Project Appleseed

Pine Island White Pines Sportsman's Club hosted a Project Appleseed 25m event this past weekend.  It was good event with great people and a good time.  I'd like to thank the host club for allowing us the use of the range.

I also want to thank the 8 individuals who came out and worked on their rifle marksmanship skills.  It was an honor to meet and work with each of you.  I hope that you had as much fun as I did, despite that MN sun baking us all to a crisp. 

I'd encourage you all to continue to work on your rifleman skills and dry-fire as much as you can. 

Now on to some highlights:
 - Matt on Saturday's 2nd AQT shot a 228 for his rifleman's badge
 - Dan, our club host, showed us on Saturday some consistency shooting 238 a few times earning his requalification of rifleman.
 - Instructors Sawyer & Autumn also requal'd.
 - Everyone improved to some degree - we had a few knocking on the door, names and highest score of the weekend listed below:
  -- Bryce 204
  -- Mike - 186
  -- Steven -- 199

Lacey, Margo, Kaison - all showed improvements and more importantly great attitudes.


Thank you to our host range, to the awesome volunteers, and even more awesome participants.  I look forward to seeing you at a future event.

In the spring of 1777, Maj. Gen. John Burgoyne was dispatched to Québec, Canada, to take charge of British forces in that country and lead an offensive south into western New York. After destroying rebel resistance in western New York, Burgoyne intended to march south to Albany, where he would join with Gen. William Howe's army for additional offensive operations.

Burgoyne assigned 3,700 troops to remain with Gen. Sir Guy Carleton in Québec while he led a 9,100-man expeditionary force southward along Lake Champlain to eliminate the Patriots defending Fort Ticonderoga. Simultaneously, another British force, about 2,000 men commanded by Lt. Col. Barry St. Leger, would march around to the west and attack Patriots operating in the Mohawk Valley before moving to Albany. Howe, meanwhile, would lead the main British army northward up the Hudson River from New York City to join with St. Leger and Burgoyne at Albany. If successful, the three-pronged British offensive would crush the rebellion in New York and separate the New England colonies from the middle and lower colonies.

When he learned of the arrival of General Burgoyne and his army in Canada, Maj. Gen. John Thomas, the commander of American forces stationed on the outskirts of Québec, retreated southward into western New York. An outbreak of smallpox decimated American ranks during the retreat, and Thomas was one of those who died from the disease.

Brigadier General John Sullivan replaced Thomas, and the army marched southward to Fort Ticonderoga to join with the forces led by Maj. Gen. Philip Schuyler. One of Schuyler's subordinates, Gen. Arthur St. Clair, was assigned to defend the key terrain overlooking Lake Champlain at Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence.

Fort Ticonderoga had been in the Patriots' hands since its capture by Benedict Arnold and Ethan Allen on May 10, 1775. This area was a mainstay in the Patriot defensive northern network, and 2,500 troops led by Maj. Gen. Arthur St. Clair was busy there preparing for the arrival of the British. Artillery and supplemental positions were also prepared on Mount Independence, which overlooked the lake from the southeast. High ground west at Mt. Hope, southwest of Mt. Defiance, the lake itself, and wide northern and northwestern approaches meant that without a large force, Ticonderoga was indefensible. Its importance in the minds of Americans, however, made its defense professionally and politically necessary.

General Burgoyne arrived outside the walls of Fort Ticonderoga on June 30 with British troops, Hessians, Indians, Canadians, and Tory sympathizers. Burgoyne's British troops had landed on the western shore of the lake, while von Riedesel's Hessians landed and marched down the eastern side toward Mt. Independence.

The Hessians faced a difficult mission as East Creek and its surrounding marshes dominated the terrain in their sector. The Hessians planned to sweep around to the south and then move up into the high ground, but American artillery fire from Mt. Independence, coupled with swampy East Creek, thwarted their movements.

By July 2, troops commanded by Brig. Gen. Simon Fraser secured positions northwest of the American fort on Mount Hope, effectively cutting off an American retreat to Lake George. St. Clair and his officers knew that if the British moved to occupy the high ground south of Mt. Defiance, Fort Ticonderoga, the bridge of boats leading to the eastern shore, and Mt. Independence would be within the range of enemy artillery. St. Clair, however, lacked the troop strength to adequately defend the surrounding terrain.

