Bushwhackers win 1860's game

The Jayhawkers' pitcher, in white, attempts to get out a Bushwhacker runner by hitting him with the ball (the black circle just by the pitcher's cap), a legal way of doing so under those rules. The pitcher did hit the runner and he was called out. This practice was actually disallowed in 1845 but was allowed in this game to show how different baseball once was. (Tribune photo/Scott Nuzum)

A small crowd turned out at the Fort Scott National Historic Site Saturday evening to watch a baseball game played under the rules of the 1860's, as the soldiers and townsfolk of the day might have played it on a Fourth of July weekend during the Civil War.

The baseball game was part of a weekend of events at the fort, showing how soldiers would have celebrated the fourth during the times the fort was active in the 1840's and 1860's.

The players were split into teams called the "Jayhawkers" and the "Bushwhackers" and played in period clothing.

Power hitters had a grand time, as it might have been described back then, since there was no outfield fence. When they hit the ball, the fielders had to go a long way to retrieve it, making what would be known today as an inside-the-park home run a fairly frequent occurrence.

The ball was recreated in the fashion of the time -- a black leather covering with white stitches in the form of an "X." It was a much softer ball, resulting in a different sound when the batter made contact -- a sort of soft thud.

Fielders had no gloves. The catcher -- or "behind" as the position was then called -- didn't have any protective equipment and stood well behind the batter, known then as the "striker."

Pitching was strictly underhanded and from a distance much closer than today's 60 feet, six inches. The batter had the right to ask for a high or low pitch, although most of them didn't have a preference.

Ways of getting a player out were somewhat different as well. In addition to force outs, fly outs and strikeouts, which remain in today's game, a player -- at least under some variations of the rules -- could be "plugged." This meant a batter could be put out if a fielder hit him with the ball. This was acceptable then because, as stated before, the ball was softer then and also because of the difficulty of fielding a throw without gloves.

Another Jayhawker pitcher serves the ball underhanded to a Bushwhacker batter. Overhand pitching wasn't allowed until 1884. Also, the batter had the right to request a high or low pitch. In both pictures, the black baseball with white stitches is very similar to those used in this era. (Tribune photo/Scott Nuzum)

A batter was also out if a fielder caught the ball on the first bounce as well as on the fly. This, again, was because of the difficulty of fielding bare-handed.

Batters were did not strike out unless they swung at three pitches and the behind caught strike three before it bounced twice. This meant that there were no walks and a batter could not strike out looking. Essentially, the strike zone had not yet been invented. A couple of batters were hit by pitches, but giving the batter the base when that happened wasn't a rule yet, either.

Runners weren't allowed to lead off base, steal a base or slide into a base.

Before the contest, there was a short presentation explaining how baseball -- even in this very young form -- was already part of the American fabric. For instance, there are records of Union troops staging a game on one side of a river while Confederate soldiers on watch duty on the other side looked on.

For the record, the Bushwhackers won the game 13-9, a game that was probably a bit wilder than what you would see today because of rules of the era.