Coassement de la Grenouille
Journal
of the Milice de Sainte Famille
November 2000 Vol. 12, No. 5
Time
flies when youre having fun. Another
year has gone by way too fast. Someone
said life is like a roll of toilet paper.
The farther into it the faster it goes.
I dont know exactly what that means for here, but it sounded good when I
thought of it.
So many things to
wrap up at the years end. By the time
this newsletter goes out, the November Woods Walk will have passed. Lets
see, what is coming up?
December 2 - Caroling at Kimmswick -
5:30 to 8:30. We will meet in
front of the Blue Owl Restaurant
December 3 -
Annual meeting at Ravanellis in Granite City. Also election of officers.
Get your reservation in to Donna Lybarger as soon as possible. This is a buffet and you need a reservation to
eat. We will have a gift exchange
($15.00 gift, same rules as always)
December
9-10 -
Christmas at Jefferson Barracks
Jan 19-21,
2001 -
the Froze-a** at the Fort
Feb 24 -
Cahokia Fete 2pm - 6pm, dance
from 7-11 pm. They would like to have a
drama at the courthouse at 2:30, 3:30, and 4:30.
Ned Brubeck and
his daughter Paige will be running the web site. If you have anything for the site contact him at: BOMBARDIER1755@aol.com.
Dont forget to
keep sending newsletter articles to Lynn Cornelius. She is doing a great job on the newsletter, but she needs you
help to keep it going.
Michael
McMasters, the editor of Smoke & Fire, contacted me a short while
back. He had come across a photo of me
weaving a wampum belt. He asked if I
would be interested in writing an article for Smoke & Fire. Watch the January or February issue for the
article.
A great big
thanks to Lyle and Tom for their work on next years School of the Soldier. Getting both Beth Gilgun and Steve deLisle is a great feather in the Milices
cap.
I cant think of
anything else to say. It has been a great
year. See you at the December meeting.
I remain, your
most humble servant
John Mefford,
Captain
CHRISTMAS
MEETING
December
3, 2000 2 pm – Ravanelli’s in Granite City.
The cost of $10.50 for adults and $5.25 for children 12 years old and
younger includes broasted chicken, mashed potatoes/gravy, choice of side dish –
green beans, buttered carrots, broccoli, corn – and salad, rolls, coffee, tea,
cobbler, tax and gratuity.
The
money must be received by November 19.
Checks
can be made payable to Donna Reeves/Lybarger
709 E. Country Lane
Collinsville Il 62234
Please
RSVP – 345-5057
X
CONGRATULATIONS TO DENNIS LYBARGER AND DONNA
REEVES
Who were married on
October 15, 2000 in Granite City IL.
X
NOTICES
A
moment of silence for one of our own.
I
have dispatches this morning (11-2-00) that RSM David Hamilton, 42nd
RHR-Grenadier Co., NWTA, has passed on from complications of a stroke suffered
Feast weekend…. You may send messages to me and I will be honoured to forward them
on to the Big Red Bus.
I
am, with sadness,
Your
Humble Servant,
Gene
R. Clevinger-1st Sergeant
42nd
Regiment of Foot
1st
Battalion-the Grenadir Co.
Forces
of Montcalm & Wolfe, Inc.
1759-63
X
Hello
– I have recently added a link to your site on our webpage. Knownonsense is a new site for topics
concerning or at least marginally
related to what is now the Southeastern United States during the 18th
century. We hope to expand and improve
upon our site as time progresses.
http://wilg.home.mindspring.com/index.htm
Sincerely,
Wil
Griffin
Editor
in General, Knownonsense
X
December 31 – La Guiannee, Fort de Chartres
Historic Site, 7 pm.
X
There
will be an article about the Milice and the L’Ecole de Soldat in the March/April
issue of Muzzleloader Magazine written by Carol Luer.
X
Another
site to try
Common-place,
the Interactive Journal of Early American life
X
I
went to Chicago the weekend of Oct. 28-29 to see my daughter. While there we watched “The Patriot” on
DVD. Boy, is the picture good and the
details sharp.
