Commander's Corner

Thanks for the outstanding support you have each provided to the unit this spring! Without each of you - we do not exist! Men and horses make a unit and you are the best group of men I have ever associated with, bar none!

Last Saturday (15 April) I pushed the gearshift into park and looked at the odometer, we had traveled 792.8 miles in 36 hours! This ended a 5-weekend odyssey for the men and horses of the 10th North Carolina State Troops! Ethan, Allen, Gemini and Rebel need to be getting frequent flyer miles. For them, as well as many of you the weekends are now memories - please see these articles/photos for the following events: Bentonville 2000; Re-interment of the USS Hunley Crew at Charleston; Museum of the Cape Fear at Fayetteville; Sailor's Creek; and finally the reinterment of Private Warren Biggs at the Pleasant Grove United Methodist Church outside of Bailey, North Carolina. At each and every one of these events you have done an outstanding job. From two reinterments, to the cotton fields of Bentonville, from a living history in Fayetteville, to the hills of Sailor's Creek, you have rendered honors to veterans of the past and demonstrated time and again that artillery is a decisive weapon (when properly used) on the battlefield.

Additionally, if what we discussed above isn't enough, we have recruited 7 new members to our organization since the business meeting the first week of February. I would like to formally welcome Harold Caldwell, Scott Foster, Tab Parker, Bob Gamble, Rob Phillips, Daniel Helms,and Stewart Frye, to our ranks, and to remind all of you that we recruited 12 members for the entire year of 1999. Seven in the first quarter is remarkable and a tribute to each of you individually being great recruiters!

As you can see by looking at the schedule there is a busy year still ahead for us. The National Park at Manassas is very interested in us doing a living history there in October and of course we will be going to Gettysburg in August. Since we are not attending the Peninsula Campaign I have registered everyone that paid for it, for the Chancellorsville weekend.

I spoke to the group at the Pvt. Biggs ceremony regarding whether we serve blue or gray. My intent is to serve as Confederate artillery every chance we get, however, if the fight isn't there as Confederates, then we're going blue, if they can use us. After our reception by the Federals at Sailor's Creek I feel we would be well received and the 26th N.C.T.'s leadership understands.

We intend to begin to train our dragoons, first as dismounted support and later as mounted troopers - we need to be able to provide our own security. We will start this training at the next event.

As many of you know Stuart Brandt's home burned. Thanks for your generous donation given at Sailor's Creek, and please keep he and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Lastly, in the heat of the moment as we move to, or participate in fights, there has been yelling, cursing and overall encouragement to do your jobs faster and more efficiently. Please - if this offends you, don't walk off in a huff, talk to Lt. Stewart, one of the NCOs or myself and let's get this taken care of before it becomes a bigger issue.

See you around the campfire.

David L. Stanley, Capt. Cmdg.