2009 Muster Door Prize Commitee Report in

[Capt. Montgomery Little]

SOOOO, how are we doing with this mission?  You can email me at larry@gripmaker.com just to report or discuss options.  See all Y'all in October in beeootifull Nebrasky. 

[River City John]

Capt. Little,
pm sent in here.

Yr Obt Srvt,
Actig Lt. (Naval) RCJ

[Bow View Haymaker]

I have been working on a leter to send to posible sponsors along with some ino on the GAF and the muster.  I will try to get an e-mail out to you with the letter attatched.  I hope to send it out soon.  I have a list of posible sponsors a couple of pages long.  After sending theletters  follow up phone call would be a good idea. 
I'll se if I can get the e-mail to work.

[Bow View Haymaker]

I sent our about 70 sponsor request letters with info on the GAF and the Muster.  I have phone #s for some and hope to folow up in a couple weeks. If anyone wants a copy of what I sent, let me know.  Or if you recieved on feel free to copy it and passs it along to any potential sponsors you know. 

[Capt. Montgomery Little]

Excellent work Gentlemen. I even got a request to help support GAF's 2009 Muster. Can you guys email me a list of whom you have sent requests so that we don't double up on our lists?  God Bless and shoot in uniform.

[Bow View Haymaker]

Capt Little,

The list I e-mailed to you earlier is pretty much the list of all who recieved the letter.  I may have added a couple of local buisnesses but that's it. 
Feel free to make and distrubute copies as you see fit.

[Dalton Masterson]

BowView, did you get my pm the other day?
Send me a letter as well, please.
DM

[Capt. Montgomery Little]

Bow View,
               Please send another email with your list. I looked for it and could not find it. Probably my fault since I have been cleaning up my computer lately so it will run faster. Sorry about that!

[Bow View Haymaker]

Dalton,

I'll try to get one in the mail to you today.  I think I already sent one to Runnin iron.

Capt. Little.  I'll see if I can attatch a list here.  let me know if it doesn't work.

I have recieved word from Wild West Arms and Scheels of pending donations.

[Bow View Haymaker]

Had packages in the mail today from Brownells and Scheels.  I won't give details so we can have some surprises.

[River City John]

I will keep most as a surprise, too. Just let me say, we will have some GREAT prizes for the Muster this year!

But I also like anticipation, so as a teaser. . .Two of the prizes will be shadowbox displays containing period artifacts, one for the Confederacy and one for the Union.

                                              Contents: Confederate Shadowbox
1.) Image - reproduced from Brady plate of December 15,1862. View looking across the damaged
     Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac R.R. bridge with a group of Confederate soldiers on the
     Fredericksburg, VA side of the Rappahannock River during the truce to bury the dead after the
     Battle of Fredericksburg. The Federals withdrew back across the river during that night.
2.) Tintype, - Unknown Confederate Sergeant.
3.) Currency - $1.00 1st Issue Note, State of Alabama, 1863. Capitol at Montgomery, AL and
      portrait of Governor John Shorter, second of Alabama's three wartime Governors.
4.) Postage Stamp -  Type I, 10-cent, profile portrait of Jefferson Davis engraved by John Archer.
     Earliest recorded date of use is April 21, 1863. 10-cent rate over 500 miles (5-cent rate under 500
      miles). Legend has it that Varina Davis disliked this portrait due to it's marked resemblance to
     Abraham Lincoln.
5.) Excavated .58 cal. Minie' ball extracted from a rifle barrel using the worm-style of patch/ball   
      puller(reference photo). Excavated from private property  near Fredericksburg, VA in 1960's.




                                                   Contents: Union Shadowbox
1.) Image - reproduced from Tyson Brothers plate of November 19, 1863. View looking north
      along  Baltimore Street (Pike) in Gettysburg on the occasion of the dedication of the Nation-
      al Cemetery. On the left (west) side of the Baltimore Pike, in the foreground is the Rupp House.
      Behind the Rupp House, on the same side is the Sweney House. On the right (east) side of the
      Baltimore Pike are from front to back: Welty House, McCreary House, and Winebrenner
      House. The lots were narrow and deep. The front of the houses faced Baltimore Street with
      the rear on the opposite end. The long sides facing the camera faced the south, hence the
      typical sun porches/balconies on this side.
      Henry Clay Cochrane noted "Before ten we were in the saddle and assembled at the public
      square for the grand military and civic procession. Mr. Lincoln was mounted  upon a young
      and beautiful chestnut bay horse . . . and his towering figure surmounted by a high silk hat
      made the rest of us look small."
      In the far distance at the very rear of the column you can just make out two mounted figures
      following the regiment, with the figure on the right noticeably taller than his companion.
      (Is this a hitherto unidentified image of the President at this historical event? In 1952 one other
       image was identified as Lincoln, hatless, on the Speaker's Stand during the ceremonies.
      The Gettysburg Address took but 135 seconds to deliver and no photographers were prepared
      before the President had finished and sat down.)
2.) Tintype, - Unknown Union Private.
3.)  Currency - $2.00 Note, Bank of Seneca Falls, NY, 1863. This period Civil War note is listed
      as spurious  in Standard Catalog of United States Obsolete Bank Notes, 1782-1866,  James A.
      Haxby , Krause Publications Inc., 1988. Listed in Haxby as S5. Counterfeit notes were not un-
      common with all these regional issues.
4.)  Postage Stamp -  Three cent, profile portrait of George Washington. Scott Standard Postage
      Stamp Catalogue, Scott Publishing Co., (Var. years). Scott #65. One of the more common
      United States wartime issues. Canceled.
5.)  Excavated .58 cal. Minie' ball extracted from a rifle barrel using  a screw-style ball puller
      (reference photo). Excavated from private property near Fredericksburg, VA in 1960's.




