The Spring 2023 Volume 68 - Issue 1 of the Skirmish Line

HISTORY. COMPETITION.

The N-SSA promotes the competitive shooting of Civil War firearms and artillery while encouraging the preservation of battlefields, artifacts, clothing and education of the period.

1945-2022

Mr. Charlie Smithgall

The Skirmish LineTMis the quarterly publication of The North-South Skirmish Association, Inc.

Non-member annual subscriptions are available for $24 per year (U.S. Funds)

Editor & Publisher

Editor, Eddie Davenport ~ skirmishline@n-ssa.net

National Photography Officer ~ Allissa Weber

Contributing Photographers ~ Niki Bethke, Walt ‘JR’ Zdon, Lis Cole, Brittany Cole

Visit our website at: www.n-ssa.org

The N-SSA Corporate Seal and the magazine title, The Skirmish LineTM, are registered trademarks of the North-South Skirmish Association, Inc. Reproduction in any form or manner without the expressed written consent of the N-SSA Board of Directors is strictly prohibited. All pages are copyrighted by the North-South Skirmish Association, Inc. and The Skirmish LineTM magazine. Text and images in this publication are the property of the original owners (Authors). Text and images may not be published separately, in hard copy or electronically, without the expressed written permission of their owner(s). The authors and advertisers are responsible to secure the proper permissions and right to publish articles, photos, and illustrations not created by them. The North-South Skirmish Association, Inc., The Skirmish LineTM, and its staff are not responsible for copyright infringement. Please contact the Editor for questions relating to any matter, including but not limited to permission to copy materials herein.

Disclaimer: The North-South Skirmish Association does not guarantee, warrant, or endorse any product or service advertised in this publication. The publisher also does not guarantee the safety or effectiveness of any product or service illustrated, mentioned, offered, or advertised herein. The publisher does not assume responsibility as to whether or not products or services advertised in this publication comply with all state or local laws which may be applicable in regard to the purchase or usage of such products or services.

Warning: The author(s), The Skirmish LineTM and its staff, and the North-South Skirmish Association, Inc. cannot accept any responsibility for accidents or differing results obtained using techniques, products, and combinations thereof that will make results vary. Firearms should be checked before firing and periodically thereafter by a competent gunsmith and all manufacturer’s instructions and warnings must be followed.

NoteFromtheEditor

Send in any photos or articles that you feel may be of interest to other N-SSA members. When sending photos, please include captions and the names of those pictured. Don’t forget to credit yourself as the writer. Submit all articles in text format (ex. Word, not a PDF).

All photos must be at least 300 dpi (credit the photographer). Submit via e-mail to skirmishline@n-ssa.net.

You will receive a return email confirming receipt.

Upcoming deadlines to submit

Summer Issue - September 1st.

The Firing Line

Greetings fellow skirmishers,

The winter season has come and gone, and it’s once again time for the skirmish season. I hope you’ve been enjoying your regional shoots and the company of your friends and family. As we look forward to the national competition in Winchester, I can’t wait to see all of you again.

In this edition, I’d like to inform you that the magazine will be digital-only for this and the next issue. We’re striving to modernize the N-SSA and ensure its survival for years to come, and this is one step in that direction. While this switch is not permanent, it will help us understand who prefers a paper magazine and who’s okay with digital-only. We’ll discuss this further at the next board meeting, and if you’re unable to attend, please do speak to your regional commander.

On that note, I’d like to encourage regional commanders to submit articles addressing the organization. It’s a great opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas with your fellow skirmishers. Please reach out to me via email or Facebook, as I’ve only received submissions from Tidewater thus far.

In this issue, we have Tom Wiegand returning with his Back to Basics feature on proper cleaning of firearms, which is a great resource for new shooters. Ethan Yazel, a long-time friend of the organization, is also writing about a different style of muzzleloading competition. Don’t forget to check out his podcast, where you might even hear me from time to time if his voice isn’t enough of a reason to tune in.

Lastly, I’d like to give a special thanks to everyone who helped out with the Recruit Skirmish. It was a fun event, and it seemed to be well-received by those who attended. I think every region should have a similar model to recruit new members. There’s nothing like actually shooting one of our firearms to get someone hooked.

In closing, keep your powder dry and your shots X’s.

Best regards,

Eddie Davenport

Skirmish Line Editor, Hannover Greys (11366V)

TAPS

Winter 2023

Mark H. Amos 56th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry

Randall L. Baker 6th Kentucky Volunteer Infantry

Robert Hey Hoot Chance 1st Maryland Infantry, CSA

Kay Cogswell 49th Virginia Infantry, CSA

Ronald V. Erwin

108th New York Vol. Infantry

Robert Fulton 3rd U.S. Regular Infantry

William C. Gorman, Jr. 37th Georgia

Raymond E. Hess, SR. Durells Independent Battery

Harry L. Jackson 1st Regt Engineer Troops

Joseph A. McAvoy 34th Bttn. Virginia Cavalry

Donald La Rochelle Dulany Troop, 6th VA Cavalry

Randal Powell 1st Maryland Artillery, CSA

William Printz 13th Confederate Infantry

Dawn L. Reuker

48th Virginia Infantry

William H. Shuey 1st Maine Heavy Artillery

Charles W. Smithgall 3rd US Regular Infantry

Peter R. Voss 44th New York Volunteer Infantry

“Unable are the loved to die. For love is immortality.”

- Emily Dickenson

National Commander

The 2023 Skirmish season has already begun. The Board of Directors meeting was held in January where many of the organization’s issues were discussed and addressed. One such discussion that took place was how we want to handle the Skirmish Line. I have asked each regional commander to poll their members to try and determine how many hard copies of the magazine are required, versus how many people can take advantage of the digital version. By utilizing the digital version, we can keep the cost of producing the magazine down and avoid a potential dues increase. We should have the needed information by May to be able to make an informed decision by then.

Just a reminder, all uniforms must be worn when required. At Nationals, the only days a uniform is not required are Wednesday and Thursday. Uniforms are required on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Each region has its own uniform guidelines for their regional skirmishes, and the Regional Commander controls how those rules are enforced at regional skirmishes.

I am sorry to announce that we are now looking for a new Executive Secretary. Judy Stoneburner has submitted her resignation to be effective after Spring Nationals due to health concerns. We are hoping to find someone to fill the position before the start of Spring Nationals so that they can learn some of the more intricate details of the job while Judy is available to help guide them before taking over. Judy will continue to be available for help in the future.

I look forward to seeing everyone once again at Spring Nationals. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Stay safe, and be well,

Chuck Kindle National Commander

National

North-South Skirmish Association Contact List

Staff

Public

January 16, 2022, February 18, 2022, February 24, 2022, April 18, 2022, June 23, 2022, August 19, 2022

2022 Society of Color Bearers and Advance Guard

P roud Donors t o th e N -SSA

By Wayne Jordan, Charitable Giving Committee

The year 2022 was more challenging than the last couple for our fundraising. A crashing stock market that reduced the value of personal investment accounts, IRA account values, and other retirement accounts, along with general economic issues in our society all combined to reduce the number of people who felt comfortable giving extra monetary donations to the N-SSA.

The year 2022 was more challenging than the last couple for our fundraising. A crashing stock market that reduced the value of personal investment accounts, IRA account values, and other retirement accounts, along with general economic issues in our society all combined to reduce the number of people who felt comfortable giving extra monetary donations to the N -SSA.

see if your employer will match your donations to charities. Some of our retired members have had their former employer match their donations, or even make grants to the N-SSA.

Despite those factors, we still had a record year for donations from our membership, in terms of dollars donated. The Society of Color Bearers (of which all donors are automatic members) donated a total of $ 79,727.00. A large portion of that, $ 43,153.00, was donated to the recently established Advance Guard perpetual endowment fund for the N-SSA. Advance Guard donors contribute at least $2000, or commit to do so through an installment program over a designated time period . Some of the general donations are also designated for other specific purposes. A few donations came from employers matching donations made by N -SSA members. See the lists below for more details about all these donations and donors.

Despite those factors, we still had a record year for donations from our membership, in terms of dollars donated. The Society of Color Bearers (of which all donors are automatic members) donated a total of $79,727.00. A large portion of that, $43,153.00, was donated to the recently established Advance Guard perpetual endowment fund for the N-SSA. Advance Guard donors contribute at least $2000, or commit to do so through an installment program over a designated time period. Some of the general donations are also designated for other specific purposes. A few donations came from employers matching donations made by N-SSA members. See the lists below for more details about all these donations and donors.

I have started to build an email database of our members and am occasionally sending out emails about our fundraising needs and creative ways to make donations while reducing taxes or providing other benefits. Just send me an email if you aren’t already on the email list.

We are already receiving donations from our members for 2023. Our general fund always can use new funds. There are plenty of mai ntenance and capital projects that need more funding , which will be highlighted in upcoming editions of the Skirmish Line . And the Advance Guard has gotten off to a good start (see section below).

We are already receiving donations from our members for 2023. Our general fund always can use new funds. There are plenty of maintenance and capital projects that need more funding, which will be highlighted in upcoming editions of the Skirmish Line. And the Advance Guard has gotten off to a good start (see section below).

As you plan out your personal finances for this year, keep in mind that if you are 70 ½ or older and have an IRA account, you can donate directly from it to a 501 c 3 charity (like the N-SSA) and avoid paying all taxes on that money. We also are accepting shares of appreciated stocks, mutual funds, etc., wh ich also allows you to avoid paying all taxes on those gains. And don’t forget to see if your employer will match your donations to charities. Some of our retired members have had their former employer match the ir donations, or even make grants to the N -SSA.

