Commander’s Notes

The Wilderness reenactment was an outstanding show of our capabilities. Thanks to all of you that attended and gave us your support. Please see the great overview of this event written by Pvt. Barney Cline.

Special thanks to Alys and John Glaze as they provided us a commissary of our own for the first time. They did an outstanding job, but in order to improve service they have developed a questionnaire. Please take the time to fill it out.

Several of us attended the Summer Business Meeting at Cartersville, North Carolina last weekend (10 July). It was probably the most benign meeting I have attended in years. Our schedule remains the same. The artillery and our ladies were well represented, my thanks to those who attended.

I want to share some bad news with all of you, Contessa was injured in a pasture accident. The initial veterinary prognosis was good, however she had an abscess above the wound and did some permanent injury to the tendon sheath of her right rear leg. The bad news is simply, she will never be sound enough to ride. The good news is she will be sound enough to have babies! Health care for her has been extremely expensive and time consuming! This whole incident has reminded me of how fragile both the horses and we are!

I am collecting money for the Cedar Creek event now. Registration will close 13 August for us to receive all the information in the mail prior to the event. See the wavier, print it, then fill it out and please return it to me with the check. Please make checks payable to the 10th NCST. If you have already paid, please fill out the wavier and send it to me. Final Registration will close on the 21st of September and we are told no walk-ons will be allowed. So get your $10.00 in soonest!

See you at Bentonville!

Capt. David L. Stanley

On 23 May 1836, Congress added the 2nd Regiment of Dragoons to the United States Army, appropriating $300,000 to get it on it's feet (remarkably that is $50,000 more than we have currently invested in our unit!).

"Organized at Jefferson Barracks in the summer of 1836, the 2nd Dragoons had slogged through the swamps of the Florida Everglades in pursuit of the wily Seminoles and had stormed the defenses of Mexico City. They fought a grim and deadly war of ambush and retaliation against the hostile Indians of the northern and southern plains, and intervened in the bloody sectional strife of pro- and antislavery factions in Kansas Territory. Four years before the outbreak of the Civil War, the tough horsemen had spent a frigid winter in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, policing the defiant Mormon settlers who refused to recognize the authority of the U.S government.

With the opening shots at Fort Sumter, their twelve companies were gathered from their scattered stations and hurried to the theater of war. Company K (who we will portray) was on hand in time to participate in First Bull Run. Less than a month later, on August 10, 1861, all U.S. mounted troops were redesignated as cavalry--and much against their wishes, the 2nd Dragoons became the 2nd U.S. Cavalry.

Though yellow was the official cavalry trim the Dragoons were permitted to maintain their distinctive orange stripes and taping until the clothing wore out--and so jealous of their heritage were these hard-bitten troopers that it would be two years before they were fully amalgamated into the cavalry arm." (Taken from Don Troiani's Civil War)

Jim Lankford still has T-shirts and Jackets available for sale. Jackets are $25.00 and T-shirts are $10.00. We will not print any more for a while after this stock is exhausted.

We will have a horsemanship day at Colfax on Saturday, 21 August from 0900 until… We will work on basic horsemanship, horsecare and leather clean-up. Uniforms are not required, but if you have saber belts, swords or carbines please bring them.

Company "K"

Humor me -- imagine we are marching down the road a couple of years from now. Sgt. Jim Lankford screening our force with 10-15 Dragoons, followed by a "light" company or two of the 26th NCT, which is inturn followed by our 2/3-horsedrawn guns. Sgt. Lankford spots an enemy force, sends a courier back to inform us, and we begin to engage the enemy. The Dragoons dismount and FIX the enemy force. Our infantry maneuvers onto their flank and we bring the guns up to support the Dragoons. The high spirited enemy charges the Dragoons hoping to drive them off and with the added firepower of our three cannons and our infantry surprising them with an attack on their flank, they are defeated and forced to withdraw.

Several of you have asked me about costs of Dragoon equipment and what you should buy, if interested. Artillerymen take note I have some items here you may want to buy also!

Mounted Services Jacket with orange trim
Quartermaster Shop has the correct trim
Dragoon buttons only carried by C&D Jarnagin

1858-61 forage cap with orange welt around the crown
may want one without the welt or red for artillery

Dark Blue trousers - if you have sky-blues this is a nice early war impression for both artillery and dragoons

1859 Sharps Carbine and 1851 Colt Navy revolver

Carbine sling and snap hook

1851 sabre belt and buckle, holster and cartridge and cap box

1860 Cavalry sabre

Horse equipment in the next edition -- Capt Stanley