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Here goes the first post....
Background: Our Captain (company that we portray), William Lawrence Clark, Jr., like most of his men (2nd Va. Co. F, Winchester Riflemen), was from Winchester. His father (Sr.) was a public figure- he owned several warehouses in and around Winchester, was the President (through the end of the war) of the Winchester and Potomac RR, and a prominent lawyer (and also a former Whig), authoring several books, including Corpus Juris. He ran for election to the state convention on secession, but was beaten by a unionist candidate (his property, because of his secessionist views, was burned by home unionists and union troops during the war). Company F was also part of the state militia the marched and seized Harpers Ferry early in the war.
Sources: Yale's Confederates, pg.40, Nathaniel Cheairs Hughes Jr. Winchester in the Civil War, Pg. 7,13, Roger U. Delauter Jr., 2nd Virginia Infantry, Dennis E. Frye.
My question is this- I had heard (post somewhere on the cwreenactors forum) that sometimes local government officials would use their 'influence' to help secure new equipment for their troops- like rifles or rifle-muskets, etc.
Does anyone have any information that can attest to things like this happening? Given the circumstances, would a militia unit specifically from a prominent city like Winchester, (pratically right next to Harpers Ferry) closely tied with men in politics or with sway, be able to secure newer weapons early in the war? I'm not trying to justify, just trying to find out what weapons might have been available to them. Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate photos of the Company, so I can't tell that way.
Thanks,
-Chris
Background: Our Captain (company that we portray), William Lawrence Clark, Jr., like most of his men (2nd Va. Co. F, Winchester Riflemen), was from Winchester. His father (Sr.) was a public figure- he owned several warehouses in and around Winchester, was the President (through the end of the war) of the Winchester and Potomac RR, and a prominent lawyer (and also a former Whig), authoring several books, including Corpus Juris. He ran for election to the state convention on secession, but was beaten by a unionist candidate (his property, because of his secessionist views, was burned by home unionists and union troops during the war). Company F was also part of the state militia the marched and seized Harpers Ferry early in the war.
Sources: Yale's Confederates, pg.40, Nathaniel Cheairs Hughes Jr. Winchester in the Civil War, Pg. 7,13, Roger U. Delauter Jr., 2nd Virginia Infantry, Dennis E. Frye.
My question is this- I had heard (post somewhere on the cwreenactors forum) that sometimes local government officials would use their 'influence' to help secure new equipment for their troops- like rifles or rifle-muskets, etc.
Does anyone have any information that can attest to things like this happening? Given the circumstances, would a militia unit specifically from a prominent city like Winchester, (pratically right next to Harpers Ferry) closely tied with men in politics or with sway, be able to secure newer weapons early in the war? I'm not trying to justify, just trying to find out what weapons might have been available to them. Unfortunately, I have not been able to locate photos of the Company, so I can't tell that way.
Thanks,
-Chris