As you plan out your personal finances for this year, keep in mind that if you are 70 ½ or older and have an IRA account, you can donate directly from it to a 501 c 3 charity (like the N-SSA) and avoid paying all taxes on that money. We also are accepting shares of appreciated stocks, mutual funds, etc., which also allows you to avoid paying all taxes on those gains. And don’t forget to

I can be reached at wvjordan@aol.com or 703-407-2445, and donations can be mailed to me at N-SSA, c/o Wayne Jordan, 8606 Eagle Glen Terrace, Fairfax Station, Va 22039 (or use one of our return envelopes that may be laying around your home from our direct mailings or in a Skirmish Line that you still have). Also, Chris DeFrancisci spearheads the Advance Guard endowment and can be reached at chris@washingtonbluerifles.com or 540840-2707. Also, more information and donor forms can be found on the www.N-SSA.org website by scrolling down to the middle of the page and clicking on the button called Donate and Support the N-SSA. Credit card and Paypal donations can also be made on this page.

Below is a list of the 2022 donors, by category. There is also a supplementary list of donors who have Joined the Advance Guard, or answered the call for specific projects that needed funding, or donated for other specific purposes or dedications. Anyone who donated over $1000 is listed as a Sponsor of that project.

I have started to build an email database of our members and am occasionally sending out emails about our fundraising needs and creative ways to make donations while reducing taxes or providing other benefits. Just send me an email if you aren’t already on the email list.

2022 DONOR LIST

Sergeant Major ($5000+)

Dominion Resources

Jordan, Wayne & Joy

Zebelean, III, John

First Sergeant ($1000-$2499)

Anonymous

Ordnance Sergeant ($2500-$4999)

DeFrancisci, Chris

Kreitler, Walter

Budzynski, Joseph Maroney, Michael

Burgess, Jim

Caltabiano, Michael

McCormick, Michael

Miller, Bruce & Terri

Cole, David Miller, Mark

Dennis, Mark

Egan, Eugene

Funk, Larry

N-SSA Veterans

Potomac Region

Shepherd, Jr, John

Gravatt, Glenn Thomas, John

Hacker, Johannes Wells, John

Hall, Jeff Wood, James

Heuer, William

Sergeant ($500-$999)

Amazon Smile

Booz, David & Barbara

Hansen, Roger/Chevron Match

Newman, Dan & Mary Anne

Rollette, Don

Taylor, Nick

White, Thomas

Corporal ($250-$499)

Anderson, Lars Harbin, Rod

Bondurant, Charles

Heizer, William

Brown, John Hovatter, Kent

Campbell, Gordon

Clowdis, K Blair

Corrigan, Richard

Marseglia, Aaron

McDowell, Jeffrey

Sours, Donald

Dorner, Steve Wainwright, Ralph & Dorothy

Druen, Raymend

Willard, Dave

Gaede, Fred Winklepleck, Kenneth

Bugler ($100-$249)

15th New Jersey Vol Inf

Jackson, Harry

Acton, Michael Koch, James

Anonymous(0)

Ash, Claire

Barker, Chuck

Barker, Thomas

Krafchick, Ned

Krug, Matthew

Lichliter, Jackie

Moore, Kenneth

Bell, James Nipar, John

Brancoli, Barbara

Brewer, Jr, Fred

Pond, Steve

Powers, Philip "Skip"

Cahoon, Thomas Reddick, Gordon

Chance, Robert Rowe, L R

Childs, Terry Ryan, James

Conner, Duff

Cramer, William

Dismal Swmp Rangers

Dixon, Donald

Doc Chambers Golf Group

Early, Gene

Easterling, Frank

Elko, Anne

Elko, Edward

Estok, John

Freeman, Robert

Garman, III, Walter

Giovanelli, Dominick

Hammond, Steve

Heiser, Doug & Gail

Heisey, Dennis

Shepherd, Bette

Smith, Jerry

Snyder, Kent

Spaugy, Phil

Stedman, Dan

Sutorius, Craig

Taylor, Howard

Travers, Butch

Vail, George

Walsh, Wayne

Ward, John

Whitlock, David

Wright, David

Wright, Edward

Wright, Peter

Zahner, Peter

Holland, Lyle & Brenda

Hogge, Dana

Zumstein, Bruce

Private (Up to $99)

14th Va Cavalry

Angermaier, Dennis

Bakley, Jr, Carlton

Cutright, Thomas

Graff, Dan

Henderson, David

Peeler, Jeffrey

Penney, Thomas

Rambo, F. William

Roberts, Michael

Ruggiero, Anthony

Ruggiero, Gus & Janet

Hobbs, Anne Shipe, Lowell

Howard, Robert

Hughson, Britt & Deborah

Knapp, Louis

Lakota, Dmytro

Nolte, Paul & Mabel

Patton, David

Tercenio, Gil

UDC - Suffolk

Vail, Gregory

Weber, Paul

Wingenbach, David

Witt, Wendell & Susan

Dedicated Donations

Sponsor denotes donations of $1000 or more toward the project

Area 5 Restrooms Automatic Defibrillator

Bondurant, Charles Hogge, Dana

N-SSA Veterans - Sponsor

Batwing Lawnmower

Taylor, Nick

Potomac Region - Sponsor

Charitable Giving Committee Veterans Committee

Jordan, Wayne & Joy - Sponsor

Rollette, Don

Historical Center History Center in honor of Charlie Smithgall

Dixon, Donald

In Honor: 72nd B NY

Wainwright, Ralph & Dorothy

In Memory: Charles W. Hahn, Jr

Brancoli, Barbara Bell, James

In Memory: Chuck Hlutke, Jr

In Memory: Dana Clark

Early, Gene Estok, John

In Memory: Dave & Arletta Riberdy

In Memory: Edwin T. (Tom) Hobbs

14th Va Cavalry Hobbs, Anne

In Memory: John Sachleben

Ruggiero, Anthony

Ruggiero, Gus & Janet

In Memory: John Sharrett

In Memory: Randy Baker

Early, Gene

Brewer, Jr, Fred Travers, Butch

Cahoon, Thomas UDC - Suffolk

Dismal Swmp Rangers Witt, Wendell & Susan

Hughson, Britt & Deborah

Marketing

Veterans Building Roof

DeFrancisci, Chris Hogge, Dana

Road Maintenance Young Skirmisher Award

Hovatter, Kent

Jordan, Wayne & Joy - Sponsor

Marseglia, Aaron

Jordan, Wayne & Joy

44th New York

The Advance Guard Endowment Fund

The Advance Guard started accepting donations in September 2022. Most of the donors listed below have made the full $2000 minimum donation to be Founding Members. The rest have committed to installments that will equal $2000 over the next few years. The goal is to reach a total of $1,000,000 over the next five years. The principal will be used as a permanent investment fund with earnings from it being available for use each year, if needed. This fund will help ensure the long-term future of the N-SSA. There will be a ceremony at the spring nationals to present awards to the Founding Members. All donors who have fulfilled the $2000 minimum by the Thursday of Nationals will be included.

Anonymous

_

Jordan, Wayne & Joy

Brancoli, Barbara Kreitler, Walter

Budzynski, Joseph Krug, Matthew

Burgess, Jim Maroney, Michael

Caltabiano, Michael Miller, Bruce & Terri

Cole, David Miller, Mark

DeFrancisci, Chris Shepherd, Bette

Egan, Eugene Shepherd, Jr, John

Funk, Larry Taylor, Howard

Gravatt, Glenn Thomas, John

Hacker, Johannes Winklepleck, Kenneth

Hall, Jeff Wood, James

Heizer, William Zahner, Peter

Heuer, William Zebelean, III, John

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Would you like to send in a donation now? Just print and send this form with your donation to: N-SSA , c/o Wayne Jordan, Charitable Donations Committee, 8606 Eagle Glen Terrace, Fairfax Station, Va 22039

Name ____________________________________________ Amount of donation__________

Address _______________________________ City ____________ State ______ Zip_______

Email _________________________________ Phone ________________________________

Credit card #_________________________________ Exp date__________ CVV___________

General Fund or Specific Purpose? _________________________________________________

All Checks should be made out to the N-SSA. All donors will receive a letter of receipt by mail. The N-SSA is a 501 c 3 organization and donations are eligible for tax deductions.

NAME

Memorial Park – N-SSA

Engraved Brick Memorial Request Form

UNIT:

Year Deceased or memorial notation (ex. From loving family)

Description of memorial bricks

Bricks are 4” x 8” in size Laser Engraved All bricks will be of the same font and color

Directions:

 Please print clearly on the form.

 Only deceased N-SSA members may have a brick placed in Memorial Park.

 Duplicate bricks may be ordered at the same price (Ex. One brick for Memorial Park, one brick for family, team, etc.). Please indicate this on the form. Duplicate brick(s) ordered can be picked up at the secretary’s office during each nationals. Duplicate bricks will not be shipped.

Number of bricks ordered__________ @ $30.00 each Total Amount submitted $___________

Make Checks Payable to: North-South Skirmish Association

Submitted by: Name: _____________________________________________

Unit Name:_______________________________________ Unit Number and Region ________ Contact number or email address___________________________________________________

Mail to:

Executive Secretary

Judy Stoneburner

P.O. Box 218

Crozet, VA 22932-0218

******************************************************************************

Office Use Only:

Date Received: ____________________________

52nd Annual Veteran’s Skirmish - “Family Traditions”

July 14-16, 2023

Have you ever been to a Veteran’s Skirmish? Have you been a member for 10 years? Then why not? Is your son or daughter a member with 5 years in (and you’re a 10 year veteran) well guess what? They can come too! Are you a US Military veteran with 5 years in the N-SSA? Well - you qualify too! Don’t want to shoot? Well - we ALWAYS need volunteers! The entire skirmish is run by volunteers!

As the years go by, the crowd seems to be shrinking But so many of the folks we’ve talked to have NEVER BE EN to the Veterans Skirmish! This year, Katie Scanlan and Allissa Weber are the Skirmish Directors, and we want to bring it back to our “roots” (so to speak) We want to get back to shooting on teams that are composed of complete strangers (besides our partners, that is) Therefore, we need more people to come down! Sign up with a partner (or solo) and we’ll pick teams out of a hat Luck of the draw!

