Commander's Annual Appeal

Brothers & Sisters,

As we battle losses, the governmental environment, & the economy what we will be able to accomplish will depend solely on God’s blessings & our use of those resources.

The last couple of years have been very tough on us membership-wise. This is not the end of the world. We have been here before. What it does mean is that resources (powder, primers, care & upkeep of the gun, trailer & other equipment) will be scarce. We will have to pick carefully what we do & how we do it. We will have to be very selective as to where we go. Care must be taken of all unit equipment- there is no replacing assets.

Additionally, we must aggressively seek funding. I hate talking about money. I don’t want to come to our membership with my hand out. However, I would be remiss if I did not pursue every possible source of revenue.

As such, I have decided to begin an annual membership funding appeal. It seems that this month, May, our anniversary month would be the logical month to launch it. Brothers & Sisters, we a federally recognized 591 C-3 organization. IMHO, we provide a valuable service to the community. We maintain the memory of our father’s sacrifices in the face of the current wave of political correctness.

As a 501 C-3, we are eligible for your charitable contributions. So… before you write that check to NPR or the Sierra Club think locally. I hold out these caveats… We neither need nor want your church’s tithe money. Also, if you send money to the Boy Scouts, we don’t want any of that money either. Anything else is fair game.

I’ll keep you up on the progress.

Y.O.S,

Duke

Living History Notes

For Saturday's living history

We will need a wedge tent & the fly (Lt. Gardo, please coordinate with Captain Kateman).
Wear Confederate. You pick-
Bring Pistol/Muskets

Bring coolers/ice drinks

Lt. Creely, please pick up the gun.

We need to be on site by 10 AM.

Low country boil afterward @ Kateman farm. Bring your own beverage of choice.

Y.O.S.
Duke

The CFA & the SCV

I have recently encountered several individuals who have told me that their reenacting activities have been restricted by the Sons of Confederate Veterans. Apparently, some camps have decided that reenacting the “Yankee Scourge” is demeaning to the individual, & disrespectful to the honored memory of Confederate Soldiers. Most recently, I was contacted by a man who wanted to join us, but said that he was a SCV member & was only allowed to reenact as a Confederate (I told him that if this was the case, he needed to find another unit).
Should my next statements go beyond our unit, I have no doubt that I will be called everything from a rotten Scalawag, to a Christ denying, One World government type. So be it. Bully’s & nitwits need to be confronted.
I am a proud Southerner. A proud Southern Soldier. My heroes & role models are Lee & Jackson. I try my darndest to live up to the high expectations of the Southern Warrior/Gentleman ideal (yes, I know I fall short). I have always held the South, her struggle for independence & the gallant men who carried her freedom upon their bayonets in high regard. Having said that… The SCV can go jump in the lake.
I resent these self appointed keepers of “Southern Heritage” trying to impose their rules on our hobby & our unit Do they truly think that it reflects honor on the memory of Southern soldiers to see them driven off the field by half a dozen Yankees? No they don’t. They don’t realize that it is important that we galvanize. Further, they don’t care. They do not (as a general rule) reenact, they care nothing for our hobby. They are trying to make some grandiose political statement. We are not less Southern because we portray the 1st Michigan/17th Michigan.
The SCV has come to us before asking for our help. More often than not, we have supplied it. I have never been given so much as a thank you. I guess we were privileged to support them. The SCV has never contributed one thin dime to our coffers. They have never sent even one man to help us maintain or crew the gun. We have volunteered to play blue at several of their sponsored events. I really did not expect their gratitude. However the consistently bad treatment & faint contempt we were/are treated with when wearing Federal Uniforms is unbelievable.
I am done helping/supporting the SCV in any way. If we are at an event, & actions can be taken that are mutually beneficial, fine. But I will not go even a half of a hair out of my way for them. I will not turn away any member because of SCV affiliation. But, We are an independent unit, & I not bend, even one inch, to their desires or demands.

Y.O.S.
Duke

Round Rolling/Living History

We will be rolling a few Rounds for the festivities on 23 May. Location will be the Kateman farm. 1830 hrs (thats 6:30) on Wedenesday 13 May.