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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 | ||||
Our annual get together at Jim Thompson's house will be Saturday, March 8th. We will have food and beverages. For those who have been there in the past you know that we have a good time. This is a great opportunity for us to see each other before the new season starts.
You may bring your wife or girlfriend if you like. You may also spend the night, just bring your own sleeping bag or bedroll. As usual we will play miniatures, and maybe this year Tony Fuzie's men will fight and not run away.
Please call or e-mail me and confirm that you will be there so we know how much food and drink we need. You can e-mail me at lunddavid@aol.com or call me at 209-993-5691. Jimbo lives in Hollister at 2181 Teakwood Ct. 95023. His phone number is 1-831-638-1025. For directions you may call Jimbo or me or you can e-mail me. You can also access yahoo maps or any other map service to get a detailed map. Hope to see you all there.
Well boy's winter camp is just about over and the new 2003 campaign is just ahead. Our first get together will be at Jim Thompson house on Saturday, March 8th. Jimbo 'the wise' and Miss Teresa have been bold enough to invite us back again this year. Please try and make this, as it is a good time to talk up the New Year. Our first event of the year will be the weekend of March 22 & 23 at Knight's Ferry. This event is run by the ACWA, but the NCWA will be joining them. There will be more about this event in the next post.
For those of us who went to the Grand Ball it was a great time. I did not know that Pvt. Ed Fuzie and Sgt. Ryan Downs knew how to dance and could be so popular with the Women. I forwarded an e-mail to you that offered a special screening of the new movie 'God's and Generals'. I hope those of you who wanted to go got tickets. I know that Bobby Lloyd and Kermit Claytor have already gone. Jim Thompson and Scott and Ryan Downs will be going this week and myself and Mike Lenhardt will be seeing it in Sacramento February 18th. From what I understand it is about 4 hours long with an intermission.
Hope all of you see the movie before the get together at Jimbo's as I'm sure we will talk about it a lot. We should expect to recruit a lot this year because of this movie. Well that's about all I have for you now. See you on March 8th.
Its that time of year again to renew your NCWA membership. If you send in your renewal before March 1st, the 14th will get a kick back from the NCWA. So please try and send it in now.
I have included the membership form for you to make it easier on you. If you should need another form, make a copy of the one you have or you can go to the NCWA web site at www.ncwa.org and print it from there.
If you mark the box on the form saying you will take the newsletter the Dispatch on-line you can deduct $7.50 from your membership dues. So instead of paying $40.00 you pay only $32.50. Plus there is special kick back for the unit that has the most renewals before March 1st.
Boys, What with the new Shaara film, 'Gods and Generals' coming out this month, it is the perfect opportunity to recruit for the company. We are doing quite poorly as far as attendance and this year can be a big year to bolster recruitment. I have a few ideas I'm going to put into practice this season, but I need all of your help, too.
Here's the plan; I'm going to put a table up with a large sign that my father and I are putting together with some recruitment propaganda in period lettering. This table will hopefully be placed in sutler row, or elsewhere where there is a lot of foot traffic. On the table will be literature on the historical info of the 14th, NCWA information, a letter of what we are about, and what living history is.
I will be putting someone in charge of manning the table from time to time, so don't shirk the duty. It will be closed during battle scenarios, as the camps are also closed, and we need every rifle on the line. At the end of the battle, I will dismiss someone early to get to the table, and the whole unit will march to the table, hopefully attracting some attention, and I will furnish some cold tasty (non-alcoholic, sorry) beverages. That way, we can stack arms and talk to the public.
Here's what I need from you boys. I need more loaner gear so we can suit up anyone who joins. Second, I need YOU to recruit. Get friends who you know that can commit, and who show any interest whatsoever. Third, call up 14th pards who don't show up often or anymore, encourage them to show, or see if they can donate gear.
Also, if anyone has an extra shelter half or two, I'd like to put shade up over the table for the person in charge, as well as for us after battles. If anyone has period looking and not too cumbersome wood table, it would also be appreciated. Let Capt. Lund or myself know.
Thanks a lot and I look forward to the upcoming season, and mostly seeing all of you.
Please e-mail Capt. Lund at lunddavid@aol.com with your current e-mail address. Lately when I have sent out e-mails, or forwarded an e-mail to you, I have gotten reports back that some of the address are no longer good. This will help to keep me current.
March 22&23 Knights Ferry May 2-4 Gibson Ranch, Sac May 23-26 Ardenwood, Fremont July 19-20 Duncan Mills August 23&24 Salinas October 4-5 Fresno
There is an event in the works for September and a chance that we will be returning to Mariposa in November. Keep checking the schedule in every post.