Tim Scanlan roasts a hog each year, and there is an amazing potluck Friday evening. We tr aditionally call this the “Welcome Dinner ” Bring a dish to pass and a chair! (Hosted at 14th Virginia’s campsite, on Artillery Road) To encourage some “chewing the fat” - we’re going to organize some activities this year, to encourage more socialization after Friday’s potluck dinner. We’re going to have Euchre and Poker games set up; cornhole tournaments; maybe even some ladder golf, giant Jenga games, and horseshoes Don’t just go back to your camp and sit by yourselves! Come hangout with everyone Bring your chair - and have a good time!

Saturday, the Veteran’s meeting is held in the basement of the Museum (Veterans Building) - where we draw names for teams; after your team is drawn, you take a visit to Jeremiah Walsh’s fantastic Prize Table for your pick! This is all followed by the creek party, the Ruritan’s Dinner, and finally the 3rd Maryland’s Punch Party rounds out the evening..

52nd Annual Veteran’s Skirmish - “Family Traditions”

July 14-16, 2023

Competitor Name: Team #: Competitor #:

Buddy Name: Team #: Competitor #:

Registration Fee (per competitor) is $40.00 Total Registration Enclosed: $

Friday Night Welcome Dinner - No charge for you and one guest. Additional guests are $5.00 each

Saturday Night Dinner (at Ruritan Pavilion) - 1 ticket included per shooter entry. Additional guests are $10.00 each

Donation to the Veterans Association

Additional # Guests: Total $:

Additional # Guests: Total $:

Total Donation Enclosed: $

T-Shirts

T-Shirts are 100% cotton. They are printed with design on the back (full -size) and front-left chest. We have 2 color options available; and a women’s tank top. Prices for black and gray shirts are the same. Prices for tank tops are different. If you need more space, write in at the bottom of the page.

Black T-Shirt - Unisex fit - Sizes Small to 5XL $15.00 EA Size(s): Quantities:

Gray T-Shirt - Unisex fit - Sizes Small to 5XL $15.00 EA Size(s): Quantities:

***Shirt Sizes 3XL and up are $18.00 EA, regardless of color***

Dark Gray Racerback Tank Top - Women’s Loose/Flowy fit - Sizes Small to 2XL $18.00 EA Size(s): Quantities:

Make checks payable to: N-SSA Veterans Association

Mail check and this page to: Katie Scanlan 480 Chalybeate Springs Road Winchester, VA 22603

52nd Annual Veteran’s Skirmish

What the heck is a Veteran’s Skirmish, you ask? Well, it’s a 50+ year tradition in the N-SSA, and if you haven’t been to one, you’re missing out on a great weekend! We’ve heard a lot of misinformation over the last few years - so let’s do some fact-finding first

#1) MUSKET ONLY! Yes, you heard that right Musket only. Team match on Sunday…..you guessed it - Musket! Individuals on Friday and Saturday? Give that skirmisher a prize! You guessed it - Musket!

#2) I can’t get my whole team to show up! Good news again! You don’t need your whole team to show up! This is a “Buddy” shoot! You and a partner sign up and are put on a team of 3 other “partner pairs ” Wait, what? Yes, you can shoot your father, brother, sister, wife, son, daughter, “brother from another mother” - all of the above. Don’t have a buddy? No problem, we take “singles” and add them into the teams as well!

#3) I’m a 10-year N-SSA veteran but… my kid is not can they come? Two answers to this YES - EVERYONE is welcome to come! Can they shoot? If they have 5 years in the N-SSA and you (a parent) are a N-SSA veteran - then they can sign up to shoot! If they aren’t eligiblewell - we always welcome volunteers! They are guaranteed to have a good time!

#3b) If you’re an N-SSA member with 5 years in and also a US Military Veteran, well, then you’ve done your time, and you’re eligible to sign up too! (PS - Thank you for your service!)

#4) Do you need volunteers? Why yes, yes we do This ENTIRE SKIRMISH is hosted by volunteers! We’ll need safeties on the line, help in the stat house, and more If you are available to help, please contact the Skirmish Directors (if you haven’t already, via one of our Facebook posts) Oh - and those Skirmish Directors - yup, you guessed itVOLUNTEERS!

Oh, and If you want to volunteer to host a Veteran’s Skirmish - just let us know!

#5) It’s July And hot Why yes, it sometimes is But it’s MUSKET ONLY! And we do have Back Creek running through the property In fact - after teams are drawn on Saturday afternoon, we head to the creek for a cooling-off PARTY! Bring your creek shoes (highly recommended) and your favorite beverage and a chair - and come lounge with us in the creek or on the bank!

#6) So, uh, what about food and such? Funny you should ask. Tim Scanlan, roasts a whole pig for the Friday night Welcome Dinner! Yes, a whole pig! And the meat is always excellent Everyone brings a dish to pass - which we set up on wagons at the 14th Virginia’s campsite (on

52nd Annual Veteran’s Skirmish

Artillery Road). Last year - we had to use TWO WAGONS - we had so much food! Just remember to bring a chair! There is also a meal provided Saturday evening, after the creek party, by the Gainesboro Ruritans. One ticket is included in your registration, more can be purchased. There is also a Saturday night after-get together at the 3rd Maryland Artillery’s campsite, starting around 8pm. Everyone is welcome!

#7) What’s this I hear about prizes? Ah yes, the prize table! Jeremiah Walsh (2nd Maryland Artillery) has been handling this for years! Extra credit goes to all his girls who have also helped out for years! After your team is “drawn” and you have 8 membersyou all go out to the Prize Table and pick an item! These items have been donated by Skirmishers and Sutlers alike.

#8) I’ve got some stuff that I could donatehow do I do that? Please get a hold of Jeremiah and he will make arrangements to get the items from you, either the weekend of the Veterans Skirmish, or prior. He can be reached via email at bullfrog8025@gmail.com or at 443-761-8018.

There is a brigade shoot (following musket team matches) on Sunday, North versus South; and there are a bunch of “fun”

individual events that you can try your hand at. Pigeon elimination, a ham shoot, poker hand, battleship targets, and we’ll be trying out a Josey-Wales style event also! Friday, after the Welcome Dinner, we’re organizing some activities like cornhole, horseshoes, giant Jenga games, poker and euchre games, and more!.

We hope that folks stick around for a while and “chew the fat” with long-time friends and strangers alike! The camaraderie and good memories is what we’d like to promote this year. “Family Traditions” if you will. N-SSA Family Traditions. If you’ve never been to a Veterans Skirmish - please consider coming down this year, whether its to partake in the festivities, or just to volunteer! We’d like to share old memories with you all - and make more new ones!

Sincerely,

Allissa Weber & Katie Scanlan - Volunteer Skirmish Directors

Back to Basics “Cleaning”

By Tom Wiegand

In other words, care, and maintenance of firearms. If you want it to work and work safely, it must be properly cared for. There are stories, apocryphal or not, of small museums that lose quality displays like original muskets from the American Civil War to lack of care. Don’t do this. Please. If a person wants their car to keep working for years and miles, they change the oil regularly and attend to other maintenance duties. Our firearms are the same, machines that need to be maintained. Even if you don’t use it all the time, keep it clean and lubricated to prevent rust and rot.

Original period firearms and new reproduction versions still require good maintenance. Metallurgically, there may be differences, probably are. That doesn’t matter to the basics of cleaning the firearm after it has been used.

The first concern is cleaning immediate grime and carbon (coke) build up. As with much relating to this pastime, there are a lot of varying opinions but a few things are held in common as truths. First of all, do not use any harsh chemical cleaners (Editor Note, I personally use Frog Lube for long term storage it’s all natural). Those solutions formulated for modern firearms and smokeless powders are corrosive and will hurt the barrel and bore of a muzzleloader. Mild cleaning solutions and warm to mildly hot water work best. From dish soap to peroxide mixes to commercial black powder cleaning solutions the choices are many. Take your pick.

I mention warm to hot water but not steaming or boiling water (Editor note; A good trick is to run water through your coffee pot and use that). Those familiar with cast iron frying pans, pots and skillets know that when they are heated, the pores of the metal expand allowing oils and other things to be trapped when it cools. This is why a cast iron skillet is oiled hot and allowed to cool, giving it a non-stick surface if properly treated.

The same properties belong to the barrel of most muzzleloaders and all originals. Steaming hot water will microscopically expand the metal allowing carbon build up and other dirt to be trapped in the metal when it cools. Warm water will do a good job in combination to the cleaner to soften, loosen and dissolve the residue built up in and on the barrel. Give it time to do its work. After disassembly of the firearm, noting how it came apart so it can be reassembled properly, let the barrel soak in a bucket of solution ensuring that the breech is fully immersed. The coke built up at the

breech is the most important dirt to remove and the easiest to miss. Clean the stock using a soft brush and some of your chosen solution. Clean any parts disassembled from the firearm, the hammer, the nipple, the barrel bands if necessary. This gives time for the breech and barrel to soak and soften. A bore scraper can be used next to clean the base of the breech. While called a bore scraper this cleaning head doesn’t really scrape at the bore, that could hurt the firearm’s rifling. It scrapes the end of the breech plug, cleaning out built up carbon residue. Failure to clear this part of the barrel assembly will lead to a plug being formed. If the plug gets to big, the spark from the cap or firepan will not reach the powder charge in the barrel, causing a fouled firearm.

Rinse the barrel to wash out any loosened coke. Then swab the barrel with dry patches until they come clean. This process may take more than one repetition. Using a bore light to check the barrel and breech’s cleanliness is recommended. If the patch is dry but the barrel is still dirty, running a wet patch would show it still has cleaning to go.

