Kansas GRAND ARMY OF THE FRONTIER Championship Shoot March 24-25, Topeka, KS

[Major Matt Lewis]

Absolutely AWESOME match....

HEY HEY MUSTANG GREG....You got the Duty Booty

Seriously...

The stages were FUN and challanging.  Chantilly and Co have promised to open up the suprise bin again next year for the GAF.  Absolutey good stuff and humbling too

So, with that said, I say ON WARD TO NEBRASKA for the Department Shoot.....

[Chantilly]

You take this here thing out.....

[Chantilly]

Old Sarge is shooting one of my "pretty" pistols.  This stage had 3 pistols - 2 were provided for the shoot and staged.  You had to start out with a bullwhip on the mule (to break a balloon or at least knock the balloon off the mule), shoot pistols on the plate rack  plus some other targets 15 rounds out of those 3 pistols and then load 5 more rounds.  The stage was based on an interesting bit of Kansas history -

On a November day in 1864, near Camp Dunlap near Walnut Creek, a light wagon carrying two army officers rattled over the log bridge that spanned Walnut Creek and hit the Santa Fe Trail toward the southwest.  Captain Henry Booth of the Eleventh Kansas Cavalry, one of the men in the wagon, was under orders to inspect the military posts along the Santa Fe Trail.  The wagon had traveled about five miles from Fort Zarah when Booth, looking south toward the Arkansas River, noticed something that appeared to be a flock of turkeys.  As the wagon moved closer, however, it became evident that it was a body of Indians.  The officers had 3 pistols with them.  Booth and Hallowell used the bullwhip and all three pistols to fend off the Indians while trying to make it back to Fort Zarah.  Booth had to remove arrows from Hallowell on more than one occasion.  When all pistols were empty with Indians attacking too fast to reload, Booth had to get creative.  At one point he stuck an empty pistol out of the wagon and yelled BANG.  The Indian fell back in surprise.  Booth commenced to throw the empty pistols, sabers and saber covers at the Indians.  The last thing in the wagon was a gripsack containing clothing.  Booth threw the sack, which opened when it hit the ground, spilling the contents.  The Indians stopped to inspect the items while Booth and Hallowell made it back to the Fort.  A surgeon treated their wounds.  To Booth's surprise, the doctor found an arrowhead in his shoulder.  Booth, in the excitement, hadn't realized he'd been hit.  Twenty-two arrows were pulled from the wagon bed.  Booth and Hallowell recovered.  What eventually happened to Hallowell is unknown.  As for Booth, he was mustered out of the army late in 1865 at Fort Leavenworth and moved to Manhattan.  There he went into the hardware and implement business.  Later Booth became recorder at the United States Land Office at Larned where he built the first house in that community.  Booth served in the Kansas Legislature and was speaker of the Kansas House from 1889 to 1890.

[Chantilly]

EZ EZ full out with the bullwhip....missed

[Chantilly]

Hill Beachy in front of the burning saloon based on this -

Soldiers stationed at Fort Leavenworth were actively involved in keeping the peace during the Border Wars before and during the Civil War, including battles involving William Quantrill.  August 21, 1863, Quntrill and a band of 200-300 men crossed into Kansas near Westport, in sight of a federal troop encampment, but were not harmed.  None of the communities through which the band passed that night was able to warn Lawrence of the coming trouble, and when Quantrill entered at daybreak, he had the element of surprise.  Quantrill's band first encountered a camp of 22 recruits for the Fourteenth Kansas.  As they were arising from their beds, 17 of the men were shot.  Businesses and homes were set on fire and men and boys were slaughtered.  The four-hour raid resulted in an estimated 143 killed and 30 seriously wounded.  Federal troops were within six miles of the town when the raiders withdrew. 

[Chantilly]

Mushy McNutt - our self appointed Bugler   

[Chantilly]

Luke McGlue, Trap, Colonel J.J. VanHorn, and Sam supervising a stage

[Chantilly]

Lilla Bit Wild and The Dispatcher in the Team Shoot - they won!! along with Simon N Garfunkel and Warren Young!  Good shooting!

[Chantilly]

Chain Blue - brass in the air and still shoot'n in the team shoot - I think they've about got them!

