Volume
15, No. 2, March 2003
Wow – What a day.
Great temperatures, sunny sky. I
can’t wait to get under canvas. (I
am writing this on March 8. By the
time you get this newsletter we will most likely be knee deep in snow.
I love the weather in the Midwest.)
The “season” is almost upon
us. Events will be coming fast and
furious for a while. Most
important, Frog Talk is April 26-27. Get your reservations in for dinner and don’t forget the
auction. There is more information
elsewhere in this newsletter.
Had our unit meeting this
morning. It was rather sparsely
attended (8 people). I remember
when we filled the courtroom. Where
was everybody? ?
We spent some time talking about
how we don’t do things as a unit like we used to.
I think we need to look into some unit activities that don’t involve
dragging out canvas. Part of what we are to do is to educate the public and
ourselves.
I would like to see some small
gatherings with specific purposes. Earl referred to them as bouillons. Several topics were mentioned:
A
gentlemen’s shoot – this has been suggested before.
A ladies’ shoot – let the ladies shoot, even if they haven’t before.
Gun clinic – basic care and feeding of a flintlock
Men’s sewing bee – learn how to make a shirt
Traps and snares
Woodswalk equipment – what’s in your pack??
Orienteering
Archery
Very basic French
Book Reviews
Drills
Recognizing wild plants
A “Cook off”
These don’t have to be all day
events, just an afternoon. Most
could be done at the Courthouse site. I need some feedback on this.
If anyone is interested in giving a presentation, let me know.
The next meeting is April 5 at
the Trade Faire. Sgt. Meadors will
have to take this meeting. I will be on my way home from Williamsburg.
Votre Serviteur
For the want of a Sentinel
Late in the fall a call went out to all the posts for reinforcements, as word had come that a column of British were marching on the Post de Alabams. Some reinforcements from the Illinois arrive at the post on Feb 14, all was in good order, and the weather was too warm to wear the justaucorp, quite different than it had been in the Illinois.
M. Saucier, Ingénieur du Roi au de Chartres; Capitaine Jean Tavanor, Holly Familie Kahoka; voyagur
M. Dykes , corporal Guilliam Johnson , sergeant Robear Ouie,
L’Ascension; Capitaine
D Dubois arrived from the Chicksaw county,
Sauvage Chris
Zagst ,Chéraki ; Hermel Marshall ,
and Rebecca Wilson du Fort Saint Jean Baptiste.
Capitaine
François Naussac, Chevalier, sergeant
Joseph Fonteneau and
the rest of the small garrison welcomed the relief force.
The garrison then amounted to a mere 17, including 2 dames.
The British column was not too far behind.
On the morning of the 15th sentinels
were posted, colours were raised and the morning gun resounded across the Coosa
and Tallapoousa, an attack soon came, the battle was intense, but was repulsed,
our commandant lead a counter attack out of the fort, but was unsuccessful.
Mid morning the British came under a flag of truce, but Capitiane Naussac
rejected their terms. Our commander led a second attack on the British camp but we
were thrown back.
Another attack on the fort occurred late
in the afternoon but that too was repulsed with the aid of a swivel gun (a
murderer), manned by M. Dykes, our only sauvage made a daring attack out side
the fort during this pitched battle but was severally injured in the foot but
managed to crawl back inside. Capitiane
Naussac, sergeants Fonteneau and Ouie under a flag of truce, marched the mile to
the British camp behind the old sauvage mound to inform the British that our
sauvage who was severally injured was related to one of his men, and he was
being sent back to his village for better care. On our return we found a tavern half way between the fort and
the British camp, operated by two dames and an unscrupulous trader by the name
of Hardluck, as it was hot and we were thirsty from such a long march in the
heat of the afternoon we had a cup of “yes”,
Anglais Ale. The unscrupulous in
keeper requested silver money, the unheard of price of two bits a cup, thanks to
our Capitiane who had a Spanish dollar bought us a round.
The evening gun was fired and coulours were taken down.
Everyone enjoyed a good supper. As
dark approached the Grand Circle was implemented for the night guard selection,
apparently some changes were made, with out the commander being told, or at
least that is how the story goes. Again
sentinels were posted, two night attacks were thrown against this small
garrison, but each were repulsed with a hail of musketry, powder was running
very low due to the many attacks through the day.
