At last, October, J.E.B. Stuart's favorite month, and mine too.  It's the best month of the year in old Virginia, for my money.  But I must say that getting here wasn't all that easy.  Let me tell you about just one week in this past September.  In that week, besides having No Book Sales, and the distraction of a family feud in Pennsylvania, I was informed that Jackson's Division had dissolved, that my 1st sergeant was retiring, and then I had the pleasure of, as the Lt. said, the good and the bad (and the Ugly) of the Summer of '62.  What a week, but all that makes October now seem all the sweeter, and just ahead, the Battle of Cedar Creek.  I hope y'all are as ready as I am.  My kit is packed, and my colt navy is clean and primed.  Let's meet down on the stream where we camped two years ago.  Maybe if we get lucky again, we'll have a little visit from some Sireens, wouldn't that be lovely.

     As we continue to search for a new parent organization, we have narrowed it down to four possibilities; Longstreet's Corps, the CMF, Stonewall Brigade, and the IVR.  I would still very much like to hear from any of you with other ideas, or your opinions on any of these groups.  I will give a complete report on our options at the December meeting at the Museum of the Confederacy, which will be at 11am till 2pm, Saturday, December 3.  As I wish to form a consensus on this choice, a vote will be taken to determine where to cast our lot.  It will also be our season wrap up, so come armed with comment, and help us decide which events to steer for in the coming season. 

      The Powell Wedding, Oct. 8. - I strongly urge all members to attend, and for you to give joy and cheer to the union of two of the nicest people it has been my good fortune to meet in recent years, Mike and Diana.  This is a match that was meant to be.

     Cedar Creek, Oct. 15 - A fantastic shoot-out on the actual battlefield!

     Fort Branch, Nov. 5 - At this point, we had better be ready to camp in the Fort.  I'm not sure of the situation at the Perry's so let's just plan on camping with the rest of the troops, and enjoying the music and the atmosphere of the old Fort on a Saturday night.

     Remembrance Parade, Nov. 19 - I will be at the Civil War show at the fairgrounds here in Richmond.

     F Company Meeting, MOC, Dec. 3 -  Do not miss this one men; the future course of our unit will be decided, as well as another opportunity to visit the center of Confederate history, while it is still where it is.

     Fredericksburg, Dec. 10 - It looks like we will have fourteen men in the F Company line of battle behind the stone wall.  Not too bad.  Remember, you can fall in for one day or two, and you can join us at the last minute if your schedule permits.

   I would now like to thank all of those who have stepped forward to accept new duties to help the Company return to a steady course for the future:

   Tom Stafford, our new First Sergeant, Executive Secretary, and Chairman of the uniform committee

   John Parks, our new newsletter editor

   Greg Harris, our Executive Committee's Member at Large, who will work with me on event coordination and registration, and Private Parzych will work with Lt. Turley on recruiting

    And, above all, I want to recognize and thank the best officer and most devoted member this company has ever had in its long and distinguished history - 1st Lieutenant Tony Turley, thank you, for being the rock that this unit is camped upon.

   This company is getting stronger, and with these men in their new positions, and the active support of the rest of you good men, we will see the 2006 season be the best ever for F Company, 21st Virginia Volunteer Infantry.  Please call or email me whenever you can, I really appreciate hearing from you.

We formed up with some units from the Stonewall Brigade. Most of these guys looked familiar and the do Gilham’s, so we were comfortable with them. Captain Stidley was in command.

The highlight of the weekend was probably the "bread riot". F-Company was asked to be the provost guard for this. What it amounted to was that the Confederates raided the General store on their way through town. F-Company, the Provost Guard, ended up arresting the soldiers involved and also the lady proprietor of the store. We escorted then to the guardhouse where they were interrogated.

It was a nice, laidback, and fun event. Harper’s Ferry is a pristine site where the states of Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia come together on the Potomac River. Hopefully we will do it again next year and with more people. The Park service was very pleased.

By now, I’m sure that most of the unit is aware of 1^st Sergeant Pearson’s situation at work. It has put a definite cramp in his reenacting. In fact, it looks like he may be leaving the hobby and F-Company. I hate to see that happen. He will be sorely missed if it does. But if it does, that will necessitate some changes being made in the command structure of F-Company. So please bear with us as we go through some more changes.

Stay tuned.

Well, Private Powell’s wedding and Cedar Creek are next. I hope to see everyone there at both upcoming events.

***********************************************

On October Eighth

Two thousand and Five At One O’clock in the afternoon

To share our joy with our family and friends as we exchange our wedding vows.

On the estate of Iden Located in Talleysville, Va

And home to our good friends And hosts Steven, Joyce and Catherine Peterson

Finally, after numerous efforts and finally putting a bug in the ear of the Cedar Creek web-site guru, I managed to get their web-site updated with camping information for this year. Below are the latest greatest views of the parking and camping allocations to help ease the burden of where to go.

My heart and spirit will be with you.

If any of these still provides some difficulty, please open the attachment in my initial e-mail entitled Cedar Creek Map’05.

Parking instructions are as follows. Please follow those instructions carefully to avoid any unnecessary aggravation or delays:

The Cedar Creek Battlefield is located just south of Middletown, Virginia, near Winchester in the northern Shenandoah Valley. 
FROM THE NORTH:  Take Interstate 81 south past Winchester to the Middletown exit  #302, go west on 627, south on Route 11 to the original Battlefield. 
FROM THE SOUTH:  Take Interstate 81 north to Strasburg exit #298, North on Route 11, about 2 miles to the Battlefield. 
FROM WASHINGTON-BALTIMORE: 

Take Interstate 66 west to its intersection with Interstate 81, take 81 north to the Middletown exit #302, and follow directions from NORTH.  Cedar Creek Visitor Center is located at 8437 Valley Pike, Middletown, VA 22645

The Powell Wedding- October 8^th

Fort Branch- November 4^th-6^th

Remembrance Parade- November 19^th

F-Company Meeting- December 3^rd (11am – 2pm) at the M.O.C.