[Mustang Gregg]

Congrats to the winners,
participants,
& especially the Newtons & other folks who put the shoot on.
It looks like a GREAT GAF MUSTER!!!
That GAF Color Guard is way-colorful, too!!!

Mustang Gregg

[Chantilly]

Now I don't know how I missed getting a picture with a spear stuck into this target...but, here's EZ EZ attempting to throw the spear.  By the way, I have to brag on Shoot'n Newton Honey - he made these spears for this shoot.  Good job honey!  Stage is based on this little bit of history -

In April 1875 about 60 Cheyennes escaped from their reservation and headed north through Kansas.  Second Lieutenant Austin Henely and 40 men of his Company H, 6th Cavalry were sent to Fort Wallace to intercept them.  The Cheyennes, in a horseshoe bend of the North Fork of Sappa Creek, were attacked by troops with the advantages of surprise, excellent position, and superior firepower for three hours.  27 Indians were killed and two troopers, Theodore Papier and Robert Theims.  This was considered to be the last battle between U.S. troops and Southern Cheyennes.  The first engagement between Cheyennes and U.S. soldiers had occurred in July 1857 at the Battle of Solomon Fork, about 55 miles from the Sappa Creek battle site.

[Chantilly]

I just had to dig a bit more - here is the spear stuck into the target!

Honorable Mention for most creative field work goes to Simon N' Garfunkel.  He threw both spears and missed BUT he was not discouraged - he just unsheathed his saber and let her fly at the target and he stuck it too!  Wish I'd seen it!

[Chantilly]

Deacon Stone loading the mule-eared shotgun.  Stage based on this bit of history -

Renewed Indian warfare occurring in 1867 prompted Congress to create, in July, the Indian Peace Commission, which was charged with bringing peace to the Plains.  This commission concluded that war was inevitable as long as Indians occupied lands that whites wanted.  The solution was to settle Indians on reservations away from white settlements and routes of travel.  The result was the Medicine Lodge Creek Council and Treaties of October 1867.  Preliminary talks were held between Indian leaders and the Peace Commission at Fort Larned.  A wagon train loaded with gifts for the Indians and supplies for the conferees was sent to Fort Larned.  The treaties, signed with Indians of the Cheyennes, Plains Apaches, Kiowas, Comanches and Arapahos provided that all warfare would stop immediately, all offenders against whites and Indians would be punished, and reservations would be provided for the tribes in present-day Oklahoma.  The Indians agreed to withdraw all opposition to military posts, wagon roads, railroads and promised not to hunt north of the Arkansas River.  In 1868 many Indians, for whom reservations were not yet established, came to Fort Larned to draw supplies from their agreement.  These supplies had not yet arrived at the post, so the hungry Indians began begging food from travelers and hunting north of the Arkansas River.  Some of the more dissatisfied Indians began attacking white settlements.  Major General Philip Sheridan determined that the Indians would be defeated and forced to stay on their reservations leading to the Battle of Washita. 

[Chantilly]

Tame Bill shooting stage 8 - nice form!  There's one of the spears!

[Chantilly]

Coffin Bob and Talkalot...he might possibly be signaling one miss but I'm sure he's letting you know....WE'RE NUMBER ONE!   

[Chantilly]

That's pretty much it for pictures! 

The challenge is on - which GAF members will be next to host a GAF state shoot in their neck of the woods??

The Dept of the Missouri is rolling!

[Trap]

   A great and relaxing shoot indeed, always good to see friends that one hasn't seen all winter. Also great to meet new friends, Hill Beachy, great to meet you. Thanks to all those who came and helped to put on another good one.      jt

[Bull Schmitt]

Chantilly,

Ma'm would you be so kind as to email me the following two pictures so I can post them on the GAF Web Site?

Mushy McNutt - our self appointed Bugler

Color Guard

If you can supply the name of the folks in the color guard I will include that also.

Regards,

Bvt Col Bull Schmitt
Commander Department of the Atlantic
GAF Webmaster

[Chantilly]

Yes, Sir, Bvt Col Bull Schmitt, Sir!  Pictures have been emailed to you complete with identification.  Thank you, sir!

[Bull Schmitt]

Chantilly,

Thank you Ma'm. You are a lady and a scholar!! The two pictures have been added to the new Images web page.

Col Bull