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| Official newsletter of the 14th Tennessee Co. B Volunteers | ||||
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| Official newsletter of the 14th Tennessee Co. B Volunteers | ||||
The Weekend of September 28 & 29 mark the return of our 2002 reenactment campaign. You can begin arriving on Thursday the 26th after 10:00 AM. There is a school program on Friday with a skirmish around noon. No cars will be allowed into the park during the school program from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
The reenactor parking is in the same place as past years at the back of the park. Just follow the signs.
There will be plenty of wood and straw available. We will be camped in basically the same place as last year.
On Friday night Sgt. Fuzie is bringing a BBQ and we will be eating in the parking lot instead of going into town. Just bring your own meat to cook.
Directions to Kearney Park:
From I-5 North: Take the Nees Ave. exit and turn left toward Firebaugh. Continue to HWY 33 and turn right (South) toward Mendota. Continue to the HWY 180 split which you will take to the left. This will take you again to the east. Follow HWY 180 watching for signs to Kearney Park at Grantland Ave. Turn right onto Grantland Ave. (South) which will dead-end at Kearney Blvd. Turn left (east) onto Kearney. Drive past the main entrance to Fair Ave., which is at the East End of the park. Turn right and follow signs to the NCWA parking, which is the dirt lots.
From HWY 99: Take Fresno St. exit and turn right (west) onto Fresno St. A short distance down the road you will see the Kearney Blvd. arch, turn right onto Kearney Blvd. And go down Kearney Blvd past the Chandler airfield and make a left onto Fair Ave. which is just before you reach the park.
In place, rest. Okay boys, our furlough is over and Kearney Park in Fresno is here. Kearney Park is the biggest event of the year as reenactors from both Northern and Southern California will make for over 1500 people. Please try and make every effort to be at this event as this is the last NCWA event of the year. There are a few events in the coming months that might be worth attending as there really have not been many events this year for the NCWA.
The RACW is having an event the weekend of Oct. 19-20 at Butte College near Chico. The ACWA has an event the same weekend in Modesto at the Toulumne regional Park. We can discuss these events in Fresno. Also we have been invited to attend an event in Southern, Ca. It is in Moorpark which is near Thousand Oaks and Simi Valley on the weekend of November 2-3.
Instead of going into town for dinner Friday night, we will instead hold a BBQ and stay in camp for farve Friday. Sgt. Fuzie is bringing his brightest Hawaiian shirt and the BBQ, just bring something to cook.
Fellow possums,
For those of you unawares, I am gittin' hitch'd. I want to extend an invite to you all. The nuptials will take place in Nevada City (yes that most wonderful of all towns in California) on November 9th. It will be a short outdoor ceremony followed by vittles from the "Chuck Wagon Gang", free bar, dancing and music from the Desert Moon Band and Kereoke. If you are interested in attending please e-mail, call or send me your address and I will see that you get the official hoite-toite invite. If you already got a post card you are on the list. Hope to see y'all there.
Thanks,
Dave
Dave 'Hardtack' Partak 1192 Broadway Alameda, CA 94501 (510)865-0852 dpartak@yahoo.com
Butte College Oct. 19-20
Toulumne Regional-Modesto Oct 19-20
Moorpark-So. Cal. Nov. 2-3
Grand Ball-Monterey Jan. 11
Tentative 2003
Mariposa April???
Gibson Ranch May 2-4
Ardenwood May 24-26
Duncan Mills July 19&20
Sonoma Aug 23&24
Benicia Sept.20&21
Kearney Park Oct.
In early June the citizens of Clarksville report that they are being arrested for voicing their thoughts of the Yankee occupation of the city. General Buell replaces General U.S. Grant as commander of troops in Kentucky and east Tennessee. On August 18, Confederate forces, numbering a little over 200 men, under the command of Col. Thomas Woodard and Col. S. Johnson marched into Clarksville and captured the Yankee garrison there. They took 3 to 4 hundred prisoners, two pieces of artillery, many horses and about 50 wagons. The captured Yankee troops were paroled and told Yankee Col. William Lowe, commander of troops at fort Donelson that the Confederate force in Clarksville to be just under 1000 men.
On September 7 Yankee forces totaling around 1000 troops retook Clarksville. The Confederate garrison of just over 200 men left the town just prior to the Yankee assault. The citizens complained in a letter to General U.S. Grant that the drunken Yankee's killed cattle, shot hogs. Horses were stolen and the citizens harassed. Even the Negro's were given grief. The Army of Northern Virginia summer 1862 In the early days of June, General Robert E. Lee, in command of the newly formed ANV, prepares defenses around the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia. The General is preparing for an assault by Yankee commander General George B. McClellan. At the same time Gen. Lee is composing an offensive of his own.
On May 27, at Mechanicsville the 14th Tennessee attack Federal forces and drove them to Cold Harbor. At Gaines Mill Archer's Brigade advanced on the heavily defended positions of the Yankee's. After heavy losses the Brigade had to fall back. The Yankee's eager to destroy the retreating Confederates attacked. At this time a Brigade of Texans under the command of General John Bell Hood attacked and over run the attacking Yankee's sending them in full retreat.
During the middle part of the month there is some skirmishing between the Confederate and Yankee troops near the Chickahminy creek.
