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1ST MICHIGAN INFANTRY A CIVIL WAR REENACTING GROUP
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NOVEMBER 2007
Five members of the 1st Michigan made the trek to east side of the state for the 1st annual Fort Wayne battalion drill. The focus at this event was on school of the soldier and skirmish drill with five hours of drill taking place on Saturday and two more hours of drill on Sunday. Will Eichler was the perfect host and taught the fundamentals of drill to all of those in attendance. Most the items learned at these drills were very educational and hopefully will make the 1st on of the most authentic units on the battlefield.
What truly separated this event from all of the other events the 1st attends is that this event took place at a site of great historical significance to our unit. This event took place at the actual fort where the 1st Michigan three month regiment originally mustered into service on May 1st, 1861. Drill on the same fields and camping in the same barracks as the actual 1st Michigan was quite surreal. This fact led to several members doing voluntary guard duty in and around the fort both
nights just to immerse ourselves even more into moment.
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NOVEMBER MEETING
Attendees: Jeff Mattix, Steve Rossio, Brent Reeves, Devin Greene, Keith Rigoni, Dean Rigoni, Cole Hunsberger, Gordon Carlton, CJ Westphal, Joe Fortner, Doyle Fueling, Doug Wunderly, Alice Cutler and Mike Janik
The November meeting for the 1st Michigan Infantry took place on November 17th at Portage District Library. The meeting started at 1 pm. The past years events were discussed, elections took place and Gettysburg planning was done. Congratulation were in store for Col Hunsberger and Carl Bowers for completing their first year of reenacting. Also a warm welcome is in store for new recruit Alice “Jonathan” Cutler. Alice has already purchased more then half of her equipment and is looking forward to taking the field with us next year.
Old Business:
Website- The 1st Michigan website was again discussed after having been tabled last January. The main obstacle to starting a group website was the lack of funds within the group. After some discussion it was decided to start sending the newsletter by email to those that can receive it, by doing this the 1st will save about $20 per person per year in saved postage. If enough people sign up to receive the newsletter electronically we will be able to fully fund a website.
New Business:
Jeff Mattix discussed instituting camp inspections at reenactments. The purpose of these inspections would be to ensure that the 1st Michigan camp is free from any visible modern anachronisms. Comments were made on good ways to hide modern items, such as placing them in poke sacks.
Keith Rigoni, Devin Greene, and Steve Rossio briefly discussed the idea of campaign-style reenacting, particularly as it pertains to the 145th Gettysburg reenactment in July 2008.
Elections
Administrative Elections- Position outlines
President – Organizes and oversees meetings, ensures that the group adheres to the bylaws, and can make a tie-breaking vote. Secretary – Takes notes at meetings, and prepares and issues the newsletter. Treasurer – Handles group funds and makes reports on the status of the account.
Administrative Election Results- President- Steve Rossio Secretary- Keith Rigoni Treasurer- Jeff Mattix
Military Elections- Position outlines
Captain – Leads the company at drill and during battle with heavy emphasis on authenticity and safety and works with the secretary and vice president regarding registration. The person holding the position of captain must attend all “maximum effort” events. Lieutenant – In similar fashion to the position of vice president, the lieutenant handles the duties of captain should the captain be unable to do so. 1st Sergeant – Runs the regiment in conjunction with the captain and lieutenant and coordinates with other non-commissioned officers. It is also the duty of the 1st Sergeant to coordinate guard duty. 1st Corporal – The person in this position is a “file closer” and assists the 1st sergeant
Military Election Results- Captain- Jeff Mattix 1st. Lt.- Devin Greene 1st Sgt.- Keith Rigoni 1st. Cpl.- Gordon Carlton.
Next after much discussion it was decided to add a few administrative positions to the by-laws as well as make a few existing military positions official. The new positions proposed are outlined in the following by-law amendment.
