Homepage of Company H, 4th Texas Infantry

Directions to the event:

House on the Metolius: National Forest Development Road 980, Camp Sherman, OR 97730

Directions from Interstate 5 at Salem, OR

Turn left onto OR-22 E/Mission St SE

Continue to follow OR-22 E 80.3 mi

Slight left onto US-20 E 16.0 mi

Follow SW Camp Sherman Rd and SW Metolius River Rd/NF-900 to NF-980 in Jefferson County 7.7 mi

Turn left onto SW Camp Sherman Rd 4.9 mi

Turn right onto SW Camp Sherman Rd/R F D 1419 0.6 mi

Turn left onto NF-1419/113 0.3 mi

Slight left onto SW Metolius River Rd/NF-900 1.9 mi

Turn left onto NF-980

Destination will be on the right 0.2 mi

This year's Christmas Party will be hosted on December 7, by the Gattman's--Chris, Sharon and Elly.  The Gattman house is located at 432 SW 8th Circle, Troutdale, OR 97060.  People can show up anytime after noon, and we'll bust out the chow around 4:30.

Troutdale is immediately off of I-84. No matter which way you come on I-84, take the Troutdale exit, follow it and then take the first right past the truck stop, go up the hill over the railroad tracks, turn left onto Halsey at the Plaid Pantry, turn right and follow Buxton up the hill to 7th and it's the blue house on the corner with giant trees, a Red Baron tri-plane and a cannon in the yard. There will be plenty of curbside parking alongside the house. Chris's phone number is 971-207-2323.

There is a firepit in the backyard and plenty of room for tents. Unfortunately Chris is too allergic of dogs to have them in the house, but the backyard is fenced and totally dog-friendly.

I look forward to seeing everyone then,

CPT Bishop

A new spring event site near Sisters, OR is being considered.  The site is described as "a gorgeous site with a great battlefield, camping and vistas to die for". I'll update this post as I learn more about the site.

Cpt Bishop

The Site Evaluation Team went to the Sherwood Forest Productions site, located in Sherwood, approximately 4 miles from Wilsonville. This is 30 acres of private land owned by Larry Strickland. The team was very impressed with this site as the owner is very flexible with allowing us to develop the land in a variety of ways. Steve Betschart recommended that Mike Tamerius be the event coordinator for this event. The site would be ready by September 2014. Katy Flynn made a motion, with Mike Heino 2nd, to make Sherwood Forrest Productions a new event site to replace McIver. Motion passed unanimously.

Greetings fellow Texans,

As we appraoch the 2013 reenacting season, I'd like to remind every one of a couple of items. Your signed NCWC membership form needs to be sent to Captain Bishop (address below) including the appropriate payment for individual ($20) or family ($40) dues, along with a stamped envelope addressed to the membership coordinator (address below).

Company dues are $5 per individual and can be paid at the first event to the 1st Corporal, Ken Church. When you pay your Company dues, you should also update your address/contact information.

Captain Bishop: 6410 NE 41st Ave, Portland, OR 97211

NCWC Membership Coordinator: Anne Tamerius, 11918 SE Division St. #218, Portland, OR 97266

If you have ideas on how to make the Company better, please create a forum entry to get feedback from others in the Company.

I look forward to a rewarding, fun reenacting year.

Your obedient servant,

Matt Bishop

Captain, Co H., 4th Texas Volunteer Infantry

Is it just me or are the links broken on the home page?:P

I came across this and found it interesting.

CIVIL WAR ERA SLANG AND TERMSA Writer's Guide for the American Civil war

The terms and phrases I have gathered here are found all over the internet, thus I cannot claim any ownership or even any particular wit for finding them. Therefore, I am simply offering this compilation as a complement to my Old West Slang page and as a small help to writers and readers who may drop by.

Absquatulate - to take leave, to disappear

Acknowledge the Corn - to admit the truth, to confess a lie, or acknowledge an obvious personal shortcoming

Arkansas Toothpick - a long, sharp knife

A.W.O.L. - Absent With Out Leave

Bad Egg - bad person, good for nothing

Balderdash - nonsense

Bark Juice, Red Eye, O Be Joyful - liquor

Beat the Dutch - if that don't beat all

Bluff - trick or deceive

Bragg's Body Guard - lice

Been Through the Mill - been through a lot, seen it all

Bellyache - complain

Big Bugs - big wigs, important people

Bivouac - to camp without formal shelter or in temporary circumstances

Blowhard - braggart, bully

Blue Mass - refers to men on sick call; named after blue pill.

Bread Bag - haversack

Bread Basket - stomach

Bully - exclamation meaning, &'terrific!' or 'hurrah!'Bully for You - good for you

Bummer – malingerer, someone who deliberately lags behind to forage or steal on his own shrift Bummer's Cap - regulation army cap with a high/deep crown, so-called because it could be filled with gathered foodstuffs

Bust Head / Pop Skull - cheap whiskey

Camp canard - tall tale circulating around camp as gossip

Cashier - to dismiss from the army dishonorably

Chief Cook and Bottle Washer - person in charge, or someone who can do anything

Chicken Guts - gold braid used to denote officer ranks

Company Q - fictitious unit designation for the sick list Conniption

Fit - hysterics, temper tantrum

Contraband - escaped slaves who sought refuge behind Union lines

Copperhead - Northern person with Southern, anti-Union sympathies

Cracker Line - supply line for troops on the move

Deadbeat - useless person, malingerer

Desecrated Vegetables - Union, dehydrated (desiccated) vegetables formed into yellowish squares

