Happy New Year!
3 January 2008New Year - New commanders! We have a new staff here at the Western Brigade; a new commander for the First Federal Division; and new leaders commanding both the Army of the Ohio and Illinois battalions. With new leaders you will see a re-birth of excitement for our great hobby all across the west. The state of the brigade is very good - my eternal thanks go to my predecessor, Mike Lavis, for his dedication and devotion to the Brigade.
Plans are coming along very well for the two Western Brigade events for 2008. Now that we have cleared the decks and completed the holiday season, it’s time to focus on “Stand of Colors” in May (16, 17, 18), and “At High Tide” the last weekend in June. Both promise to be excellent events, and every effort should be made to get to both!
“Stand of Colors” will be the brigade’s first opportunity to travel to western Missouri in our 20 year history. This event will represent many of the battles of the 1864 Missouri campaign. There were many battles, culminating in the Battle of Westport outside modern Kansas City, Missouri. This event will offer something for everyone - established camps, forward positions, interactions with civilians, and set piece battles. Working with other Federal forces, we will be on some of the best terrain that has been available to us in years. Proceeds will benefit special needs kids - a great opportunity to go to a great event, and help a great cause in the process!
Beyond the event itself, note that a bit of time would be well spent at one of the many historical attractions in the Kansas City area: the National World War One Museum; Watkin’s Mills (featured in the movie “Ride with the Devil“); and the Steamboat Arabia Museum top my list - there are others.
Gather more information about this interesting event at http://www.standofcolors.net/ - registration is up - make sure that you list “Western Brigade” along with your home unit in the appropriate line.
Westport has been called the “Gettysburg of the West.” Our other event this year is “At High Tide” - the ‘real’ Gettysburg 145th event. Read all about this fascinating event at http://www.wmhf.org/athightide/ . Please note that all Western Brigade units are to register through the “At High Tide” website - watch for a post very soon with details.
For Gettysburg, the Western Brigade will be representing several Federal units raised in the west: Iron Brigade on Saturday; Gibralter Brigade on Saturday evening, and the First Minnesota on Sunday. Our staff has planned a number of special features for this once-in-a-lifetime event. Plan to arrive early on Friday. Watch for more details very soon.
2008 should be a great year for the WB. Col. Mike Lavis has turned the reins over to me, and I plan to continue his excellent and successful policies - taking the Western Brigade to “the Next Level.” I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the finest and largest western Federal unit in the world.
Col. Jim Moffet
Western Brigade
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