We are Company I, 42nd Pennsylvania Regiment, 1st Rifles, 13th Pennsylvania Volunteer Reserve – ‘The Bucktails’.

We are an American Civil War re-enactment group, based in the South of England, part of the Southern Skirmish Association, (Soskan). We recreate, live and fight and celebrate the union regiment – the Bucktails.

About Company I – The original Company I, (McLean County Rifles) was mustered into service on May 30th 1861 and was commanded by Captain William Blanchard

The re-enactment group was founded in 1985 by Bryan (Beau) Garoghan, who commanded the unit until 1997 when he stepped back into the ranks, and command of the unit was passed on to Lt. Clive Hooker. More about the re-enactment group…

In April 1861, when word was received of Kane’s recruiting for the regiment, the companies that eventually became C, G, and I, gathered on the upper reaches of the Susquehanna River and floated by raft to Lock Haven, where they then boarded trains to Harrisburg. Before leaving home, the men of Company I, recruited in McKean County, received a wool bunting flag to take with them. The lead raft carried this flag.

If you are interested in joining or in what we do drop us an e-mail at info@bucktails.co.uk or visit our recruitment page for more information. We have members of all ages from 13 to 60+.

We are part of the Southern Skirmish Association (Soskan) and attend events around the Southern half of The United Kingdom from April to November each year…

Fall in soldier! Join us on parade!