January 2005

Sic Semper Tyrranus Richmond, VA

Gentlemen,
    The older generation is passing.The men who came before most of us,in the 1980's and 1990's, and who established this fascinating enterprise known as Civil War reenacting, are one by one leaving the stage. I would like us to always remember them and their accomplishments, and to honor them by carrying on their tradition, and building upon the legacy that they have left us.The latest veteran to retire is 1st Sergeant Wilson as true a soldier and devoted F Company man as ever there was. He will be greatly missed. And as the veterans pass on, so do many of the old ways. As your Captain, I would now like to lead this organization into the future, and to find new ways to make F Company thrive again and reclaim its hard earned reputation as the best reenactment unit in the field.
    First, I plan to assemble a new leadership team. I want it to consist of Lt. Turley, Mr. Pearson as 1st Sergeant, 2nd Sgt. Firth, Corporals Mr. Gammon and Mr. Stafford, Mr. Harris as the Member at Large on the Board, and Mr. Alexander to remain as our financial guru and treasurer.

Other new initiatives that I plan to implement:

-  Our primary source for uniforms will now be The Richmond Depot

- There will be a new emphasis on recruiting, with every man taking a part to help bring new blood, especially young blood, into the ranks.Young men are the future and I want as many to join us as we can bring in. We are going to take a hard look at the minimum age for membership in this unit.

- We will return to the policy of offering a year's free dues to any veteran who can enlist a new member.

- I will reach out to other units that have dwindled or fragmented, to invite them to become a part of an expanded F-Company.

- We will find more opportunities to participate in living history events,and more opportunities to work the crowds at reenactments, with the new F-Company Recruitment Flyers that are being designed.

- We will, through the excellent work of our new web master, Mr.Parks, improve and expand our presence on the Internet with our newly refurbished and enhanced web page. Check it out if you haven't lately, it's great.

- We will reach out to other units, making new friends, and possibly bringing in new veterans who are looking for a deeper and truer historical experience.

- Finally and possibly most importantly, we must find ways to encourage our current members to show up at events.  It appears that we are two halves of one entity at the moment; the members who are part of the organization, and the members who show up in the field. Through the two platoon structure, and just good old canvassing and encouragement, I would like to see this become one company again, fielding 20 or more members at a given reenactment or living history event.

- These things we will do, as well as others, to revitalize our own organization, and to honor the original F Company, that fought so bravely in the War for Southern Independence.  Those old soldiers will always be the inspiration for everything that we do as reenactors today, in F Company, 21st Virginia Volunteer Infantry.

*****
Confederately,
Capt. Ramsey

It is unusual to have three events already scheduled and needing payment before we have our Annual Meeting. To all those who intend on being at any of these three early events, the renewal of your memberships are being taken for granted. So, please don’t let the Treasurer down. He knows people in high places and remember…all he needs to do is make one phone call and it’s over…only kidding, but please be sure to do your part by making sure your dues will be paid up at the Annual Meeting to keep me in good standing with the Treasurer. I think my head’s on the chopping block once again, but then, what’s new. I’m on borrowed time.

Welcome to 2005, and a great way to meet that has the Southern Heritage, relics, flags, uniforms, weaponry, and history that the Museum of the Confederacy has to offer all who have the fortune to visit and absorb. On February 26^th, we will conduct our Annual Meeting for the membership and all who desire to join this dedicated hobby. The meeting will take place from 11:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. Please plan on eating prior to or after leaving the meeting concludes. We will also be conducting sales of goods, as usual. The discussion of events for 2005 will still be an open topic, however, my apologies for having to jump ahead somewhat due to the early war events for this 140^th Anniversary of the last year of the war. With our meeting taking place after the due date of a few event registrations, I thought it best to get those items out in the open fast and furious to get us on board and at the lowest cost to the unit. All other events for 2005 are open season.

This year’s Camp of Instruction will be held, once again, at the same location as 2004. Although some may not find this location as suitable as those in the past, the price is right, our privacy is respected, and we will be able to conduct our activities without distractions. On a sad note, Fort Allen, which all loved dearly, became too entwined with red tape, same as Fort Pickett, and Fort A.P. Hill. The site chosen may not be the best of all worlds, but it satisfies the needs of the unit to ensure a successful weekend of training and a renewed bond for all. Directions to the Cochrane farm will be provided in future newsletters. As always, we would sincerely appreciate all planning to attend to arrive anytime on Friday (March 11^th) so you will be able to get your tents and gear squared away and ready for the schedule starting on Saturday morning.