The British initiated plans on July 4 to occupy Mt. Defiance. The move to mount the high ground and position artillery there was foolishly performed in front of American eyes, which gave St. Clair the time he needed to hold a council of war and decide his next move.

At dusk on July 5, St. Clair began evacuating Fort Ticonderoga, the move masked by a large-scale artillery barrage. As long as the Hessians did not move south and cut off the route below Mt. Independence, the route to Skenesboro (now Whitehall) remained open. Critical supplies and artillery pieces were moved downriver; two hours later, the balance of the garrison crossed the boat bridge to Mt. Independence and marched south.

Burgoyne discovered his opponent's escape the next morning and ordered a vigorous pursuit. He split his army into three parts. One wing was left to occupy Fort Ticonderoga and other strategic locations around Lake Champlain while he led another section by water in pursuit south down the lake. The third portion was placed under General Fraser and ordered to march down the western side of the lake in pursuit of the retreating Americans. Burgoyne had easily captured the important stronghold.

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[Fort Ticonderoga, Ticonderoga, New York, from Mount Defiance
Image Credit: Fort Ticonderoga, Ticonderoga, New York, from Mount Defiance, 6 May 2009, by Mwanner. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license]

What a great day to meet a new Appleseeder and a few returning ones at the Monticello Rod & Gun Club to work on improving our pistol marksmanship.

The day threatened rain most of the day, but we stayed dry and stayed focus on the fundamentals.  Roxie, Di, Kyra, and Evonne worked diligently on their pistol marksmanship skills.  Roxie started the day hot with an awesome hits count and continued to show that she is one lady that knows her pistol.  She was able to shoot Pistoleer™™ score early in the afternoon before the mental and physical exhaustion took its toll.  Diane was also able to shoot Pistoleer™™ later in the day.  Kyra and Evonne were improving and/or fighting with malfunctions.

Overall it was a great first event back at the Monticello Rod & Gun club after almost a decade break.  I look forward to more events at their beautiful facility.

Thanks to all who attended, volunteered, or were otherwise involved.

Pictures to follow.

Congratulations to all the shooters who survived the weekend while managing to avoid heat stress related injuries. Riflemen persist!!

  Bless you, thank you for all those who helped me in the journey to earn a Red Hat!!  It has been quite the project for me.

  Again; THANK YOU ALL!!

Congratulations, Wingwrench!

Sounds like a heck of a good event!

Nine students joined the local cadre at the famed Redbrush Rifle Range for a two-day 25m clinic. The weather was oppressively hot and humid, but the students persevered. At the hottest point of the first day, where I would have opined to Master Instructor DonD, had he been there, that "it's hot, Don," we adjourned to the range's clubhouse for an air-conditioned third strike and further instruction.

At that point, a non-Appleseed affiliated range member had a medical emergency (he has recovered.) I want to commend the students and cadre for being able to split off half the cadre to facilitate the handling of the emergency with getting and guiding the EMS to the range, while allowing the course of fire to continue as planned.

By the end of the first day, Bert had qualified with a 233. This is his second shoot after a shoot in Puryear with the Tennessee cadre. This stuff works, folks, Rifleman in two shoots is fast.

The heat took its toll and several students did not return Sunday. All the Sunday AQTs were planned before lunch, but, as most of the rest of the students left at lunch, one more AQT was conducted at the request of a shooter for another crack at it. We then did the KD exercise, the final hits count, said some concluding words, and ended the event.

I want to commend Chris and Nate for high scores of 207 and 208 respectively, as well as Boston, Kael, and especially Cullie for working hard the whole hot event.

Caliente Seed Morale Patches were awarded to all students who came to both days, and the William Diamond patch to the youths who came both days.

More pictures to follow. Students and instructors feel free to post comments and your own pictures.

Captions:
Darkfoot gives the First Strike.
Sur+Rifle instructs on the Hits Count.
Saturday morning firing line.
We run the flags now on the bays, they help say Appleseed is on THIS one.
Standing practice.
Bert and Cullie won the "most perserverant" award.
Saturday afternoon line.
and again.
Cullie receives coaching from Instructor Alexandra the Great.

 Richard persevered through the heat to post the weekend's only Rifleman score

Wingwrench marvels at the number of holes

Wingwrench's orange hat receives a fitting retirement