ARMY OF WILLAMETTE DRIVE
REBELS SOUTH

By D. E. Gering

Standing among the filbert trees, buzzing with the sound of bees, this reporter witnessed the three day battle at Willamette Mission. It was hot, but not unbearable, unless you were fighting shoulder to shoulder like the brave men of both Union and Confederate Armies.

The Army of the Willamette, under the command of Lt. Colonel Scott Eakman decided that this ground was as good as any to stop the pressing forces of Colonel Jim Stanovich. After the flood of 1861 the ground at where the old Mission stood had been swept clean of it's past appearance. Now the ground is home of the very filbert trees this reporter stands under.

The first two days of the battle appeared to be a stalemate. Both Armies gained ground and lost ground. Col. Eakman, learning form the loss near Eugene, had been successfully reenforced by several new artillery pieces, which played havoc with the soldiers that were caught between the two battling cannons. Men died in gruesome ways, that this reporter will never forget.

On the great day of Independence of our great nation, something seemed inspire the Union Army which fought with a sudden ferocity that left the Confederate Army is disarray. Maybe the words of Lt. Col. Eackman lit a fire in the weary men who had fought this long battle. On this day we who observed this battle saw daring moves by both sides, but the Rebel forces could not match the intensity by the driven Union Army.

In a sudden move, maybe Col. Stanovitch saw the changing tide that was occurring, pulled his forces from the battlefield late on the evening of July 4th. Leaving the Rebel Calvary to as rear guard to delay the worn Union forces, the Confederate Army under the cloak of night pushed south of Salem and crossed the Willamette river. From their they disappeared into the woods of the Cascade range. The last any one saw of the Rebel forces, was that they had massed their forces near the County seat of Yamhill County, the town of Lafayfette.

Although the battle has now been a month ago, this reporter has been following the pressing forces of the Army of the Willamette as they have chased the Confederate forces across the hills and towards the coast. We have not seen their army in many days, and Col. Eakman believes that the Rebel forces may have elude them. We are hearing word that many of the coastal towns have been raided and several small ships have been absconded with.

Another key point has come to this reporters attention was the current fighting on the East Coast. There seems to have been a battle at the small town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which has turned the tide of war in the favor of the Union. Union forces under the command of Major General George Gordon Mead has turned back the Army of Virginia under the command of Major General Robert E. Lee. Thousands have died for the cause of holding this Union together. Maybe, in this reporters opinion, the tide is turning.

BATTLE FOR FT. STEVENS

Here are a couple of helpful documents for our next event. Be aware that the poster is printer friendly and is rather large so it may take some time to download to your computer. The website has the current schedule of activities here.

ELECTIONS

Yes, that is correct ... it is almost election time again !! There are some very important positions up for election that could make a difference in how you enjoy your hobby. One of those is that of Chairperson of the NCWC. Steve Betchart has decided not to run for reelection to this position. The Board "volunteered" Dan Gering as the Chair of the Elections Committee (which he happily accepted) and we are going to need people to help with the election process. A representative from each group will be needed. Currently we have a representative from the Confederate, but will need one from the Union, Artillery, and Civilians. Contact him at ncwcnews@hotmail.com if you are interested in assisting in the Elections committee.

Positions available for election will be:

Chair & Vice Chair
Treasurer
Secretary
Membership Coordinator
Union Battalion Commander
Confederate Battalion Commander

All positions will be available for nomination (including those who want to self-nominate), and will be due to Dan Gering no later then midnight September 30. You mail snail mail your nomination if you wish to: 6610 SW Alfred St., Tigard, OR 97223.

OREGON STATE FAIR LIVING HISTORY EVENT

August 30th the NCWC will have an opportunity to reach several thousand visitors to the Oregon State Fair. This opportunity is open to all members of the NCWC (Soldiers, Civilians, and Calvary) and will include a battle reenactment. A camp life area will be available to show life in the camps as well as several demonstrations by both Confederate and Union soldiers.

Don't miss out on this opportunity to share more about the Civil War with the many visitors of the Oregon State Fair.

If you are interested in attending this event please contact Mike Tamerius at amtamerius@gmail.com.

PORTLAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE EVENT CANCELLATION

A bit of "bad" news... the Living History event at Portland Community College - Rock Creek Campus that was scheduled for August 20 - 21 had to be CANCELLED due to a lack of funds on the part of PCC. We will continue to work with PCC in attempt to help to get this event off the ground next year.

