Eight months later, I reached the tail end of an aggressive job search, I had finally had enough of the routine, and the seemingly endless string of frustrations and disappointments that come with rejection letters, lackluster hiring managers, empty promises, and time wasted answering expired postings. I had obviously reached a point in my career where I was either too experienced, too expensive, or both. Taking stock in my talents, strengths, experience and my writing ambitions, I sat down and wrote myself a letter of recommendation. Passing a series of nerve-racking interviews with myself, I presented a handsome offer which I immediately accepted.
I formed my own Video Production company virtually overnight, and fell in with the ranks of the self-employed. It didn't take long before I landed my first paying contract, and another that was pro bono. I was excited, expectant, nervous, but I was not going to go through another layoff as long as I kept my new venture afloat. That was my motivation.
My writing and research had taken a back seat to that grueling job-hunting schedule, which gave way to the creation of a business plan, a full-blown website, and a handful of capability videos to help market my services. At about that time, an unexpected opportunity presented itself, and reignited my passion to continue my pursuit of Henry Banks that had since come to a grinding halt.
Shortly after my trip through Tennessee and Georgia, I had sent a copy of one of Henry's letters to the Resaca Battlefield Preservation Organization. Through some correspondence, an advertisement arrived in my inbox that announced the 150th anniversary Reenactment that would take place at Resaca over a weekend in May. A few emails later, I had an official invitation to fall in with the 125th Ohio Union Regiment who would be camping out over the weekend of May 16-18 at Resaca, and participating in battle reenactments to take place upon the actual field that Henry had charged across in 1864. When I had originally set forth to capture Henry's story, the notion to actually suit up in the Union blues had never even occurred to me. Looking back across nearly ten years of involvement, and all of the unexpected connections and fortuitous encounters that I had experienced along the way, I had only one response to this unexpected opportunity: "Of course."
I found a download online of a pocket sized field manual derived from Brigadier General W. J. Hardee's Rifle & Infantry Tactics. I sent the file to my printer, and stapled it together to form my own portable study guide to keep with me for quick reference. I had no idea that being a skirmisher required so much preparation. I was both excited and apprehensive to join the ranks of seasoned Reenactors, and to keep up with their drills and maneuvers. One of the officers had written to set my mind at ease, and promised to spend some prep time with me the day before the battle, and to pair me up with an experienced comrade. Still, I kept my handbook within reach, and referred to it whenever the opportunity arose.
The final days of my trip would fall on Memorial Day weekend, so I made arrangements to meet up with Andi's cousin Fleming and her boyfriend, Chris who was very familiar with DC. I had never visited our nation's capitol, and now that I was approaching my 50th birthday, I figured that it was about time to make that trip, even if it was just for the weekend. Would it be a befitting ending to the entire journey? Or would it produce more open doors into the Banks family saga? Time would tell, but one thing was for certain...I was pumped to get back on the road, and was ready for just about anything. I had a list as long as my arm of family members, friends, acquaintances, former colleagues, and perfect strangers who were rooting for me, and looking forward to acquiring their copy of my finished book, or at least hearing about the details of the final leg. I wouldn't dare disappoint them. This was going to get interesting.
