Zollicoffer

Brothers,


From my humble Point of view...

Positives:

Lads, I always hit the last event of the Fall Campaign season with mixed emotions. I love the hobby. If time & funds permitted, I would probably spend more weekends in the field than home. I particularly love the fall season, leaving the heat & looking forward to Christmas. I hate going into winter camps. This particular fall season was especially trying. Having started so well at August drill, then to opt out of Farb Fest & miss JEB, well, Zollicoffer was going to have to be a wing-ding of a time to make up for it all...

Going into the event, discouraged & getting a little cynical, I've got to tell you- this past weekend was a God Send to me. This type of event is what they Hobby should be about. This was the first time we had appeared , but Pappy treated us like family. I have been to an awful lot of events, & I will testify that I can only remember a handful where we were visited so often by the host. It is a testimony to the decency of a man, who beset with the myriad headaches of running an event, would look to the comfort of a few scruffy artillerymen.

When I arrived late Friday night, the weather was a major negative. I tried to walk into the camp & promptly sunk to mu ankles-never a good sign. Soft ground almost always equals bad events. But, to my surprise, even that turned into a plus. When Pappy asked the units not to drive into the owner's pastures, the reenactors treated the man's farm with respect. I look back on events where the rednecks with 4-wheel drive trucks destroyed fields- not here. Further, money was collected to help the host repair the unavoidable damage of going in & unpacking. This element of kindness & class was once the norm in the hobby. It has been missing in South Carolina the last couple of years & was awfully good to see.

It was good to camp & fight alongside our brothers in the 3rd US. The measure of a battery is not how much or how big it's ordinance. It is not how many men who flock to their colors. The true measure of a battery is the professionalism of its men, reflected in their Esprit' & determination to win. I would rather have the 3rd covering my back than any battery in the hobby. Their generosity, friendship & camaraderie humbles me. Once again, it is what the hobby should be.

We went into the fight with a small crew. Further, we had new men in the mix. As such, Saturday morning was spent at drill. It is impossible to learn the many tasks expected of our marines, but Ben threw into it with Gusto. By battle time, if not up to our usual level of performance, we were as ready as we could get.

Fighting in the cold/light snow was cool (pun intended). Within a few moments, the combined fire of Columbia & the 3rd US had suppressed the Federal Artillery. This left us to the task of harvesting the souls of the Federal Infantry. But, before we could really reap the efforts of our labor, the Federal mounted Cavalry became a nuisance. We were forced to work as Marine Infantry to keep them off the guns. This in itself is no big deal- it ain't our 1st rodeo & we have dealt with mounted before. But, these troopers were made of stouter stuff then the horsemen we usually brush off. They kept coming back. We were forced to split our team, & our rate of fire languished.

It was to get worse. The mounted were soon reinforced by The 2nd NC Mounted Infantry. If the mounted were a pestilence, Captain Smitty's troopers were an actual threat. Our position was exposed, & we lacked the manpower to properly defend it. A quick war council was held, & the decision was made (if we could get the nearby infantry company to also move forward) to attack.

Now, all this narrative leads up to a point- the attack quickly bogged down. The dismounted Cav. Are tough cookies; the mounted had a good deal of grit also. We were stalemated. Here is where the value of our brothers showed its worth- the 3rd, seeing the jam we had gotten ourselves into, advanced their gun up to the infantry line & began to give direct fire support. This, (& the fact that the 2nd had burned up most of the rounds) got things moving.

What followed, was greatly encouraging to me... The Marine ethic kicked in. You lads, with a very minimum of any direction moved out & took the fight to the enemy. You skirmished well, you advanced aggressively. You reacted correctly & without orders to Federal Counter attack. The new man & the attached troop caught the fever. You made me proud.

After the fight, the usual Saturday functions occurred- weapons were cleaned, ammo was redistributed, we bragged, told lies & considered ourselves invincible. It was a good feeling. Chow was great- Matt makes a mean stew, bread, cheese- it was a feast for kings. I though it couldn't get any better- but then our brothers & sisters in the 2nd NCMI brought Venison Chili & warm potato Salad. My God...

Sunday's battle was, if less demanding, still a rippin good time. We fired over 20 rounds & still could not exhaust our ammunition.

My compliments to Captain Gardo for his handling of the gun, 1st Sergeant Bohland for his hard work preparing our “shiney's” for battle, & all of our membership who took the time from their lives to be present (By the way Dan, you make a wicked good fire).

My humble thanks to the 2nd NCMI & the 3rd US Regulars for their brotherhood & camaraderie- it is good to have family.

Opportunities
Our numbers are too small. There are too many empty seats at the fire We actually made one event this season (this) & we can't get but 5 guys?

Your Obedient Servant,

Duke