The new position amendment: Amendment I- Additional Elected Positions The positions of Authenticity Officer, Vice President, Chaplain, Brevet 2nd Corporal and Brevet 2nd Corporal will be created.
Position outlines-
Vice President- The main duty of the vice president will be to register the group for events. The vice president will also assist the president in their duties as well as take over as president if the president cannot fulfill their duties. Authenticity Officer- Make sure camp is policed and help in all aspects of making the 1st Michigan more authentic in all aspects of reenacting. The Authenticity Officer will be under the guidance of the president to achieve higher authenticity standards. Chaplain- Help maintain the moral fiber of our members and provide spiritual guidance. Brevet 2nd Sergeant- An elected private who will serve in the capacity of a 2nd Sergeant. A 2nd Sergeant is the left end file closer and is the second ranking NCO. The brevet 2nd Sergeant will only wear stripes at the discretion of the commanding military officer when it is deemed there are a sufficient number of members in attendance at an event to require a full second Sergeant. Also if for any reason the 1st Sergeant fails to perform their duty and brevet 2nd Sergeant is automatically promoted in their absence. Brevet 2nd Corporal- An elected private who will serve in the capacity of a 2nd Corporal. A 2nd corporal is a file closer and is the fourth ranking NCO. The brevet 2nd Corporal will only wear stripes at the discretion of the commanding military officer when it is deemed there are a sufficient number of members in attendance at an event to require a full second corporal. Also if for any reason the 1st Corporal fails to perform their duty and brevet 2nd Corporal is automatically promoted in their absence. If the Additional Elected Positions Amendment passes at the following meeting, the following people will be elected to the positions stated in the amendment.
Vice President- Devin Greene Authenticity Officer- Joe Fortner Chaplain- Steve Rossio Brevet 2nd Sgt.- CJ Wesphal Brevet 2nd Cpl. - Mike Janik
Meeting adjourned at 3pm
Next Meeting: 1st or 2nd weekend of February Events Calendar Gettysburg Planning Next newsletter: Late December-Mid January
GETTYSBURG
The first event added to our 2008 calendar will be the 145th Gettysburg. This event is a three day national event taking place on July 4th-6th, 2008. If attending this event figure on spending all of Thursday July 3rd driving out there and all of Monday July 7th driving home. Several members will be staying in Gettysburg for a few days after the battle to go sightseeing. A lot more planning will take place for this event as we get closer.
At the November meeting it was decided to register as a group for this event and to do it during the early registration period ending December 31st. If you miss this deadline you can still register with the 1st for this event but will need to send in your registration individually. The overall event registration deadline is March 15th. If registering with 1st please submit your registration sheet (attached) and $15 to Devin Greene by December 15th.
Devin Greene 5202 Misty Creek Dr. Kalamazoo, MI 49009
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PEOPLE IN FIRST MICHIGAN HISTORY
Orlando B. Willcox- 1st Colonel
Born at Detroit, Michigan, April 26, 1823. He was destined for a career in the army, and graduated from West Point in 1847. He was briefly detailed to garrison duty in Mexico City and Cuernavaca at the close of Mexican War and then was on duty at various points including stations at New Mexico, Massachusetts, and Florida. He resigned his commission in 1857 in order to practice law but returned to the army in 1861 as Colonel of the 1st Michigan Infantry. At the battle of 1st Manassas he wounded and captured while in command of a brigade of Heintzelman's Division; he remained a prisoner for more than a year, part of the time as a hostage of Rebel privateers men whom the Federal authorities had threatened to hang as pirates. On the day of his release, August 19, 1862, he was commissioned a Brigadier General of Volunteers to rank from the date of the battle in which he had been captured the previous year and was given command of the 1st Division of Ambrose Burnside's IX Corps. He led the Division, and