Mar-Apr 2007

Next Meeting

April 13th, 2007

7:30 PM

Whitehall Court, Buffalo Grove

The next scheduled meeting will be on April 15th at the Home of Adjutant Brown. Please make a strong effort to make this meeting. Mark your calendars. To be discussed is the upcoming schedule of events.

Recruitment Opportunities.

Practice Shoot and Muster.

Battery H will be holding a pre-skirmish tune up and practice at the Kenosha Conservation Club in Bristol Wis. This will also act as a Recruiting Muster for possible new members. Letters were sent out informing past interested individuals that we will welcome them out to the range to try out the different weaponry. The Battery requested that they RSVP prior to showing up at the primitive range. This is also a good time to practice as a team and tune up for the April 28 –29 Sandy Ford Skirmish. So bring your favorite firearm and a few extra rounds. Even though at this time we have not received any RSVPs it is best that the Battery be prepared.

Artillery Display

On April 21^st the Battery will put on a small artillery display at the Wheaton County Civil War relic show. The Battery in the past has presented on an artillery display for free admission to the show. This year is no difference. All that show up in uniform will get a free entrance pass to the show. Set should be completed by 7:30. In the case that the cannon is not placed back together the Battery will put on display a Mortar and any other artillery artifacts that it can.

Lagrange Pet Parade

The battery received an invite to take part in this year’s Pet Parade that will happen on June 2^nd. This year it was decided to invite the 2^nd US Sharpshooters to march with us. If our offer is accepted, the Battery will share the request $400 with the Sharpshooters. In the past, parade officials commented that they thought we would have more people marching. It was decided to share the $400 with the Sharpshooters and keep in good standings with the Parade officials than to not be invited to participate in 2008. The 2nd Sharpshooter’s commander Dan Davis said they could get 4 to 6 people to help fill in the ranks of the Battery. They parade committee will contact the Battery by April 30 if they accept our application. If accepted please try to make it to this parade.

2006 Long range Match

The Battery received information regarding the 2007 matches. They will be held one week later than normal, on July 28-29 on range 35. This year the matches will be held on the same weekend as the Grayling canoe marathon race. This may increase the public visitor count but it will also make motels harder to get. So if you plan on going, and will not be camping, make reservations as early as possible.

Snow Ball Warm up Skirmish

The 114^th held their Snowball Skirmish down south of Springfield. Only two members of the participated, and a third showed up to enter their chili in the Chili Cook off. It was reported that the weather was perfect and all shooting events were held on Saturday. Sunday was an open practice for all those who wished to stick around. Congratulations to Battery member Kate who walked with the title Chili King… oops sorry Chili Queen of 2007. Way to go Kate. The question now is will she share the recipe with the other members of the Battery?

Sick Call

The Battery this early part of the year has had is share of members on the disabled list. Bob Brown is much improved and is at home. Dick Koch had a short spell of some leg problems and is now looking forward to retirement and skirmishing. The latest name to be placed on the list is Jack Hubbell. Jack was admitted to the hospital just short of his 80^th Birthday. According to his daughter he has improved but is still in the hospital. Jack is a long-time member of the Battery and will keep him in our thoughts.

General Benjamin Dornblaser Skirmish

The 46^th Illinois Vol. Inf. has invited the Battery to participate in the April 28 and 29th skirmish at Sandy Ford. We are not sure if the information has been placed on the Western Region Web Page so we will include it here.

The skirmish starts with at 7:30AM with individuals. The last individual match will start at 12:15. At 12:45 will be the start of the 5-man Carbine team matches followed by the 3-man breechloader team matches and then finally the 3-man Smoothbore team matches.

On Sunday the 8-man musket team matches start at 8:00 AM. The events are the usual affair with the exception on Sunday they will be doing the rolling thunder on the 50 Yard tile event. This will be explained in more detail at the Skirmish. If you need more details, please contact the Battery commander or show up to the meeting.

Frank V Matuszek Memorial Skirmish

On June 23 and 24 the Battery will be sponsoring the 4th annual memorial skirmish. The Battery will try to make this shoot interesting and simple being that the Battery is on the low side of members. The battery is presently planning on only three team events, Smoothbore, Carbine and Musket. They will offer a fourth team event, revolver, if they have 4 or more team sign up prior to the weekend. The traditional stake event will be replaced with a new version of X’s and O’s. This was an event that brought many in the past to curse the creator in the past. A new revamped tile event is also in the planning to help get rid of some of the odd shaped tile the Battery has in stock. If you have any other ideas to make this skirmish more memorable please let them be known.

