Marty Williams 16 year old Bugler, 32nd Iowa, Co. B
May I call you Marty?
That's fine.
Marty, do you portray a real person?
No, not really. I'm just honoring all the musicians.
What do you do in real life?
I'm a student in 11th grade at RRMR
Do you have any hobbies besides reenacting?
I like to hunt and go clay pigeon shooting, I'm in sports. I am in wrestling, cross country , track and baseball.
How long have you been reenacting?
Oh, about 8 years now. I started off as a runner like most young boys do and worked my way up.
Marty, what is your role in the unit?
I am a private with the company and carry a rifle as well as bugle commands.
Do you actually bugle commands?
Yes I do. In campment bugle commands and also on the battlefield, like charge and a few others.
Why did you pick this role to portray?
I play the trumpet in the band at school. My dad thought it would be cool to have a bugler in the company so I became a bugler.
Do you like this portrayal?
I got a bugle and found some calls and practiced, got better at them and found that it was fun!
What did you do to prepare for your role? Obviously you had to get a bugle and learn how to play it.
Yep, I learned how to play it. Then, I talked to some other buglers in some other companies that had been playing for a long time. They gave me some tips and told me what books to buy. They helped me to practice. The books come from suttlers usually and they have the commands in them and tell a little story about them.
Where did you find your bugle?
At an auction. It isn't an actual Civil War model but, it is close and works for one.
How would a Civil War Bugle differ from a bugle of today?
The Civil war bugle was better quality and a little bigger.
I noticed your bugle is wrapped in cording. Were they all like that?
Yea, in the army any way. The cording tells what part of the army you are in. Blue is for infantry, Red is for artillery and Yellow for cavalry. Every company had their own bugler so they could call messages over distances.
Marty, What is your favorite reenactment and why?
Probably Stockton, It is because of their battle field, how it is set up. It has a big hill and a really big spot to have their battle at. Even though it was really cold when we had it, it was a good time.