In
one scene near the end, just before the Battle of Cowpens, Mel Gibson is
casting a bullet from the last lead soldier that belonged to his son. He drops the freshly molded ball into the
palm of his hand and cuts the spur with the cutter on the mold. Something looked familiar. I grabbed the remote and rewound and played back a frame at a time. There in large letters on the bullet mold
was the word “RAPINE”. Well, at least
they used good props.
John
Mefford
X
Russ and Murf’s Great Adventure
Prologue:
As
I begin this story of daring and adventure I need to explain that the precursor
to this event took place some 250 years ago, and that we were simple victims of
circumstance. It was with joy in our
hearts and a sense of friendship that we undertook such a task, and it was only
a simple question that led to our downfall.
Murf
had come up with another of his grandiose ideas while sitting at the WNBC
(Wednesday Night Boys Club). “Russ,” he
said with a gleam in his eye, ”we need to take something from the Illinois boys
to the French and English commanders at Fort Ligoneer.” (I knew then we were in trouble) Not quite the same level yet, as when we
asked another simple question “So what are the rules” but close. This, he said would bind our trip and leave
them knowing we are dedicated to the cause.
Now, I am a well-educated person, and have been closely acquainted with
Murf for a long time, so I know there is an underlying theme to his
thoughts. Especially when he proposes
taking expensive imported beer to the presentation. OK, so I can be persuaded to participate in this when he says I
will buy the beer and we can settle up later.
So, with some trepidation, I agreed to go along with his idea.
Close
your eyes and picture Fort Ligoneer.
For those of you who have never seen it I will bring pictures to the
next meeting. This staunch English
outpost withstood an attack by the French forces and later was the staging
point for English transgressions into the French territory. Well, here we were, representing the forces
that had attacked this same fort and also defended Fort Duquense. Thos of you that know me know that I have
done a lot of research on Fort Duquense and that is where Sederic met the
French.
So,
with all of this fresh in your mind, oh yes and while I am here I am only
writing this to represent the actual course of events, and not a singular
somewhat jaded viewpoint of what happened.
With
truth in my heart, and smile on my face, this is how I remember the events that
occurred.
Saturday
afternoon, after all the battles, and a few beers later, Murf stands up and
says, OK Russ now is the time. The time
for what I asked, as Lyle had just added another Beer to my mug. Time to present the gifts he said. Then Veronique showed up and we held a
French lesson to learn to say “English Pig”.
Now keep this in mind as it plays an important part later in the
story. Well, with the French lesson
came a couple of more beers and then we had to spend some quality time with
Murf teaching him how to pronounce the name of the French beer he was about to
present to the English commander, whose name was Forbes, and his second in
command, Grant. Those of you who are
history buffs will know where this is going.
So,
Murf and I set off to the fort with a sense of comradeship and knowing well
that “there ain’t no beer like this in their damn fort” ringing in our ears, as stated by the
Kentucky contingent. As we approached
the fort, we were met by the French Commander, a very refined gentleman and his
second in command. Murf very eloquently
presented them with the beer and they graciously accepted and thanked us. So now we approach the fort. It was at this time I was beset upon by a
mysterious plague. The plague of
venting. I am sure all of you men have
been beset upon by tis same plague.
However, the onset of this was just as I passed the 42nd
guard at the gate. He, of course, not
knowing of my affliction, took this to be some kind of personal distainment
from me to him. Our discussions in
regards to his thoughts, and my replies are better left to quiet times around a
campfire. Where was I, oh yes, Murf and
I were now in the fort. He, of course,
went the wrong way and I found the officer’s quarters. After much coaxing on my part, he left the
Command Sergeant Major and went into the officer’s quarters where we met
General Forbes and Major Grant. Events
sort of pick up speed here. I present
Murf to the General and Murf presented them with the beer. All persons involved at this time were
smiling and happy. Now would have been
a nice time to end this story – but here is where the French lessons, time
spent with friends and history book can trip you.
