Regimental Dispatch

November 2001       Sic Semper Tyrranus Richmond, VA

Commander’s Column

 It is that time of year again.  It is getting cooler, the leaves are changing and the reenacting season is winding down.   All that is left is Ft. Branch, the November Civil War Show, and the end of year party. 

As most of you know the dead tree version of last month’s newsletter is missing.  They were mailed, and have not been seen since. 

One sore point, Explorer Park was a bust last month, poof, $500.00 that would have gone into the treasury for attending that event.  That would have always helped, but may not have been the determining factor for attendance but wow that would have been nice to have.  There is always next year. 

 Ft. Branch

 We will do as we did last year at this event. For those that do not know what we did, we will be spending the nights at Mr. Perry’s home in Edenton, NC. This event is a very good time and is one not to be missed. This is a great small event with a tactical on Saturday and a public battle on Sunday.  This is a very relaxing event.  Getting there on Friday evening is imperative. This allows you to get a good spot to lay your sleeping bag, eat at Lane’s Family Barbecue Restaurant, and have a nice quiet night on Friday. Carpooling is a huge help so as many as possible should get together to share the ride.

 November CW Show

 As always, Mr. Turley is putting together the schedule for the show.  There is always room for more to help with the recruiting effort.   Contact him to see where you can help out the most for the Company. 

Annual Soirée

 The members are voting with their feet this year for attending this event.  We have 6 paid couples so far.  If anything, it will be a good time for those attending.  I hoped more would attend but say la vie.  This event is going to happen no matter how many show.  If you want to attend, send your money in ASAP, if you do not then don’t worry about it.  Attending members will get a special e-mailing.

 State of the Company, or lack there of

 I am very disappointed in the lack of interest that seems to be the typical response for this year from a large percentage of the membership.  The company has never blown off so many events due to lack of attendance or even concern.  You and I know that this does not apply to everyone in the company (you know who you are).  It seems that attendance has dropped lower than ever for all types of events.  What is going on, can anyone answer this and give some recommendations on how to reverse this decline?   If this trend does not turnaround soon, who knows what may happen?  It is not just up to the leadership of this company, but the entire membership to get things back on track. 

 Capt. Jones

 New Baby News 

1^st Sgt Wilson and Mrs. 1^st Sgt. have a new bundle of joy, their second.  She was born on September 26^th and weighted 9.3 lbs.  Mother and baby are doing great. 

Gorgeous Weekend in Gettysburg 

I arrived at the event site about 9 AM.  I was surprised, but glad, to see the Perry’s and Mr. Pierce.  I had not expected them to be there.  Come to find out, there had been a schedule mix-up and they had been there since Friday morning. 

Joe was already there and Mr. Firth and Mr. Vice arrived shortly afterwards.  Tom, John and Lee from the 4^th NC were also there.

The weather was absolutely perfect, bright sunshine, no humidity, and comfortable temperatures.   We did programs at 11, 1, and 3 o’clock each day.  Mr. Vice did the initial narration and I ran the men through the manual of arms and various firings. 

The programs were well attended although they may have been down from previous years due to the tragic events of the last two weeks. 

The highlight of the weekend was the cookout at Mr. Vice’s house Saturday night.  We ate hotdogs and hamburgers to our fill, along with Mrs. Vice’s “Yankee” chili and Amish macaroni salad.  We also toured the beautiful gardens and grounds of the Vice estate.

Later in the evening we were treated to a viewing of the video “Viva Max”, a humorous film about a somewhat modern Mexican general who reoccupies the Alamo.  Mr. Vice confided to us that it is from this film that he acquired many of his military tactics.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable, laid-back weekend.  I wish that more of the membership had availed themselves to it.

Respectfully submitted,