Jan-Feb 1863 In early November 1862 the 14th Tennessee and the rest of Archer's Brigade were camped between Winchester and Harper's Ferry where they enjoyed a much needed rest. On Nov. 6, the 14th fought the Yankee's at Castleman's Ferry by the Shenandoah River. At the end of November the 14th along with the rest of Stonewall Jackson's command marched towards the town of Fredericksburg. Gen. Robert E. Lee was preparing for an attack from Gen. Ambrose Burnside, who replaced Gen. George B. McClellan as the commander of the Army of the Potomac.
A P Hills light division, along with the rest of Jackson's corps, were placed as the right flank of the confederate defense.
On the cold foggy morning of December 13, the Yankee's struck the confederate position. As the Yankee's advanced on the Confederate defenses they noticed a gap between Lane's Brigade and Archer's Brigade. Seeing the Yankee's moving into the gap between himself and Lane, Archer sent word that he was going to move his Brigade into the gap to prevent the Yankee's from out flanking him.
As Yankee troops moved into his front Archer opened fire and the Yankee's fell back. As the two volleyed back and forth a Yankee column that had moved into the woods at his left was successful in flanking Archer's position. With the Yankee's attacking the 19th Georgia and the 14th Tennessee in the rear Archer's gave the command to fall back. The 14th under the command of Col. James W. Lockert noticed another Yankee column moving in the woods to their left. Col. Lockert gave the command to open fire on the advancing Yankee column. At the same time the 19th Georgia which was located to the 14th's left was giving way to the Yankee's. Col. Lockert held his position until Lt. George B. Hutcheson informed him that more Yankee's had moved to their rear. Upon this Col. Lockert ordered the 14th to retreat to an open area in the rear. There the 14th replenished their ammunition and returned to the fighting.
When the 14th reached their original position the Yankee's were already driven back by a North Carolina Brigade.
In Archer's report after the battle he states that his officers and men acted with gallantry and bravery in carrying out their duties. He especially cited Lt. Z G Gunn from the 14th who lost his life in the most gallant discharge of his duty. After the battle the 14th along with the rest of Archer's Brigade went into winter quarters at Guiney's Station.
In January of 1863 the Confederate war dept. ordered each of the three Tennessee regiments to send one man from each company to return to Tennessee and recruit new men. The 14th had a hard time recruiting since the Clarksville and Palmyra area were in Yankee hands since the fall of Fort Donaldson. Most of those men remaining did not want to leave their families, and far more joined up with the Army of Tennessee so they would be closer to home.
In mid January 1863, Yankee General Burnside tries to make another attempt to fight the Confederates at Fredericksburg, but heavy rain, which lasted for about 30 hours, made the roads to muddy to pass and the mission was called of. On Jan. 25, 1863, the commander of the Army of the Potomac Gen. Ambrose Burnside was replaced by Gen. Joseph Hooker.
February 1863 sees little action for the 14th and the Army of Northern Virginia. There are small skirmishes but for the most part the army stayed in winter quarters.
In November 1862 Col. Morgan's Confederates forces, totaling around 3,000 troops were preparing for an attack on ft. Donalson. The Yankee's in the area were looking for Confederate Gen. William Bedford Forrest who they say was stationed in Palmyra and was preparing to cross the Cumberland river there and make a raid on Kentucky.
The Yankee commander in the Area Col. Bruce moves his troops into Clarksville and fortifies the city in anticipation of an attack by Confederate forces in the area. A citizen of Clarksville wrote to her husband, " I have nothing new since my last excerpt that we had another visit from the Yanks, who burnt the upper Red River Bridge night before last at 9:00. We saw the light distinctly from here in the city. Their object is supposed to be, to prevent the escape of those whom they come to take prisoners, and to cut off supplies.
They also destroyed the pump and chain of the large cistern in the square. They seem to have a particular spite at Clarksville, the secesh hole, as they call it. A society has been formed here for supplying the poor with necessaries. The visiting committees have some very amusing thing to tell at the meetings. One poor women cannot eat bacon, as she must have chicken, one cannot eat cornbread, another cannot eat wheat bread, another must have coffee and tea, with brown sugar for the coffee, and loaf sugar for the tea."
by a Soldier of the 17th North Carolina Infantry"The balls came thicker around us than ever you saw june bug around a peech tree. .."
The post is published on a not so regular basis. Editor: Dave Lund Articles submitted by: Ryan Downs If you would like to submit an article, direct it to; Dave Lund 7429 Southfield Way Stockton, CA 95207 Lunddavid@aol.com 209462-3086 work 209-993-5691 Cell
