Letters from America - No.1Something special occurred this year: Palm Sunday and April 9th coincided, which, although regular, is a not-exactly-common event. For those of you still wondering what the hell I am on about, this set of circumstances pertained at the time of the Surrender at Appomattox Court House in 1865. So I thought we could not let this pass without some form of commemoration. I received permission from our Battery Commander, Captain Karnitz, to hold a commemoration at the American Legion Post in Campbell, NY, and managed to persuade Quartermaster Sergeant Paul Sheerer and his 10-lb Parrott crew to haul their gun out. (It did not take much persuasion – Qm. Sgt. Sheerer will haul his gun out to burn powder at the slightest pretext!) The form of the Commemoration included a short service, comprising a reading from the Soldiers’ Psalm (Psalm 91, if you are wondering), followed by the Lord’s Prayer. I read out General Lee’s General Order # 9, his farewell to the Army of Northern Virginia. Then "Smoke Wagon" (the 10-lb Parrott) fired 3 rounds (Qm. Sgt. Sheerer maintained this was in defiance of the Surrender). Then, to maintain full authenticity, since active Confederates were required to make the oath of allegiance after the War, everyone present, participants and spectators alike, was invited to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. (The Pledge of Allegiance came into being for just this purpose, prior to the Surrender.) I hope everyone present gained something from this experience. I know it brought home to me the significance of what this all means to Miss Rosemary’s and my adopted country. The Civil War marks a defining moment in the history of the United States that is still reverberating across the intervening years. I hope we rise to the task of fulfilling its true meaning through our efforts to portray those awesome days. Bedford Light Artillery held a live shoot at the School of the Cannoneer. This event was held at a hunting lodge with plenty of open ground between us and the nearest habitation (some 10 miles downrange). Miss Rosemary and I had a whale of a time, although our American cocker spaniel, Sammy< did not much enjoy the sound of the big gun firing. (Some gun dog he is!). As 1st Lieutenant, my job was employed "Shot Spotter", but I was still able to get a feeling of jubilation on the 2 times we actually hit the target (!). It was amazing to be able to follow the shot almost from the point of leaving the muzzle to impact at the other end of the range. I suspect that the biggest bugbear in the works was the result of not shooting on a flat field. Neither gunner seemed able to compensate for the fact that we were shooting downhill. I suspect that this was the first time that the command "In Battery!" (the command to return a piece to its position after recoil) has ever been used by members of Bedford Light. Those who were unable to attend will never know what they missed. Miss Rosemary and I decided that we would "day trip" the event to avoid kennel costs for boarding the dog, a mistake we will not make again. We racked up more in fuel bills than we saved in kennel fees, so that was a retrospective no-brainer. My only comment for the future of this event would be: don’t hook it onto the Memorial Day weekend. We had two parades and a firing demonstration to carry out in near-90 degree heat. It was too much to cope with. After the holiday, I went back to my normal job for a rest! I remain, as ever, very sincerely, your obedient servant, Gordon Clifford
The above article first appeared in the ACWS Newsletter, Summer 2006 |