March 2004 Newsletter

Gentlemen, wasn’t that an excellent occasion; the send-off of our much esteemed and already much-missed Captain Jones. I count myself extremely fortunate to have been there, and to have been part of such a moving tribute. Mr. Alexander, Mr. Ward, Mr. Pearson and all who put together and contributed to the program did yourselves proud, and you deserve the accolades and the deepest appreciation of all of the membership of F Company. Kudos, lads!

Now, onto the future. As I am really Capt. Jones’ protégé, even one might say his creation, don’t look for any radical changes in direction. I plan to continue on the course that he set down for this company and that he maintained during the outstanding years of his Captaincy. One area that I will bring a bit more emphasis to is the history side of the equation. This goes to the heart of why many of us pursue this line of endeavor.

We should all have an answer to the question: “Why do you reenact?” We’ve heard that from friends, our kids, our co-workers, our wives, and we should really have a quick, well thought out answer at the ready. For me, it’s simply one word; History. The history of the life and the experiences of the Southern Soldier, and even more importantly for me, the true history of a unit that was among the oldest, the best drilled, best equipped and most patriotic in all of Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia; F Company, 21^st Virginia Volunteer Infantry. To this end, I really would hope that every member would make it a point to read “One of Jackson’s Foot Cavalry” by John Worsham. That way, we can better talk among ourselves of the life of the unit, as well as be better prepared to inform friends and the public at large of the unique history of the Company that we are striving to remember and emulate through our collective impressions. To help, I am donating a copy to the Company that can be a loaner to anyone who would like to borrow it for a time to read. I will also always have other copies available for sale.

I hope you all are getting ready for our upcoming Camp of Instruction, consistently one of the best weekends of the year for our unit. Time to get busy oiling leathers, cleaning muskets, rolling cartridges, getting in some extra exercise time, if only going on some nice long walks in this early Virginia springtime weather with your best dog or sweetie (maybe they’re one in the same!) I’ve always wondered at the fact that most other reenactment units don’t do a weekend like this. What a missed opportunity for them, and what a difference between them and the few units like F Company that do, when it comes time to taking the field in a battle scenario or a parade, large or small. The difference in drill and discipline is profound. Everyone, including NCO’s, please bring a full cartridge box, caps, and a clean rifle. We’re going to have a little tactical on Sunday that you won’t want to miss. Also, be ready for any weather surprises. Extra blankets can be left in the car, and of course, have rain gear handy, just in case. To any new recruits, please join us even if your kit is not complete. Don’t worry about inspection, it’s the drill that is important, and you won’t have a better opportunity to learn the school of the soldier until, well, next year’s COI, and I know you won’t want to wait that long.

That’s it. I sat down to write a paragraph,, and instead I’ve nearly crafted a tome. Please bear with me, I’ll get the hang of this Commander’s Column exercise in time. Mrs. Capt. Ramsey and I are off to Wales for the next few weeks now, to our adopted second home in the town of books, Hay-on-Wye, a place that loves visitors from old Virginia.

The Annual Meeting is over and done. Although Captain Jones has retired, he will be with us to help out at the Camp of Instruction. I would like to thank everyone who helped with the commemoration of the Captain’s retirement. They are Mr. Alexander, Ward, Pearson, Ramsey, and those who were involved. Everyone did a great job with the skit, the commemorative album, framed picture, photos, and other activities of the day. I would also like to thank everyone who attended the meeting. It was good to see everyone plus some new and old faces. Welcoming back to the unit are Mr. May, Parks, and Saunders. Even with the additional activities, the meeting was conducted in a timely and efficient manner. We have almost gotten it down to an exact science. I would like to welcome Mr. Ramsey as the new captain of F-Company. Although the exact schedule has not been determined, it appears to have a lot of potential for an excellent season. The Camp of Instruction is just a few weeks away. I urge you to begin preparations now. Check your uniform and equipment for any needed repairs and also get yourself ready physically. Make sure you have Event sign-up sheet in to the company by March 15^th. Send it, either by e-mail or postal service mail directly to the 1^st Sergeant, not to the P.O. Box number.

That is all for now. Looking forward to a great season. See you all at the Camp of Instruction.

Great to see all of you again this year, I am really pleased with all the new faces in the crowd weather old or brand new. Don’t forget I still need your sign up sheets by March 15^th or at least I need to know if you are able to attend the 140^th Spotsylvania event.

Once again the transition of leadership has gone smoothly and I would like to congratulate Mr. Ramsey and the membership on their decision. This is precisely why the executive committee exists in its current form. Any other unit would be in turmoil, but not F Company.

I want to share an easy recipe with the membership that can be utilized all thru the year.