THE JOB OF BEING CHAIRMAN

[editors note: at the last Board meeting, Steve Betchart announced that he will not be seeking another term as Chairman. He has written the following message to the membership.]

Before I walk away from this position I want to get all you people out there to think about a couple of things. Things
that I wish I had given serious thought to before I ran for President. If you haven't noticed, over the past few years, the
situation for non-profit corporations has changed. The person you elect to lead the NCWC needs to reflect those changes.
First of all, our government (state & federal) is making things much more difficult for us. Requirements on insurance rates
and payments, reporting of yearly tax statements and accurate auditing of funds, negotiation of contracts with sites out-
side the state parks like Mt. Pisgah. Accurate budget preparation and accounting to manage our resources wisely. And
there are times when you need lawyers to interpret the tons of laws about gunpowder storage and use. Thanks to 9-11
all of that changed as well. The person you pick to be your Chairperson needs to have some background in all of those
areas. No more "good old boy - slap it together and hope it holds" stuff ... do nothing and hope things will be ok." That
will spell disaster for this organization in short order.

Your Chairperson needs to be a good communicator with time, resources and organizational skills to spend on this job.
They need to listen but make up their own mind sometimes in disagreement with even their best friends. And you had
better have the hide of a Rhino because you are going to get loads of criticism no matter what you do. That is what you
need for this job.

Respectfully Submitted
Steve Betschart

DID YOU KNOW...

Membership is based on the calendar year and runs from January 1 through December 31 with the exception of new members joining at the last event of the year (McIver). New members joining at the last field event of the year carry their current membership through the following year. Annual membership is currently $15 for an individual and $30 for a family of 2 or more.

To qualify as a current member every year all must follow each of these steps:

• Must first be accepted into a recognized unit.
• Must pay all required dues.
• Must complete and sign the annual membership application including the liability waivers.
• Must have proper signature of the unit commander or the unit membership representative for unit acceptance.

To participate at the club field events all must follow these steps:

• Be a current member prior to the event or be counted as a “Pay to Play” paying the additional fee.
• Sign in on the unit roster at the membership booth upon arrival.
• All combatants must designate there combatant status on the roster.
• Receive the current event card or stamp.
• Carry this proof with you at all times.

The club rules state that if one is not a member prior to an event one can participate as a “pay to play” guest. The fee is $10 per event and a temporary event card and parking pass is issued for that event. This year for the sake of expediency and to avoid negative exchanges I have not insisted on the people who waited to submit their paperwork at the membership booth to “pay to play”. This moratorium will only be for this year. Next season the rule will be enforced.

We now have 783 members. Almost 1/2 of those waited until they got to an event to hand in their paperwork. This makes for a very chaotic and cumbersome process for all at the membership booth. One of my goals in my first year of Membership Coordinator is to work toward a leaner, smoother process both with the application and especially at the events with sign in. I am asking you, the membership at large, for your suggestions. What do you think we could do to make the application process easier while keeping our legal obligations intact? Do you have any positive suggestions in how to make the sign in process more efficient? Please contact me, Anne Tamerius, at ncwcmembers@gmail.com. Any and all comments are welcome. See you at Ft. Stevens!

WILLAMETTE SUCCESS

Our Willamette Mission event was an outstanding success. The total gate revenue was $22,773.00 (up from $16,069.00 in 2010) and our net profit was $9,210.20 (up from $6,109.00 in 2010). Public attendance was 2,770 (compared to 2013 last year); reenactor attendance was 783 compared to 680 in 2010. The weather was great and we received some excellent media coverage (partly because of the 150th anniversary). Thanks to all of you who attended and put this one in the record books.

TROUBLE ON ANOTHER FRONT

There was some "uncomfortable" news that came out of the Willamette.

At the event the Union had some visitors one night that borrowed flag staffs (but left the flags - thanks). We got everything back except a set of flag cords (replacement value around $200.00) Ok ... not cool to mess with flags!

There were also a couple of sanctions (discipline) incidents that developed. One involved a trooper who got into a fender
bumper with a member of the public at the end of the event then argued with the Park Ranger which would be unbecoming of a NCWC member and our relationship with Park staff. The other one involved a safety issue related an underage soldier to be a combatant. Both issues did end with members being sanctioned, and both members accepted their approrate discipline. There are some lessons in all of this...let's see if we can figure them out.

Lost
Lost & Found Willamette Mission ... Michael Patrick lost a watch with a silver band, blue face. Fossil brand. Please call Laurie Patrick. 360-271-6173