Reenactors.

Basic Guidelines:

All units may be required to galvanize.All uniforms and equipment must be of proper materials, construction, and appearance. An authenticity inspection will be held.Weapons recommended for infantry will be three-band muskets or proper two-band muskets. For cavalry: carbines, revolvers, and sabers. No Hawkins, shotguns, or flintlocks are allowed.State law requires that horses must have a current Coggins Test Certificate.Please keep horses out of infantry camps and modern food vendor area. Offenders will be asked to leave.For liability reasons, no pets (except registered cavalry horses) are allowed.Fire pits are allowed in designated camp areas only. These must be filled in when the event concludes.Use old wood and deadfall first.All trash must be removed when the event concludes.All flags carried in the event must be approved by the overall commander.No non-period music, instruments, or playback equipment is allowed.Vehicles must have parking pass and park in designated parking area. Vehicles unloading must be out of camp by 2400 Friday or they will be towed. No exceptions. Vehicles may not reload in camp areas until the conclusion of battle and pass and review on Sunday.All modern equipment must be hidden from sight at all times.No live ammunition or fireworks are allowed at the event.Bayonets will not be fixed except upon the command of the overall commander.Hand-to-hand combat is forbidden.Ramrods may not be drawn on the field except to clear weapons and even then, it may be done only by the senior NCO of each company.No one under 18 years is allowed to participate unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. No one under 16 may participate on the field unless they are a functional musician at least 12 years old, an artilleryman at least 14 years old (except positions 1 through 4, which must be 16) or a or medical steward at least 14 years old.Soldiers will not be allowed on the field until attending safety inspection. A battle pass (from registration) must be shown before entering the field.Only full-scale artillery allowed.No unit may act independently on the field without prior approval of the overall commander.For safety, all artillery must be placed in approved positions. The overall commander or the event host may expel participants acting in an unsafe or reckless manner from the event. Their decision will be final.

Additional Specific Information for Impressions:

Cavalry:
A current, original Coggins certificate for your horse is required. Please also note that horse hay will not be provided this year. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but we cannot guarantee the feed quality and are concerned for the horses’ safety. We do have a local vendor that can handle your needs. They provide us with our straw and other supplies. Our desire is to have a local supplier, with a reasonable price, available to you for feed and hay, if you so desire. More information will follow and you will be required to communicate with them directly for this service.

Artillery:

Due to space restraints, artillery guns allowed on the field will be limited to those who preregister and are accepted. Individuals of other units may attend and camp, but space and safety require the limitation of guns on the field. Extra guns may be left in camp for spectator viewing. All artillery units must preregister and pay as a unit to be eligible for payment of bounties.

Liability and Safety Concerns:

All participants are required to sign and Liability Release. Due to insurance restrictions, safety and liability concerns, the Battle of Aiken must be supervised by a reenactment body that will sanction the event. This event is governed by Hardees Corps. All Reenactors in command positions will report to the Battalion commander or his staff to coordinate command responsibilities. Safety rules will be enforced. All Reenactors must check in at the Registration Trailer to be issued battlefield passes that will be checked prior to the battle. No vehicles of any type are allowed in Camps after 8:00 AM on Saturday unless preapproved by the Commander, Hardees Corps or his representative. The only exception will be emergency vehicles.

Registration Fee:

The Brigadier General Barnard E. Bee Camp #1575 is handling registration. Please contact them at the link listed above. The fee for each person who registers by January 31, is $5 and guarantees amenities for the battle, including straw and firewood. Those who register after January 31, will be considered a walk-on must pay the $10 walk on fee. These personnel should not mail in their registration, but be prepared for an additional wait time on arrival that will be required for them to sign in. Everyone is required to sign a Liability Release form before participating in the battle or any event on the Battle of Aiken Site. Payment of all registration fees must accompany the completed registration form and constitute that you have read and understand the Liability Release and all Rules, Regulations, and Guidelines for the Battle of Aiken Reenactment.

Friday Living History for Students:

We need participants for Friday’s school skirmish. Ours is the largest living history event in the state, with 4,000 kids attending. Arrive prior to 0830 if you want to participate. We are always looking for specialized impressions, including medics, chaplains, fife and drums, civilians, undertakers, period wagons and mules. If your group is interested in making a special presentation, e-mail the School Day Coordinator.

Traffic and Parking:

All camps will be closed to automobiles on Friday between 0800 and 1530. Camp setup will be allowed during these times, but cars, trucks, vans and trailers will not be allowed in the area. (We are working on a solution to all of you that arrive during this time to shuttle your equipment to your camps.) Vehicles will be allowed in camps after this time for 30 minutes to drop off gear. To avoid congestion, please remove vehicles from camps as soon as you unload your gear. The provost will enforce this requirement.

All vehicles should be parked in the designated parking areas. The Cavalry area has a portion of the field that is desginated for Handicap parking for Reenactors. A portion of this area is also set asside for trucks with trailers for Artillery units. No other vehicles should be parked in this area. Regular reenactor parking is in the lower lot near the power line. Vehicles parked and unattended in unauthorized areas will be towed at the owner’s expense. Parking passes must be completely filled our with a good phone number and displayed on the dash of the vehicle. This helps us in case of emergency or a need to have your vehicle moved.

Vehicles are not allowed to be brought back into camp, without prior approval, until Sunday afternoon after the battle is over and the spectators have cleared the property. If you go out to dinner on Friday or Saturday night, they are to be parked in the designated parking areas on your return.