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Friends and acquaintances,
I write this message to you in regard to the current situation for the Vicksburg Preservation March hosted by the Trans-Miss Hellcats set for May 18-24, 2020. I am aware that I have not posted much in the way of information and updates since last November and wanted to shed light on the situation.
Since the end of November, we have been dealt a series of blows focusing largely on the event, and within several of the personal lives of key persons assisting in hosting the event. In December, we were notified that the Superintendent of the Natchez Trace Parkway had decided to retire and that a new replacement had not yet been found. Around New Years, I received a call from the Natchez Trace Parkway security office in Tupelo that a new director had been found, however, they wanted to give that individual time to settle into their new role before approaching them with upcoming requests to utilize the Trace. In that vein, I was told that they would not be willing to entertain our request for a permit under the new director until April 1, 2020. With that deadline so close to the event, itself, it practically torpedoed any hope of using the Trace.
We scrambled to come up with a new route and way to incorporate all of the most important aspects of the Vicksburg Campaign into our effort. That is when I was informed that the individuals at the Windsor Ruins location, our first campsite, had pulled their support, as the State of Mississippi had approved an archeological dig and preservation effort of the site.
Looking at all of these developments, we spent the better part of late December and early January actively discussing the best course of action. With the loss of our starting point, more than half of our original route, and growing issues with the Mississippi Department of Transportation regarding safety concerns, we have ultimately decided that the best course of action is to cancel the event.
Unfortunately, the current atmosphere in the State of Mississippi is truly not conducive to events focusing on commemorating the American Civil War. The state is definitely going through a change, making it difficult to accomplish such events on state and private property. We ran into similar issues with our Raymond effort two years ago.
This is not something that I wanted to do. Since its inception, I have dreamed of pulling off this effort. Much time, money, and personal resources have been allocated from my family and pocketbook. I wanted this effort to go down in the history of the hobby as one of the most impressive feats ever accomplished. But we feel that trying to accomplish this effort without all the necessary tools and people that we needed involved would just make for a much more difficult time and less pleasurable for all attending.
As leader of the mess, I apologize to each and every one of you. I feel that I have failed you and I have failed myself. This was something I truly wanted to see happen. My passion has certainly taken massive nosedive and truly am sorry.
In October, my Grandad passed away from a tough fight with cancer. Two weeks ago, we were told that my Nana, his widow, was diagnosed with inoperable cancer on her spine. We were given a timeframe of a month to year before we lose her. I have always been extremely close to both of them and my Nana has relied heavily on me to keep going since my Grandad’s passing. Though most don’t know it, since I keep a lot of my personal life off of social media, I have a 6-year old son who adores her, and I want him to have as many happy memories with her before she leaves this Earth.
Your event fees will be refunded in full starting this week. If there are any issues or questions, please feel free to drop me a PM, send an email, call me on my cell. My number is (214) 592-3105. Thank you.
Most respectfully,
Sam Galyon
*Post amended to reflect that the Port Gibson Heritage Trust has always supported our efforts for this endeavor. We thank Jim Harrison and his family for their time and support. We highly encourage folks to work with the Trust to help preserve a key piece of the Vicksburg Campaign.
I write this message to you in regard to the current situation for the Vicksburg Preservation March hosted by the Trans-Miss Hellcats set for May 18-24, 2020. I am aware that I have not posted much in the way of information and updates since last November and wanted to shed light on the situation.
Since the end of November, we have been dealt a series of blows focusing largely on the event, and within several of the personal lives of key persons assisting in hosting the event. In December, we were notified that the Superintendent of the Natchez Trace Parkway had decided to retire and that a new replacement had not yet been found. Around New Years, I received a call from the Natchez Trace Parkway security office in Tupelo that a new director had been found, however, they wanted to give that individual time to settle into their new role before approaching them with upcoming requests to utilize the Trace. In that vein, I was told that they would not be willing to entertain our request for a permit under the new director until April 1, 2020. With that deadline so close to the event, itself, it practically torpedoed any hope of using the Trace.
We scrambled to come up with a new route and way to incorporate all of the most important aspects of the Vicksburg Campaign into our effort. That is when I was informed that the individuals at the Windsor Ruins location, our first campsite, had pulled their support, as the State of Mississippi had approved an archeological dig and preservation effort of the site.
Looking at all of these developments, we spent the better part of late December and early January actively discussing the best course of action. With the loss of our starting point, more than half of our original route, and growing issues with the Mississippi Department of Transportation regarding safety concerns, we have ultimately decided that the best course of action is to cancel the event.
Unfortunately, the current atmosphere in the State of Mississippi is truly not conducive to events focusing on commemorating the American Civil War. The state is definitely going through a change, making it difficult to accomplish such events on state and private property. We ran into similar issues with our Raymond effort two years ago.
This is not something that I wanted to do. Since its inception, I have dreamed of pulling off this effort. Much time, money, and personal resources have been allocated from my family and pocketbook. I wanted this effort to go down in the history of the hobby as one of the most impressive feats ever accomplished. But we feel that trying to accomplish this effort without all the necessary tools and people that we needed involved would just make for a much more difficult time and less pleasurable for all attending.
As leader of the mess, I apologize to each and every one of you. I feel that I have failed you and I have failed myself. This was something I truly wanted to see happen. My passion has certainly taken massive nosedive and truly am sorry.
In October, my Grandad passed away from a tough fight with cancer. Two weeks ago, we were told that my Nana, his widow, was diagnosed with inoperable cancer on her spine. We were given a timeframe of a month to year before we lose her. I have always been extremely close to both of them and my Nana has relied heavily on me to keep going since my Grandad’s passing. Though most don’t know it, since I keep a lot of my personal life off of social media, I have a 6-year old son who adores her, and I want him to have as many happy memories with her before she leaves this Earth.
Your event fees will be refunded in full starting this week. If there are any issues or questions, please feel free to drop me a PM, send an email, call me on my cell. My number is (214) 592-3105. Thank you.
Most respectfully,
Sam Galyon
*Post amended to reflect that the Port Gibson Heritage Trust has always supported our efforts for this endeavor. We thank Jim Harrison and his family for their time and support. We highly encourage folks to work with the Trust to help preserve a key piece of the Vicksburg Campaign.
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