LEGIO X FRETENSIS   August 2000 Newsletter -- Page 2
- Text and Photos by Robert Garbisch

Fort Point Event Report: July 29, 30
Fort Point, a National Historic Landmark, was the venue for our latest public appearance. For two days at the end of July, Legio X took the already historic, Civil-war era fort back much further in time.

Our camp was set up on a grassy area outside the Fort, where all of the visiting tourists, joggers, and cyclists passed by. On Saturday, members present were Arthur Gamon (Arthurius Brittanius) as one of Pilate's Auxiliary Guards, Doug Unsworth (Titus Lucretius Aeldred) as a Legionary, Alonso Chattan (Appollodorus of Athens) as LXF Greek Physician, Mary Minshall (Darreth Lugh) Celtic Woman, Steve Oster (Gaius Germanicus Magnus) & son Courtland Oster, (Octavius Licinius Snookius) Praetorian/Legionary and young Equestrian, Anthony Garbisch (Antony Lucius), and of course Centurio Marcus Antonius Lucius and Lady Lydia (Robert & Linda Garbisch).

Ft. Point Park Ranger Maureen Rodgers, a Civil War reenactor, arranged for permission for the venue and visited periodically through the day while she was on duty.

Whilst the public presentations focused on the Legion's service in Judaea, the local microclimate was much more like service in Britannia, with fog, winds, and a resulting temperature more reminiscent of campaigns in Iceland (not that we've done any, but if we did, it would be what they'd be like!).

But as the stalwarts they are, none of the Legio X members were heard to call out to the Gods in anger or dismay. After all, with joggers passing by wearing nothing more than shorts, or shorts and a bikini top, how could we possibly fail to display gravitas superior to that of these assorted barbarians?

Titus Lucius Aeldred added a new persona to the team as our Greek Physician. Mary Minshall, although a Celt, was generally on best behavior (although there were one or two lapses). This also was the first event for Arthurius Brittanius and Ed McDonald (Calventius Viator), who both made a very good appearance as Legionary soldiers. Calventius was very effective with Public Relations, particularly if the public was female, single, and attractive.

In between presentations we toured Fort Point, built in 1854, sparingly used, and almost unaltered from the original construction. More than one tourist was taken by surprise as they walked into one of the gun rooms only to be met by armed Roman soldiers walking out. Except for the cannons, the fort could very well have been a Roman fort, built with many of the same architectural details the Romans used.

Many tour buses and tour groups came to visit the Fort, and the presence of Legio X added another dimension. There were European tourists who were very interested in the history, and we fielded many, many questions. Of course the recent popularity of the movie "Gladiator" added even more interest and we were asked questions about the tactics used in the movie. Occasionally bus loads of tourists from various international origins would pass by our camp, and the tourists were seen gawking and snapping pictures as fast as they could. For some of them, I wondered if they will explain the photos to their friends back home with the correct understanding of what we are doing, or if they will use the

Guarding the entry into the fort are Legionaries Titus and Calventius.  

Welcoming the public are Legionary Calventius and Auxiliary Arthurius.  

At the gateway entry into Fort Point are (Left to Right) are Arthurius, Antony, Park Ranger Rogers, and Centurio Marcus.  

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