Once the inside of the barrel is clean and dry, clean the outside primarily around the nipple or pan. Use a nipple pick or fine wire to ensure that the touch hole is clean and not obstructed. A soft brush is good for surface work. The tight spaces and hard coke can be cleaned using a cleaning or dental pick. Be gentle with these as scratching the barrel is not an optimum goal.

When all is cleaned, oil lightly and reassemble. To much oil will only serve to attract more dust or clog the touch hole. Regular damp patching and oiling is recommended for any firearm that is not in frequent use. Depending on climate and humidity, more frequent applications of oil may be required.

As an alternative to disassembly and the cleaning process above, range or field cleaning may be done with patches and solution. Cleaning wipes are a good option as they are self-contained, patch and cleaner in one convenient package. Tear the wipe into strips and run down the barrel with a cleaning jag. Repeat as necessary. Then oil. Use the wipes on the exterior as well. Once back from the field, do a full cleaning to protect the firearm. (Editors note; I personally like to clean my firearms after shooting them to a semi clean state, after I will oil them liberally and let it soak for a few days coming back to clean it then for storage.) CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

Join the N-SSA Advance Guard and help preserve skirmishing for the next generation!

Donate and create a legacy that will never go away!

Members of the N-SSA Advance Guard are helping to create a $1,000,000 endowment fund to support the association into the next generation. The principal funds are to be placed into a permanently restricted endowment fund to provide a sustainable source of income for the future. The endowment fund will ensure the longterm viability of the North-South Skirmish Association.

Members of the N-SSA Advance Guard will receive a custom pin designed to be worn on the uniform. A numbered certificate suitable for framing, and their name on the Advance Guard plaque displayed in the museum.

The Advance Guard endowment is a great way to leave a legacy to the N-SSA, support the future of skirmishing, and ensure a viable organization for decades to come. Donations are tax deductible due to our 501(c)3 status.

The North-South Skirmish Association is a unique organization that represents a significant era in American history. Preserving this heritage of skirmishing is important in commemorating those brave men and women who were part of the struggle that was the Wa r between the States.

Protect and preserve our heritage for the next generation and for years to come, join the Advance Guard today!

The first 100 donors will be designated as the Founders Group.

Join yourself or honor a special person by donating to the fund.

Yes! I want to join the N-SSA Advance Guard and be recognized.

I pledge to become an Advance Guard member and donate according to the following. I understand the principal will remain in the endowment and will only be used to generate interest income to sustain the N-SSA.

Choose one of the following:

One time donation of $2000

Or Conditional Endowment

24 monthly Payments of $84.00

40 monthly payments of $50.00

Name:______________________

Address:

City:________________ State: ____

Zip: __________

Phone: __________________

N-SSA #: ________ Team #: ______

Signature: _____________________

Email: __________________________________

Make all donations payable to N-SSA Endowment Fund and send to:

N-SSA Endowment Fund

For more information please contact:

Chris De Francisci – 540-840-2707

Chris@washingtonbluerifles.com or Wayne Jordan

Wvjordan@aol.com

c/o Wayne Jordan 8606 Eagle Glen Terrace Fairfax Station, VA 22039

wvjordan@aol.com

Hi, I’m Ethan and I Love Muzzleloading.

The Cabin Fever Challenge.

The snow turns to rain and back to snow as I unpack my musket. Sloppy snowflakes smack into my glasses with each step until I’m under the range cover. The brisk wind makes the 33F air temperature feel all the colder as I prep my supplies. I wipe melted snowflakes from my brow. This is how I will start the year.

If you are like me, by the time the holidays are over, you are ready for spring and all the muzzleloading fun that goes along with warmer weather. Plans are easy to make but hard to follow through with when it’s below zero or there’s a foot of snow on the ground, but for two years I’ve kick-started my range time for the year with “The Cabin Fever Challenge” (CFC). For those unfamiliar, the cabin fever challenge was started by Riflechair.com as an online shooting match and a way for shooting sports enthusiasts to get out in mid-winter/early spring to have some fun with marksmen from around the globe. The challenge runs from Jan 1 to March 31.

Originally, the match had divisions based on rifle and optics, but in recent years the team behind the challenge has added a muzzleloader division.

The provided introduction for the Cabin Fever Challenge goes as follows:

#1: Safety: If you can’t shoot the CFC safely then do not attempt it. Please find a qualified coach to mentor you #2: Do not nominate someone unless they have the skills and experience to be safe. #3: Always shoot at a safe location and in a safe direction #4: Children may shoot but only under the direct supervision of a responsible and experienced adult #5: Competing Against Yourself - The Spirit & Intent of this match is for participants to explore and improve their own musketry skills. This is less about beating competitors and more about personal achievement regardless of knowledge and experience. An opportunity to learn from one another’s example..

The Muzzleloader Course of fire goes as follows: Class 5 (muzzleloaders) Course of fire is 4 rounds: 1 round standing, 1 round kneeling, 1 round prone, and 1 round sitting. Mandatory reload between each position change. Ammunition used is at the discretion of the competitor.

The official 8” Muzzleloader target is provided on the RifleChair website for anyone to download and use. Once printed, the target is posted at 50 yards for the competition.

Scoring is one of the most interesting parts of the challenge, it doesn’t matter where in the circle you hit - as long as you hit it.

Time is calculated from the first shot fired to the last shot fired. Bullet impacts that break the score line count for score. Countable bullet strikes are 5 points each. Bullet strikes outside the circle are misses.

Your score is calculated with this simple calculation - (Hits on target x5)/ (Time in seconds) x 100 = Score

With all of this in mind, I added some fun by bringing a muzzleloader I have never shot for a score - my 1777 Pedersoli Charleville Musket, shooting historically appropriate paper cartridges. My thinking was I would lose some accuracy through my own inexperience with the smoothbore, but I could pick up speed by having prepared cartridges. The Cabin Fever Challenge really shakes up muzzleloader ‘competition’ in my mind. I grew up standing on a line with 10–30-minute relays, calmly reloading and getting into the same position for each shot. With the CFC, the time it takes you to reload and pull the trigger is super important to your final score - and that’s on your

mind constantly as you struggle against the elements and yourself between positions.

It was the middle of March before I could break away for some range time with my friend Barry, who each year leads the charge for completing the challenge. Thankfully in Indiana, March doesn’t mean spring. We woke up this fine Saturday to about an inch of snow and gusty winds. Temperatures would rise before we got to the range, but for this match, we were glad to not have perfect conditions. For many of us, part of the fun is being uncomfortable, and this day would be perfect.

Barry and I met at a local club range with a 50-yard bay. Barry would be shooting his Pedersoli Brown Bess. Since we’d both be shooting smoothbores, we thought it good to ‘sight in’ a bit, even though neither of our muskets had a rear sight! having never shot at this distance on purpose, I lined up on the firing line and began ripping into paper cartridges aiming at an 8.5x11” practice target. As with any muzzleloader, I started aiming directly at the center of the bull. As the flint caught and the shot ignited, I was able to see a hole at 8 o clock, low on the target. Bite, rip, spit, pour, ram, and another shot rang out with similar placement. I was limited to 17 cartridges by my own fault of not making a ton before heading to the range, so I began to adjust my point of aim. With some hillbilly math and figured holding on the upper right-hand corner would get me into the black. Bite, rip, spit, pour, ram, and the next three shots held true. I had a plan, but now it was time to pit the plan against the clock and mother nature. As Barry and I finished up our practice rounds, the snow shifted to cold rain again and began blowing into the front of our range cover. While it may not look like it on the video, we were in the thick of it!

The first shot was standing, a common enough position for many of us in muzzleloading. My flint fell and ignited the first shot- the clock was now ticking. I wouldn’t know it until watching the playback, but this first shot was almost perfect, just outside the center at 3 o clock. After 23 seconds I reloaded and set to priming my pan. Sticking to the modern safety practice of priming the pan last may slow me down a little, but I think that’s a fair trade-off. At 46 seconds I let off my second shot, same elevation at 3 o clock but this time the ball cut the edge of the paper. The time I spent fumbling with my priming horn and trying to steady my aim began to work on my head. As any competitive muzzleloader will tell you, it’s as much of a head game as anything and my head was out of shape.

Back up to standing, I tore open the third cartridge. My reload was much smoother on this one and I was back into position, this time laying down, in about 20 seconds. Prone shooting is a lot of fun, even with a long barrel hanging out front, I recommend you try it sometime. By this time in the challenge, I’m shaking a bit, I know the clock is ticking so I try to make up time with an accurate shot, but the damp was working against me. My third shot rang out with a slight delay, and I pulled it to the left. Same elevation as the first two shots but now I was out in the cardboard. I wiped the underside of my flint and returned to he loading position. At 2 minutes and 31 seconds, my 4th shot rang out but disappeared into the backstop without connecting to the paper. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the 50 yard “walk of shame”, as we jokingly called it, down to the target. Of course, I wanted to get all the shots in the bull, it’s what I was raised

to do- but for my first time out in several months, and in less-thanideal conditions, the fun of the day was the priority. After some math, the score for my run was 3.91, just enough to be acceptable but also low enough to keep me pondering as Barry started his run. Barry was in a similar boat to me, he had a large caliber musket with no rear sight and paper cartridges. However, where I had a functional front sight, all Barry had was an unmodified bayonet lug on the top of his barrel where a front sight would be on a more civilian-style muzzleloader of the time. Barry’s run started well, he hit the paper on his first shot a little high. It wasn’t until Barry’s third shot, in the prone position, that he hit his first snag - the pan didn’t ignite. Barry kept his cool, rocked the cock back into half and then full cock, closed his frizzen and the ball went flying with a pull of the trigger. Unfortunately for Barry, only his first shot contacted the paper, and it was outside the bull. This is the kind of situation where the Cabin Fever Challenge shines. Even though Barry didn’t score any points, he was able to enjoy the challenge and see how fast he could fire his 4 shots in 4 different positions. His clock stopped at 2:55, just 24 seconds slower than mine.