On June 13, the 14th Tenn. Engaged the Yankee forces at Frayser's Farm under the command of General Fitz John Porter. A fierce battle ensued of which most was hand to hand. By nightfall the Confederates had won the field and the Yankee's withdrew. Casualties for the 14th one killed Pvt. W J Martin and 18 wounded.
On the 21st of June, Confederate President Jefferson Davis writes in a letter that " A total defeat of McClellan will relieve the Confederacy of its embarrassments in the east." On June 25, the Confederates open an offensive known as the Seven Days Battle. Confederate Gen. John Magruder hits Gen. McClellan's troops at Oak Grove in an attempt to confuse the Yankee's into thinking that the Confederates have a larger force than they actually due. At the same time Gen. Lee hits McClellan east of Richmond.
On June 27, Gen. Lee attacks at Gaines Mills and breaks through the Yankee lines. The Yankee's fall back to Harrisons Landing. The attack relieves the pressure on Richmond but does little else.
On June 28, the Confederates continue to press the Yankee's at Garrett and Goulding's farms forcing the Yankee's to fall back toward the Potomac River. On June 29, the fighting continues east of Richmond at Savage's station with the Yankee's falling back toward the James River.
On June 30, at White Oak Swamp, confusion between General Stonewall Jackson and General James Longstreet allow the Yankee's to successfully consolidate their troops and safely entrench at Malvern Hill.
On July 1, Gen. Lee attacks Gen. McClellan's positions at Malvern Hill. In a disorganized attack the Confederates are unable to finish their goal of eliminating the Army of the Potomac. This ended Lee's Seven Days Campaign which did succeed in driving the Yankee's away from Richmond.
On July 15, Sgt. George Horn of Company B was promoted to 1st. Lt. For gallantry in the battle of seven pines. Sgt. W F D Hicks is promoted to senior 2nd Lt. For distinguished gallantry in battle of Mechanicsville and Gaines Mill. Sgt. W A Shelby of Co. B is promoted to junior 2nd. Lt.
The rest of July was rather quite. Then on August 9, Gen. Jackson attempts attacking the Yankee force under the command of General John Pope at Cedar Mountain. Yankee forces under the command of General Nathaniel Brooks attack Gen. Jackson. Just as the Yankee's were pushing Jackson's troops back, General A.P. Hill came to the rescue and repulsed the Yankee advance. Archer's Brigade marched from Orange Court House to Cedar Run Creek at Cedar Mountain to join Gen. Jackson in his attack. Archer arrived in the afternoon and placed his Brigade to the left of Branch's Brigade. Archer advanced under heavy fire from the Yankee lines. As they advanced through a wheatfield they came across a Yankee column. The Brigade opened fire and the entire Yankee force was either killed or captured. On the other side of the field was another Yankee line behind a fence. The order to charge was given and Archer's Brigade sent the Yankee's scattering capturing Yankee General Prince and most of his command. In the attack the 14th Tennessee lost Lt. Col. George Harrell who was mortally wounded.
On August 26, the 2nd Manasas Campaign gets under way with Gen. Jackson and Archer's Brigade attacking Gen. Pope and capturing his entire supply depot at Bristoe Station and Manasas Junction. Sgt. R T Mockbee of Co. B 14th Tennessee wrote "we rested and feasted filling our haversacks with what they would hold" The next morning they burned what they could not carry. There were plenty of barrels of whiskey left behind by the Yankee's which Gen. Jackson gave the order to break open and let the contents pour out. During the battle of 2nd Manasas the 14th Tennessee lost their commander Col. W A Forbes who was killed. He was replaced by Lt. Col. William McComb. Major James William Lockert was promoted to Lt. Col. On August 28, Gen. Jackson attacks Yankee forces under the command of General Rufus King near Groveton, Virginia.
On August 29, thinking that Gen. Jackson is retreating to the Shenandoah Valley Gen. Pope attacks Confederate forces in an attempt to cut off their retreat. Unfortunately for Gen. Pope, Gen. Jackson has no intent to retreat and is ready to fight. Reinforced by Gen. Longstreet the Confederates push the Yankee's forcing them to retreat over Bull Run. On Sept. 1, at Ox hill, Virginia troops under Gen. Pope are forced to retreat all the way back to Washington D.C. With the Yankee's in retreat Gen. Lee moves his army towards Maryland in his first invasion of the North.
On September 15, Gen. Jackson attacks Harper's Ferry capturing 12,000 Yankee soldiers and much needed supplies. The rest of Gen. Lee's army arrives at Sharpsburg where he intends to fight.
On the morning of September 17, the Yankee's attack the Confederate positions around Sharpsburg. Early in the day the Confederates push the Yankee forces back on their left flank. In the afternoon Yankee General Ambrose Burnside attacks the Southern right flank and crosses what is to be come known as Burnsides Bridge. As the Yankee troops continue pushing back the Confederate lines, Gen. A.P. Hill, just arriving from Harper's Ferry, halts the Yankee advance and saves the day for the South. The next day Gen. Lee prepares for another attack from Gen. McClellan but the attack never comes. Gen. Lee then marches his troops back to Virginia in the middle of the night. This ended Gen. Lee's first invasion of the North. The battle of Sharpsburg was the deadliest day of the Civil War with over 23,000 American casualties.
The post is published on a not so regular basis. Editor: Dave Lund Articles submitted by: Dave Partak If you would like to submit an article; Dave Lund 7429 Southfield Way Stockton, CA 95207 Lunddavid@aol.com 209-952-6157 209462-3086 209-993-5691
