| Vol. 7 | No. 4 |
School of the Loyalist
The first School of the Loyalist (SoLoyal) was held on the weekend of July 12-13, 1997 in River Edge, NJ and by all who attended, was a great success. Much thanks goes to Todd Braisted for his tireless leadership in putting together a highly informative series of classes interspersed with comradeship the likes of which have seldom been seen.
Representing the regiment that weekend were: Bill Wigham, Mark & Carol Cafazzo, Justin Kennick, Dan Moraski, Marcia & Chris, Kennick who was acting sergeant for the weekend. Members of the regiment arrived early Friday, set up camp, and aided in registration and other tasks throughout the weekend.
All the classes were highly informative, but for me two classes on Sunday really stood out. I'm referring to the class presented by Michael Williams (NC) on 18th Century Field Medicine and the class presented by Wayne Daniels (NJ) on interpreting Loyalists. The depth of knowledge demonstrated coupled with their superb delivery made these sessions really stand out.
The other reason I was so taken with the School was that we got to know and work with units from as far away as Nova Scotia, Illinois, and South Carolina. We made some great friends: Ware, Cheryl, and Donna from Fanning's Regiment, Loyal North Carolina Militia; Sgt. Bucky and the fellows from The King's Orange Rangers; Mike Williams - the Company Surgeon; and the list goes on…
If you missed this year's school, take heart. Plans are underway
for the second School of the Loyalist in 1998.
The Strong House
The regiment will be present at the Strong House on September
6. I've recently spoken with our host Melinda LeLacheur and this
year's event will be bigger and stronger than the last time we
were there. She requests that any members of the regiment who
can also demonstrate 18th century crafts, skills, etc.
to do so. We'll be able to have firepits. A recent informal poll
of the membership indicates that a large number of the regiment
plans to be in attendance. This is good as this is a PAYING EVENT
and maximum effort in turning out is requested of all the membership.
Please mark your calendars and make every effort to attend.
Tweet ... Tweet!!!
Late breaking news - Loyalists did use whistle commands - we have
proof!! Mark Nichipor of the National Park Service has uncovered
the following information from the Orderly Book of Captain Frederick
DePeyster, American Volunteers:
Detac't Orders
Veston Transport
Jan'y 1st 1780
1st 1 Short sound - Flankers to go out
2nd 1 long sound - Flankers & all other partys
to come in
3rd 2 short sounds - to march
4th 2 (very) long sounds - to form the Batt'n &
prepare for action
N.B. whenever this signal is Used, the Utmost silence, Steadiness
and attention to be observed
5th Three short sounds - to run or advance without
dispersing in rough fighting order
6th the same frequently repeated - Rangers to pursue
at full speed
7th a short sound - followed by a long if marching
to halt if firing to cease
8th the same three repeated - to retreat
N.B. when a signal is not generally heard it will be repeated
one time after-
When the above signals are not used or cannot be heard the Men
will Cast their eye on the Officer Com'd the Division.
When he waves his hat with an extended Arm above his head they
will form upon him in the direction in which he faces.
If he holds his hat toward the Ground they will lay down in the
Utmost silence- if he points to the front, rear, right or left
they will imme'd face & march in the same directions
Orderly Book of Captain Frederick DePeyster, American Volunteers,
Manuscript Department, New York Historical Society
Letter of Captain Samuel Ryerson, dated New York, 19 May 1781,
Ryerson Papers, Rutgers University Library Manuscripts
Letter of Brigadier General Cortland Skinner, New Jersey Volunteers,
to Lord George Germain, dated Staten Island, 14 August 1781, Colonial
Office Papers, Class 5 Volume 184, page 381
After Action Report: the Bidwell House, Monterey, Mass., June 21 - 22, 1997
What a weekend! Unit members in attendance on Saturday were: William, Diana & Zachary Wigham, Mark & Carol Cafazzo, Justin Kennick, Chris,Marcia & Steven Kennick and Dan Moraski. We lost the Wighams on Saturday night and the Cafazzos on Sunday morning, but we gained Cliff, Katherine & Aaron Nichols, and Brian Zawodniak, and Jennifer Walker on Sunday.
This was the first time for us at this site, and the first time the site had living history interpreters. The site is a beautiful 18th Century house on well kept grounds. It's a gorgeous site with few intrusions. The staff at the site were just wonderful. They were very accommodating and understandably proud of their site. There were plenty of visitors on both Saturday and Sunday to tour the house and encampments. We had a lot of visitors to our encampment and on Saturday, Mark Cafazzo "spun his magic" with scores of the public. Mark is to be highly commended for his excellence in addressing the public both informatively and entertainingly. Good work Mark!!
We participated both days in a group presentation of uniforms, clothing and weapons in front of the Bidwell House. This proved informative to the public as did the tacticals which followed the presentations. We once again worked with Major Paul Novotny and the excellent 24th Regiment of Foot. The poor doodles never had a chance!!
We once again ate like kings, thanks to the culinary wonders of the ladies of the regiment. The link to these recipes (and more) is back on our main page. We had more than enough for the regiment and shared some of our bounty with the caretakers of the Bidwell House, who in turn, favored us with an outstanding evening concert. They turned out to be a group of some renown: "The Big Wah Scratch Band." These are excellent musicians who play a variety of folk instruments, including a steel drum. If you see them playing near you, GO & SEE THEM!!
Your humble adjutant and narrator acted as Sergeant for the weekend and wishes to thank the members of the regiment for making that task a pleasant one. It seems that our practice of "Sgt. De Jour" is working well and it also appears that due to our increased schedule , that all men-at-arms will have two opportunities to act as unit commander at events this year.
We received kudos and accolades from both the folks at the Bidwell
House and from Dave Bernier of the Living History Association.
We will be invited back next year.
Hot "Fun" in the Summertime
The recent event at the Bidwell House took place during the first weekend of Summer. The temperature and humidity matched the season. Days after the weekend, I was talking to a friend of mine who is a Civil War re-enactor (1st Maryland) who also participated in an event that same weekend. His weekend experience was not as pleasant as ours as he ended up needing first aid from heat exhaustion. To make the story short, my friend participated in a day with two tacticals, battalion maneuvers and equipment maintenance, all with just a morning cup of coffee. He didn't feel in any real distress, but towards the end of the day while sitting under a tree, was addressed by his commanding officer on some matter. Upon rising to attention, the C.O. remarked that the soldier's eyes appeared peculiar, and at that my friend fell backwards like a felled tree. Immediately the group fell to his aid. His shirt and shoes were removed. Ice packs were placed under each arm, at his groin and along both sides of his throat. He was also dowsed down with buckets of water. He was treated for two hours.
He learned some important lessons that weekend:
These rules aren't only for those who participate in tactical
weapons demonstrations. We who split wood, erect tents, move equipment
and especially prepare food around the camp fire, are all vulnerable
to the affects of Summer heat & humidity. We should make sure
that we have some strategic supplies to ward off heat exhaustion,
water - ice if possible - and a shaded area.
Submitted by,
Mark Cafazzo
To view past editions of our unit newletter, The Loyal Gazette, click here.
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