Combine all ingredients to make a semi-stiff mush. Spread ¼” thick in a well greased heavy pan and bake at 375 F for 20-25 minutes. Corn pone used to be baked on a greased shovel in the field over glowing coals. Prepared this way the cornbread was known as hoe cake.

February 28^th and the Annual Meeting have now been completed. The turnout was very respectable, yet not 100%. But, for those present, it was all that I had hoped for and I trust all that was promised. Anytime there is a changing of the guard, or in this case, the handing over of command, it can only be expected to be emotional for all that were there. I knew once we got beyond the executive agenda, beyond the barbecue and beans, and beyond the election of officers, the mood of the meeting would, no doubt, change.

March 26, 27, & 28 marks the date for the 2004 Camp of Instruction. Again, this will be the best event of the season and a learning experience for the new and oiling of the gears for the veterans. Due to the logistics, there will not be a rendezvous at any local eatery for Friday night’s meal. We will begin our Instruction immediately upon arrival. Setting up camp, stacking wood, distributing straw, digging fire pits and latrines, and having our first camp mess of the season on Friday evening. This will be the initiation for all of those new frying pans to get seasoned and become functional. Other than your haversack foodstuff, the 1st Sergeant and Mr. Talbert will provide all rations for the weekend. Cooking will be camp style and as a total unit. Directions to the COI were handed out at the Annual Meeting, but to play it safe, and to pass this information on to members who were unable to attend.

From the North: Take I-95 South to I-295 heading toward Charlottesville. Take I-64 to the Rockville-Manikin exit 173. At the top of the ramp, turn left onto Ashland Road (Country Road 623) and go a half-mile. See below for further directions.

From the East: Take I-64 West heading toward Charlottesville to the Rockville-Manikin ext 173. At the top of the ramp, turn left onto Ashland Road (Country Road 623) and go one-half mile. See below for further directions.

From the South: Take I-95 North to Richmond, then get on I-64 West towards Charlottesville. Take the Rockville-Manikin exit 173. At the top of the ramp, take a right onto Ashland Road (Country Road 623) and go one-half mile. See below for further directions.

From the West: Take I-64 East to the Rockville-Manikin exit 173. At the top of the ramp, take a right onto Ashland Road (Country Road 623) and go one-half mile.

Turn onto Rockville Road (Country Road 622) and go about 4 miles to the stop sign at Rockville. Proceed straight ahead onto Walnut Hill Drive and go 7/10^th’s of a mile to where 622 veers to the left. Go straight ahead onto Henley Road (Country Road 734), and go 2/10^th’s of a mile to where the road turns to the right. Veer to the left onto a gravel road and go through the twin metal gates. As you drive down the gravel road, follow the tree line on the left for almost a mile. As the tree-line takes a right angle turn towards the gravel road, our camp will be established inside that wooded area. If you drive into the woods on the gravel road, you’ve gone too far.

Note: This is our weekend, so it should be quite easy to spot our vehicles. Parking should be quite ample, but you may wish to consider unloading your gear before proceeding to the parking area.

After running down the list of possible events of interest for this season, and some interesting fillers during the slow down (Aug/Sept), the events that seemed most acceptable for the season, but not 100% finalized as of the writing of this newsletter are:

Camp of Instruction- March 26^th-28^th

Confed. Heritage Parade- April 4^th

140^th Spotsylvania- May 7^th-9^th

140^th Fort Pocahontas- May 22^nd-23^rd

140^th Cold Harbor L.H.- June 5^th & 6^th

140^th 2^nd Kernstown- July 23^rd-25^th

August- open

South Mt. L.H.- September 11^th & 12^th

140^th Cedar Creek- October 16^th & 17^th

Fort Branch- November 5^th-7^th

Remembrance Day Parade- Nov. 20^th

Gilham’s Manual

Article III – School of the Soldier

139. The squad being at order arms, and having the bayonet in the scabbard, if the instructor wishes to cause an inspection of arms, he will command:

First motion. Face to the right once and a half on the left heel, carrying the right foot perpendicularly to the rear of the alignment, about six inches from, and at right angles with, the left foot; seize promptly the piece with the left hand a little above the middle band, incline the muzzle to the rear without displacing the heel of the butt, the rammer turned towards the body; carry at the same time the right hand to the bayonet and seize it as has been prescribed, No. 130.

Second motion. Draw the bayonet from the scabbard, carry and fix it on the muzzle; seize next the rammer, draw it as has been explained in loading it twelve times, and let it glide to the bottom of the bore.

Third motion. Face promptly to the front, seize the piece with the right hand, and retake the position of ordered arms.

