How did your mess get its name?

[J.H.Berger]

Re: How did your mess get its name?

Well, we are Germans portraying German immigrants, so that was pretty close:)

[ephraim_zook]

Re: How did your mess get its name?

The Indian Queen Hotel was known for its comfortable accomodations and fine table, and was the pre-eminent lodging place in Stroudsburg, PA during the Civil War. Seemed like a perfectly sensible name for a campaigner mess. :wink_smil

Ron Myzie
Indian Queen mess

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: How did your mess get its name?

Hallo!

"Why are you all explaining the meaning behind your mess names?"

But I don't ever give away the Secret Handshake.
Or that we wear one trouser bloused and the other down. Well, maybe not the former.
;) :)

Curt

[Dale Beasley]

Re: How did your mess get its name?

Pumpkin Head Mess,...simple we have big heads.

BTW, Shrimp was $4.00 a pound in Hammond yesterday.

[Ryan Halsey]

Re: How did your mess get its name?

Our mess, The Wampus Cats, got its name from a local indian legend about a half cat/woman that wonders the forest and turns people to stone with its eyes. It screams and yells too. My other messes, like the Millin' Muck(already included) and the Iron Grays, I am not sure about.

[AlanR357]

Re: How did your mess get its name?

I've been a member of the MOmen mess since 1998. This is mostly but not exclusively the lads in the Medich Battalion Color Guard. "MO" stands for "MISUNDERSTOOD OTHERS".

[jmbyrnes]

Re: How did your mess get its name?

The mess I'm apart of is called the Toehead mess. Toeheads are typically young blond haired men, and we all happen to be young blond haired men. I like the topic of this post I've often wondered the same thing when I see certain groups' names.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: How did your mess get its name?

Hallo!

Herr Jared...

Wouldn't that be.. "Towheads?" ;) :)
(Unless you all have unusually hairy toes... or are Hobbits...)

Hold one, while I get out my Secret Mess Decoder Ring... :)

Curt
He Man Woman Haters Club Mess

[Shockoe Hill Cats]

Re: How did your mess get its name?

This thread caused me to remember the article, "Confederate Mess Names" written by the Lazy Jacks Mess:

http://www.lazyjacks.org.uk/messname.htm

[Devildog0311]

Re: How did your mess get its name?

Our mess has nothing to do with the war, it was an old Cherokee folk/ghost tale from East Tennessee and I thought it would be an appropriate name. Our mess concentrates on Western Federals in East Tennessee. The tale actually is about a Cherokee tribe who rids themselves of a demon, called Ewah, in the woods who terrorizes the people of the village. The demon shrills out and scared the people to the point of becoming a vegetable for the rest of their lives. It did so to their greatest warrior. His wife was infuriated and took it upon herself to rid her people of the demon. A medicine man gave her a protective mask which was supposedly the skinned face of a mountain lion. She wore the mask and went into the forest. She snuck up on the demon and terrified it. The demon was never heard of again. The woman's spirit was said to have manifested into a cat who walks on it's hind legs and is about 4 feet tall. The spirit supposedly is still to this day on guard protecting people from the Ewah. There have been several reports of this creature being spotted around the woods of Erwin, TN around the Nolichucky River, as well as in down town Johnson City, TN. It is said to have a very blood curdling wail. The creature has been named the Wampas Cat. I love the folklore in this area and I thought it would be very suiting for East Tennessee Federals thus the Wampas Cat Mess was born.

[TKlas]

Re: How did your mess get its name?

