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Effective 1 January, 2015, a change of command will be effected for the leadership of the Western Independent Grays.
Brian Hicks will be stepping down from this position.
Under his care, the W.I.G. (cooperating with Thomas ‘Skip’ Owens) fielded men in Battalions at the 150th Gettysburg, and 150th Chickamauga. It also fielded a Battalion at the Bermuda One Hundred event, and the Battle of Pickett’s Mill. All four of these events where tremendous successes, which all participants can be proud of having been a part of.
Assuming command will be Herb Coats.
The future of the W.I.G. looks bright as we close out the cycle of the 150th anniversary celebrations. As the last of the Anniversary battles draw to a close, campaigner events will once again populate the calendar. Under the guidance of Herb Coats several events are already planned and coordinated for the next two years.
From the incoming commander:
I want to first thank Brian Hicks for leading and guiding the Western Independent Grays for the past two years as its commander. The WIG has been able to participate in some memorable events that tied into the anniversary cycle. With Brian stepping down to move onto other time periods, and to "encourage" me in the ranks, I am ready to guide the group to some familiar and some new locations. Most of you know me, so I don't want bore you with a grand biography. I will say this though, I'm proud to have been a member of the WIG since Day 1. Yes indeed, I was at the Shiloh Living History where "us campaigners" got the idea to band together.
Going into the future, it is my goal to take the WIG back to more campaigner or EBUFU style events, as well as have a presence at some of the larger scale events. Basically, I want to keep a healthy mix of events for the WIG. Starting in 2015, January has an EBUFU Winter Quarters event right out of the gate in January being headed up by Joe Knight and Dustin Herr near Meridian, Mississippi. This is a reenactor only event focusing on the last winter of the war. There will be a live fire aspect to the event, as well as the chance to add on to the standard "winter tent". The dates are January 30th - February 1st.
More information can be found online here:
and on Facebook:
On March 27th - 29th, the WIG next tavels to central Virginia for the 150th Sailor's Creek event. This will be on the actual battlefield, and we will be in a brigade of many of the same, like-minded comrades that we have been falling in with since 2011. The impression is the 18th Georgia Battalion, also known as the Savannah Volunteer Guard. There is a Facebook page set up currently with the kit guidelines, (Similar to the Chickamauga kit. Don't toss that blue/gray kersey jacket yet!) unit history, registration form, etc. This will be the WIG's first event of the year. The WIG Old Guard, Armory Guards, Breckenridge Grays, Palmetto Guards, and others are committed to recreating the SVG at Sailors Creek.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/645178122226589/
The fall of 2015 has the WIG looking at a mobile CS living history at Chickamauga National Park. The date looks to be the weekend of September 18th - 20th. More information will be coming soon, but the impression is simple, but a little different. Does your group have a "Pet Regiment" such as the 2nd Georgia Inf, 1st Florida Inf, or the 9th Tennessee Inf? If you and your comrades can bring a company, the intent is to march to the location, interpret the movements of the command, and get a little "education" on the unit's actions in the battle. So far there is interest in units that saw action in the Dyer Field, Viniard Farm, and McDonald House. Again, more information will be coming soon.
Looking ahead a bit into 2016, We are working on a mobile US event in central Mississippi that has Sherman's Meridian Campaign as its guiding "idea". The time frame is late February/early March. This is still in its infancy, so stay tuned!
In the Fall of 2016, we have an invitation to form a CS battalion at Perryville State Park Battlefield site. I cannot count how many people have spoken to me about "Perryville was great when the WIG went in 2001 and 2002." So, I've taken that to heart, and we'll be there. According to the scenarios we are looking at portrayals dealing with Maney and Donelson's attack, and Adams Brigade's actions.
So, there is solid Two Year Plan for the WIG, now we just need to tell our comrades who may have been sitting out of the mix, or have not been interested in the larger 150th events, that the WIG is back guiding its own destiny at events that YOU have told me that you want to attend.
With all of this exciting news, look for a new WIG website that will have event links , some informational sections, and points of contact. The WIG Facebook Page will get some more "attention", and the Authentic Campaigner will continue to be another source that we use to get out events out to the community.
