Special Interests - Groups & Societies > Spencer Shooting Society
** PHOTOS ADDED ** Spencer Company at 150th Anniversary Battle of Selma
nactorman:
Below is some info on the Wilson's Raiders Repeater Company forming for the 150th Anniversary Battle of Selma. All SSS members are invited to join us for a unique event filled with plenty of Spencer shooting action.
nactorman:
Things are really shaping up for the 150th Selma event.
Preliminary registrations have been submitted for the company, but it is not too late to sign up. If you would like to participate, send me an e-mail and I'll make sure you get registered and receive a copy of the our latest informational update.
Two Flints:
Hi nactorman,
Thanks for the post and terrific information . . . any chance you could add to this thread by posting "a copy of the our latest informational update(s)"?
I will make this a "sticky" to keep in plain sight for all SSS members to see and read.
Thanks again,
Two Flints
Advertising:
nactorman:
Hi,
I don't know how I missed your post about forwarding updates, but I just saw it today. Anyway, here is the latest one we sent out:
Wilson’s Raiders Repeater Company
Fall Update
General:
I hope this message finds everyone well and enjoying the fall campaign season. Preparations for the Wilson’s Raiders Repeater Company are in full swing and I thought now might be a good time to send out a little update.
Registrations:
A preliminary unit registration was submitted not long ago. We registered 18 soldiers with our company. We have also been in contact with several individuals who have committed to participating with us, but who had already submitted registrations under other designations. This is a ‘the more the merrier’ effort, so if you know of an individual or group who would like to participate with us, please feel free to pass along the flyer (attached in PDF format) and contact info. While it is perfectly acceptable to register on your own, if you send me an e-mail at: Nactorman@yahoo.com , I can simply add you to our company registration.
Event Website:
For those who have not visited the Battle of Selma website, it can be accessed at:
http://battleofselma.com
Schedule of Events (Preliminary):
Friday:
All Day - School Tours
Afternoon - Wilson’s Raiders members will meet, set up camps, etc.
7:30 PM - Artillery Night Firing
8:00 PM - Camp Dance at Pavilion
Evening - Wilson’s Raiders Company Meet and Greet Supper at local restaurant. Location TBD.
Saturday:
9:00 AM - Park opens to visitors
Morning - Wilson’s Raiders drill and safety briefing. Issuing of ammo to participants.
2:00 PM - Battle of Selma Reenactment.
Evening - Wilson’s Raiders Pre-Ball Supper at local restaurant. Location TBD.
7:00-11:00 PM - Grand Military Ball at Sturdivant Hall
Sunday:
9:00 AM - Church Services
10:30 AM - March to Old Live Oak Cemetery for Civil War Memorial Service.
2:00 PM - 150th Anniversary Battle of Selma
Afternoon - Wilson’s Raiders Post Event Supper
Camping:
Authentic:
Our company will be composed of folks who may choose among various
camping/motel options. (Again, we are a ‘come one, come all’ unit for the
weekend.) The main campsite for our company will be in the Federal
Authentic Camp near the river. Period Civilians are welcome to camp with
us. We will have a Wilson’s Cavalry Corps Flag on display to help mark
our camp. (Red Flag with Red Crossed Sabers.)
Modern:
There is modern camping across the covered bridge near the spectator
parking area. This is a large baseball complex. I do not know what
facilities may be available other than ports-johns.
Motel:
There are several motels/hotels in Selma that are relatively near the
reenactment site. Please remember that this is Selma (ah, hem...well, you
know) and you will want to choose one of the better establishments for
your stay. Also, the last several years the reenactment has fallen on the
same weekend as homecoming/prom in Selma. This means that the
hotels/motels are pretty busy on Friday night. I recommend reserving a
room ahead of time. Below is info for a few of the places that we have
stayed in the past. Please do you own research or send me a message if
you have any specific questions:
Hampton Inn Selma
2200 W Highland Ave
Selma, AL 36701
334-876-9995
Holiday Inn Express & Suites
2000 Lincoln Way
Selma, AL 36701
334-874-1000
Comfort Inn
1812 Alabama 14
Selma, AL 36703
334-875-5700
Quality Inn
2420 N Broad St
Selma, AL 36701
334-874-8600
Battle Scenario:
I have been in touch with the event hosts over the last several weeks as well as the overall US Commander for the event - Ken Sumner. All are looking forward to our participation. Ken is planning on incorporating our company into the battle scenario in a special way that will allow us to show off the firepower of our repeating arms and demonstrate to the public what Wilson’s Raiders might have looked and sounded like as they assaulted the defenses of Selma 150 years ago.
