Lt. Col. Phil Matteson, 161 Linwood Ave., Tonawanda, NY 14150 (716) 694-0947

Major Craig McCann, 146 Laura Dr., Rochester, NY 14626 (585) 225-8984

Captain Ron Lutz, 19 Monroe St., N. Tonawanda, NY 14120 (716) 692-1320

1^st Lt. Mike Karnitz, 36 Woodstock Lane, Brockport, NY 14420 (585) 637-9069

The Yankees are nappin’! So are we!!!!!!!!

Scheduled Official Events: 1/25/03 Interregimental Ball

2/??/03 Valentine Soiree

Extra-Curricular Events:

Lt. Colonel’s Concerns:

Major’s Minute:

1) Interregimental Ball January 25, 2003
2) Valentine Soiree in February (I don't have the date yet)
3) Corps meeting in Richmond (Battalion & Battery officers only due to lack of seating) Jan31-Feb 2
4) Artillery School at Ft. Niagara May 10-11
5) Beaver Center, Pa. June 7& 8
6) Gettysburg 140th July 3-5, 2003
7) Hamlin (I don't have the date yet)
8) Bring to the table any other event the membership would like to try anew or do again.

9 ) (See Pages 9 and 10)

Captain’s Corner:

1^st Lieutenant’s Observation: If you have not yet signed up for Gettysburg, please do so at this time. With all three guns there we will need all of us there. Also on the back page is a financial report for the unit for 2002.

(The author of this sketch is seventy-nine years old. The story was narrated in Pennsylvania-German and translated by a grandnephew)

My father was about eighteen years old when he, with his parents, moved to Franklin County, Pa., from Lancaster County. They moved to a place near North Mountain. There were seven children in the family. My grandmother died there and was buried, in a graveyard nearby. Later grandfather married again and moved to the Rowe district near Shippensburg. Then my father married and began housekeeping on a farm, near Chambersburg. I was born on August 5, 1844, and was the oldest of seven children. The Civil War started in 1861, and I can remember quite distinctly many of the events that took place in our community during that troublous time. Most of the soldiers were volunteers in the first few years of the war. Later the draft was used; and many people were drafted. My father, however, was never drafted. He had a crippled hand, as a result of being caught in a threshing machine. This was sufficient to disqualify him for military service, and my brothers were too young.

In the beginning of the war everything was pretty quiet so far as we were concerned. Later the Southern soldiers began to make raids thru the north. The Cumberland Valley, being a rich farming section and a continuation of the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia was one of the favorite sections for raiding parties. When word first came that the "Rebels" were coming, the people became very much scared and hardly knew what to do. We could hear the noise of the battles in Maryland and Virginia before they came as far north as Pennsylvania. People generally started to hide their goods and valuables as soon as possible in the bottom of the smokehouse, which was kept securely locked. The best of the horse gears were hidden in the bake oven. Some of the older and less valuable harnesses was allowed to remain in the usual place to avert suspicion that things were hidden away. Then the horses were taken away since the Confederates were known to be badly in need of horses and took all they could get. The hired man took four of the horses to Lancaster county and one of my brothers (who had a horse of his own) took his to Cumberland County. The first ones escaped but my brother's horse was taken as the Rebels came that far north. The people of the whole community took their horses away. Many of them hid them in the mountains that skirt both sides of the Valley. The men would go together in bands and take care of the horses in the mountains. One of our horses was put into a stable of the tenant house, which stood farther back in the woods. She was left for quite a while, but was finally discovered and taken. The colts were turned loose in the woods. Father thought they would not be able to catch them, but they drove them into a corner with their horses and caught them in this way.

In one of the first raids the Rebels came into our place in search of horses; the horses had been previously sent away. A squad (of) three or four called father out and demanded that he tell them where the horses were. He told them he could not tell, as he did not know, which was true, because he did not know where the men had taken them. Then they said if he did not tell they would shoot him. We were out on the porch, mother and all of us children, and needless to say, were very much scared. Father stuck to his story and insisted that he could not tell them something that he did not know. They must have believed his story for they soon ceased their threatening, and rode away. Afterward many of them came and the community was full of them. They took hay and grain for their horses, but I do not remember that they took any cattle. They helped themselves to the hogs but I do not remember that they butchered them at home as they did at some places. However, they paid for their things with paper "Greenbacks." It was absolutely worthless. They carried printing outfits with them and made their money as they went. For a while they had their presses installed in a schoolhouse near home. They would tell us that their money would soon be worth face value as they were going to win the war. They also assured us that our money would soon be worthless. Sometimes our people would refuse to take their money telling them that it would soon be worthless, but they would reply that they would soon win the war and then it would be quite valuable. We wouldn't take their money and when they did business with us we would give it to them whenever possible. They would take it, but no doubt they knew as well as we did, that it was worthless.

