The first in a fight…
…the last to leave
The Irish Volunteer!
-July
2002-Vol. IV, No. VI-
For
the very few 69thers who showed up at the live fire, it was great! We all were
able to witness first hand the devastating power of the buck-n-ball load for
the 1842 Springfield. The ‘42s were surprisingly accurate under fifty yards,
and were fairly accurate up to 100, though were not much good beyond that.
Surprisingly, my rifled .58 Enfield did not shoot a whole lot more accurately
than the ’42. Everyone agreed that we
will have to do this again sometime.
The
Novato July 4th parade went off quite well. It was, of course, very
hot, and since we were entry number 97, we had to wait around awhile until we
were able to march off. I’d like to thank all the unit members that
participated in the parade, and especially Cadets Piazza, Hesterburg, Starr and
Gilbert who braved the heat and marched in the very front carrying our new,
(and heavy!) marching banner. This was the first time Cadets Hesterburg and
Piazza marched in a parade with us, and they did very well, thank you! We also
had two 20th Mainers who decided to go Irish for the day and march
with us, thanks again!
This
year the Novato public was much more receptive and enthusiastic than last year.
We even had people coming out to us in the middle of the parade to ask for more
information. It was a very good opportunity for publicity, and I was able to
hand out some flyers. As some of you know, we won First Place, (for Best
Marching Unit) for the 2nd year in a row-good job! The Novato ROTC
cadets came in 2nd, followed by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, who
got 3rd.
Duncan’s Mills…The biggest, best, and most publicized
event in Northern California! CHAS, (California Historical Artillery Society)
has invested a lot of time, effort and money into advertising for this event.
Not only do they have several roadside billboards advertising the event, (a
first for reenacments), but they even have an event hotline! (It is; (831)
751-6978).
The interconnected meadows where both camps are located are spacious and provide shade along their perimeters while both the Union and Confederate camps have wooded campsite areas available. The mid-July weather is typically temperate, and offers temperatures in the mid-seventies during the day because of it’s proximity to the ocean. During the evening expect some cold and foggy conditions ( the site is just off “ Freezeout Rd. “ so bring your Great Coats ). Straw, firewood and water will be provided for all re-enactors. Firepits will need to be dug with firewater immediately available. Hay for horses will be provided for mounted units.
I hope everyone can and will make it to this event, I can promise that it will be incredible!
“Cuzz Sergeant
Sezz!”
Unfortunately very few of you made it to the units live fire. It would have been well worth your time. The first thing we did when we arrived at the range shortly after noon was some independent firing. Each trying, and for the most part failing, to hit what we were aiming at. My personal experience with the 1842 was, after firing at least a dozen rounds at a gong at 100 yards, left it still untouched.
The fact is, these are not sniper rifles. However, with the tactics that Napoleon devised they would not have been a bad weapon. They are not be very accurate but with a line of troops shooting at another line at 100 yards….. I was shooting at a piece of metal about two feet across and most of the lead was landing within about six feet of it. With a line of troops there are lot of men within six feet of any point you might shoot at. I am thankful the rebs don’t load live.
After those of us that were there gave up on the long range targets (or as the smart ones among us did, never started shooting at them in the first place) we started doing volleys at a log that was about twelve yards away. When we were done with it there were some pretty good sized chunks missing. I am really glad the rebs don’t load live.
After the live fire most of us were at the Novato Fourth of July Parade. There were 5 muskets, two flags and four Cadets carrying a banner that told who we were and had our web address on it. My thanks to everyone who marched, you all marched very well and were an honor to the Army of the Potomac. I think it was good publicity for both the Duncan’s Mills event and the 69th New York!
Once again we won first place and if I am not mistaken the Novato ROTC and a group of veterans were also marching and we beat them both. But then, that is to be expected. Everything ran quite smoothly, except that Lt. Gilbert was unable to gain permission for us to fire a volley for the judges, and there was a distinct lack of water fountains in the vicinity of the starting area for the parade. Instead of a volley we went through the manual of arms, although not as impressive as a volley would have been we went through it smoothly and it looked good. Also, fortunately there was a truck giving out free bottled water that helped all of us combat the heat.
For Sale
New York Shells,-$65
Jane Cannon will custom make your shell jacket for you, (she has made most of the shells in our company, marvelous pieces of work!) Contact Jane at; (916) 682-1997.
New York State Buttons, both large and small can be purchased at Nita Newman’s Taylor Shop. When ordering a shell from Jane, giver her seven small NY buttons and eight large.
Black Militia
Hardpack-$100
For Company Members Only! I have the tools and will make for company members a knapsack. (For those interested, I made Kenvin Craig’s knapsack). Knapsack comes with three blanket roll straps, chest strap and “69” stenciled on the back. See Joe Gilbert for more info.
DIRECTIONS TO DUNCAN’S MILLS
From
Hwy 101, use the River Road/Guerneville exit (about 1 mile north of Santa
Rosa). Turn west onto River Road toward the Russian River Resort Area and
continue on to the town of Guerneville. Travel straight through Guerneville and
continue on to Duncans Mills. Turn left onto Moscow Road and continue over the
bridge (about 1/4 mile). At the end of the bridge, make a right turn onto
Freeze Out Road.