Some History:
I recently had a conversation with some of the event hosts regarding weapons used by Wilson’s Raiders during the Battle of Selma in 1865. There are only a handful of longarms that can be documented as having been used at the battle by Union participants:
Spencer (rifle and carbine): The vast majority of Wilson’s 13,000 man force were equipped with Spencer rifles and carbines. Wilson hasd stripped the remainder of his Cavalry Corps in order to arm the three divisions that made the campaign to Selma.
Henry:
According to Andrew Bresnan’s excellent research, it seems there were from 50-150 Henry armed soldiers in Long’s Division. To access more info, see Andrew’s article at: http://44henryrifle.webs.com/wildersbrigadehenry.htm .
Other: In addition, there were approximately 500 soldiers who began the campaign with what are described as breechloading carbines designed to fire the Spencer’s self-contained ammunition. That really narrows things down. Unless I have overlooked something, the following are the possibilities: the Warner, Sharps & Hankins, Joslyn, Converted Gallager, and Ballard carbines. Of these, the Warner carbines are documented as having been carried by members of the 7th Ohio. It is not known, however, whether all of the ‘other’ carbines were Warner Carbines or whether some of the other weapons listed above may also have been used.
Keep In Touch!
That’s it for now. I’ll be sending out another update in a few months. Of course, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at: Nactorman@yahoo.com. See you in April.
nactorman:
Wilson’s Raiders Repeater Company
Winter Update
I hope this message finds everyone well and having enjoyed the Christmas holidays. Hopefully Santa filled everyone’s stockings with plenty of ammo! It’s time again for another update on plans for the Wilson’s Raiders Repeater Company and the 150th Anniversary Battle of Selma.
Folks who have received previous updates will notice some of the below info is repeated from previous messages, but I’ve included it here again for some of our recent additions.
Registrations:
Things are really shaping up for this to be a great event. We recently submitted an addition to our preliminary registration. We presently have 35 soldiers and 10 civilians registered with the company. There is no deadline for registration, so if you have a friend who is interested in participating, please have them go ahead and contact me at: Nactorman@yahoo.com.
Car Pooling:
I have been contacted by one interested party who lives near New York City and who wondered if there might be anyone coming from the Northeast who would want to car pool. Rather than publish his contact info here, if you are interested just send me a message and I’ll pass along his info and you can coordinate directly with him.
Event Website:
The event Website is:
http://battleofselma.com
Schedule of Events (Preliminary):
Friday:
All Day - School Tours and arrivals
Afternoon - Wilson’s Raiders members meet, set up camps, etc.
7:30 PM - Artillery Night Firing
8:00 PM - Camp Dance at Pavilion
Evening - Wilson’s Raiders Company Meet & Greet Supper at The Golden Ranch BBQ & Grill
Saturday:
9:00 AM - Park opens to visitors
Morning - Wilson’s Raiders drill and safety briefing. Issue of ammo to participants.
2:00 PM - Battle of Selma Reenactment
Evening - Wilson’s Raiders Pre-Ball Supper (location TBD)
7:00-11:00 PM - Grand Military Ball at Sturdivant Hall
Sunday:
9:00 AM - Church Services
10:30 AM - March to Live Oak Cemetery for Memorial Service
2:00 PM - 150th Battle of Selma Reenactment
Afternoon - Wilson’s Raiders Post Event Supper (Cracker Barrel?)
Camping:
Authentic:
Our company will be composed of folks who may choose among various camping/motel options. (Again, we are a ‘come one, come all’ unit for the weekend.) The main campsite for our company will be in the Federal Authentic Camp near the river. Period civilians are welcome to camp with us. We will have a Wilson’s Cavalry Corps flag on display to help mark our camp. (Red with Yellow Crossed Sabers.)
Modern:
There is modern camping across the bridge near the spectator parking area. This is a large baseball complex. I do no know what facilities may be available other than port-a-johns.
Motel:
There are several motels/hotels in Selma that are relatively near the reenactment site. Please remember that this is Selma (ah, hem...well, you know) and you will want to choose one of the better establishments for your stay. Also, the last several years the reenactment has fallen on the same weekend as homecoming/prom in Selma. This means that the hotels/motels are pretty busy on Friday night. I recommend reserving a room ahead of time. Here is a link to a website with all of the info on accommodations in Selma:
http://selmaalabama.com/plan-your-stay/lodging.html
Below is info for a few of the places that we have stayed in the past. Please do your own research or send me a message if you have any specific questions:
Hampton Inn Selma
2200 W Highland Ave
Selma, AL 36701
334-876-9995
Holiday Inn Express & Suites
2000 Lincoln Way
Selma, AL 36701
334-874-1000
Comfort Inn
1812 Alabama 14
Selma, AL
334-875-5700
Quality Inn
2420 N Broad St
Selma, AL 36701
334-874-8600
Unit Command:
Our company commander for the weekend will be Zack Ray. Other officers and NCO’s will be chosen upon site according to our needs, to assist with the management of the company. We do not yet have a battalion assignment. We do know that we will be operating under the command of overall US commander Ken Sumner. For those who have been with us in the past at Selma, you know that we sometimes act somewhat independent of the regular battalion structure as ours is a special impression. We do know that Ken is working with the CS commander and the event hosts to make sure that our group plays a special part in the action.