This will be the last battle of the year. The Captain, Treasurer, and myself have tried contacting Mr. Perry in regards to our normal repeat performance and camping that we’ve done in the past at the Perry homestead, but have not gotten any replies from Mr. Perry. Therefore, it is imperative to plan on camping at Fort Branch this year. Should this situation change, I will advise, but for now, get all of your camping gear together to set up camp for the weekend at the Fort.

South of Petersburg 295 joins back into 95 and you will be 47 miles from the NC/VA line.  You will be less than an hour away once you cross into NC.  Once in NC go approximately 9 miles and take the NC 125 exit.  I believe it is exit 171.  Take NC 125 South towards Halifax.  Near Halifax, NC 125 will join NC 903.  Continue on NC 125/903 South to Scotland Neck.  In Scotland Neck, stay on NC 903 towards Hamilton.  Go approximately 1 mile past Hamilton on NC 903 and turn left on the Fort Branch Road.  There will be an old house to the right and an old gas station on the left.  Look for the CW sign and/or banner.  The fort will be 2 miles on the left.

At the time of completion for this newsletter, I have not received any word from Mr. Perry. Therefore, as I stated earlier, I highly recommend that you should all be prepared for a campaign style event for Fort Branch this year. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Nixon’s Buffet is out of the question. You’ll have to play that by ear once you’re on site and get an overall consensus. I will give you up-to-date weather information the closer it gets to November, but you need to be prepared for whatever November may throw at you in North Carolina. For right now, enjoy the upcoming wedding and the battle at Cedar Creek.

By now, almost all of you are aware of my decision to leave reenacting. This was not an overnight whim and surely is not what I had envisioned for my immediate future in the hobby that I love so much. I have received many kind words of thanks and encouragement. Some have elected to not express any thoughts whatsoever. I understand the mixed emotions because I have felt and still feel all of those emotions, too. For those of you who have come to know me quite well, you know that I don’t believe in doing things half way. The Captain and the rest of the Executive Committee will be conducting a meeting with the membership to discuss the filling of my position and my duties, as well the status of where the unit will be going, in light of the situation with Jackson’s Division.

Mr. Talbert called me the other night at work and informed me of the upcoming birth of his daughter. Since that phone call, I have received and have passed along the good news of their daughter’s birth. I wish them the best for many years ahead. In Mr. Talbert’s call, he asked me one important question that was on his mind. "Will you at least tell me that you’ll be out there again?" The answer is yes, but where? When? I can’t answer that question truthfully, so that is why I have decided to step out of this as quickly and gracefully as possible. I wish I could have given more notice, but I did the best I could under the immediate and continual demands of my job. This entire year has been a tremendous strain due, solely, to my job and it’s growing expectations. I’ve missed events, I’ve been late to events (which is unheard of), I’ve missed birthday celebrations with my grandchildren, and I’ve had no quality time at home with my wife. These are all the important reasons that make my decision clear. Is it not true that I have always said family, home, and work come first? Well, my family and home have been forced to take a back seat to work. That, in itself is wrong, but two wrongs don’t make a right. Whatever little time I have left, now, cannot be taken away from my family, so the hobby is what gets sacrificed in the end. I do hope to still come out. I still hope to burn wood and have fun at camp. I just have no idea when that next fire will be stoked by me. I will try not to vanish like those who said that they would remain in the unit, and we have never seen them since. I have no plans on selling my uniforms or equipment. You’ve got to be kidding. Have you smelled my stuff? No sane individual would ever consider buying something that belongs in a litter box.

The next time you see me, I will be a Private in the ranks and ready to kick butt. Whoever is elected/promoted from within the unit; please give them the same support, respect and friendship that you have always shown me. That was the best part of it all…the friendship. In December, I will put out a special edition that will be mostly a photo issue to honor my memories of this hobby. I still remember my 1^st event. I don’t think any of us will ever forget the first time we put on the uniform and went out knowing very little about the drill, the manual of arms, and what to expect. My first event was at Ida Lee Park in Manassas, Virginia. I was thirty-five pounds heavier, not hydrated, and it was a steamy humid weekend. Not only did I see the Elephant for the first time, but I also was unfortunate to experience what the heat can do to the human body when it is not prepared properly. That was the first and last time I ever went down with the heat. Lord knows, there have been many extreme challenges since that day, but I owe my thanks to everyone throughout my tenure for the education, the comradery, and care that we all carry with us at every event for the man that stands next to us in the ranks. But, most of all, it will be camp that I will miss most of all. The laughter, the complaining, the good food, the terrible excuse for food, the pranks played on others and on ourselves, trying to sleep in the cold or downpours, or the restless nights of heat and stagnant air with the sounds of the mosquitoes or wondering if that creepy feeling down your side or back was sweat running or a tick crawling, and our church services that truly made us humble and closer to God in our hearts. The memories, the stories, something special at every event throughout the many many years. Lacerations, broken bones, eyes burning from the sweat and gun smoke. Talking to the public, whether young or old, Black or White, Protestant or Hindu, meeting folks from our neighborhood or from the other side of the globe, from unknown fields to historic landmarks, from classrooms to Boy Scout jamborees, that’s just a small portion of what makes up the life of a reenactor. If a person cannot find fulfillment in that, then there’s always been my favorite part of this hobby…….…you.

There have been countless before me and there will be endless after me and after your time in service. But out of all of this madness, never forget the memories.