Brandon F. & The Native Oak

26/12/2024

It has only just been brought to my attention that, until now, there was a PO box listed on this page. Unfortunately it seems I had forgotten to remove it earlier- as I have not had that PO box for the past year or so. If you have sent anything to that address recently and had it returned I am incredibly sorry. The address has now been removed.

24/12/2024

The Mrs was delighted to see these 'turkey tracks' this morning- but I knew better. The King's troops are out in force this Christmas Eve.

14/12/2024

Some groups complain that "the hobby is dying" while other groups do stuff like this!

29/11/2024

Another great example of what reenactment can, and should, be. Community engagement for a good cause, providing entertainment, education, and awareness not only of history and its importance but of the modern world which it is all connected to. Well done as ever to the Coldstream Guards 1815!

12/10/2024

When I visited Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House in Gloucester, MA recently I knew that I would be treated to plenty of spectacular views and a beautiful home, but it being an early 20th C. American home I honestly didn't expect to find much of the sort of history that typically interests me.

As it turns out, though, Henry Davis Sleeper was a fan of Admiral Nelson- and had an entire guest room themed around him! It included some fascinating pieces, including one of his letters!

Another interesting, although far darker, object that Sleeper had managed to collect was an 1804 bill of sale for "Mink", a young slave.

I also had no idea, before my trip, that Sleeper- an interior decorator- was involved with the American Field Service during WW1, for which service he was awarded the Croix de Guerre.

These objects and quite a few others definitely made what was already a lovely time that much more interesting!

26/09/2024

One of my favourite kinds of accounts are the ones that are not necessarily well written, but which flow as a stream of consciousness. Finishing up my research for my Antietam video, I found this wonderful description of the prelude to the battle in "The Record of the Second Massachusetts Infantry" which, once the video is posted, will be put up in the digital library at nativeoak.org

21/09/2024

“I never felt, before, the excitement which makes a man want to rush into the fight, but I did that day. Every battle makes me wish more and more that the war was over. It seems almost as if nothing could justify a battle like that on the 17th, and the horrors inseparable from it.”

- Robert Gould Shaw on the Battle of Antietam

19/09/2024

Turns out people really like Ferris Bueller's Day at Antietam!

17/09/2024

A bit of a departure from what I normally focus on, but the next two videos will feature some American Civil War content! Will the first be out in time for the anniversary in question? No, no it will not. But it won't be much longer- and then a second video on a related topic will follow before the month's end!

Can you guess the topic(s)?

13/09/2024

08/09/2024

26/08/2024

A fascinating look not only into a town's history, but how local history itself is conducted, and of its importance!

The small town of Franklin, Connecticut has a problem: It's Town Greens are Missing. Where were they, what happened to them, and why were they important?SCRI...

15/08/2024

Next stop, 250!

09/08/2024

I was on TV! A small local studio (so I'll not be in the movies any time soon!) invited me to be a guest on one of their programmes to discuss my new book, "Something Like Philosophy" (ahem ahem: https://www.nativeoak.org/bookshop )

So if you'd like to hear me ramble for a half hour or so about what I think makes the book interesting and important, go and check it out! I had a lot of fun there and was honoured to have been so welcomed. What's more, is that there's even a solid chance I'll be making a second appearance on another, similar programme in the near-ish future! I'll be sure to send you all a link to that, too!

Brandon Fischella talks about military history and the human side.

18/07/2024

It is finished!

Thanks to the amazing work of the book's contributors, my loved ones' patience in listening to my endless rambling about it, and the faith of those who pre-ordered, "Something Like Philosophy" is FINALLY finished and available for sale!

After hundreds of hours editing and proof-reading, doubtless there are still some issues that escaped me. Still, I hope that a rogue typo or two won't diminish the book too terribly much. For my first time ever playing editor I think I did a pretty good job!

If you've pre-ordered a copy of the book, I'll be sending yours out as soon as I'm able! It just may take some time to go through and place over 300 separate orders! I'll be sending you all an email soon with more details. Still I'm confident in my ability to get through all the orders within a week.

Consider this announcement a 'soft launch'! I'll be making a video showing off my physical copies and talking about it all soon enough!

Something Like Philosophy is a study of warfare’s sorrowful hellscape. Each of its essays explores themes of privation, trauma, horror, and suffering throughout military history in the hopes that we might draw connections between lived experiences otherwise thought to be separate. Through these co...

15/07/2024

Ladies and Gents: they are so back.

Coldstream Guards 1815, Reenactment and Living History group of the Coldstream Regiment of Foot Guards at the time of the Napoleonic Wars

25/06/2024

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Beamish Museum where reenactors of the Old 68th Society and His Majesty's 33rd Regiment of Foot put on a wonderful drill and weapons display for the public. They all did a wonderful job and were very smart on parade! I am thinking about making a short video where I offer some commentary on the footage I took of their demonstration, if people think they'd enjoy it. Either way, it definitely makes me look forward all the more to getting back in the Napoleonic field!

24/06/2024

This is exactly the kind of thing that we need to see more of in the reenactment community! Thankfully, I feel like "events" like these are becoming increasingly common in recent years. More and more I find, especially when speaking with younger reenactors, the "battle" events are the least interesting bit when compared with special displays, talks, and charity events like this.