Free Cartridges:
Veteran Arms LLC is sponsoring the Wilson’s Raiders Repeater Company, and will be issuing each soldier equipped with a repeater a free package of 100 blank cartridges. These will be distributed probably on Saturday afternoon. Cartridges are available in the following calibers: 45 LC / 44 WCF / 56-50 Spencer. These are the only cartridge sizes that are available or that will be distributed.
Breechloaders / Non-Repeaters:
Although most of the folks up to this point who have registered with the company have indicated that they will be using repeating rifles, folks with breechloaders and even muzzleloaders are encouraged to participate also. If you know of someone who does not have a repeater, but who would like to join us for the weekend, please have him go ahead and register with our company. We don’t want to split up groups that may have only a few people with repeaters, or have groups opt not to join us because they feel the remainder of their unit is not welcome. We will tailor our activities so as to include everyone. With that said, we want to try to look as much like late-war, western cavalry troopers (fighting on foot) as possible, so if one possesses a breechloader, carbine, dbl shotgun, or other short weapon other than a standard musket, they are encouraged to use those. Of course, muskets will be acceptable also, if that is all one has to use. Also, enlisted men without repeaters are encouraged to bring/use their revolvers if they have one. If there are any questions about any of this, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Tools:
Although individuals are encouraged to bring whatever tools/equipment they need to participate, our company will also be providing a few tools to a designated NCO should tools be needed to make a quick adjustment or repair in the field during a scenario.
The April 1865 Society:
The April 1865 Society, sponsors of the event, have been working very hard to have historical markers made and installed around the city in time for the 150th Anniversary of the battle. They have already installed three of the ten markers that they hope to have in place by April. For more info, see the Battle of Selma website’s front page, as well as: http://battleofselma.com/?page_id=10509
Grand Military Ball:
The Grand Military Ball at Sturdivant Hall is always one of the highlights of this event, and members are encouraged to attend. This is a dress-up affair. The mansion is located off-site, but can be accessed via private vehicle (on-street parking), or via the provided shuttle transportation. See: http://battleofselma.com/?page_id=1280
Historical Weapons Info:
Our company recently provided information to the event hosts concerning what types of weapons were used by the Union forces at the Battle of Selma 150 years ago. It may be of some interest.
Only a handful of longarms can be documented as having been used by Union soldiers at the Battle of Selma. They are:
Spencer (Rifle and Carbine) - The vast majority of Wilson’s 13,000 man force were equipped with Spencer repeaters. Wilson had stripped the remainder of his Cavalry Corps of Spencers in order to arm the three divisions that made the campaign to Selma.
Henry Rifle - According to Andrew Bresnan’s excellent research, it seems there were from 50-150 Henry armed soldiers in Long’s Division. To access more info, see Andrew’s article at:
http://44henryrifle.webs.com/wildersbrigadehenry.htm
Other - In addition, there were approximately 500 soldiers who began the campaign with what are described as breechloading carbines designed to fire the Spencer’s self-contained ammunition. That really narrows things down. Unless I have overlooked something, the following are the possibilities: the Warner, Sharps & Hankins, Joslyn, Converted Gallager, and Ballard carbines. Of these, the Warner carbines are documented as having been carried by members of the 7th Ohio. It is not known, however, if all of the ‘other’ carbines were Warner Carbines or included some of the other weapons from the list above.
Reading:
For those interested in learning more about Wilson’s Raid and the Battle of Selma, the following books may be of interest:
“Yankee Blitzkrieg” - James Pickett Jones
“Wilson’s Cavlary Corps” - Jerry Keenan
“Columbus, Georgia 1865” - Charles Misulia
Spread the Word:
Please continue to spread the word about the Wilson’s Raiders Repeater Company to your reenacting friends and acquaintances. While we already have a great group registered, the saying is true - the more the merrier. If you need a copy of our informational flyer to pass along, please e-mail me and I will send copies via e-mail in PDF or JPG formats.
That’s it for now. I will be sending out another e-mail update in the spring as we draw closer to time for the event. In the meantime, if anyone has any questions please feel free to contact me at: Nactorman@yahoo.com . I look forward to seeing everyone in April.
Charles Misulia
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