Each measures 12" X 16", tastefully double matted and framed in stained rustic pinewod.

RCJ     
 
(As an interesting footnote, while all the artifacts are period,- the 8 X 10 glossy copies of the two photographic images are reproductions printed off the original glass plates, courtesy of the U.S. Army Signal Corps and so stamped on the back, and date ca. 1938. Evidently between the two World Wars the Signal Corps was the caretaker for the Brady Collection and sub-collections.
I believe that most all these historical collections have been since transferred into museums and other private conservatories for preservation, so the "U.S. Army Signal Corps" stamp on the back itself gives these photos a certain historical status.
Perhaps one of our members who has better knowledge of the history of the curatorship of this collection could help fill in details.)

       
p.s.
Sorry for the ghost images of the Photographer and his equipment. I was very pleased with the job the Framer did and wanted to take a couple of quick snapshots. The shadowboxes look even better when viewed in person.
RCJ

[Pitspitr]

There's been quite a flurry of registrations coming in the last couple of days. I got 3 yesterday. There are now more registered than what attended last year. For those who haven't registered, please get them in soon. I want to make sure that I have all the medals engraved ahead of time so that I don't have to mail any like we have the last couple of years. Also having your registration early will help the prize committee with sponsors. We've had one vendor contact us who said he'd be willing to donate a firearm if we have enough registrants.

[River City John]

Just to let all in on the fun.
If you cannot make this year's National Muster(and please try! ) yet want a nice way to help support it and Ft. Hartsuff at the same time, the 2009 National Muster Door Prize Committee has put together the following idea.
For $20.00 you can donate a Gift Voucher to be awarded as a prize to a fellow G.A.F. member at the Muster. These certificates will be redeemable at the store in the Visitor's Center. I can speak from experience that little gift shop has an amazing inventory of reference books and other items suitable to our organization. I was very impressed.


Above is a sample of the certificate.

If you are interested in sponsoring one of these very affordable donations, or want to pass this info on to a potential donor, then contact one of the Door Prize Committee people:
Gripmaker - Chairperson
Mustang Gregg
Bow View Haymaker
River City John

Or, send your request and donation directly to Col. Pitspitr (which is what any one of the Door Prize Committee will do anyway):
Jerry Davenport
45551 Road 816
Sargent, NE 68874

Your donation will be noted and you will receive a notice of Thanks as a donor from the Dept. of Missouri Adjutant.( Sorry to say that the sincere thanks will have to do, as G.A.F. does not have, to my knowledge, the 'non-profit requirement' that would allow you to claim your donation as a tax deduction.)

RCJ

[Bow View Haymaker]

Another package from Lee precision today!

[Pitspitr]

Sounds like the door prize drawing is going to be fun!

[Capt. Montgomery Little]

Col. Pitsptr,
As an addition to the prize pile, I have decided to include the "traveling tome" you started going some time back. Mr. Tibbles puts together some fine reading and I am of the opinion that it should make the rounds of Muster attendees and this is the most fair way to decide who the next recipient will be.

[River City John]

Col. Pitsptr,
As an addition to the prize pile, I have decided to include the "traveling tome" you started going some time back. Mr. Tibbles puts together some fine reading and I am of the opinion that it should make the rounds of Muster attendees and this is the most fair way to decide who the next recipient will be.

Well that was certainly clear as mud!

I guess we'll all just have to attend to learn what this is about.

[Pitspitr]

A traveling Prize it shall be then! It would make me proud for you to share it with the other members. Buckskin and Blanket Days is one of my favorite books. I believe it should be required reading for the GAF. It seems as though I may have donated a copy to a certain General as well, whilst he was searching for the lost on one of his trips to the sand box.

I guess I should mention that I plan to donate a copy of the Fort Hartsuff DVD to the "Prize Pile".

[Texas Lawdog]

Pitspitr, It sounds like there's gonna be a lot fine prizes to be won at the Muster. I'm almost ready for my journey, I still have some last minute stuff to come up with.

[Pitspitr]

Pitspitr, It sounds like there's gonna be a lot fine prizes to be won at the Muster. I'm almost ready for my journey, I still have some last minute stuff to come up with.

Sounds like it.

I have to do some reloading and some more stuff to do at the range but I'm getting close.