Vol. 42, No. 9 25th Loomis’ Battery Annual Long Ra By Don Lutz, Loomis’ Battery and Ericka Hoffmann, Dulany Troop, 6th Virginia Cavalry GRAYLING MICH.—Range 35 of the Grayling Michigan National Guard Range Complex was pounded by 584 period rounds of authentic antique artillery ammunition on July 30 and 31, 2016. The 25th Loomis’ Battery Annual Invitational Long Range Artillery Match was attended by 167 registered cannoneers, bringing 42 original and replica full-siz artillery pieces from 10 states. The cannons and mortars present represented the time period from 1757 through 1895, featuring both muzzle loading and breech loading pieces of ordnance. The two-day match featured ten different long range event While organized by Loomis’ Battery, the event was made possible by courtesy of the Michigan National Guard. The number of cannons present, the number of projectiles fired and the number of active participant were reported to Range Control at the end of each day. Routine contact was made to Range Control throughout the time the range was occupied and was considered hot. The 2016 match ran very smoothly; no unusual events were reported to Range Control, and no Range Control checkfires were encountered. No accidents occurred during the match or match preparations.
History Of The Match Now in its 25th year, this historical, black powder artillery match was inspired by a one-time special event that was part of the Michigan State Sesquicentennial celebration in 1987. During the planning of the
Dulany Troop, 6th Virginia Cavalry f Mountain Rifle during the 1,000 yard
rtillery Match celebration, Matt Switlik of Loomis Battery, who was on the sesquicentennial committee, recommended that an artillery demonstration be part of the sesquicentennial festiv ties. The idea was well-received, a with cooperation from the Michigan National Guard and other artillery organizations, Loomis’ Battery helped put on an artillery demonstr tion at the Camp Grayling Michigan National Guard range. This event in cluded demonstrations of the Michigan National Guard firing World War II and Vietnam War era howitzers; a Civil War period six-gun, horsedrawn cannon battery; and an American Revolution period crew firing an oxen drawn cannon. The artillery demonstration was a crowd pleaser and received compliments from the National Guard. Because of the success of that s cial event, Loomis’ Battery began hosting a long range cannon and mus ket match at Range 8 at Camp Grayling in 1990. For the first few yea the live fire shoot consisted of lo range cannon matches on Saturday and long range rifle musket matches on Sunday. Due to the demand for more artillery matches, the eve soon changed to long range cannon and mortar matches on both days. In 2006, Range 8 was redeveloped, and the historical artillery match was moved to Range 35, where it has been held ever since. There has been only one year when the event was not held, in 2014, due to range redesign and maintenance and other scheduling conflicts. Loomis’ Battery continues to host the event in partnership with the Michigan National Guard; in cooperation with t
a 2.25-inch Confederate on match on Saturday.
1,000 yard cannon match on Saturday. Allan Shaffer/2nd Maryland, Baltimor Vol. Infantry (10-Pdr. Parrott Rifle
Michigan Department of National Resources and the Federal Aviation Administration; and with assistance from other artillery units, to ensur the continued success of this premie long range artillery event.
Special Paid Matches On Sunday Two paid matches highlight Sunday’s events at Grayling, the Grayling Open mortar match and the Bacon Creek Memorial rifled field cannon match. During the Grayling Open, Coehorn and siege mortars fire at a common stake 450 yards away. The closest round to the stake which must be within 50 yards of the stake, wins the monetary prize. This year, Loomis’ Battery’s Kerry Carroll won the Grayling Open with a 24-Pdr. Coehorn Mortar. To compete in the Bacon Creek Memorial Match, rifled field gun shooters fire ten rounds at reproduced copies of an 1861 issue of the Cincinnati Daily Gazette newspaper mounted on foam core at 1,000 yards. All shots must be completely within the border of the newspaper page target to be counted. This money match pays homage to the original Civil War Loomis’ Battery, whose winter quarters were in the Bacon Creek area of northern Kentucky near Cincinnati during January and February of 1861. They practiced their artillery marksmanship
by firing at and hitting copies of t Cincinnati newspaper. This year, the Bacon Creek match was won by Ken Knoll and Knoll’s Ill. Independent Battery from Southern Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, firing a Mode
R: John Hughes/Robinson’s Battery ht Artillery, CSA (3-inch Ordnance de Huffman/5th VA Vol. Infantry (10
A special memorial event occurre at the end of the Grayling Open match on Sunday morning. Tim Scanlan of the 1st Maryland Cavalry fired a full-service load from h mortar in memory of Joe Leisch Jr. of the 5th Virginia Volunteer Infan try, who passed away last October, and who had competed at Grayling several times.
Impressive Variety Of Artillery Pieces Participants and spectators have the pleasure of seeing a wide variety of original and reproductio historical, black powder artillery pieces and units compete at the Loomis’ Battery Annual Invitational Long Range Artillery Match at Grayling. Time periods represented this year dated as far back as a
Edinirog (translation: “unicorn”) field artillery cannon, as was used the Seven Years’ War in Europe. It was fired by the Keivskii Cuirassie from Huntington, Indiana, who stood out among the artillery units their crimson colored uniforms. The oldest original gun competing in th 2016 event was an 1836 experimental model 1831-E iron cannon made at the Columbia Foundry in Maryland. This particular piece was used in
the Mexican-American War and the Civil War and is owned and fired by
Inside this issue: 46 – Advertisers & Book Reviews 26 – Ask The Appraiser 4 – Black Powder, White Smoke 28 – Book Reviews
r. Parrott Rifle); ; Norm Gibson/1st SC Parrott Rifle) and oth
Aiming a Parrott Rifle 1,000 yard match on Sa
Don Cartwright of Bled from southeast Michiga recent ordnance pieces matches were the model inch breech-loading fi a 10-Pdr. British bree jointed screw gun with being fired from atop yellow carriage. Crews from 10 diffe fired historical artil time periods encompass years, from the 1750s
37 – Critic’ s Corner 38 – Events Section 12 – Inspection, ARMS! 6 – The Source 5 – Through The Lens