Bentonville occurs once every five years, and has proven to be more than the usual Battle reenactment. The weather can be somewhat challenging, at times, due to the time of the year. Although spooning was commonplace during cold weather, some of you may find this unusual, until the time comes when a wool blanket doesn’t seem to be quite enough. Lt. Turley, Pvt. Courson, and myself found this to be true at Chancellorsville in 2000, and, at the 2000 Bentonville Cpl. Perry and myself found this to be essential when cold temperatures and wind tested our limits. Why use one blanket when two or three can be shared? Staying warm is the key.

A $10 registration fee for Sailor’s Creek must be mailed in before February 13^th to make the optimum low cost of per person registration. $15 registration will be in effect until March 25^th, and finally, a $20 fee at the event, with no guarantees if they will take any more participants. The event coordinators are limiting the total number of participants to 5,000. This obviously means the early birds will catch the worm. I’d like to have our registration in before the end of January. If you wish to attend this event, please contact me immediately. I do not want any member wanting to be part of this Reenactment to be left out, so please pick up your phone and call me, or let your fingers do the walking and e-mail me prior to cut-off date. Also, please be advised that upon registration, there will be 60 Federal and 40 Confederate soldiers chosen on Saturday & again on Sunday to participate in the surrender at Appomattox. We will need to mark down on our registration form if you wish your name to be entered having a chance to be chosen for this activity.

Overview of site

Reenactors will be fighting on the original grounds of the Battlefields at Sailor's Creek where General Lee lost a quarter of his Army, and then be one of the first to Surrender and Stack arms in front of the Old Jail at Appomattox Court House National Historic Park. The surrender at Appomattox will be limited in number and participation in this honored event will be determined by a raffle drawing prior to the event. Those selected for the surrender will have their names posted at Registration for both the Saturday and Sunday surrender. Directions and further information will proceed in the February Newsletter. If I’ve missed your name, please let me know. There’s still time to get you in.

Registration will be $15 per member ‘til January 17^th which will be payable by the company if you wish to attend, but we will need to know prior to the January 17^th cut-off date. If you have not already contacted me, please do so immediately. We need to make sure you don’t miss out on this one.

Total Inventory will be placed in the February Newsletter. However, if any item is needed, please feel free to contact Mr. Ward or Mr. Gammon. The store is always open for business.

We have the Captain's tent, the poles and stakes for said tent, the stake puller, the company cleaning kit, the toy muskets, 2 boxes of paper targets, 2 boxes of ear plugs, 27 cans of caps, 19 cans of powder, and enough live rounds for 19 members to use at the Camp of Instruction.

Lt. Turley will retrieve the camp mess gear from Mr. Wilson.

Shortly after this photo was taken, the Humane Society picked up Mr. Gregory for having contracted Mad Dog disease. His recovery is expected to take some time, but the medication has caused a bout of distemper and his craving for squeaky toys has disturbed the Treasurer

"Sometimes you think the season will just never end." These are words that are never spoken by your editor, but it does seem like forever between Fort Branch and the Annual Meeting. Well, it’s only early January, and we still have just less than two months before we’ll see each others smiling mugs again. I can’t wait to see who’s getting grayer, who’s getting hairier, and who’s just getting down right uglier. You don’t have to ask about me, I see myself in the mirror everyday, uggh, and there ain’t nothin’ I can do about it except pray that it’ll end soon and painless.

2005 will hopefully prove to be a new start for all of us. Maybe this will be a better year in all of our lives, both home and at the work place. All of us do so much to better ourselves, to enrich our families, and try to be the best person we can be. I sometimes wonder how we still manage to give more of ourselves. The joy that I receive away from family and home can only be measured by the countless memories we have shared throughout the years, in trenches, in fields, under shelter, in the rain, sun, snow, and fog. Regardless of any or all of those obstacles which none of us would voluntarily go through by ourselves on any given day, we still manage to go through it together. My friends, that’s a true testament to our own courage, fortitude, insanity, and brotherhood. To all that I have been with, both past and present, thank you for being my shoulder to lean on and my extra backbone to keep me going. Because of men like you, I still feel as I did when I first started this hobby. When the hobby starts to feel humdrum, it’s the youth and new members who have come that revitalize me. It is truly through their eyes that I see why I joined. I, too, felt what they feel, when it was all so new. Well, I can’t take back the numerous years of ground pounding, the decade of sleeping on the cold ground, nor the many nights when I didn’t count sheep, I counted the stars. The reason I can’t take it back is because I still enjoy all that comes with doing this hobby. We are just doing the best we can, and that is all that I would ask from any man.

I hope that I see you all as often as possible this season. Not only will it enrich my life, you may be surprised how much it’ll still enrich yours, as well.

Now, let’s get ready for the last year of the War for Southern Independence and make our ancestors proud of what we do to honor their souls and sacrifices.