The trouble started at midnight with a slow steady rain, the sentinels
muskets got wet and would not fire due to the rain; two soldats and a sauvage
dame deserted during the night. From
2 AM until 6 AM with the garrison reduced there were no sentinels on the walls,
only the officer of the hour and his sergeant who made a round every fifteen
minutes. Everyone knew that the British would not come out in such
weather. At 6AM came the fatale
blow, everyone was asleep except for three the commander, the officer of the
guard and his sergeant.
The
British creep up to the fort slowly, not seeing any sentinels on the walls they
surrounded the fort, then burst through the gates firing their muskets and
screaming like sauvages for the French to come out and surrender, “enough to
scare the wits right out of a sleeping soldat”, several tried to fire their
muskets as the British burst through the barracks doors but the muskets miss
fired, “Thank God.”
All
were taken prisoner and the poor reached garrison in their nite shirts and some
barefooted were marched out into
the rain, then herded into a room and locked in under guard, the two dames were
taken away and God knows what happened to them. Fortunately no one was killed, only pride and feeling were
hurt. The triumphant British
hoisted their flag to the top of the flagpole, where is today; when the flag was
raised “in a hurry” one of the knots on the rope was pulled through the shiv
and the rope broke securing the flag at the top of the pole. All colours were taken, Embarrassing! The garrison was then released and a formal surrender took
place. It was hard to ascertain the
strength of the British, during the initial onslaught it looked as though there
were as many as thirty or forty but at the surrender the numbers had dwindled to
a mere twenty-five or less. The
fort was sacked and razed; the garrison marched out, some to Mobile and the rest
back to the Illinois.
The
moral to this story is; one should never let his guard down even if it rains,
especially when you have a worthy and determined adversary camped in your back
yard.
Robert
Ouie dit; Bob Gill
Upcoming
Events 2003 (* unconfirmed
dates based on last year’s calender)
Mar
29 – 18th Century women’s workshop – Fort de Chartres
April
5-6 – Trade Faire – Fort de Chartres
April
5 – Meeting – 4 pm, Capt’s tent
*April
5-6 – Spring Encampment – Fort Toulouse
April
12-13 – Cannon School – Fort de Chartres
April
26-27 – School of the Soldier – Fort de Chartres
May
3 – Meeting 10am – Cahokia Courthouse
*May
3-4 – Manskers Station – Goodletsville TN
May
10 – Kid’s Day – Fort de Chartres
May
17-18 – Lewis & Clark Rendezvous – St. Charles
*May
17-18 – Old Mines
May
24-25 – F&I – Fort Massac
June
7-8 – Rendezvous – Fort de Chartres
June
7 – Meeting – Capt’s tent – after closing colors
June
14-15 – Muster on the Maumee (timeline event) Fort Meigs
*June
21-22 – Fort Ticonderoga NY
June
27-29 – Discover, Steelville MI
*July
5-6 – Fort Niagara NY
*July
12-13 – Theatiki
Aug
16-17 – Seige 1759 (F&I event) Fort Meigs , Toledo OH
Sept
6 – Meeting 10am, - Cahokia Courthouse
*Sept
6-7 – Fair at New Boston IN
Sept
6-7 – Grande Fete du Chez Les
Canses – Hodge Park MO
Sept
20-21 – Belle Fountaine
Sept
21- Colonial Crafts – Frot de Chartres
*Sept
27-28 – Heritage Days, Godfrey IL
Oct
4-5 – F&I encampment – Fort de Chartres
Oct
4 – Meeting – 4pm – Capt’s tent
*Oct
11-12 – Kampsville
Oct
18-19- 30th Grand encampment – Fort Massac
Oct
18-19 – Gathering of the Eagles, Grafton
*Oct
18-19 – Bullseye
Nov
1-2 – Winter Rendezvous – Fort de Chartres
Nov
1 – Meeting – 4pm – Capt’s tent
Nov
11-13 – Lewis & Clark Bicentennial – Fort Massac
Dec
7 – Christmas meeting - TBA
Dec
31 – La Guiannee – Fort de Chartres
The event at fort Meigs, Aug
