An Indiana actor visited Waynesboro to pursue a role in a Civil War movie filmed at Monterey Pass Battlefield.
By Robb Helfrick
Indiana-based actor John Wickett recently visited Waynesboro to pursue his passion for historic reenacting. He arrived to pursue a role in a Civil War film titled “Killed at Resaca.” That production is based on an Ambrose Bierce short story, and the filming took place mostly at Monterey Pass Battlefield in Washington Township.
This trip wasn’t Wickett’s first excursion to the region. John first visited Gettysburg in 1994 and developed a strong interest in recreating history as a young man. Wickett, now 53, is a chemist by profession, but his reenacting has “really taken off” since he became active in that community.
Killed at Resaca is Wickett’s second acting role, but his first speaking part. He played a small role in an Antietam Battlefield Visitor Center film (as pictured above), but this role required more preparation and study.
Wickett portrays William B. Hazen, a real-life brigadier general for the Union Army. “I had the challenge of remembering lines and speaking them audibly for this part. It was a great experience, and I learned a lot,” Wickett said. At Monterey Pass, he enjoyed interacting with “all kinds of personalities and characters.”
During his preparation for the role, Wickett grew a beard, and just before he drove to Pennsylvania, he trimmed his whiskers to imitate Hazen’s 1864 appearance.
John goes a step further in his reenacting. He has learned the trade of a tailor and makes some of his military outfits. Wickett shared images of Revolutionary War uniforms and clothing worn during the War of 1812. The details of these garments are not only authentic to those periods, but also lend an air of martial dignity to his reenacting.
Wickett has great respect for what real soldiers dealt with as they battled weather and the enemy during long marches while living off the land. His newfound acting career adds a new dimension to reenacting. “You’re trying to create an impression by portraying a real person.” Wickett also mentioned that pyrotechnics that simulated cannon fire were set off on location, which made the filming more realistic.
Killed at Resaca centers on the main character of Union Army Lieutenant Herman Brayle. Serving during the Atlanta Campaign, this soldier wears his full uniform and never takes cover during battle. At the Resaca fight, Brayle is tasked with delivering an important message, and he bravely gallops into an open field amid hostile fire.
After Brayle is killed by Confederate gunfire, found in his possessions is a letter from a woman, who wrote she heard he had behaved cowardly in a prior battle. The letter coldly states she would rather see Brayle dead than be associated with a coward.
While filming this fictional story in the Waynesboro area, Wickett said he appreciates the region’s beauty and historical pedigree. His prior trips to Gettysburg and Antietam were memorable, and he is fond of the unspoiled landscape at Sharpsburg.
Wickett’s first visit to Monterey Pass also impressed him. “It’s a well-preserved battlefield and a great place to interpret Civil War history,” John said. The film he acts in portrays a battle in Georgia, but the topography at Monterey Pass served as a stand-in to imitate the North Georgia countryside.
Wickett was also grateful for the hospitality he enjoyed at the Amberson House B&B in Waynesboro. “They treated me like family,” John said, “they even baked cookies for the cast and crew.”
When Wickett returns to a suburb of Indianapolis, he will continue with his reenacting pursuits. He enjoys traveling a circuit of State and National Parks each year. John says that the preservation aspect of reenacting is especially rewarding, since money raised through events helps conserve these historic sites.
One memorable location in the actor’s home state is the Tippecanoe Battlefield Park in Battle Ground, Indiana, which he said is beautifully preserved. Wickett travels to other battlefields throughout the East and Midwest. Regarding Civil War historic figures, he admires Stonewall Jackson’s brigade and Ulysses S. Grant’s “brute force determination.”
John’s favorite military monument is Grant seated on his horse beside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC. Seeing that statue, Wickett said: “You can see the man enduring.”
Killed at Resaca, a movie produced and directed by independent filmmaker Jacob Bates, hasn’t announced its release date. Details about the film’s premiere and venue will be shared once those details are known.