The
General looked over at me and commented on my uniform as to how nice it
fit. I innocently replied
that his kilt also looked nice hanging
on a pike. And here is where the simple
question was posed “Where were you on September 13, 1758, Sir?”…. I came to attention and looked down into his
eyes and said, “I was at Duquense, Sir.”
“And may I also say sir that you all fought like women.” Well, it was about this time that Murf was
pulling out his smelling salts and taking a lap around the Rosary that I
invited them to spend some quality time in the French camp. I simply told Major Grant that he was
invited to have a beer at my tent and sit next to his First Sergeant whose head
I had on my pike. Murf is purple now
and has seen the simple act of comradeship go down hill somewhat fast. The General who during all of this is still
sucking air through his ears, yells out “First Sergeant” enter now the
gentleman that Murf thought was the commander.
“Escort these two French B*@*@*#$ out of
my fort”. As we departed, I
asked again if Major Grant would like to visit his First Sergeant. Some how I anticipated the reply. So we were escorted out of the fort. As we passed the same guard we had met on
our way in, I practiced the French lessons taught us earlier. On our way back to our camp, Murf and I
reflected on how a genuine good thing can go bad by asking a simple
question. When we got back to camp, I
put Sederic out in the front of the camp and had the swivel gun next to
him. Major Grant never came to visit
us.
Epilogue:
It
was with a sense of disloyalty to the hospitality of the English as we returned
to our camp that day. I felt somewhat
giddy as to the outcome, but my brother Murf was downharden. Perhaps he has more English blood in him
then he is ready to admit.
Respectfully
and humbly submitted as a reflection of a typical Milice event.
Your
humble and obedient servant
Russell
7
How
to put up a tent all by yourself
- Tie the doors of the
tent together.
- Lay the tent out, so
the four corners are approximately where you want them to be.
- Look for your hammer,
it will probably be packed under everything else in your vehicle.
- Unload vehicle, to find
hammer.
- Locate stakes. You will be one short of enough.
- Pound stakes into the
four corners of the tent. Don’t
put them all the way into the ground because you are going to have to
readjust them.
- Honestly, I recommend
staking the doors closed, I get a more square tent.
- Place ridge pole in
tent, laying the tent on one side.
- Place uprights in ridge
pole.
- Move uprights from
outside the tent door to inside. (
Yes, I have done that!)
- Gently, raise the one
upright until it is partially standing up.
- Hurry around to the
other side of the tent before the whole thing falls over and snaps
- Pick yourself up off
the ground after tripping over the door stake.
- Jocky back and forth
between uprights until you get both of them standing.
- Look for first aid kit
to fix your cut knee from the door stake.
- Watch gust of wind
knock over the tent while tending your cut knee.
- Return to step 11.
- After poles are up,
reposition corner stakes if necessary.
( I always seem to have to straighten mine).
- Place rest of stakes in
position.
- Find your cooler and a
cold beverage of choice. Be proud
you got it up alone.
- Remove door state,
before loading your gear in the tent.
In
good humor,
Libby
7
Please make the following changes to your roster-----
New
e-mail address for Bob Gill
New
address for Jim Klein
105 Maple St.
Germantown IL
62245
618-523-4717
New
address for Linda Miller
1442 SE Soneto Ct.
Port St. Lucie, FL 34983
( It is so nice to have the
Journal to keep me posted on events, etc.
I always think of the Fort on the first weekend of the month and of
Niagara on July 4th. Wish we
could be with you all in Kimmswick for the caroling! It’s not quite the same here.
I wore a Christmas sweatshirt last year and roasted. Tell everyone I said hello. Thanks,
Linda)
New
address
Alliance Francaise de St. Louis
Jane Marie Robert – President
202 Greenbriar Ests. Dr.
St. Louis MO 63122
314-821-6868 phone
314-821-7622 FAX
imr@oui.com email
New
probationary members
Josh and Steph Cornelius
14 Signal Park Ln.
Belleville IL
62223
618-398-6869
John Hammond
608 Joyceann Dr.
Manchester MO
63021
636-227-9089
7
NOTICE OF
THEFT.