Dog Robber - soldier detailed from the ranks to act as cook

Dog Collar - cravat issued with uniforms, usually discarded Duds - clothing

Embalmed Beef - canned meat

Essence of Coffee - early instant coffee, found in paste form

Forage - to hunt for food, live off the land; also came to mean plundering enemy property for sustenance

Fit as a fiddle - in good shape

Fit to be tied - angry

Forty Dead Men - a full cartridge box, which usually held fortyrounds

French Leave - to go absent without leave

Fresh Fish - new recruits

Go Boil Your Shirt - take a hike, get lost, bug off

Grab a Root - eat a meal, especially a potato

Greenbacks - money

Grey Backs - lice, also derogatory term for Confederate soldiers

Grit - courage, toughness

Goobers - peanuts

Hanker - a strong wish or want

Hard Case - tough guy

Hard Knocks - hard times, ill use

Hardtack - unleavened bread in the form of ¼ inch thick crackers issued by the army

Haversack - canvas bag about one foot square, which was slung over the shoulder and used to carry a soldier's rations when on the march

High-falutin - highbrow, fancy

Horse Sense - common sense, good judgement

Hospital Rat - someone who fakes illness to get out of duty

Housewife - sewing kit

Huffy, In a Huff - angry, irritated

Humbug - nonsense, a sham, a hoax

Hunkey Dorey - very good, all is well

Jailbird - criminal

Jawing - talking

John Barleycorn - beer

Jonah - someone who is or brings bad luck

Knock into a Cocked Hat - to knock someone senseless or thoroughly shock him

Let 'er Rip - let it happen, bring it on

Let Drive - go ahead, do it

Likely - serviceable, able-bodied

Light Out - leave in haste

Long Sweetening - molasses

Lucifers - matches

Muggins - a scoundrel

Mule - meat, especially if of dubious quality

Mustered Out – wry term meaning killed in action

No Account - worthless

Not By a Jug Full - not by any means, no way

On His Own Hook - on one's own shrift, without orders

Opening the Ball - starting the battle

Opine - be of the opinion

Peacock About - strut around

Peaked - pronounced peak-ed; weak or sickly

Pie Eater - country boy, a rustic

Pig Sticker - knife or bayonet

Picket - sentries posted around a camp or bivouac to guard approaches

Play Old Soldier - pretend sickness to avoid combat

Played Out - worn out, exhausted

Pumpkin Rinds - gold lieutenant's bars

Quartermaster Hunter - shot or shell that goes long over the lines and into the rear.

Quick Step, Flux - diarrhea

Robber's Row - the place where sutlers set up to do business

Row - a fight

Salt Horse - salted meat

Sardine Box - cap box

Sawbones - surgeon

Scarce as Hen's Teeth - exceedingly rare or hard to find

Secesh - derogatory term for Confederates and Southerners:secessionists

See The Elephant - experience combat or other worldly events

Shakes - malaria

Shanks Mare - on foot

Sheet Iron Crackers - hard tack

Shoddy - an inferior weave of wool used to make uniforms early in the war; later came to mean any clothing or equipment of substandard quality

Sing Out - call out, yell

Skedaddle - run away, escape

Slouch Hat - a wide-brimmed felt hat

Snug as a Bug - very comfortable

Somebody's Darling - comment when observing a dead soldier

Sound on the Goose -Sparking - courting a girl

Spondulix - money

Sunday Soldiers / Parlor Soldiers - derogatory terms for unsuitable soldiers

Take an Image - have a photograph taken

Tennessee or Virginia Quick Step - diarrhea

Tight - drunk

Toe the Mark - do as told, follow orders

Top Rail - first class, top quality

Traps - equipment, belongings

Tuckered Out - exhausted

Uppity - arrogantVidette - a sentry same as Picket but usually on horseback

Wallpapered - drunk

Whipped - beaten

Wrathy - angry

Zu Zu - Zouaves, soldiers whose units wore colorful uniforms in a flamboyant French style with baggy trousers, known for bravery and valor

In the idea of doing the best (or going in that direction) look for 4th Texas possible:  - What would be the perfect uniform?  Of course variety helps, but all of us in Derbies would look. . .  Anyway, Don Hutto got me started last night (now later):  I put this to y'all for any input to add to the minimum equipment guidelines.  I think you'll get the gist with the list.   Popular with 4th Texas:Red Shirts were very popular <full button down and pockets with flaps Ok - Don Hutto (CSA prisioners pix)> Red Suspenders (Boss, was that 4th Texas or CSA in general?)NCO Stripes black  ?name?  Sombrero (smaller brim than the Mexican)  The hat story - Stolen from Train passengers - is a good one to tell.

Here are the results of the 2013 Company elections:

Captain - Matt Bishop

1st Lieutenant - Chris Gattman

1st Sergeant - Ryan McGee

2nd Sergeant - Joe Burns

1st Corporal - Ken Church

2nd Corporal - Jim Newton

3rd Corporal - Don Hutto

4th Corporal - Sean Burns

Congratulations to our new Company staff.

happy holidays to all from florence tuscany italy

guido