“I love how different this is than what we normally do with muzzleloading.” said Barry as we walked to the target. “It may be a little less gentlemanly, but it’s so much fun. For me, hitting the target isn’t as important as getting 4 shots off in 4 positions while on the clock”. Being a glutton for punishment, I needed to give the challenge another try. This time I wanted to focus on a new game plan. Last round, I stuck to my gut and went slow, and it didn’t pan out for me. This time I was going to focus on speed and nothing else.

In what I call a flurry of “high speed, low drag musket shooting”, I got all 4 shots off in 1 minute, 41 seconds. Are you ready for the kicker? My hits remained the same; 1. I’m happy to admit I have a lot to work on and will continue for the rest of my life, hah! This faster run raised my score from a 3.91 to 4.95.

I’m nowhere near the top once again this year, kudos to the folks at the top, but like always I walked away from the range with some great memories and a reignited passion for muzzleloading.

I’d like to thank Barry for pushing us to get together this year and I’d like to thank the Rifle Chair team and all of the division leaders for making this great challenge happen. You can see my run as well as everyone else’s runs on YouTube, simply search “Cabin Fever Challenge” and you’ll be treated with several years of videos to enjoy. If you’d like to participate next year, the challenge opens on January 1 and runs to March 31. I can’t recommend it enough!

The Use, Reline, or Replace Conundrum

By Jim Van Eldik Iredell

The N-SSA Forum is a popular place for Internet explorers of firearm enthusiasts. While its primary emphasis is on providing a flea market for buying selling, or trading plunder of our ilk, occasionally there are discussions that occasionally approach the level of profound, usually in the Shooting Techs, Tips, & Tricks section. One of these occurred this past July. Mr. John Westenberger of the 1st Pennsylvania Cavalry purchased an original 1861 Springfield model of the “Trenton contract” persuasion. Of course, like all good N-SSAers, he wanted to shoot it.

Before one ventures any advice on shooting these old guns it’s incumbent that we establish a firm profile on its condition. Mr. Westenberger’s pegged the Trenton’s current posture at “as found.” The problem here was he did not specify “as found” where. If found in a museum, condition is generally superb; if found in a chicken coop, desirability generally drops off precipitously. Obviously, additional clarification was needed, which Mr. Westenberger did provide. He noted that the gun was “well used,” and was “used as a hunting rifle for decades.” Probably most significant, he noted that when he sought to shoot it using a .579 minie, “the bullet dropped all the way to the bottom freely without the rammer.” He concluded the gun “precludes anything but an old time minie.” He was essentially interested in how the N-SSA gurus would attack the problem, the options for consideration being: use as is. reline or re-barrel.

Of note – he provided no photographs of the gun. While a number of skirmishers came online with suggestions for a variety of bullet sizes and configurations, the strongest arguments were made for re-barreling. They were offered by such N-SSA heavy hitters such as John Bly, Joe Plakis, CA Gerringer, and probably most noteworthy, by N-SSA sage Don Dixon. Don offered a couple of most succinct arguments:

“Relining will destroy any value it might have to a collector,” and, “One of the objectives of the N-SSA is supposed to be the preservation of original Civil War weapons. Reline a serviceable weapon that meets original service standards so that you can skirmish with it? I go back to my original response.”

Don’s comments caught my eye on two fronts.

Through all my years in the N-SSA, with the 20th Georgia, with the 44th Georgia, with the Iredell Blues, with Forrest’s Escort, with the Iredell Blues again, I have never heard mentioned that one of our objectives is to preserve original weapons. Now myself and my teammates have owned and used numerous original Civil War firearms (we’ll switch to the more appropriate term here), have had countless discussions on how to make the guns shoot more accurately, and explored a variety of methods and products to properly maintain them, I have absolutely

Blues

no recollections of any discussions, ever, on how to preserve them. The original Civil War guns we use in the N-SSA lead a lively existence; they are not indolent, like the museum guns. Being I sometimes find my thoughts a bit out of step with “normal” N-SSA thoughts, I looked at what the official N-SSA documents had to say.

In the association’s, what us old military guys would call, mission statement, we find the phrases “unique sport,” and “recreating history through competition” used. Also, down the way, I believe it was in the N-SSA Official Policy bullets, I found the phrase “commemorate the heroism” in reference to the Civil War soldiers on both sides. But again, I was not able to find any reference to weapons preservation. My thought is, if there is a preservation element in our association, it’s a cultural thing, not a policy thing.

Moving on, I also found Don’s unequivocal statement, “relining will destroy any value it might have to a collector,” most interesting. I believe that collectability, whether relined or not, is relative to several factors, most importantly, the condition of the gun at the time of relining. To illustrate, let’s talk about my original 1860 Spencer carbine. I bought the gun as you see it in Photo 1 in 1995--- I mean 1975 for $140. Notice the modified loading lever, the missing hammer spur, and the lack of loading tube/butt cover, and the signs of pathological abuse in the receiver area. Not shown is a hopeless crud bore with acres of rust and corrosion, and, of course, the rimfire breach. Let me add here, I collect antique guns, and I collected this gun, but the rationale for collecting can vary, and in this case the desire to restore and shoot the gun was paramount. I soon began accumulating replacement parts, mostly from Dixie Gun Works. I worked with a friend of mine in a metals factory to produce .56 caliber rimfire cases using .22 blanks for primers (which we sold wholesale to Dixie for the next thirty years). At that point I could begin shooting the gun which with the atrocious bore like it was, turned out to be a hopeless proposition regardless of the powder charge or the projectile used. I continued to try to make the gun shoot for the next forty years eventually converting it to center fire with the new breach block.

Finally, I think it was around the 2010s, I decided to install a Hoyt liner. And of course, as is the case with all Hoyt liners, the result was fantastic. While the competition in the repeater category is fierce, it’s still great fun to get out there and compete. However, where the gun really shines is taking it down to the local range. It seems everyone in the shooting community has seen “Unforgiven,” so the unexpected presence of an actual Spencer carbine on the firing line always creates a stir. And when you offer these modern gun shooters a chance to shoot the gun, they go nuts. Be prepared though, these non-black powder folks invariably jerk the trigger, so be prepared to shoot a nine or ten for them to save face.

So back to the collector issue. You’ll notice in Photo 2 that the replacement parts, though original, are much shinier and sort of stand out. Don is probably right. A collector with flabby arms and driving a Volvo probably won’t like the looks. He may not even get to looking down at the gorgeous, shiny bore before he walks off in disgust. Take it to a national and sell it there. I think it’s still worth $140, maybe more.

Notice the Missing hammer spur and modified lever.

Notice replacement parts to bring it up to N-SSA standards.

Back to Basics continued from page 22

A clean and functioning lock is important to the operation of the firearm. If it works, don’t mess with it more than necessary. Check the lock regularly. Clean and lubricate it to ensure smooth movement in all parts of the lock. Rust and grime can and will harm the parts if they are neglected. If the lock is disassembled be sure to know how to put it back together first.

The firearm’s stock must also be cared for. Depending on the finish, linseed oil or other oils may be used to protect the wood’s integrity. There are formulas of oil and preservatives that may be used. Having working metal parts is no good, if there isn’t a base from which they can be used.

With proper care the originals have been proved to work and be very accurate for over two hundred years, now. There is no reason for that to change going into the future. Take care of your investment, be safe and have fun.

Photo One

Photo two

147th National Skirmish

May 17 - 21, 2023 Fort Shenandoah

Host Teams: Palmetto Guard Co. I,2nd SC Vol, 251CR* Knaps Battery E, PA Lt Arty, 129AL* Hazelwood Volunteers 167PT* 1st Tenn Vol Inf Regt 195CV* 8th Regt Va.Vol Inf. 240PT* 110th Ohio Vol. Inf 082MW* 19th Ind Inf 084MW* 4th Kentucky Cav 088MW* Laurel Brigade 108AL* 13th Regt. NC Inf. 111MA* 19th Mich Inf 116NW*1st Mich Vol. Inf 121NW* 1st SC Vol. Inf 148NW* 11th Indiana Zouaves 168NW*

Skirmish Director: Robert Gorsky, 8th Regiment, Virginia Volunteer Infantry

Small Arms Committee (SAC) Inspections – Hocker-Hughes Building – IG Office, Wed.-Fri. mornings only – 9:00-11:00AM

Executive Secretary Office Hours – Wed: 1:00-3:30PM Thurs-Sat: 8:30-2:30 Sunday: Closed

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS –

Tuesday, May 16 – Sunday May 21, 2023

Registration/Target Pickup: Noon Tuesday – Noon Sunday

AllMembersattendingtheNationalsarerequiredtosign inatRegistration.

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

8:00 Required Training: All Range Personnel – Stat House;

8:15 Required Training: Line Judge at Stat House, Ord. at Main Tower-Tower Staff behind Main Tower

8:30 Scorers Training, Stat Personnel: inside Stat House

8:30-9:00 Set up ranges for Individual Matches

9-5:00 Main & revolver ranges open for Individual Matches

Thursday, May 18, 2023

7:30-8:00 Set up ranges for Individual Matches

8-5:00 Main & revolver ranges open for Individual Matches

4:00 Revolver ranges closes, set up for Smoothbore Team

4-6:00 Artillery Inspections – 1st Va. campsite

4:30 Smoothbore Pistol Team Match

Non-Shootinng Events - Thursday

1:00 PM “Doc” Chambers Memorial Golf Outing

5-6:00 PM SCV & UDC Social – lower-level History Center

7:30 PM Board of Director’s Meeting – lower-level History Center

Fridday, May 19, 2023

7:30-8:00 Set up main range for Individual Matches and set up revolver range for Revolver Company Matches

8:00-10:00 Artillery Inspections – 1st Va. campsite

8:00-11:45 Main range open for Individual Matches

8:00-9:15 Phase I Revolver Company Match

9:15-10:30 Phase II Revolver Company Match

10:30-1:30 Resume Revolver Individual Matches

11:00 Artillery meeting - all cannon/mortar crews – Barn

11:45-12:15 Set up main range for Smoothbore Match

12:15-1:45 Smoothbore Co. Match 2 relays, 2 teams per Pos.