Hi everyone,

The Hard Head Mess is named from accounts of the 12th Wisconsin during their training days at Camp Randall Wisconsin trying to outwit the camp guards. Charles Waldo of Company D, 12th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment, the Union Guards. Charles Waldo writes about the boys of Company D in his Editorial Correspondence from Camp Randall. On November 9th, 1861, Charles Waldo wrote the following passage in the West Bend Post stating:

Our company is the largest in numbers of any in the camp, and second to none in size or drill. We have already won ourselves a name, of which we feel proud, and shall ever endure to be worthy of it, or one equal as good. It is the "West Bend Hard Heads" and was given us by members of the 11th Regiment, for this reason: The 11th had to stand guard, as we have not received arms. The campus is surrounded by high fence. And guards stationed at a distance of 10 or 12 rods apart, to keep the rest of them in inside the enclosure. There are one or two holes through the fence between each guard, and these guards are not allowed to let anyone passed through them, while on duty, and it is the delight of every many of the boys in both regiments to pester these guards, by going in and out while their backs are turned from the hole's; and in these tricks our company takes a leading part, when at rest, and the officers of the guard, are continuously taking someone to the guard house, but as yet, not one of our boys have been trapped, therefore, our title "Hard Heads".

I know our mess members are mighty proud of our name.


Tom

[Jim of The SRR]

Re: How did your mess get its name?

The Salt River Rifles comes from a 19th c. phrase to be "rowed up a Salt River"...
Salt River: to row someone up Salt River is to beat him up or to give him hell.
1833: See if I don't row you up Salt River before you are many days older. J.K. Paulding, Banks of the Ohio, p. 133
Tom Sparrow thought of the name and the name and the rest of the group agreed on it.

Jim Butler

https://www.geocities.com/saltriverrifles

[edgeinwi]

Re: How did your mess get its name?

Hi Guys;

Here is an exerpt from our website: Enjoy!!!

NOTE: The name of our mess group comes directly from the history of the 3rd Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. The following article was written by Edwin E. Bryant and is found in his book, "The 3rd Wisconsin Veterans: 1861-1865", copyright 1898.


Every member of the old Third will smile when he sees in print the words "Old Sipley." Colonel Ruger once in the early history of the regiment, kindly reprimanded Capt. Hammer, telling him there was lack of discipline in his company. The captain, desirous of righting all that was amiss, paraded his company and made a speech to them. The Captain's accent was strongly German; and this interfered somewhat with his readiness in giving commands. He told his company that Col. Ruger wanted more "de-sipley" in the company. The boys took up the word, and soon "Old Sipley" was used as the impersonation of the idea of good discipline. When a Third man saw a well drilled regiment or any evidence of soldierly training, he would surely say, "Old Sipley" is in that camp.

Great story, huh???

[Dale Beasley]

Re: How did your mess get its name?

And you thought it was safe to go back outside...

RAT TAIL MESS

Its the only part of a rat that a Cajun will not eat.

[John McPherson]

Re: How did your mess get its name?

My mess of fellow Pacific North-westerners calls itself "The Lost Towney" Mess, a name inspired by the diary entries of Pvt. William A. Peck, Jr. while stationed on San Juan Island on September 17, 1859. He was an Engineer soldier under the command of Lt. Henry Martyn Robert (later author of Roberts Rules of Order) and his fellow soldiers were tasked with coordinating and conducting the construction of a redoubt located about 50 yards from nearby Camp Pickett (named after Capt. George Pickett, 9th Infantry Regiment). Peck relates the following experience while on the island:

"Detachment at its usual duties. Most of the boys were at the town of San Juan last night attending a ball or dance, where were congregated soldiers, citizens and squaws. Sergeant McEnaney is drunk and disgraced himself again. It is extremely fortunate that he is about the worst man in the detachment, otherwise it would be difficult to get along. Invariably, upon going to the town he meets with some person from his portion of Ireland and comes home drunk upon the delightful acquaintance of a towney formed, so that it is becoming a common subject of ridicule among the men, and the 'old soldier's downfall, or the lost towney found' is a common subject of discussion among Infantry and Artillery, as well as us" (Peck, p. 108)

Peck, Jr., William A. (1993). The pig war: the journal of William a. peck, jr. C. Brewster Coulter, senior ed. Webb Research Group: Medford, Oregon.