The Rebels camped on a neighboring farm and often came to our place for things to eat. Every morning we could hear the bugle blow. I still remember it as well as we could hear the drums as they drilled. They would come and ask that we cook bread for them, not seeminq to know the difference between cooking and baking. We baked for them as best we could under the circumstances, as at that time the bake oven was full of gears. They sometimes took nearly all the eatables we had. They provided guards for the farmhouse so that the soldiers would not destroy the things and take things when they had no orders to do so. The guards usually treated us very respectfully, and they slept on the floor. Most of the Rebels soldiers were very poorly dressed. Their uniforms were not new and bright like those of the Union Soldiers. The harvest came and the boys were still away with the horses. Father did what he could in cradling the wheat and we helped to rake and bind the sheaves, but much of the wheat was destroyed and trampled over by the soldiers and horses. As I remember the harvest was not large that year because it was either destroyed or could not be harvested. Finally the Rebels left without any battles having been fought in our vicinity.

2002 Treasurers Report

Income

Disbursements

First, Happy New Year! I wish everyone a safe and prosperous upcoming season!

The past years schedule was lighter than previous years to give some of us an opportunity to catch up on other responsibilities of life and to allow most of the membership to participate in the engagements that were scheduled. It is anticipated that 2003 will have more events.

The Longstreet’s Corps and Alexander’s Battalion meetings are taking place February 1^st and 2^nd and several of us will be in attendance. Following that meeting we will be in a better position to set the schedule for 2003.

The past summer season is over and as I look back I feel the one word to describe what we experienced is HOT. Although this condition may have slowed us down I'm grateful that none of us suffered heat related injuries during the hottest times of the season. One alternative to hot, of course, is chilly and rainy (along with the snow as I write this) and with that in mind I'll count my blessings and be grateful for the heat. In spite of the heat I've had a good time at the events this year and hope y'all have, too.

Congratulations to Pvt. Melayne Karnitz for her promotion to Corporal. Additionally, the new rank carries an extra bar across the top of the stripes to denote the position of battery quartermaster. Cpl. Karnitz is charged with the duty of supply and inventory for the battery and everyone is expected to cooperate with her efforts and requirements throughout the event. This position will also provide a single point of contact for other units needing supplies from the Bedford Light as well as the Bedford Light needing supplies from other units.

Be advised wood and water details and assignments remain the responsibility of the sergeants and Cpl. Karnitz may remind the sergeants that those supplies need replenishment.

No one could help notice that there has been a lot of experimentation with the basic drill this past season. It is a safe bet that changing anything that we are used to will generally cause more discomfort than relief and drill modifications are no exception. However, an effort has been underway to standardize the drill throughout Alexander's Battalion in order to minimize the confusion and loss of time that results when personnel are shifted among the various units to fill in where they are needed. Although annoying, loss of time is a far less important factor than the confusion within a crew of cannoneers that are practiced in dissimilar drills. It has been proven that this confusion results in a safety liability. Fortunately, no one has been seriously or permanently injured.

Currently, at the Battalion level, there still is no standard drill in writing for all to understand and adhere to. The differing drills amongst the units of the battalion are all within the guidelines of the NCWAA and most of the members are certified. However, the latitude residing in the NCWAA guidelines must be kept in mind when asked to serve in another unit or when guest cannoneers are asked to serve with us. As a unit, it is our responsibility to be sure guests are properly prepared in our drill before letting them take the field with us. As individuals, it is our responsibility to be sure we are prepared in the host units drill before taking the field with them.

Until the Battalion agrees upon and adopts a standard drill (it is my opinion there will be two drills, one for battlefield use, one for ceremonials), each unit is charged with becoming proficient in a drill that is within the NCWAA guidelines and hopefully work towards a drill that would result in a battalion standard. The Bedford Light is no exception and we have attempted to modify our drill so as to match portions of drill that have been adopted by other battalion units. To say the least, most of these modifications were not well received by our membership at any level of rank.

To bring this period of experimentation and confusion to an end for the Bedford Light, Lt. Karnitz hosted a meeting of active officers and NCOs to discuss the drill as it pertains to our unit and to agree upon a safe and efficient procedure for a battlefield drill that is within NCWAA guidelines. The result was a drill procedure nearly identical to the original drill used when the Bedford Light took the field as Richardsons' Battery of the Washington Artillery.

Since the meeting, Lt. Karnitz has done an excellent job of putting the resultant drill in writing, complete with diagrams, and has submitted copies for any modifications needed to produce a finished document. I expect the finished Bedford Light Drill Manual will be available very soon. Everyone in the unit who expects to participate on the field will be required to be completely familiar with the manuals contents and will be expected to follow the procedures within.

This drill was put into practice at Hamlin and, with one minor change regarding sighting the piece, proved to be successful and was accepted by the battery.

I would like to write a bit more but I am out of time and must close.

I hope to see you all at the unit meeting when it is scheduled!

Your Obedient Servant,

Maj. Craig F. McCann