Vol. IX. September/October, 2010 Issue 5.

Captain’s Column

Gentlemen,

It’s the end of the summer with the children back in school, days growing shorter, and the weather getting cooler. I hope everyone enjoyed the break in our schedule and has had a chance to take a vacation or at least some time off. I know with these challenging economic times that may be difficult.

I do want to thank Jack Alexander for putting together the muster in August. It included a tour of the Exchange Hotel in Gordonsville and the retracing of the line of march for F Company during the Battle of Cedar Mountain. It was very nicely done and there was a sense of pride upon seeing F Company’s name on the plaque at the battlefield site which was put up by the Civil War Preservation Trust.

We concluded the event by going to a local diner where we saw the debut of the F Company training recruiting video that was filmed at our camp of instruction back in march of this year. Travis Clements played it for us on his personal computer. I think the video is something of which to be proud.

We also bid a fond farewell to Mike Vice. In case you haven’t heard, Mike has accepted a job offer in his home state of Texas and is in or has already relocated back to the area. It is sad to see him go. He has been with F Company since (Moby dick was a minnow) before I was ever a member of the unit. Of course he has an open invitation to fall in with us whenever the opportunity presents itself. He and his expertise, his wit and wisdom will be solely missed. Best wishes, Mike, and God Bless.

Thanks again to Jack for putting together the muster. Those who were able to attend included Jack Alexander, Bob Baird, Wes Catlett, Travis Clements, Matthew Guillen, Mike Vice, Scott Wilson, and myself.

Looking now to the future, for the month of September we have the living history program at Fort Harrison. This is very similar to the Cold Harbor event only on a smaller scale. We will do two or three demos each day, Saturday and Sunday, September 25^th and 26^th. An artillery unit will be there and there will be period music on Saturday night. Locals have the option of staying at the site for the night or going home as long as you return in the morning. As with all NPS events of this nature there is no registration fee so come on out and support your unit.

Looking ahead to October we have the Cedar Creek Reenactment the weekend of October 8^th and 10^th, this is usually a fairly large event with beautiful fall weather (usually but not always). Even if you did not sign up for this one we may still be able to get you in if you want to attend, but you need to let us know. We will be falling in with Longstreet and Bill Russell’s unit.

Special Prayer Request:

Many of you know former F Company member, Carol Perry. (Newer members will not). If you haven’t already heard Carol has been diagnosed with brain cancer and the outlook is not good. If you are a Christian you believe that all things are possible with God. So please pray that God will bring healing to Carol and strengthen his family. A few of us went to visit him several weeks ago. He was glad to see us and I think we cheered him up for the moment.

Just please pray for him.

That’s it for now. Hope to see you in the field.

Respectfully Submitted,

Captain Turley

1st Sergeant’s Report

Gentlemen,

For the month of September, we have a living history event at Fort Harrison on the 25th - 26th. Please arrive by 8:30 A.M. and bring 30 rounds and caps bagged with your name on it to be turned in to the Park Service. The Captain is planning on spending the night at the fort. You will be on your own for meals. I have the following people signed up. (Turley, Gammon D., Firth, Hughes, Alexander Jack, Alexander Johnathan, Clements [Sat.], Guillen, Catlett) This is not a registered event so come on out if you would like to participate.

For the month of October, we have Cedar Creek on the 16^th - 17^th. Please arrive by 8:30 A.M. and bring 80 rounds and caps. You will be on your own for meals. I have the following people signed up. (Turley, Stafford, Gammon D., Firth, Alexander Johnathan, Catlett, Clements, Guillen, Ward, Weidman) We have in the past gone out for a nice steak dinner on Saturday evening, but I make no promises.

Directions to both events will follow in the newsletter. Please make every effort to attend if you signed up. We can't enjoy these events without dedicated members in the field.

Your Obedient Servant,

1^st SGT. Gammon

Muster report

On August 7th 2010, members of F Company took part in the annual Muster. This year’s theme was the Battle of Cedar Mountain, with the date of the Muster falling within two days of the actual battle (August 9th). The day’s events followed the path of the original F Company during the Cedar Mountain campaign as laid out by John H. Worsham in One of Jackson’s Foot Cavalry. This path and the many of the other details of the day were planned by Jack Alexander.  Those present were Wes Catlett, Tony Turley, Mike Vice, Jack Alexander, Bob Baird, Travis Clements, Scott Wilson and Matthew Guillen.

The day began at 9am at the Exchange Hotel in Gordonsville. The hotel was built in 1860 to service the railroad which was the prominent feature of the town. At the outbreak of hostilities, the hotel was seized by the Confederate government and turned into a major forward-receiving hospital. The town itself was a Confederate base throughout the War, one which never fell to United States forces. Tim Burnett, President of Historic Gordonsville, Inc., led us on a very informative and interesting tour of the Hotel. It seemed there was hardly a question to which he did not know the answer.

Upon leaving Gordonsville, we made our way to the site of what was once the township of Liberty Mills where F Company was posted in guard of a river crossing. Then, in the words of John Worsham, “On August 7th we left Liberty Mills and marched to Orange C. H.” From there, we made our way to the Cedar Mountain Battlefield following many of the same roads as F Company (many of which were unpaved)

At the Battlefield, we visited the plaque which was erected to commemorate the many individuals and organizations who raised money to preserve the Cedar Mountain Battlefield. F Company is among the names, having raised $2,000 to preserved “Acre 99,” the approximated piece of land upon which the historical F Company fought. Afterward, we explored the Battlefield, while Jack read from Worsham’s account when we reached the places mentioned. Standing in the very spot of the old road-bed Worsham viewed the battle from, Jack read:

“I saw a Yankee step into the road about fifty or seventy-five yards ahead (south) of us... The sergeant, having his gun in his left hand, his drawn sword in his right, turned up the road towards us, and approached… The Yankee sergeant did not stop his advance towards us until he actually took hold of one of the men of our regiment and pulled him out of ranks, and started towards the rear with his prisoner. One of our men, who was in the act of capping his gun, raised it to his shoulder, fired, and the sergeant fell dead not ten feet away.”

From the Battlefield, we made our way into the town of Culpeper for lunch. At the restaurant, we were shown the near-finished video which was filmed at the Camp of Instruction in March. It seems that it will make an excellent recruiting video. The plan is to play it at the Richmond Civil War Show in December. It should be a great success.                 On a bitter-sweet note, this was the last event for Mike Vice, a veteran member of the unit, “An Old F.,” as Worsham would have said. He has since moved to Texas, having taken a job as curator of the Army Medical Museum at Fort Sam Houston. We wish him the best of luck in all his future endeavors.

Pvt. Matthew Guillen

Deo Vindice

Ode to Joe