16,17 looks to be shaping up to be a big event. Some are billing this as a
Western Grand Encampment. The following units are planning to attend
BRITISH
1st Rgt. of Foot, Royal Scots, Gren. Co. (Pierre Oliver)
3rd. Massachusetts Provincials (Bagleys) (Brent Kemmer)
42nd. RoyaL Highlanders, Grahams Co. (Larry Blackett)
42nd. RoyaL Highlanders, Grenadier Co. (Andy Beck)
42nd. Royal Highlanders, Reid's Co. (Tim Dickinson)
42nd Royal Highland Regiment, Stewart's Co. (Bill Lochen)
55th Regiment of Foot (Nick Hoffman)
60th. Foot Royal Americans, Gordon's Co. (Todd Jolley)
60th. Foot Royal Americans, Genadiers (J.H.Northrup)
Pennsylvania Light Horse (Mike Kzrnarich)
Rogers Rangers, Jaeger's Bn. (Tim Todish)
Royal Rgt. Artillery, 1st Bn., Nr. 7 Co.., Nr. 1 Gun (Mark Ballance)
Royal Rgt. Artillery (Jim Polewchak & Jason Coombs)
---------
FRENCH
Compagnie Dumas Marines (western PA) (Vince Watson)
Compagnie Portneuf Marines (Armand La Pointe - Sean Hirst)
deQuindre's Militia (Bob Perry)
Guyenne (John Francis)
La Compagnie Franche de la Marine du Fort La Jonquiere (Gary Hackmann)
l'Detachment (Andy Gallup)
La Reine (eastern PA but some from MI) (Mike Malecki)
La Reine Grenadiers de Montreuil (Robert Madden)
Le Bouef Marines (eastern unit from PA) (Greg Henning)
Les Cies. du Détroit (Jim Selander-Doc Shaffer)
Les Troupes de Lévis à Sainte Foy-Brigade de Lévis (Bill Protz)
Milice de Ouiatenon (assoc. with Brig. de Lévis) (Dan Lima)
-----------
WOODLAND INDIANS
Lac de Illinois Native Allies (Brandon Scott)
------------------
UNITS THAT MIGHT ATTEND
Who?
---------------------------------
UNITS UNDER ORDERS TO REMAIN IN CANTONMENTS OR GARRISON (Can't
attend)
1st. Troop of Georgia Rangers (Ron Shephard)
77th Highlander's a Foote, Keith's Co. (Alan Stanley)
If anyone from the Milice is planning to go, please let me know so I can add
us to the list. I know some of us were there a couple of years ago, and
almost got blown to Oz. Maybe the weather will be calmer this year.
--
Do
you have a picture of an unusual 18th century object?
Would you like to try to stump the group??
Please send a copy or email one to me, and it will
appear in the next newsletter. - Lynn
Please make the following changes in your roster
Joyce Matson – frog90@peaknet.net or mfrog90@msn.com
And add:
Kenton & Gail Pope, 447 Broadway, P O Box 523, Barlow KY 42024, (270) 334-3942, joseflita@brtc.net
C’est moi - Say mwah – It’s me.
Qu’est-ce que c’est? – Kes-kuh-say? - what is it?/ what’s that?
C’est vrai – Say vray – That’s true
Qu’est-ce que vous m’aider? – kes-kuh vooh mayday? – Will you help me?
Je vous en prie – Juh voohs uhn pree – You’re welcome.
3/4 cup boiling water 2 T margarine
1/2 cup sugar 1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup evaporated milk 1 egg, beaten
1 package dry, instant yeast 3 3/4 cups sifted flour
powdered sugar
In a sauce pan bring the water
to boil, remove from heat.
Add margarine, sugar and salt, mix.
After the margarine has melted, add milk
and the beaten egg.(be sure to “temper” the egg)
Let stand until warm (No hotter than 200F).
In a mixing bowl mix flour and yeast.
When the liquid has cooled to less than 200F, stir it into the flour mixture.
Add enough flour to make a soft dough, knead well.
Place the dough in a greased bowl, turning to grease the top.
Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until double in size.
On an oiled surface roll the dough to 1/8 inch thickness, cut into 2-inch
squares.
Let dough rise to double before frying.
Fry a few at a time, in 2”deep hot (350F-375F) oil.
Brown on 1 side, turn, and brown the other side.
Drain and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
Serve hot. Makes 30.
Journal
of the Milice de Ste. Famille
1015
Genevieve Pl.
Cahokia
IL 62206-1403