1:45-2:15 Set up main range for Breechloader/Spencer Match

2:15-3:15 Breechloader/Spencer Match – 1 relay, double hang

3:00-5:00 Tenderfoot Ind. Matches – revolver range (targets, air rifles & safety glasses issued).

3:15-3:45 Set up main range for Single Shot Match

3:45-4:30 Single Shot Match – 1 relay, triple hang

4:30-5:00 Set up main range for Mortar Match

5:00-6:00 Mortar Match

Non-Shootinng Events – Fridday

10:00AM Inspection of Probationary Teams – IG Office

11-1:00 Sewing Circle – Memorial Park (opentoall)

6-7:00PM AA meeting – lower-level History Center

7:30PM Membership p Meeting at Memoriaal Park Allunits mustbe represented .

8-9:00 PM History Committee Speaker Series – lower-level History Center

8:30 PM Irish Jam – Ruritan Pavilion – All musicians welcome

Saturday, May 20, 2023

7:30-10:00 Tenderfoot Ind. Matches – revolver range (targets, air rifles & safety glasses issued). Last relay 10:00AM.

7:30-11:00 Stat Office open for Individual Match protests; the reconcile period will end at 11:45 am.

8-11:00 Artillery Inspections – 1st Va. campsite

8-8:30 Set up main range for Carbine Company Match

8:30-12:00 Carbine Company Match

11-11:45 Tenderfoot Ind. Match protests – SAC/IG Office

12:30-1:00 Set up main range for Artillery Matches

12:45 Tenderfoot Team Match Check-in – main range, Position 55+ (Match begins at 1:30PM)

1-5:00 Smithgall Memorial 21 Gun Salute followed by Artillery Matches

3:00 Protest period closed for completed Company Matches

3:30-5:00 Individual awards available for pickup – Stat House

5:30-6:00 Tenderfoot Awards Ceremony – Memorial Park

6:00 Awards Ceremony (no Artilllery or Musket) –Memoriaal Park

Non-Shootinng Events – Saturday

4-7:00 PM Gainesboro Fire Hall – Roast Beef & Ham Dinner

7:00 PM Protestant Worship – lower-level History Center

8:00 PM Catholic Worship – lower-level History Center Barn Dance is canceled for Spring 2023

Costume Committtee Events – Saturday, May 20, 2023

11-12:00 Registration: Infants, Children, Girls, Boys Civilian

11-12:45 Registration: Young Ladies, Adults & Revolving Trophy

12 Noon Children’s Competition; Young Ladies, Adults & Revolving Trophy category competitions to follow

4:00 Robert L. Miller Award – Memorial Park

CostumingeventsareheldinMemorialPark.Incaseof inclementweather,competitionwillbeheldinlowerlevelof Veteran’sBldg.

Sunday, May 21, 2023

7:30-8:00 Set up main range for Musket Co. Match – 3 relays

7:30-10:00 Stat Office open for Artillery Match protests

8:00 Opening Ceremonies; Match immediately follows

12:00 Registration closes

ca. 1:30 Musket Match Protests close ½ hour after finnal results are posted

2:00PM Final cleanup of ranges

Awards Ceremony in Memoriaal Park ASAP followinng Musket Match

Musket and Artillery awards willl be presented at this time

Smoothbore Pistol Team Match

1. (12.5 yards) 9 clay pigeons on a backer

2. (12.5 yards) 6 hanging 6"x6" ceramic tiles

3. (12.5 yards) 6 hanging clay pigeons

4. (12.5 yards) 6 hanging 4"x4" ceramic tiles

Revolver (4 competitors/company)

1. (25 yards) 12 clay pigeons on a backer

2. (25 yards) 6 hanging 6”x6” ceramic tiles

3. (25 yards) 8 hanging clay pigeons

4. (25 yards) 8 hanging 4"x4” ceramic tiles

Smoothbore (4 competitors/company)

1. (25 yards) 12 clay pigeons on a backer

2. (25 yards) 8 hanging 4”x4” ceramic tiles

3. (25 yards) 8 hanging 3.5”x 3.5”wood blocks

4. (50 yards) 6 hanging 6”x6” ceramic tiles

Company Match Events

Breechloader (4 competitors/company)

1. (50 yards) 32 clay pigeons on a backer

2. (50 yards) 16 hanging 4”x4” ceramic tiles

3. (50 yards) 16 hanging clay pot silhouettes

4. (100 yards) 10 hanging 6”x6” ceramic tiles

Spencer (4 competitors/company)

1. (50 yards) 32 clay pigeons on backer

2. (50 yards) 16 hanging 4”x4” ceramic tiles

3. (50 yards) 16 hanging clay pot silhouettes

4. (100 yards) 10 hanging 6”x6” ceramic tiles

Single Shot BLR (4 competitors/company)

1. (100 yards) 6 hanging 6"x6" ceramic tiles

2. (50 yards) 16 clay pigeons on a backer

3. (50 yards) 8 hanging 4"x4" ceramic tiles

4. (50 yards) 8 hanging clay pot silhouettes

Carbine (8 competitors/company)

1. (50 yards) 32 clay pigeons on a backer

2. (50 yards) 16 hanging 4”x4” ceramic tiles

3. (50 yards) 16 hanging clay pigeons

4. (50 yards) 16 hanging 3.5”x 3.5”wood blocks

5. (100 yards) 10 hanging 6”x6” ceramic tiles

Musket (8 competitors/company)

1. (50 yards) 32 clay pigeons on a backer

2. (50 yards) 16 4x4 hanging ceramic tiles

3. (50 yards) 16 hanging clay pigeons

4. (50 yards) 16 hanging 3.5”x 3.5”wood blocks

5. (100 yards)10 hanging 6”x6” ceramic tiles

Fort Shenandoah Winchester, Virginia

Arrows on the map below indicate one-way traffic on Fort Shenandoah roads unless otherwise posted during the event. Failure to obey these restrictions will result in a citation and disciplinary action by the N-SSA Board of Directors. If you experience any problems while at Fort Shenandoah, please dial 911. Emergency evacuation routes are posted on all bulletin boards and available at the Executive Secretary’s office. AEDs are located at Doc’s Place or Registration and in each Sub-tower and Stat House during shooting events.

The Enfield Rifle Originally Published in the Times (London) Saturday, 4 Februray 1860

Some three or four years ago many of our engineers, manufacturers, and scientific men were deluded into going over to New York in the expectation of their seeing an industrial exhibition. Among others so misled was Mr. Whitworth, who, like all the rest, finding nothing worth looking at in the exhibition itself, tried to recompense himself for his visit by inspecting those manufactories which most abounded in the labor-saving machines which are used more or less extensively throughout the States: The two great centers for machinery of this description were at the United States’ arsenals at Springfield and, Harpers Ferry, and these accordingly Mr. Whitworth visited, saw the various processes there pursued of making small arms in thousands by machinery, and reported to our own Government strongly in favor both of the plan of the Government making its own weapons, and the means by which it could best be accomplished. The War-office, on receiving this report, adopted it forthwith, and, to their infinite credit, at once took a step which at the time even the most strenuous friends of progress in their secret souls scarcely approved. They sent out a commission, of which Mr. Anderson, now the chief superintendent of the Armstrong Gun Factory at Woolwich, was at the head, to make further inquiries into the subject of Mr. Whitworth’s report, and with power not only to order machines in America, but to engage American engineers to superintend them. This was the commencement of the now famous Enfield factory, and this is the first instance in which the English Government have ever had to send abroad either for machinery or men to work or make it. To their praise be it said they at once overstepped the formidable though narrow boundaries of national prejudice, and looked only for that market in which what they wanted could be best and easiest obtained. For a short time, several of the new machines were erected and worked at Woolwich; but, when “Brown Bees” was no longer paramount in the service, it was determined to create an immense establishment for the manufacture of rifled small arms, apart and in itself distinct from the operations carried forward at the arsenal. A small shop, if we may so term it, for the manufacture of gunstocks had always existed at Enfield, and this led the Government to turn their eyes in that direction, and once the place was seen, their gaze was, so to speak, fascinated. It was not at all the beauty of the spot which induced the Government to select it, for, in truth, a flatter or more dreary-looking waste, save Aldershot, was never seen. It was certainly not its salubrity, inasmuch as the whole country is eminently damp and unhealthy; neither was it either its convenience of access or its vicinage to skilled labor, for in both these requisites it was and still is singularly deficient as compared with other neighborhoods. The reason why the Government selected it was entirely independent of all these considerations of fitness, and due only to the simple fact that near the shop before alluded to was a canal which turned a waterwheel exerting some 20 or 25 horse-power. The idea of economizing and bringing into play this little waterwheel (which has now ten times its power of steam machinery to assist

it) settled the whole affair. Foundations were laid and buildings commenced forthwith, and factories the size of little villages sprang up with more than the rapidity of colonial enterprise. Already the nucleus of a small town is fast gathering round the works. Hucksters’ shops, workmen’s houses, and small hotels are dotted here and there; and as it becomes easy now to calculate when, according to the natural course of things, “Ordnance Enfield,” as it is called, will some day become a town clamorous for corporate rights and the privileges attaching to its own M.P. And all these changes will be due to an old waterwheel which the Government could have got anywhere, and that, too, without the drawbacks attendant upon a superabundant supply of the pure element which turns it, and which occasionally hides the face of the surrounding country at Enfield, and places the floors of cottages and houses some inches under water. However, we suppose we must not quarrel with any cause which produces an effect so perfect in itself, so economical in its work, and so admirably managed, as the factory at Enfield undoubtedly is. It used to be a general remark, and one pretty generally believed, that Government could never compete advantageously with private manufacturers, and, to do them justice, the Government occasionally gave great force to the observation by rashly entering into contests with the trade on most unequal terms. At Enfield, however, they have discarded the usual routine. There is no costly system of supervision; on the contrary, everybody connected with the place is rather underpaid. The Government only seek there to make their own weapons, and intrusts all the means and appliances to the hands of private engineers of acknowledged, though unofficial, capacity. Mr. Burton, an American gentleman, is the working and real head of the factory, and to his untiring skill and diligence its singular excellence is due.

