23, July 1876 (+136)
To: General U. S. Scout
Headquarters Grand Army of the Frontier
Near Washington City
Copies to: (Bvt.) Col. Major Matt Lewis Chief of Staff,
(Bvt.) Col. Drydock Chief of Ordnance,
(Bvt. ) Col. Bull Schmidt Adjutant ,
and The ladies and gentlemen of the GAF at large
Sir:
I have the honor to submit my report following the 2012 Department of the Missouri Headquarters Muster of the Grand Army of the Frontier. This written report supersedes the brief oral statements I presented the General Commanding at the late Gettysburg battle sight Saturday last.
My preparations continued Wednesday, July 11 when the Commissary Department Chief Delmonico and Major Bowview Haymaker arrived. With their help the camp improvements, including the new shower facility, were completed. Thursday preparations continued with the erection of the Tipi for the homeless among us, the camp shade fly and the tents of those present. That evening a thunderstorm arrived in the area with rain and wind that flattened the shade fly. This forced a retreat to the tipi to wait out the storm.
Friday morning operations commenced with the Expansion Era Match side match. A previously unused canyon had been prepared this year to allow a new look for this match. Another first this year was the use of the Staff Officer class in the EEM. I used this class to conserve my Krag ammunition for the main match. I found this class to be quite challenging as given the heat and adrenaline, holding steady on the target was nearly impossible. It always amazes me how much the stress of the match affects the physical condition and comfort of the participant. Even though the stages are not physically demanding, they DO feel as though they are by the of the stage. Participants find themselves breathing hard and shaking at the end of their walk through the canyon.
Following lunch the group commenced the long range rifle match. The 300 yard long range rifle match was found to be quite challenging. This long range match was a paper match. The participants were allowed the afternoon to sight in their rifles. After the weather cooled a bit the command shot the match. This was to be the first time the long range match was included in scoring for the Department Champion computations.
The Main match used the same skirmish format as the Expansion Era Match did. The stalking course in the canyons of the Camp Pitspitr area could be physically dangerous given the heat. As a precaution against this participants were required to rehydrate frequently. Before a shooter was allowed to begin his assault of the stage he was required to spend some time resting in the shade and drinking water. This way we managed to avoid any heat casualties. We also learned that the physical requirements of the stages coupled with the heat necessitates limiting the number of rifle targets to between 15 and 22. This could be increased in cooler weather. This does not sound like much shooting but we found it to be enough to be satisfying. Three stages of around 20 rifle targets will require nearly 100 rifle rounds to be expended by most shooters. This is a match that, as one participant said, truly needs to be experienced to be fully appreciated.
I totaled the scores early Sunday morning and the certificates were awarded to the men. At this point we broke camp and the men returned to their home quarters while I finished my preparations for my departure for my inspection tour of the Atlantic Department the next morning.
Our mess consisted of 13 shooting participants excluding camp followers. While this number was reduced by a number of unforeseen situations including heat concerns, it was still a new record for participation. I can foresee these numbers continuing to grow in each of the coming years. Each day we entertained guests and explained for them the GAF as well as our contests.
Here I should thank a number of people: The Sargent Lions Club for sponsoring the insurance; Lt. Col. Dusty Tagalon for printing the winners certificates; Lt. Col. Ned Neiderlander, for building the traveling trophies and his efforts building camp equipage, the targets and props and finally Capt. Delmonico. For those of you who missed this match, the food alone was reason enough to come to this Muster. It is simply amazing what Delmonico can make in dutch ovens. Thanks Glen!
Final results will follow.