sometimes the Corps itself, at Sharpsburg, Fredericksburg, Knoxville, and during Grant's Overland Campaign against Richmond in the summer of 1864. When Burnside left Army of the Potomac after the debacle at The Crater in August, Willcox might presumably have been his logical successor in command of the corps, but John G. Parke, who was Chief of Staff of the corps and a Major General, received the post, and Willcox continued to command his Division until close of the war. He was one of the senior brigadiers in the service by date of commission, ranking John G. Parke by some 4 months. However, never advanced beyond that grade except by brevet at end of the war, despite his long record in Division and temporary Corps command, dating back to August 1862. Parke, on the other hand, was commissioned a Major General on August 20, 1862, to rank from July 18, although much of his service in the war was as a staff officer. He was brevetted Major General in both the Regulars and the Volunteers and in 1895 awarded the Medal of Honor for "most distinguished gallantry" at the battle of Manassas 34 years before. He was mustered out of service in January 1866, and returned to Detroit to resume his law practice, but upon enlargement of the Regular Army in July, he was reappointed as Colonel of the 29th US Infantry. He was transferred to the 12th US Infantry in 1869 and served at San Francisco almost continuously until 1878, when he assumed command of the Department of Arizona during a period when Apache warfare was at its height. Remained in this post until 1882 and as a consequence of his service here the town of Willcox, Arizona was named for him. In 1886 he was promoted to Brigadier General, USA, and in 1887 he was retired. Two years later he did a tour of duty as governor of the Soldiers' Home at Washington, DC. He remained in Washington, DC for a time, but in 1905 moved to Coburg, Ontario, where he died, May 10, 1907, age 84. He was buried in Section 1, Grave 18, of Arlington National Cemetery.
Medal of Honor Recipient:
WILLCOX, ORLANDO B. Rank and organization: Colonel, 1st Michigan Infantry. Place and date: At Bull Run, Virginia, 21 July 1861. Entered service at: Detroit, Michigan. Birth: Detroit, Michigan. Date of issue: 2 March 1895.
Citation: Led repeated charges until wounded and taken prisoner. THIS MONTH IN FIRST MICHIGAN HISTORY Dec. 1861- Annapolis Junction guarding Washington & Baltimore Railroad Dec. 1862- Battle of Fredericksburg, VA December 12-15 Expedition from Potomac Creek to Richards and Ellis Fords, Rappahannock River, December 29-30. Dec. 1863- Mine Run Campaign November 26-December 2. Winter Quarters near Culpepper, VA Dec. 1864- Warren’s Expedition to Weldon Railroad December 7-12
NEXT MONTH IN FIRST MICHIGAN HISTORY
Jan. 1862- Annapolis Junction guarding Washington & Baltimore Railroad Jan. 1862- “Mud March” 20-24 Jan. 1864- Winter Quarters near Culpepper, PA Dec. 1864- Warren’s Expedition to Weldon Railroad December 7-12 Jan. 1865- Siege Duty around Weldon Railroad Petersburg, VA
UPCOMING KEY DATES
January 19, 2008- 1pm Statewide Scheduling Meeting, Michigan Historical Center Auditorium. Only Event or group representatives need be present.
March 15-16, 2008- 33rd Annual Kalamazoo Living History Show
July 4-6, 2008- 145th Gettysburg
EDITORS NOTE
I would like to welcome you all to the new 1st Michigan Newsletter. I’m trying out a few new ideas and hope you all like the changes. This newsletter kicks off our new year of reenacting and boy will it be a good one. The biggest change to the First Michigan this upcoming year will be that we will be attending our first national reenactment. While several individuals have attended nationals in the past this is the first concerted effort to attend one as a group. So here’s to the new First Michigan and to the New Year.
Editor, 1st. Sgt. Keith Rigoni
IN REVIEW
1. Check the attached roster, make sure all of your information is correct 2. Newsletter- the roster lists who has signed up to receive the newsletter by email. For those who have signed up this will be the last paper copy you receive. If you would like to sign up to receive the newsletter by email, please contact me in the next month. Every person who is able to sign up is directly contributing to our new website. 3. Send Gettysburg registration (attached) to Devin by December 15th. |
