Clean Up of Johnson's Island Civil War Site

(Marblehead, Ohio) – Almost exactly 150 years after the first shots of the Civil War were fired, another wave of volunteers is about to descend on America’s storied battlegrounds and prison sites – only this array of dedicated men and women will be armed with paint brushes, trash bags and weed whackers.

On Saturday, April 2, 2011, history buffs and preservationists from around the country will team up with the Civil War Trust (CWT) to help clean and restore America’s priceless battlefields, cemeteries, POW sites and shrines. The nationwide effort – dubbed Park Day – is underwritten with a grant from History™, formerly The History Channel, and has been endorsed by Take Pride in America, a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior.

Park Day, now in its 15th year, is an annual hands-on preservation event created by CWT to assist local groups with the maintenance of Civil War sites. This year, more than 100 sites in 24 states are expected to take part in the effort, with activities ranging from trash removal to trail building. In exchange for their hard work, volunteers receive t-shirts and learn the site’s history from local experts.

The Johnson’s Island Civil War Military Prison Site will participate in Park Day 2011 for the 6th year. Volunteers will assist in prison compound cleanup, removal of fallen trees from Fort Johnson, preparation of walking trails and placement of interpretative markers. For more information about Park Day at the Johnson’s Island Civil War Military Prison site and to register to participate, please contact David Bush by phone at 419-448-2327 or by email at dbush@heidelberg.edu.

Perryopolis registration

Looking forward to the Fall, Birney's Division will be hosting the annual Civil War reenactment in Perryopolis, PA (September 30 - October 2). Please check out the website and registration information at http://perryopolis.webs.com/

Ohio Civil War 150 Ceremony

Ohio 150th Anniversary Kick off Ceremony and Brunch, both at the Ohio Statehouse on April 10th.

Some reenactor information:

First on the brunch: Tickets are $40. Proceeds go to Ohio Save the Flags fund. With sponsors for Wes Cowan and such, if all 240 tickets sell, several thousand dollars will be raised. The Ohio Historical Society will be displaying, among other things the Flank Marker Flag of the 88th OVI and Regimental Colors of the 6th OVI, 10th OVC and 21st OVVI. These will be on display in the Statehouse Rotunda where they were at rest for so many years. If you want tickets, please call 800-858-6878 ASAP. You CAN attend the brunch and take part in the ceremony both. You also CAN see the flags without attending the brunch.

On the reenactment ceremony:

We will be assisting Colonel Minton and the Army of the Ohio. There will be a registration table for you to check in when you arrive. You may bring tent etc. to set up a static display for the day. You may arrive any time after 8, but please don't set up without getting approval. The ceremony starts at 2, we'll begin sorting/organizing by about 1 p.m. Unless otherwise directed... DO NOT BRING ROUNDS. There will be a firing detail, once we see registrations we'll let those folks know to bring rounds.

Uniform: The 6th OVI has registered nearly 30 folks and will be portraying the 1st OVI. Everyone else please wear your normal uniform and remember... this is an early war ceremony... not a late war show of how disgusting you can look. So, please have your uniform in decent shape. The only uniform exceptions will be a couple officers who will have specific roles. These too will be assigned once we see registrations.

Please bring both your National and Regimental colors if you have them. They would like to see NCO's carrying the colors. The colors will be formed in numerical order starting near the speaker.

The Statehouse Gift Shop will have the Save the Flag Shirts on sale that day for us. Please bring your $$ to get your shirts and encourage your folks to do the same.

Please pass this word to your folks. The wider distribution we can get with this the better.

If units and/or members from Birney's want to go PLEASE contact Lt Col Smith from 2d Battalion ASAP. clsmith@5thohio.com

Welcome to new Battery

Birney's Division would like to welcome 1st Lt. Harold George and the members of the 9th Ohio Independent Battery of Light Artillery to the ranks of our organization. The 9th will be operating with 2d Battalion at Ohio events including Hale Farm in August.

For the readers out there (and who isn't), Lt. George has written several books on the period including "Men of the 9th Ohio", "Civil War Monuments of Ohio", "DEAD Soldiers at Gettysburg", "Ohio and the American Civil War", and last year's "Custer's Last Stand".

If you are interested in becoming a member of their gun crew, contact Lt. George at ninthohio@sbcglobal.net.

Ohio Civil War 150 Regional Informational Meeting

March 16th, 5:00 pm
Tuscarawas County Convention and Visitors Bureau

For Ohio events held in Wayne, Holmes, Coshocton, Muskingum, Stark, Tuscarawas, Geurnsey, Harrison, Carroll, Jefferson, Columbiana, Belmont Counties)

Come to this regional meeting and…

-Exchange flyers and event information with other organizations (county and regional)

-Develop plans for cooperative advertising

-Explore the possibility of a Civil War Membership for events in the county (and encourage your community and regional visitors to attend your events)

-Brainstorm about packages with lodging, restaurant and other organizations

-Assistance using the CW150 Website

-Email Blast and Regional Calendar

You will also have time at the end of the meeting to give a brief update of what your site is planning for the Civil War 150 Commemoration.

If you are planning on come, please contact Kate McFadden at civilwar@dennisondepot.org or 740-922-6776 (1-877-278-8020 toll free) at the Dennison Railroad Depot Museum.

New website for the 150th Manassas

Yesterday, the Prince William County – Manassas Convention and Visitors Bureau launched the new website for the commemoration of the 150th Battle of First Manassas/Bull Run (July 21-24, 2011). The site features information for the general public attending the events, and for reenactors who will be participating.

Visit the new website at http://www.manassasbullrun.com/

Schedule of Events for 150th Manassas

The official schedule for the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Manassas has been published. Download the file at the following link: http://www.visitpwc.com/reenactment/pdf/Schedule.pdf

The Manassas event will be held in Prince William County in Virginia, July 23rd and 24th.

150th Manassas - Call for early numbers

The Division Commander has asked General Kelley for some initial infantry numbers as they relate to the 150th Anniversary reenactment of Manassas in July. All Companies need to report the following information to their Battalion Commander NO LATER THAN this Friday (March 4th). If you are not sure which Battalion you are in, please check the website at http://www.birneysdivision.org/.

1.  Will your Company be attending the event?
2.  How many military personnel?
3.  How many civilian personnel?
4.  Will there be an officer or NCO in charge?

Thanks for the information and we are looking forward to a great season!!