Sometime
between September 4 and October 6, 2000, a British 3 pound cannon (Verbrugen)
on a Congreve Carriage was stolen from a storage facility in the St. Louis, Mo.
area.
It
is a South Bend Replica, 2-1/4" bore, cast iron barrel with a stainless
steel sleeve. The barrel has v-shaped notches in the muzzle and barrel band.
The carriage is oak, painted grey with black ironwork. The wheels are 38"
tall with 14 spokes and iron tyres about 3 inches wide.
Along
with the cannon and carriage, the accoutrements were also stolen: worm &
rammer, sponge & rammer, handspike, linstock, tampion, vent cover, 2 brass
vent picks and many others necessary to operate the cannon.
Finally,
also gone is 90% of a couple's historical camping gear of the F&I Era.
If
you have any information regarding this crime, please notify either:
(A.k.a.
Peachey Carnehan)
4261
B. Daiquiri Ln.
St.
Louis, Mo. 63129
314-845-0171
OR
Columbia
Police Department
Officer
Shawn Westfall
Columbia,
Il.
618-281-5151
Fax:
618-281-6644
Let's
all keep our eyes open and get this equipment back to its rightful owner.
7
The
F&I Oct. 2K
It was a beautiful day. Gail Cornelius and Marshal Meadors took the big-wheeled wooden
handcart to town for much needed supplies.
They finished their wood chopping early in the morning and delivered it
to the Fort. The money that was earned
from the wood was enough to buy the supplies and maybe refreshments at the
tavern. Wives and friends waved
good-bye as they trudge down the path towards town.
It was late afternoon that
musket fire was heard in the distance.
Some people rushed to the top of the Fort’s wall for a better view. In the distance, our two heroes were struggling
with the cart. They were trying to make
all possible speed, but it was obvious that the heavy load of supplies was
making their effort difficult. The need
for their speed became clear when small white puffs of smoke were seen not far
behind Gail and Marshal. In a very brief
moment, the sound of muskets firing reached the wall. The Milice was called out to rescue the two men.
The black-hearted British were
flowing out from of a small grove of trees.
Their bright red coats massed together appeared to be a large carpet floating
across the landscape. They were not
formed up in lines, but their ranks were broken and in hot pursuit. Can the Milice answer the call to arms in
time?
The brave
Captain was having his low fat dinner and said that he would be there when he was
finished. Some of the men could not
find their powder and balls. Others
said that they were to busy. Even with
the excuses, several men were gathering at the gate.
Mean while our two heroes were doing the best that
they could. As the red coats closed the
distance between them, the two would stop and drop the cart then fire their
smooth bore guns. Marshal would pick
up the cart and head for the fort. Gail
would keep up while reloading both guns.
Once again, they would stop and fire.
This time Gail would pull and Marshal would reload. The two were racing the British to the fort,
but to everyone watching, it looked like the race was going to end in a tie
about 50 yards from the gate. This
would not be good for our heroes. The
two men decided to abandon the cart and save themselves. They ran a few yards from the cart and
stopped. They turned and ran back to
the cart while under British musket fire.
Each picked up an article of the supplies and ran for their lives.
What was so important that they would risk their
lives and run back into a hail of enemy bullets? Now! It was a flat out
foot race for the fort, and the guys in red were gaining. It looked like Marshal and Gail were at
their ropes end. Their breathing was
coming in labored gasps, and they were beginning to stagger on the legs. In desperation, they threw down their guns
and other equipment. They kept the
supplies and stumble on towards safety.
The Milice was still in disarray, so the women ran
to the rescue of the two. The brave women
quickly reached the men. They
physically picked the two men up and carried them to safety. Marshal and Gail fought to bring the
supplies with them, but the women threw the articles down. They yell that stuff is not worth your
lives.
