Battalion Formed
AGL Forms A Federal Battalion
Federal Units to Train Together
While attending the annual AGL Fall Ball on November 26th (see follow-ing article), it was decided that a battalion would be formed out of the Federal units within the AGL. This action was decided upon in order to attempt to have all Federal units within the AGL work, train and fight together as one organized unit instead of many small ones in separate groups.
For the time being the battalion will be called the 1st Battalion but this may change if a suggestion proposed by Maj Robinson and 1LT Speicher is adopted by two other groups of German reenactors. These are groups from the UCR and IOCUM, and may include other German groups in the future.
The proposal is that these three groups form their own battalion from its ranks of Federal units. The UCR would be given the honor of being named the 1st Battalion because most of its units currently make up the Federal Battalion of Germany. The AGL battalion would become the 2nd Battalion while the IOCUM battalion would become the 3rd Battalion. In order to dispel the thought that this is an attempt to subvert the current Federal Battalion of Germany, it was also proposed that the Federal Battalion staff take command of the three battalions in the field and now be called the Federal Brigade of Germany.
Besides wanting better command and control within the ranks of he AGL Federal units, it is also hoped that this will create more large scale battle reenactments during the warm months of the year, allowing the greatest participation of all Federal units in Ger-many. As was stated in the last issue of the Gazette, participating in re-enactments with large numbers of soldiers is a lot more enjoyable than in those with just one or two units. The massed Federal units at Mon-tabaur were a sight to behold.
Many details of forming a Brigade still need to be worked out. Such as training weekends during the cold weather months. In this respect, the 4th Maine regiment, under its parent organization, the RNMHS, has requested barracks space at the US Kaserne in Babenhausen. This has been viewed very favorably by the 233rd BSB and a positive answer is expected in the coming weeks.
With the formation of the AGL battalion some of the officers were also se-lected. Capt Robinson is promoted to Major and will be the battalion commander. 1LT Speicher will be the acting XO and Pvt McMa-hon, of the 4th Maine, will be promoted to battalion quartermaster sergeant. When Maj Robinson and Sergeant McMahon are at events with only 4th Maine members they will revert to their former ranks.
At the present time the XO and sergeant major positions will rotate among the units of the Battalion. This may change at a later date and permanent positions will be appointed. 1st Sergeant Meysmans, of the 4th Maine, and the 1st Sergeant of the 14th Brooklyn will be the pri-mary drill instructors for the Battalion. Corporal Robinson will assist Quartermaster McMahon in his duties, as well as perform his duties in the 4th Maine. In addition to the infantry units there will be cavalry, artillery and medical units. These will be commanded as they have in the past.
Regulations and guidelines for the Infantry battalion will be established as soon as the infantry units begin to drill with one another and the strength of the battalion can be determined.
Battle Report
Espionage Paves Way to Victory
By 1st Sgt Guy Meysmans
During the war espionage has been a very risky business. All sorts of manners were explored to get to know more about the enemy.
As such, in early 1864, an unknown 4th Maine soldier was ordered on a special mission to find out more about the strength of rebel troops in the area. The only thing known for sure is that this brave soldier was from Company B, but his name has never been discovered. It is not known why such a simple soldier was chosen for this operation but it is assumed that he might blend in with the rebs better. Nevertheless, the man did as he was told, probably a wealthy reward was promised.
The story begins with this soldier departing camp aboard a wagon, that took him close to a Rebel camp, where a lot of cavalry was assembled. The wagon he traveled in was slow and often broke down, but after many hours on the road he finally dropped off and found his way to the Rebel camp.
From the very beginning it was clear to him that the war could not last much longer. He found that the Rebel army was in a sad state. Most of the Rebel cavalry had no horse and those that did were in a sorry state. Some of the infantry units were in better shape. They drilled better and their equipment was in better order. The camp area was very good, as was the surrounding area.
The weather was not so good, unfortunately, and it rained for three days straight. The Rebels lacked any decent rainproof equipment and this showed considerably. All these details were important to the mission that this man was sent to do. It was his bad luck though, that he could not get any messages out of the Rebel camp.
A small battle occurred the day after this 4th Maine soldier entered the Rebel camp, with a Reb column going on the march. Soon a skirmish broke out, which lasted the entire afternoon. Both sides took many casualties but the Reb forces could not afford them.
The fighting started at the edge of a woods, where two narrow tracks merged into one. The Rebs were pushed back by the Union infantry at first but soon the Rebs brought up reinforcements onto the field and drove the small Federal force from the field. The Federals were only able to withdraw a short ways, as they soon found that their rear had been cut and they were now being attacked from two sides. They were unable to get runners out to call for aide and the 4th Maine soldier could only watch in horror as this force was decimated. The 4th Maine soldier was not able to warn his pards either, now being posted as the second sergeant to a Rebel company, even moving Rebel soldiers around on the battlefield.
At one point during the battle an ambush was set up to try and wipe out a band of Federal soldiers. The ambush was "discovered" by dismounted Federal cavalry however, saving a lot of Federal boys by this Rebel "misfortune." It is not known if the 4th Maine soldier played a hand in this or not.
