Marines Being Recruited For Harpers Ferry
December '01

HARPERS FERRY. W. Va. - The U.S.M.C. Guard of Ship's Company Inc., which serves the USS Constella-tion in Baltimore, has announced a new initiative to portray the Marines who captured John Brown at Harpers Ferry in 1859.
Responding to a desire of the interpretive staff at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park to locate appropriately attired volunteers who represent the leathernecks, members of Constellation's Marine Guard are seeking other like-minded living historians to help fill this need.

The debut of this new effort is scheduled for a one-day event to be held on the Sunday after the park's annual "Election Day 1860" event next October.

"This will be a one-to-three event per year side impression" said Steve Bockmiller, who is Ship's Company's Marine Guard coordinator.

"It will be treated as a cooperative effort, so those who are interested will not be required to join Ship's Company". The Marines at Harpers Ferry in 1859 were wearing a held-over Mexican War-style uniform consisting of a sky-blue roundabout jacket and trousers, topped by a dark blue wheel hat. The requisite weapon is the M1842 three band musket or rifle-musket.

For existing Marine reenactors, Bockmiller said that it is easy to convert the Civil War period kit for this impression.
"Except for the jacket and wheel hat, almost everything used with the Civil War impression can be used for this kit."

Those interested in joining the project can contact Bockmiller at (301) 371-6311 or e-mail at DeBockster@aol.com