October 1999

"Great time in Fresno"
Posted by dmmascit on Oct-05-99 at 08:54 PM (EST)
First off I would agree that the last battle on Sunday did end in a bust. The information given to us was a half dozen spectators sneeked onto the battle field behind the Confederate line to the White Gazabo type building and were setting off fireworks from that position. ##### shame too, we had crossed the bridge and pushed into the Confederate lines and getting ready to take a massive slaughter. It would have looked great, a massive pile of dead and wounded Black Hats!

The greatest part of the weekend for us was getting members of each of the Iron Bridage on the field. We had members of the 7th Wisconsin from Washington, the 19th Indiana out of Oregon, the 6th Wisconsin from Southern California, the 2d Wisconsin and 24th Michigan from the San Francisco Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley all together to form for the first time a fully represented Iron Bridage on the West Coast. For those on the Union side we were known as Company #6.

As I said we had a grand time in Fresno and appreciate evrything the event coordenators did to put on this event.

Dave Mascitelli
1st Sgt. 24th Michigan Volunteer Infantry

forwarded by R J Samp

Black Hat Brothers: Cpl. Bill Locey, Co. B, 6th Wisconsin here. At our last event in FRESNO, we had 48 Black Hats from all five regiments, a West Coast record. For the first time, we did Scott's, pissing off the
hardcore officer jerks to no end. We need a copy of Baxter's, something preferably with pictures. We know shoulder arms, right shoulder shift and we stack arms according to Militia Scott's but we need a definitive
answer. Why learn anything twice when we can learn it right the first time. We need to know stack arms, where the file closers belong and all the usual BS. As if the Hat itself wasn't enough, the drill monsters from Planet Hardcore thought we were screwing with them when they saw us all come to the shoulder. Any help would be appreciated - we don't want to be the ugly stepchildren at Antietam 140.  I met you at Gettysburg. It must be the hat - I'm out -
the Iron Brigade of the West Coast thanks you...