With such tokens of military ardour as now so extensively prevail throughout the kingdom the Enfield rifle is likely to become not only a household word, but almost a household weapon. At such a time, therefore, some account of the manufacture and peculiarities of this most effective, but most easily injured weapon, may be of interest, and, if it does not make our young volunteers good marksmen, it will at least put them on their guard against such careless treatment of their pieces as may put it out of their power ever to hit anything with them smaller than a haystack.

The first thing that strikes a visitor on entering the forges at Enfield where the barrels are made is the apparent rudeness and inadequacy of the machinery to its purpose. It may be urged that it makes the barrels very well, but the same excuse might be advanced for nonimprovement in every stage of manufacture, and we are sure that among the clear-headed American mechanists now at the works are many who could at a day’s notice devise a far better apparatus for working up the iron of the barrels than that now in use. The materials

for the barrels are brought to the factory in short square slabs of wrought iron (with the fibre of the metal crossing and recrossing at right angles), each some 12 inches long by 4 broad, and half an inch thick. These are heated and bent into a short tube, having somewhat the appearance of a rough and ill-made draining tile, and in this state are again heated to a bright white, and passed between iron rollers of the first gauge, which weld up the joining down the middle, and, by compression, lengthen the tube about 2½ or 3 inches more. It is again heated, and again passed between rollers of a smaller gauge, which lengthens it still further; and so on, again and again, until the operation has been repeated through 13 different gauges, when the rolling is complete, and the barrel – after some two hours’ manufacture – emerges at last a slender rough iron tube about four feet long, and having a hole down the centre the size of a large pea. The muzzles are then cut off, the “butts,” or ends, as they are termed, made up, and the process of welding on the “cone-seat,” or nipple for the cap, commences. This latter is a difficult operation, and one which requires no little quickness, care, and skill on the part of the workman. To insure rapidity of striking while the metals are red-hot, the breech of the barrel with the cone-seat is placed in a steel die under a small hammer worked by steam, which strikes at the rate of 400 blows a-minute, and under which, amid a terrific din, the metals are crushed together, with more than the strength of one piece.

This completes the forgings, and the barrels are passed from the smithy to the boring-shops, where the operation of boring (exclusive of rifling) is repeated no less than five distinct times. The barrels are for this purpose laid in horizontal machines, and the first sized borer is drawn up through them, not forced down, as, from the bend of the boring bit in forcing it through, it was found difficult to secure strict accuracy. The second boring at swift speed is then continued, and the third at slow speed, by which time the barrel is finished to within some two or three thousandths of an inch of its proper diameter, when the exterior is turned down also to its service size. The operation, if such it may be called, of straightening the barrel is then gone through after the screw-hole for the breech-piece has been bored. This straightening is one of the roughest and most unsatisfactory portions of the whole process of manufacture. From the very fine soft nature of the iron used in the construction of the barrel, and the extreme thinness of the metal itself, the least violence or concussion is apt either to bend the barrel outright, or else to put such a dint in its side as effectually makes an end of its good shooting. Thus, in the processes which we have already described, in spite of the utmost care, the barrel is supposed to have deviated from its true line sufficiently to require considerable rectification. This rectification is done, therefore, not by machinery, but by hand, a workman looking through the barrel and giving it a tap here and a tap there with a hammer, wherever it seems to him to require it. In defence of this apparently very rude method, which seems so astounding in connexion with a bore that must be accurate to the thousandth part of an inch, the managers of the works point to the results achieved, and say that out of some 2,000 weapons made weekly the gauge of all is accurate to a half-hair breadth. This undoubtedly is true, but it is nevertheless very far from proving that such mathematical exactness

is brought about by a man simply looking through the barrel and giving it a knock now and a knock then whenever he fancies he by sight detects an inequality in it. Most practical mechanics are of opinion that the process either does no good to the barrel at all, or that its result, if worth anything, would be better and more easily accomplished by machinery.

An immense variety of milling and grinding stages are next gone through, which merely relate to the exterior of the barrel, and with which, of course, we need not trouble ourselves here. A detailed account of the whole manufacture would be out of the question, as our readers may easily imagine, when we say that the barrel undergoes no less than 66 distinct processes, and the whole rifle upwards of 700 ere it is completed. The barrel, then, having so far advanced in its progress towards completion as to be bored for the fourth time, it undergoes its first proof test of nearly one ounce of powder and one ball. Not one per cent. of the barrels yield under this trial, which has sometimes, in the case of doubtful barrels, or those which it was wished to burst, been carried to as high a charge as 2½ oz. of powder and 17 balls – the whole barrel full, in fact – before the metal ripped. After this the nipplescrew and nipple, with the “tang” or tongue which fastens the barrel to the stock, are made, though not a single piece is put together till the whole musket is complete to its minutest detail. Before the barrel leaves the boring-room it is again, bored out for the fifth time, and, having been polished by machinery inside and outside till it shines as bright as silver, it at last reaches its 56th stage of manufacture, and is taken to the finishing shop.

With the exception, perhaps, of the Laboratory at Woolwich, it would be difficult to name any factory room in the kingdom, not even excepting our largest cotton mills, which at the first glance presents such a bewildering scene of active, never-ceasing industry. Let our readers imagine, if they can, a single room more than an acre in extent, lofty and well lit, in which some thousand men and boys are incessantly employed in superintending machinery. The ear is pained by the hum of flywheels, which revolve in thousands till the eye is giddy with their whirl. Miles of shafting are spinning round mistily with a monotonous hum, the room is almost darkened and the view completely obscured by some 50,000 or 60,000 feet of broad flapping lathe-bands, which are driving no less than 600 distinct machines, all going together on their own allotted tasks, with a tremulous rapidity and ease that seem to swallow up the work like magic, and the first sight of which is inexpressibly astonishing to the spectator. It takes some minutes before the visitor can subdue the overwhelming feeling of surprise which this scene of activity always excites, no matter how often entered on. Following the barrel, then, but with care, into this maze of lathe-bands, we see the process of rifling first commenced. The rifling in the Enfield barrel consists of three broad shallow grooves, with a pitch of half a turn in the length of the barrel of three feet six inches. The depth of the rifling is 0.005 at the muzzle, and 0.013 at the breech, the width of each groove being 3-16ths of an inch. There are 16 rifling machines at Enfield, each of which turns out 26 barrels a-day, though, of course, the grooves are made separately, and after the same fashion as in the boring – viz., drawn through the gun from the

muzzle to the breech. Looking at the light through a newly-rifled barrel has an extraordinary effect, the rings of reflected rays showing like bars of black and white metal alternately; and by the aid of these, as it is said, the workmen are able to distinguish whether or not the tube is perfectly accurate.

After the rifling it is again proved with half an ounce of powder and a single ball; then it is retouched, sighted, trimmed-off, milled, levelled, browned, and gauged, coming out in the gauge-room at last a finished barrel, made to such perfection of accuracy that the steel gauge of 577 thousandths of an inch passes freely through, while that of 580 sticks firm in the muzzle. Browning, as we have said, is the last operation which the gun undergoes, and this merely ornamental process occupies a week more than the whole manufacture of the gun itselfnamely, four weeks. The time thus bestowed, however, is not without its value, inasmuch as after the “browning” is completed, though not till then, the gaugers are enabled to detect the slightest imperfect welding or least perceptible flaw of manufacture, when the piece is instantly rejected, and the workman under whose hands the flaw took place fined 3s., no matter whether the imperfection is discovered at the very commencement of the process or when all is finished. The barrels thus flawed, we regret to say, are sold as old iron, but still in the form of finished barrels, and so doubtless find their way back again into the market as proved pieces. That this latter arrangement of selling the barrels complete, though as old iron, nothing can be more objectionable, and we are sure the War-office only require to have their attention drawn to the matter to secure for the future that all such pieces, before they are sold, shall be bent and flattened in such a manner as to be totally useless, at least for gun barrels, ever after.

But, as we intimated at the commencement of this article, the long processes by which the Enfield is brought to completion cannot easily be disposed of in a notice like the present. We defer, then, to a future occasion our description of the other portions of the manufacture and the peculiar weaknesses which render this weapon above all others so liable on slight occasions to irreparable injury.