The instructor will then inspect in succession the piece of each man, in passing along the front of the rank. Each, as the instructor reaches him, will raise smartly his piece with his right hand, seize it with the left between the tail-band and the feather-spring, the lock to the front, the left hand at the height of the chin, the piece opposite to the left eye; the instructor will take it with the right hand at the handle, and, after inspecting it, will return it to the soldier, who will receive it back with the right hand, and replace it in the position of ordered arms.

When the instructor shall have passed him, each soldier will retake the position prescribed at the command of inspection arms, and return the rammer; after which he will face to the front.

Please note: It is not clearly mentioned, but the musket is not to be brought up from the ordered arms position until the inspecting officer has turned towards you completely. Also, do not remove your rammer from the bore until the inspecting officer has turned to face the next man to your left in the ranks.

As proposed, seconded, and then voted on, the dues for 2004 are set at $45.00. For those members who did not pay at the Annual Meeting, please forward your payment to the Treasurer immediately, if not sooner. Also, we will need all event worksheets filled out mailed to the 1^st Sergeant by March 15^th. For those with computers, please e-mail your list to the 1^st Sergeant before hand if possible because of the urgency for the registration of the 140^th Spotsylvania Campaign. We will be attending this event as a unit. Please contact Mr. Wilson immediately to inform him of your intentions to attend. The majority at the Annual Meeting was almost unanimous in including this as one of our Unit events.

As you could all tell at the annual meeting, it was an emotional time for me there at the end, thank you all for the kind words. I could not pull the words together to thank you all personally for being the best soldiers a commander could ask for so I am taking a moment or two to do it now. You all have stuck by me and the other leaders, of our F Company though many ups and downs. This transition for me is not an ending, however just one new era for F Company to grow and continue on as it was designed, around an ideal, not one or two people, but the goal of being the best in the field and having fun while doing it. We have always had a mutually respectful relationship, you all performed as the professional soldiers we all have trained so hard to be, sure there is always room for improvement (more Drill) but we still left most, if not all, in the dust with drill & professional company impression. I know you all groaned at times to yourselves when I always volunteered F Company to be the skirmishers for the battalion,

but I only did that because I always had confidence in you all that you would perform better than anyone else and I was never disappointed and I was always proud of you all. F Company is special, even when new members are put into the ranks, the feeling of the company is still one of veterans of many campaigns that do their duty as asked. And it is still true, many if not all of you could be Captains in other units. We have been rained on, frozen, heat stroked, and who knows what else but we always did it together. I was always practical about what the company was to do, this is not popular with some outside F Company, but I always had your best interest in mind when doing anything. I came from the ranks and I understood what it was like to lug that gun and pack all over God's creation. I will be at the COI, as the instructing Colonel, only to work directly with Capt. Ramsey. I will be his sounding board, giving him advice and guidance as he asks for it. I will be back in the ranks at an event or two this year depending on work and family schedules.

Once again, gentlemen, I appreciate all that you have done for our F-Company and me. Thank you all.

Our wool situation is finally coming down to the finish line. I know this seems like a long process to most of you, but this isn’t an off the shelf order. This is a specialized process that must be done right, done within the specifications that we demand, and with the quality that we expect. The wool is in Canada for finishing, and then will be sent to North Carolina to finally begin the seamstress work.

There’s nothing more embarrassing than saluting a Sergeant Major or calling a Captain, a Lieutenant. For those of you too proud to admit that fact, here are the ranks. Get to know them. You’ll be coming in contact with some of these when you least expect it.

Editor’s note

Obviously, we cannot attend everything that is on the Civil War events’ menu, but we are trying to have a wide spectrum of events; from Parades to Living History Programs to “all out Battles”. Let’s make the most of this season and most of all, enjoy the fellowship of each other and teach the new members the right way to do things. We’ve all had bad experiences due to poor planning or improper preparation on an individual basis, so let’s be the teachers as we continue to learn. No two events will ever be the same. What may work in the woods may not work in the valley, and what may work in the valley won’t work on the side of a mountain. Adapting is the key.

I will be in touch with all of you as the COI nears. Do not hesitate to ask any questions if the need arises. Check your gear & check your list. Don’t leave any vital items at home.

The Captain has informed me that there is plenty of seasoned wood already on site and is presently checking on availability of straw. Please keep in mind that this is a training weekend, and as we have stated in many past COI’s, it’ll be March; it’s Virginia, so it could be in the 70’s or in the 20’s at night. Bring adequate clothing to cover you from either spectrum. I still remember waking to a frozen canteen. After that night, I slept with my canteen under my shelter instead of hanging from my tent pole. Should anyone desire to bring a non-period sleeping bag, please do so for your own personal comfort. It’s not that often we have the luxury to bring such a modern convenience, but we need you all to be sharp and 100% for the entire weekend. See you there on Friday. I’m taking off that day from work, so I hope to be there to help direct you all to camp.