By late afternoon, with the battlefield soaked in rain and blood, both sides withdrew from the field and nobody in full control for what had been so hard fought for. During the evening poor meals were cooked and the at-mosphere was moody and dark. Soon pickets were posted and the camp settled down for a well deserved sleep, even if only for a few hours.
The next morning it was still drizzling with rain, as the sorry lot of men awoke from their slumbers. The army had a meager breakfast and camp was broken down, the army moving off to fight another battle. After all of the misery seen by the 4th Maine soldier, he decided that it was time for him to leave this poor lot all together and try to make for his own lines. In this he succeeded and was able to submit his report concerning the condition of the Rebel force arranged against the Army of the Potomac. This Rebel force was not the invincible army that had made Federal troops flee on many occasions. We are at least their equals in many aspects. The 4th Maine soldier did report that it was a very interesting experience, to say the least, to be on the "other side" like that.
(This report was filed by 1st Sergt Meysmans, after he participated in a reenactment by himself, as a Rebel soldier. - The Editor)
4th Maine Members Take Shoot-ing Honors
Held in Voelklingen, Germany
4th Maine Members Take Top Three Awards
In August members of the 4th Maine joined its brothers from the 14th Brooklyn once again. This time the event was a live fire competition and encampment. The 4th Maine was unable to attend the encampment but several members did travel to participate in the live fire competition. As is customary, a good time was had by all and members of the 4th Maine equated themselves well. The top three places in the men’s com-petition went to 4th Maine men and the women of the 4th Maine placed 1st and 3rd in a pistol shooting competition.
Capt Robinson took first place in the musket competition while recruit David Thomas took second and Pvt Reise House took third. In the women's pistol competition, Monika Brehm took 1st place while Karla Zapf took third place. All in all, 4th Maine members took 5 out of the 6 prizes that were given for the competition.
It was also a special day for certain members of the 4th Maine and 14th Brooklyn. Pvt Thomas Zapf celebrated his 18th birthday and 1Lt Karl Heinz Speicher was celebrating his wedding to Helga Nicolay. Cards and hearty congratulations were given both for their special days. The 4th Maine wishes to express their hearty congratulations and long good health to Pvt Zapf, 1LT Speicher and his graceful bride.
The rest of the day was spent enjoying each others company, meeting new friends and telling old stories. As it was a hot and dusty day, most of the time was spent under the shade provided by the kind soldiers and ladies of the 14th Brooklyn Regiment.
Early in the evening a very sumptuous meal was offered by the owners of the land where the encampment and shooting competition was held. Several pork roasts was cooked over an open fire. The food was magnificent and enjoyed by all.
The location of the encampment and shooting competition was set off in the hills of Voelklingen and functions as a shooting club in normal times. There is a very nice flat area that allows for unit tents to be set up and the firing range is a very nice one. If permis-sion if ever granted, there is even a nice area in the hills that could pass for the rolling hills of the Shenadoah Valley, in Vir-ginia. The only problem would be the hard walking up and down these hills for people with leg and back problems.
5th Annual AGL Grand Ball Held in Darmstadt
Becoming Traditional Thanksgiving Day Event
4th Maine Member Win Grand Prize in Raffle
For the 5th straight year the Darmstaedter Club was the scene of the annual AGL Grand Ball. Nearly 80 guests arrived for the evenings activities and a grand time was had by all.
The doors opened once again at 6:30PM and the guests were ushered into the smoking room. Here they waited and chatted until the dining room doors opened at 7:30PM.
The meal for the even-ing was a traditional turkey dinner, with all the usual servings of potato, sweet potato, corn, stuffing and cranberry sauce. Dessert broke from tradition and ice cream was served. Red and white wine was served with the dinner and there was plenty of water and coffee for all. A new addition to this years festivity was the carving of a whole turkey by Major Robinson and Capt Schiller, of the 1st Virginia Infantry. This was received well and whole turkeys will be served for all to enjoy next year. The dining area also served as the dancing area, as it is every year. Members of the 4th Maine worked hard during the day to decorate the area in the usual red, white and blue decorations as well as perform their duty as the honor guard to greet the guests as they arrived for the evening's festivities.
Then the main reason for all to gather in Darmstadt began. This was to dance to the music of a three piece ensemble that has become the mainstay of the annual Grand Ball. Major and Mrs. Robinson, joined by Capt Schiller and his lovely companion for the evening, led the revelers in the first dance of the evening, the Grand March. The dancing went on for hours, only to be interrupted by the necessary breaks for the band and for the raffle of gifts.
Once again members of the 4th Maine won their fair share of gifts, to include this years grand prize. This was a British Enfield musket, won by Pvt Reise House. This is the second time that a 4th Maine member has won the Grand Prize, as 1st Sergeant Meysmans won a Mississippi musket two years ago. After the raffle the merrymaking continued in to the wee hours of the morning. It is known that certain members of the 4th Maine did not reach their cots until 4:00 am, a late night indeed for the intrepid soldiers of the regiment.