In the first article on this weapon we traced the manufacture of the most important portion, the barrel, up to its final completion, when the gauge is placed in its muzzle, and proves such a perfect mechanical fit that it remains bobbing up and down, according as the column of air in the tube yields or expands beneath the pressure. Will Birmingham, where all the anvils are now resounding with the manufacture of rifles for the Volunteer Corps, turn out a weapon as perfect in its gauge as that of Enfield? We can only hope so, for, if not, the Volunteers will be but poorly off when they come to be supplied with ammunition, made by the Government with the same care as to size as the barrel itself, and which should fit with almost the same nicety as the gauge we have mentioned. At Enfield everything is done by machinery, as we have already pointed out, and so each portion of the lock, stock, bayonet, and fittings of the gun is manufactured by the same kind of labour-saving machines as those employed upon the barrel. The part of the works devoted to this portion of the manufacture is filled with a peculiar and most ingenious modification of the pile-driving machine,

where the weights are wound up by steam, and are ready for dropping again and again at the precise time required by the workmen in each stage. These weights punch out the hammers, lock-plates, springs, triggers, bands, and, in fact, every part of the gun or its fittings which is made either of iron or steel. After being thus roughly formed they are turned down to their exact size, according to gauge, and then case-hardened. This latter process is done by heating the parts to a dull red in a mixture of bone-dust (animal charcoal, in fact), so that the outside of the metal has all the hardness of the finest steel, while the centre retains the strength and toughness of wrought iron. The bayonet is, of course, manufactured at Enfield, with the other parts of the complete weapon, and nearly all the 68 processes which this piece undergoes are very interesting. Take it for all in all, no troops in the world are armed with such a strong, well-tempered, and efficient steel instrument of destruction as the bayonet which is issued to our troops. It is very much to be wished that the cavalry sabre at all approached it in either temper or strength, or that it had never been superseded by the cumbrous and inefficient sword-bayonet, which is only a bad and very heavy sword when off the rifle, and neither a sword nor a bayonet when on it. When the bayonets are first beaten out at Enfield they are as brittle as glass; they are then annealed in a slow fire, and become as soft as lead. While in this state they are subjected to the last chief process, that of tempering, which gives them that immense strength and spring which is found in no other weapon. The tempering is done by immersing all the blades in a bath of molten lead, which heats them to a dull red tint, when they are withdrawn and plunged into linseed oil, becoming then so hard again that the file makes no impression whatever. They are then again heated to a low temperature, and this perfects them as steel. A man then tests them as to their strength by striking them with the handles downwards over the edge of an anvil with all his force, after which they are forcibly bent backwards and forwards in a machine, and finally gauged. Those which have yielded under these ordeals, even to the very slightest degree, are rejected; the rest pass on to the grinding shop, where they are polished and finished off bright and keen as razors. The cost of each of these bayonets to the Government, even including interest and wear and tear of plant, is only 3s. 6d. They could scarcely be made elsewhere at any price whatever. In making the stocks of the rifles the machinery employed is about the best and simplest that has ever been devised, and from the time that the rough beam of walnut-wood enters the row of machines at one end of the finishing-room till it comes forth at the other end a perfect stock, complete even to the most minute receptacles for the lock-work, the process occupies not quite 20 minutes. If there is any part of the manufacture in which a saving of time and labour might possibly be effected, it would certainly be in the gauging. Not only is every portion gauged in every process, but when all is done each is gauged and regauged again by half-a-dozen independent measurers one after the other. The result of all this is, that the very perfection of a mechanical fit is insured, and all parts, whether of stock, lock, or barrel, are interchangeable among all the Enfield rifles in the service. For the sake of this advantage alone, and exclusive of the undoubted superiority of manufacture, it would be well worth the while of Volunteer Corps to pay even a higher price in order to secure the Government rifle. The cost of each one to the Government

is 2l. 5s., and they are produced at Enfield at the rate of 2,000 a-week. A perfect musket and bayonet are turned out there every two minutes, though from the time the processes commence with a single musket until it is finished, proved, and passed to store requires a period of seven weeks – of which, however, no less than four are occupied in “browning” the barrel. As with the manufacture of the Armstrong gun so with the Enfield, its rate of production is capable, at a short notice, of being extended to an almost unlimited amount by merely increasing the machinery employed in its manufacture. It swallowed up very much more than 200,000l. to enable the Enfield works to produce the number they at present do weekly. Less than 80,000l. expended in increasing the plant would now, however, give the existing factory the means of turning out 5,000 rifles a-week, while 80,000l. in addition to this again would suffice for the production of nearly 10,000.

The weak point of the Enfield rifle is exactly that part which ought to be the very best and strongest of the whole – viz., the barrel. This, from important considerations as to lightness, and from the softness of the wrought metal itself, is too thin and too yielding to be subjected with safety to the rude chances of a campaign, unless the soldier is taught to be particularly cautious as to its use. A very trifling injury as compared with that to which all other barrels are subjected with impunity is enough to dint and injure that of the Enfield to the most serious extent. Our readers must remember the large number of Enfield rifles which during the late campaigns in India were found to be inefficient from becoming suddenly too small at the muzzle to admit of the bullets entering. It was afterwards found that in some cases these defects arose from so slight a cause as the unequal thickness of the paper in which the bullet end of the cartridge is enclosed. This, however, was only the case in a few instances, the great source of injury, it was supposed, being the rough manner in which the soldiers “fixed bayonets” over the muzzle, or the careless manner in which the piece was handled with the bayonet on, – an almost imperceptible knock under such circumstances sufficing to dint the muzzle and prevent the entry of the bullet. Unless the most rigid caution is used, how much more likely are these injuries to occur among the weapons of Volunteer Corps, the muzzles of which, instead of carrying a 13-oz. bayonet, are all hampered with the so-called sword bayonet, weighing some three and a-half pounds! This latter cumbrous appendage, in addition to its thousand other disadvantages, has, when fixed in firing, a most serious effect on the accuracy of the bullet itself, over which it exercises nearly three times the amount of adverse influence that is attributed to the bayonet in the same position.

Two remedies have been proposed for doing away with this deficiency in strength of the Enfield barrel.

One method is to make it entirely of Whitworth’s homogeneous iron, and the other is a plan of Mr. Burton’s to make the barrel of steel. Each change would be a great improvement, the latter perhaps the greatest if there did not exist such difficulties in the way of welding on the “cone seat” after the barrel has been rough-made. Another mode of improving the barrel, by which all experience shows that an increase of range, and therefore of accuracy, could be gained, would

be to alter the pitch or turn of the rifling. All firearms are rifled in order to insure a regular and steady flight of the projectile by giving it rotation round its axis of progression. The Enfield has only half a turn in the pitch of the rifling in the length of the whole barrel, and this, it is generally believed, might be increased to one complete turn with the most favorable results. In the course of the many valuable experiments which Mr. Whitworth made as to the best pitch of rifling in order, in order to try the effect on the bullet of extreme velocity of rotation in the barrel he actually made one with one complete turn in the inch, – in fact, the inside of the barrel was a perfect screw. Yet this barrel, charged with 25 grains of powder, fired a perfectly fitting ball of lead and tin through seven inches of elm planks. The same gentleman, with a 24-pounder howitzer, having a hexagon bore, and, of course, a hexagon projectile on his own plan, fired with low charges shells of 10 diameters in length. With projectiles of a greater length than that of the common Enfield ball fired from the Enfield rifle, the bullet, no matter what its shape, always turns over within six feet from the muzzle of the piece, the rotatory force given by the slow turn in the barrel being insufficient to keep the conical ball point foremost. Mr. Whitworth proposes that all military barrels should be rifled with one turn in 20 inches, and even those most opposed to adopting so rapid a pitch consider that the present pitch of the Enfield might be increased with great advantage. The Whitworth rifle, on the principle of the hexagon bore and hexagon shot, and with the increased pitch we have mentioned, has in all Government trials that have yet been attempted beaten the Enfield both in accuracy and range, and of course, therefore, in penetration. It may, under these circumstances, be asked, why then is it that the Government have not adopted it and commenced its manufacture, especially as the present machinery at Enfield could be altered to suit the new plan of boring at a cost of not more than 50l. or l00l.? On this point we are free to confess that we see no valid reason whatever why the Government have not adopted it. The excuses urged against the adoption are, first, that the Government having so lately incurred the expense of altering all the weapons in the army, from the “brown bess” to the Minie, and from the Minie to the Enfield, are not now prepared to meet the cost of altering them again, especially as during the next two or three months a breech-loading plan is likely to be adopted, which it is said may exercise a most important influence on the form and nature of the barrel to which it is applied.

2023 Recruit Skirmish

By Eddie Davenport

Photos by numerous volunteers.

I, like many of you, love this organization. I have grown up in it and can’t imagine what I’d do if the North-South Skirmish Association was to fold for some reason. In case you are unaware the membership of our organization is aging, and we need to recruit more members to survive. Now this article isn’t designed to be a doom and gloom article, in fact it’s the opposite.

Let us talk about the 2023 official Recruit Skirmish held on March 25th at Fort Shenandoah where we did exactly that. Thanks to the outstanding recruiting efforts of Robert Harrison (Rob) we had 51 participants register to come out and learn what the N-SSA is all about.

It was a cold wet morning, so we had 38 show up to learn and participate. The morning started with a safety instruction by Rob who went over the basics, you know black stuff first then the shiny thing. In case you have never been to a recruiting event the firing is done slightly differently than a regular skirmish. All recruits are paired with a mentor / instructor and they fire at a distance of 25 yards. The skirmish is broken down into phases.

Phase one is where the recruits learn to shoot our muskets and get an idea where they are hitting. To accomplish this, recruits shoot paper pie plates on a cardboard backer at 25 yards. Those recruits who are excelling are given smaller targets to continue to test them. From what I observed this was a fantastic way of handling it, the recruits that were struggling were still able to make hits, those that were hitting continued to be challenged.

Phase two is where we spice things up. The recruits were counted off into eight-man teams for a full-fledged skirmish. We all know the joy that comes from breaking targets, now couple that with doing it for the first time. It was like watching a kid on Christmas when you saw the recruits go after these targets. I personally got to watch one recruit break the stake with his final shot and man the smile on his face was infectious to all those around him.

In between the phases the recruits were treated to a hamburger and hotdog lunch as well as an artillery demonstration. Some recruits were even allowed to fire the cannons. This is how it’s done everyone, bring them out and put a gun in their hands. The magic of black powder will do the rest. As of writing this article according to Rob we have already had 20 individuals sign up for membership.

with the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Trophy for highest placing C Musket Team

- 1st Place class A-3 Musket - with the Army of the Tennessee Memorial Trophy.

- with the Ben T Cooke, Sr Memorial Trophy, for highest scoring Smoothbore Crew.

- 1st Place B Musket - with the Franklin O Hayes Memorial Trophy

- 1st Place Smoothbore Pistol Demo Team