Oct-Nov 2007

Next Meeting

November 9^th 2007

7:30 PM

Whitehall Court, Buffalo Grove, Ill

Due to the busy schedule both membership and personal the Battery did not have an Oct Meeting. Thus the next meeting will be in November. Please mark your calendars and attend. November is time to reelect our officers for the 2008 season. Presently the officers who have stated that they will run again for their positions are:

Commander John Matuszek

Secretary Bob Brown

Web Master Stan Jezior

Quarter Master & Range Safety Officer John Thatcher

Also the paymaster will be collecting the dues for the 2008 and the Secretary will be filling out the paper work. So bring your check book if you have not paid already.

Fall Nationals

This was one of the better Nationals in several years. For the first time in four years it did not rain during any shooting match. It was also warm. It can be also proudly reported that the Battery fielded a full revolver team, smoothbore team, two mortar teams, carbine team and a musket team.

The five-day event started with several of the members getting out there earlier than normal. This allowed for a more relaxed atmosphere. Wayne walked away with two metals.(Sorry Wayne but I forgot what events) Our commander also won himself a 2^nd Place 50 yard carbine metal in the sharpshooter class with a 91-1x. Congratulations to both of them.

Friday saw the beginning of team events. John M, Stan, Mazur and Scott started off the Revolver team event. Jon Mazur had problems with his revolver after the first event and luckily Bob Brown stepped in and stepped up to the challenge.

The next event was the Team mortar competition. John T and others had been working on getting the mortars in prime shape for this shoot and it paid off for one mortar. Mortar team B ended up with a total distance of 21 feet, 7.75 inches, a quarter of an inch out of first place. The A team ran into some problems due to the hard ground which seemed to cause several of the balls to roll excessively. Congratulations to the B team. Since the beginning of competing with the mortars, there has been either once or twice that the Battery did not bring home a metal.

The last event of the day was Smoothbore Team. This time everyone showed up on time and with all the proper equipment that was needed. Stan, John M. Wayne and JT gave it there all. The events went quick and the battery ended up in Third place in their classification. Too bad they only give out one set of metals to the first place team.

The team Carbine and Musket team events were average for the Battery. During the carbine match a new target was tried. These were a silhouette of a clay pot. Rumor had it that clay pots were getting too expensive. The only problem was that the new targets were made out of plaster. This is not a good material to use and they were lucky that it did not rain.

The battery did have fun at camp. For three consecutive nights dinner was prepared in camp for those who braved the cooking. Stan created an Irish Stew on Thursday. He also prepared the spaghetti dinner with Italian sausage donated by Dick and Matt. Saturday was a little larger event. The Commander made pork loin while Bob made some chicken and biscuits for the 2^nd US sharpshooters. This was a good chance for both teams to get to know each other better. The 2^nd USS shared their pies and a batch of hard tack with us.

5^th Matuszek Memorial Skirmish

The Western Region commander, Tom Shedd is asked for dates for the 2008 Skirmish Schedule. The Battery has normally sponsored the second shoot at Sandyford. Last June attendance was weak and only made about $180. Dan Davis, commander of the 2^nd US Sharpshooters, presented an offer for the 5^th Matuszek Memorial Skirmish and the Battery has accepted.

The reason for this is that the town of Streator has contacted Dan in hopes of running a Civil War Days like he did in April of 2005. This would include both units working together. The details are not worked out but some of the benefits would include the town of Streator possibly paying the range fee, as well for the extra toilets. Battery H would again run the skirmish as normal with some slight changes in the events that may include a Gattling Gun demonstration on Sunday. The members of the 2^nd USSS would also be available to help set up the ranges and help with the running and clean up of the range afterwards. Some of the set backs would be the loss of the revolver range on Saturday, and a shorter individual shooting period. There are more details to be worked out but the commander would like your thoughts on this subject. He will also have more information available at the next meeting. So please bring your questions and opinions to the September meeting.

Sanitation Crew

Our commander has been elected as the 118^th National Sanitation Officer. This means that we will be in charge of preparing the privies at the Fort Shenandoah. We will then keep them clean and tidy during the skirmish. This mean that the Battery will be unable to compete during the week as a team and as an individual. Each team takes its turn in helping run a National and our number came up. Actually the rumor has it that because we did such a great job last time that we were requested to fill this position again. As some of you know there are many jobs that need to be done. Sanitation Crew is one of the more desirable tasks. It allows for a more flexible schedule and can be made into a more enjoyable task. You are not standing on the line from 8 to 5, nor are you locked in a room scoring targets.

Bristol Skirmish

The 6^th Wisconsin invited the battery to participate in the final Western Regional. This took place Sept 15 and 16^th at the Kenosha Conservation Club in Bristol Wis. This was the first Skirmish held by the 6^th Wisconsin in the Western Region. The 6^th Wisconsin is a unit that has been around longer than Battery H and yet reports of a poorly run skirmish are running amuck. The only silver linings were that John T and Wayne teamed up with another shooter and with one man short were still able to walk away with First Place in Smoothbore Team. The battery also shot short in Carbine Team but did not fair as well. They gave it there all and finished most of the events.

Long Range Match

The 17^th Long Range Match was held July 28 and 29^th at range number 35 of the National Guard Range in Grayling Michigan. The Battery competed with the mortars at 250 yards. They later competed with the cannon at 1000 yards. Though the official results have not been made public as of this date it was reported that our cannon crew hit the target 3 times. This is an improvement from the last time, and possibly ties the Battery’s best performance at this shoot. The mortars gave a valiant effort but believe we did not bring home the gold, silver or bronze. Keep your eyes open for the final results in future News letters.

This was truly a team event, on and off the field. The cannon needed a tune up and projectiles made. The mortars had to be sighted in for the 250 yard distance. Work parties were held and practicing took place. Not everyone could help with the preparations and some were limited due to personal events. Yet what they offered was appreciated. And the work and time that past members have put into the cannon in the past should not be forgotten. The cannon is almost 30 years old and many man hours have been put in over those years to allow the Battery to be were it is now. Thanks to all.

Stan Vs. John

As most of you know Stan and John M have been competing for the most hits these last few Nationals. This year John lucked out for Stan had some mechanical problems allowing John to win this year by over 9 hits. Sorry Stan better luck in the Spring.