Bucktail departure to be recalled

Potter County's Clarence Walker will portray Capt. William T. Blanchard during Saturday's re-enactment of the Bucktails' departure. Blanchard was commander of the original Company I (McKean County Rifles), formed in 1861.

Plans are in place for this weekend's special reenactment of the Bucktails Regiment departure to fight in the Civil War in 1861.

Re-enactors, historians and speakers will gather in Smethport on Saturday to recreate the mustering of the soldiers under the leadership of General Thomas Kane. They marched through Cameron County to Driftwood, where they boarded rafts to float down Sinnemahoning Creek to Williamsport.

General Kane, portrayed by Kyle Stetz, will attend a kickoff breakfast from 8:00 to 9:30 at the Court of Angels Restaurant. Smethport Mayor Ross Porter, an active Civil War re-enactor, will welcome those assembled at 9:30, followed by the enlistment muster at the McKean County Courthouse steps, while the Bent Brass Band performs.

There will be a brief ceremony for the adoption of a whitetailed deer's tail as the regiment's insignia.

Shortly after 10:00, the recruits will be drilled by Capt. William T. Blanchard, portrayed by another veteran re-enactor, Clarence Walker.

General Kane's "march forward" order will be given at 10:30. The soldiers will proceed to Veterans Memorial Bridge for a brief ceremony.

About 700 volunteers from the region roughly bounded by today's McKean, Cameron, Potter, Elk and counties answered the call to serve in the Pa. Bucktails. The deer's tail attached to the back of their hats was a symbol of unity and a badge of marksmanship.

Today, because of that tail, historians and descendants have a fairly clear idea of what happened to most of the soldiers who left the mountains in 1861 to serve their Union and save their flag.

Many Bucktails were heroes of the Civil War, as the regiment played a critical role in important Union battle victories, including Gettysburg. Their effectiveness was a tribute to the leadership skills of General Kane, as well as the mental and physical toughness of the volunteers.

Dozens of uniformed reenactors and other Civil War buffs will move into Smethport later this year for the annual Bucktail Reunion, hosted by Company I. Last year's reunion was held in Driftwood, a town forever linked to Smethport by the Bucktails connection.