2007 Events

April 14 –15 Deep South Skirmish - Tupelo Miss. Battery invited

April 15^th Bristol practice

April 15^th Kane County gun show

April 21^st Wheaton Gun show

April 28-29^th Sandyford 46^th

May 13^th Kane County gun show

May 17 -20 Spring Nationals

May 26^th Work party at John T in prep for Skirmish

June 2^nd LaGrange Pet parade

June 23-24 Sandyford Battery H

July 28-29 Long-Range Grayling Match

July 28 Algonquin Founders Day Parade

Aug 18-19 Springfield 114^th

Sept 15-16 Bristol 6^th

Oct 4 - 7 Fall Nationals

Oct 14^th Kane County gun show

Dec 9^th Kane County gun show

Rumors Confirmed

It was last reported that there were rumors that the Battery will be asked to help run the 118th National Skirmish in the year 2008. This rumor has been confirmed. Dan Gibson is the Skirmish Director and should be aware of the good job we did on the Latrine duty. For those of us that did it last time know that this job is considered the most requested job out of all the jobs. Dan Gibson has requested feed back from the battery on how many will be there and what job we want. Well a quick survey was taken and we will request the job of latrine duty again. We know what is involved and the Battery got many great compliments on the job we did. With luck we will again get the chance to clean the houses of poop.

Spring Nationals

The Battery received the invite for the 115^th National Skirmish and is sending a small contingency to represent the Battery. The deadline is upon us so if you now decide to go and would like to sign up for individuals, it is too late. There will be five members going and they will be participating in Revolver, Smoothbore, and one Mortar team events. It was decided to farm ourselves out to other teams for Carbine and Musket.

The commander is looking into some side trips for those that are interested. A battlefield or two will most likely be visited. The commander may try to do a Gettysburg Ghost Tour. Of course there will be the opportunity to sit around the fire and eat a home cooked meal. If you can not attend this Spring National skirmish and you need supplies or parts, please contact John Thatcher. I am sure he will be more than willing to spend your money for you.

Battery H History 104 cont.

Shortly after the battle of Shiloh the Silfersparre battery was transferred to General Sherman’s division and subsequently belonged to the second division of the 15^th army corps until the close of the war. At the first inspection Gen. Sherman rejected the “new fancied things” introduced by Silfversparre with instructions to equip the battery in the regular way. This was done, but after the second shot subsequently fired by the battery a man lost his hand in a premature explosion of a load, all because of the absence of the handle to the sponge-head.

In September, 1862, Capt. Silfversparre was assigned to Fort Pickering, near Memphis, Tenn. He was detailed by Gen. Sherman on Sept 16^th to take charge of the fixed and permanent batteries in the fort and instructed to mount and equip heavy guns, besides supervising the appurtenances of the light guns. The officers of the batteries were to be instructed by him in the manual of the guns. Sherman further directed him to instruct or supervise the drill of two of the companies and to personally drill the other two companies daily. In case of action, Silfversparre was to command the four companies. About the beginning of the next year he was also assigned as drill-master of General Hurlbut’s division, encamped four miles distant. Apparently doubtful of his ability to attend to his complex duties, he resigned his commission Feb 22^nd, to take a position in another department of the army. But before his transfer, he had the misfortune of being captured by the Confederates.

Like many other officers, Silfversparre engaged in a little private speculation. While out in the country alone one day buying up cotton which at the time brought high prices, he encountered a band of bush whackers and was taken prisoner after killing one of his antagonists. He was threatened with hanging, when a squad of cavalry interfered and carried him off to Jackson, Miss. There her was granted an interview with Gen. Joseph E Johnston, who sent him to Libby prison at Richmond, with other prisoners of war. After having endured inhuman treatment there for ten months he made good his escape by bribing a guard, whose uniform he donned and, after having secured a pass at the military headquarters, went south to Wilmington, S.C. There he engaged as engineer on the Blockade runner Cornubia which was chased by Union vessels the better part of the way to the Bermudas. Such was the closing in Silfversparre’s military career.