1st Regiment Illinois Light Artillery
De Gress’ Battery
Next Meeting
Feb 21st, 2009
6PM
At the Home of Bob Brown
Buffalo Grove, Ill
UP COMING EVENTS
Lincoln’s 200th Birthday Party!
All members and their family and friends are invited to help celebrate Our 16th President’s Birthday. This is always a fun event and there are plans to make it continue as such. The invites have been sent. If you did not get one and would like to attend, please contact the commander and let him know. Remember that the party is “pot luck”. This means you are requested to bring a dish to share or supplies. If you lack the time to cook or shop, please contact Bob and he may be willing to help you out. The Commander may come up with some entertainment as he has in the past, but if enough money is pooled he said he may be bought off this year.
So write down the date and time and make sure you contact Bob or the Commander if or if you are not planning on attending.
A brief meeting will be help prior to the official start of the party. A few things will be discussed and voted upon. The commander promises not to make it too long.
Western Regional Meeting. Feb 15, 2009
The Western Region will be holding it’s Winter meeting at the Wheaton VFW Post 2164 Hall in Wheaton , 0 N 731 Papworth. The meeting officially starts at 10:30 but doors will be open early to those looking to buy-sell-trade items. At the meeting there will be discussions on the up coming shooting season, events of the National Board meeting, and a chance to ask questions from the floor of your regional officers. This will be a good chance to reacquaint yourself with other members of the region, and to gossip. This is not a mandatory meeting but is a good excuse to get out and start thinking about shooting.
National Board Meeting.
Being that the Commander of the Battery is also the Commander of the Region gives us an insight or advanced knowledge of the happenings of the National organization. This year’s January Board Meeting was held in Reston, VA, not too far from Stan’s house. The meeting went from 8 AM to 5 PM with one hour for lunch. There were lengthy discussions on many topics. Some may be beneficial to the Battery while others will not. Some will have no bearing at all. Here are some of the highlights
· Musket Matches may go to only two relays on Sunday morning
· Carbine Matches will now be 3 relays – one phase on Saturday
· Breechloader Matches will be moved from Friday to Saturday before Carbine
· Smoothbore will be fired in two Relays. More time for Mortar Team
· Increase of both team and individual metals
· New penalties for not wearing your Membership Badge on the firing line.
· Changes to the Saturday Night Barn Dance
These and other topics will be discussed in more details at the Regional meeting.
It appears that most of the shoots have found a place on the 2009 calendar. These dates are subject to possible changes but most likely will not. Rumor has it that there may be one more Skirmish that may be added but it may be doubtful.
April 25-26 Sandy Ford Range - Streator, Illinois, hosted by 46th Illinois;
May 15 – 17 Spring Nationals, Winchester Virginia
June 27-28 Sandy Ford Range - Streator, Illinois, hosted by Battery H 1st Illinois Artillery and 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters;
August 15-16 Lefthanders Gun Club - Loami, Illinois, hosted by 114th Illinois
September 19-20 Bristol range - Bristol, Wisconsin, hosted by 1st U.S. Sharpshooters.
October 2-3 Fall Nationals, Winchester Virginia
Reminder:
In the past the battery paid the registration fee for all the team small arms matches. It was decided that this practice be postponed until further notice. This means that it will cost you more to participate in team matches. The more you shoot the more you pay. This hopefully will relieve some of the pressures to participate in parades through out the year. This will not eliminate the need for a parade. The income from parades will be used for artillery supplies, artillery registration fees, and the transportation to and from artillery events.
The Battery will again be co-sponsoring a Regional Skirmish with the 2nd USSS. This will be a much scaled back event than last year. Actually it should be just a normal skirmish. No displays, or gattling gun firing. This does not mean that the Battery cannot use some of its unique targeting.
As the official shooting season gets closer the Battery is always looking to add new members to its ranks. One way they have tried this is to set up a display at local gun shows. The main one is the Kane County show. In the past the Commander has donated the cost of the table to help boost the membership and to help spread the word about the N-SSA. He is again willing to do this. All he needs are a few volunteers to man a table. There is a box with hand outs and other information. If you would like to help out, please contact the Commander. Some of the up-coming dates for the Kane county show are March 29th and May 10th. If you want to attend or know of other gun shows, please forward the information to the Commander.
The 2nd US Sharpshooters have offered to help the battery run the 6th Annual FVM-MS at Sandy Ford. By combining our two teams will allow many of our own members to compete in the team matches. As mentioned before, this skirmish will be the basic skirmish and will include individual matches, the last Shooter Standing Match, Carbine and Smoothbore team match and then on Sunday the Musket team matches. The will be no displays or special shooting demonstrations. The 2nd USSS have offered to offer a breakfast at the club house and possibly run the concession stand. More of the details will need to be worked out but this should be as easy as falling off a log for the Battery.
Jan 10th John S Mosby suffered his greatest defeat of his career in an attack on the Union Camp near Loudoun Heights near Harpers Ferry.
Jan 17th The Union press reports that 417 shells have been fired into Charleston, in the last two days with unknown damage.
And in 1863
Feb 1 The second attack on Fort MeAllister is made.
Feb 2 The union ram Queen of the West passes the batteries at Vicksburg, escaping undamaged and proving that it could be done. Later on Feb 14 the ram is captured by the confederate forces while going up the Red River.
Feb 18th Union Mortar boats open fire on the City of Vicksburg.
Feb 24th A Rebel Fleet, including the captured ram, attacks and over powers the USS Indianola near Grand Gulf, Mississippi.
Feb 27th A dummy gunboat, fashioned from an old barge, under the direction of Admiral Porter and set adrift down the Mississippi. It frightens the Confederates into destroying the newly-captured Indianola.
Feb 28th The CSS Rattlesnake, waiting in the Ogeechee River near Fort McAllister is set afire and caused to explode by shells of the monitor USS Montauk.