Thanks,
Herb Coats
Brian Hicks will be stepping down from this position.
Under his care, the W.I.G. (cooperating with Thomas ‘Skip’ Owens) fielded men in Battalions at the 150th Gettysburg, and 150th Chickamauga. It also fielded a Battalion at the Bermuda One Hundred event, and the Battle of Pickett’s Mill. All four of these events where tremendous successes, which all participants can be proud of having been a part of.
Assuming command will be Herb Coats.
The future of the W.I.G. looks bright as we close out the cycle of the 150th anniversary celebrations. As the last of the Anniversary battles draw to a close, campaigner events will once again populate the calendar. Under the guidance of Herb Coats several events are already planned and coordinated for the next two years.
From the incoming commander:
I want to first thank Brian Hicks for leading and guiding the Western Independent Grays for the past two years as its commander. The WIG has been able to participate in some memorable events that tied into the anniversary cycle. With Brian stepping down to move onto other time periods, and to "encourage" me in the ranks, I am ready to guide the group to some familiar and some new locations. Most of you know me, so I don't want bore you with a grand biography. I will say this though, I'm proud to have been a member of the WIG since Day 1. Yes indeed, I was at the Shiloh Living History where "us campaigners" got the idea to band together.
Going into the future, it is my goal to take the WIG back to more campaigner or EBUFU style events, as well as have a presence at some of the larger scale events. Basically, I want to keep a healthy mix of events for the WIG. Starting in 2015, January has an EBUFU Winter Quarters event right out of the gate in January being headed up by Joe Knight and Dustin Herr near Meridian, Mississippi. This is a reenactor only event focusing on the last winter of the war. There will be a live fire aspect to the event, as well as the chance to add on to the standard "winter tent". The dates are January 30th - February 1st.
More information can be found online here:
and on Facebook:
On March 27th - 29th, the WIG next tavels to central Virginia for the 150th Sailor's Creek event. This will be on the actual battlefield, and we will be in a brigade of many of the same, like-minded comrades that we have been falling in with since 2011. The impression is the 18th Georgia Battalion, also known as the Savannah Volunteer Guard. There is a Facebook page set up currently with the kit guidelines, (Similar to the Chickamauga kit. Don't toss that blue/gray kersey jacket yet!) unit history, registration form, etc. This will be the WIG's first event of the year. The WIG Old Guard, Armory Guards, Breckenridge Grays, Palmetto Guards, and others are committed to recreating the SVG at Sailors Creek.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/645178122226589/
The fall of 2015 has the WIG looking at a mobile CS living history at Chickamauga National Park. The date looks to be the weekend of September 18th - 20th. More information will be coming soon, but the impression is simple, but a little different. Does your group have a "Pet Regiment" such as the 2nd Georgia Inf, 1st Florida Inf, or the 9th Tennessee Inf? If you and your comrades can bring a company, the intent is to march to the location, interpret the movements of the command, and get a little "education" on the unit's actions in the battle. So far there is interest in units that saw action in the Dyer Field, Viniard Farm, and McDonald House. Again, more information will be coming soon.
Looking ahead a bit into 2016, We are working on a mobile US event in central Mississippi that has Sherman's Meridian Campaign as its guiding "idea". The time frame is late February/early March. This is still in its infancy, so stay tuned!
In the Fall of 2016, we have an invitation to form a CS battalion at Perryville State Park Battlefield site. I cannot count how many people have spoken to me about "Perryville was great when the WIG went in 2001 and 2002." So, I've taken that to heart, and we'll be there. According to the scenarios we are looking at portrayals dealing with Maney and Donelson's attack, and Adams Brigade's actions.
So, there is solid Two Year Plan for the WIG, now we just need to tell our comrades who may have been sitting out of the mix, or have not been interested in the larger 150th events, that the WIG is back guiding its own destiny at events that YOU have told me that you want to attend.
With all of this exciting news, look for a new WIG website that will have event links , some informational sections, and points of contact. The WIG Facebook Page will get some more "attention", and the Authentic Campaigner will continue to be another source that we use to get out events out to the community.
Thanks,
Herb Coats
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