First Foot Guards
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November 01
South Middleborough Grange
Lecture
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November 01
Old North Church, Boston
Remembrance Day Celebration
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Pilgrim Hall Museum
Plymouth MA
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Lecture at Quincy Masonic Building
Quincy, MA
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October 01
White Plains Encampment
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Winslow House, Marshfield
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September 01
Dracut Encampment
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Somerville Re-enactment
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August 01
Fort Revere Encampment
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Comments
from RSM Ozelius
4 December 2001
On recruiting and the 2002
calendar
We will need to wait until after
the British Brigade meeting in January to firm up
the 2002 calendar. Then we can discuss
and vote on events. I suggest that we use Graeme's
proposed method of tallying bodies for each event
based on the (Yes, maybe, uncertain or No) method.
It's the best we can hope for.
Editor's note: Everyone will be asked to say whether they can attend an upcoming meeting. Naturally it can't be a 100% accurate prediction of the future, but it will be a straw poll that can indicate whether we should back out of any given event.
I firmly believe that you can cram the schedule with all kinds of events, as people will attend only the ones which interest them personally. If we try to limit the schedule, you will not see a dramatic increase in attendance. People will still pick and choose.
Instead, we should strive to recruit enough members so, for example, if we have 100 on paper, 35 will always be at an event. Presently, we are at about 45 on paper (not including far-off members) with 15-20 attending (including officers and music!)
Finally, recruiting has slowed in every Rev War regiment. In comparison Civil War groups can outfit a recruit for much less money than a Rev War group. The Brown Bess alone is twice the price of a 1858 Enfield rifle. The 22nd Mass volunteers, my alter ego, has recruited 10 new members over the past 6 months. They are all outfitted and ready! Competing is difficult.
On the other hand, Civil War groups are a dime-a-dozen. The Guards command a much higher price at paid events, such as parades. Duxbury alone netted the Guards twice the money as the 22nd Mass. The Guards are better looking and have much better musicians.
Editor's note: Much better-looking!
If we use more of this money to buy muskets, this will help level the playing field and entice recruits. The problem is that people do not treat borrowed equipment with the same kid gloves as their own. We will spend more money on parts and service of the borrowed items, not to mention the administrative paperwork of issuing and tracking the lent materials!
I do not know the answer, but I do know that the 22nd Massachusetts Regiment numbers close to 100 on paper and has managed to field companies of 60 or more rifles...RIFLES. Add the officers and music, and you have over 70 in the company. Unreal.
OK, I'm done. Food for thought...