Everyone was safely inside the fort, and the men of
the Milice were finally ready to save Marshal and Gail. When the men of the Milice heard what was
contained in the two items lying on the ground outside of the fort, they rushed
out and rescued two KEGS of RUM.
Jim Chestney
7
A small Christmas tale
follows for your amusement.
Cajun Night Before Christmas by
“Trosclair”
‘Twas
the night before Christmas “To
de top o’ de porch His
cheek like a rose
An’
all t’ru de house To
de top o’ de wall His
nose like a cherry
Dey
don’t a t’ing pass Make
crawl, alligator On
secon’ t’ought maybe
Not
even a mouse. An’
be sho’ you don’t fall. He
lap up the sherry.
De
chirren been nezzle Like
Tante Flo’s cat Wit’
snow-white chin
Good
snug on de flo’ T’ru
de treetop he fly whisker
An’
Mama pass de pepper W’en
de big ole houn’ dorg An’
quiverin’ belly
T”ru
de crack on de do’ Come
a run hisse’f by He
shook w’en he laugh
Like
de stromberry jelly!
Den
Mama in de firplace Like
dat up de porch
Done
roas’ up de ham Dem
ol’ gator clim’! But
wink in his eye
Stire
up de gumbo Wit
de skiff full o’ toy An’
a shook o’ his head
An’
make bake de yam. An’
St. Nicklus behin’ Make
my confid-dence
dare
Den
out on de by-you Den
on top de porch roof I
don’t got to be scared.
Dey
got such a clatter it
soun’ like de hail
Make
soun’ like old Boudreau W’em all dem big gator He don’t do no talkin’
Done
fall off his ladder. Done
sot down dey tail Gone
straight to his work
Put
playt’ing in sock
I
run like a rabbit Den
down de chimney An
den turn wit’ a jerk.
To
got to de do’ I
yell wit’ a bam
Trip
over do dorg An’
St. Nicklus fall He
put bot’ his hand’
An’
fall on de flo’! An’
sit on the yam. Dere
on top o’ his head
Cas’
an eye on de
As
I look out de do’ “Sacre!”
he axclaim chimney
In
de light o’ de moon “Ma
pant got a hole An’
den he don’ said.
I
t’ink “manh, you crazy I
done sot mas’se’f
Or
got ol’ too soon.” On
dem red hot coal.” “Wit
all o’ dat fire
An
dem burnin’ hot flame
Cuz
dere on de by-you He
got on his foots Me
I ain’ goin’ bakc
W’en
I strech ma’neck stiff An’
jump like a cat By
de way dat I came.”
Dere’s
eight alligator Out
to de flo’
A
pullin’de skiff. Where
he lan’ wi’ a SPLAT! So he
run out de do’
An’
he clim’ to do roof
An’
a little fat drover He
dress in musk-rat He
ain’t no fool, him
Wit’
a long pole-ing stick From
his head to his foot For
to make one more
I
know r’at away An’
his clothes is all dirty goof.
Got
to be ole St. Nick. Wit’
ashes an’ soot.
He
jump in his skiff
Mo’
fas’er an’ fas’er A
sack full o’ playt’ing An’
crack his big whip.
De
‘gator dey came He
t’row on his back De’
gator move down
He
whistle an’ holler He
look like a burglar An’
don’ make one slip.
An’
call dem by name: An’
dass fo’ a fack.
An’
I hear him shout loud
“Ha,
Gaston! His
eyes how dey shine As
a splashin’ he go
Ha,
Tiboy! His
dimple, how merry! “Merry
Chrismas to all
Ha,
Pierre an’ Alcee’! Maybe
he been drink ‘Til
I saw you some mo’”
Gee,
Ninette! De
wine from blackberry.
Gee,
Suzette!
Celeste
an’ Renee’!”
Merry
Christmas
&
Happy New
Year