1 st. Michigan Regiment

[gary michie]

Hi:
Well  it's been a while and I've been snowed in toooooooo long were down to about 3 feet of snow on the flat and melting.
This winter I turned out a 12 lb M.H. (waiting for wood) sending it to seattle to be bronze next week.
Our battery will spin off a new battery for it with a rifle squad to do close support for the infantry,  we even have a horse and rider to move on and off the field.
I'll post pic as soon as I get a host( the one that I'm useing to display my eagle here says I'm useing all my bandwith or what ever just doing that) . The closer I get to retirement the more brains go.
Any way this makes three 1st Michigan batterys our two and Pokes Battery who portrays bat.B when they galvanize. We wish to establish  a 1st Michigan Regiment here in the north west and are inviteing any other 1st.Michigan battery to post there name on the roster.It may be just fun to know where we all are and maybe even share the same field one day. My email for this  michiegr1@msn.com 
                 
Rampa room,and or Cannonmn could you post this over at North-South Skirmish Association
my account there is not working right, my password doesn't match my user name but when I go to change/fix this I'm told  they do.
Artillery Huzzah

[Cat Whisperer]

Gary -

THANKS for the update!

Tim K

[navygunner]

Gary,
   Hey redleg, what battery are you with? Will the MH be a separate battery? I'm with Battery D 1st Michigan also with the U S Naval Landing Party which is fielding a section of Mtn Howitzers back east. They should have one gun at Zoar Ohio I think. I'm over in flint.

[gary michie]

NG:
So pleased to hear from you
We are 1st. Michigan Light Artillery, Battery E. We are based out of Spokane Wa.
There is a landing party here in WCWA all so they are the USS Tahoma.

In the 1st. we are coming out of the winter with 18 members and at last count 10 new recruits. A good deal of our cannoneers are war vets lots of ground pounders, some Air force and Navy ,two Marine Artilleryman both "lifers", they know ther stuff.

The MH. will be a separate battery, "E" didn't have a MH we had Parrotts. We are LOOKING for a Michigan battery that had a MH in their Barttery, Do You Know of One?
Please tell  1st Michigan Battery "D" we would be honored to put your Company on the roster that will be read of at ever company paraide ( speak their name and they are immortal)
Please sent the info.

your servant
Captain Gary Michie
!st.Michigan Light Artillery
WCWA
Spokane wa.

[navygunner]

Captain,
   Battery D also had parrots, all but one were captured are Chickamauga. Currently we have 3 parrotts, a mtn howitzer and a 12 pounder bronze napoleon in the unit. Off hand I can't think of any unit that was outfitted with the MH's as they are more a cavalry support weapon. Just too far outgunned to be effective at counter battery fire. If you are members of the NCWAA you can contact Captain James Newkirk of Battery D from their website.

Your Servant Sir,
Geo Dailey
gunnersmate USNLP (western waters)
Pvt battery D 1st Mich.

[gary michie]

Hi:
Well I got the pic. up and running(I hope) so here goes.
I made the barrel of 1026-519 dom and the breech of crs 1026. Here in WCWA we can not use cast anything barrels so we build steel ones. I didn't want to bore 4and 5/8" the length of the barrel so I used the thick wall tube. I wanted a strong breech/powder chamber so I made 1 piece then screwed then together using 4 threads per inch for 6 inches then welded.  If my math it right there is about 1000 foot pounds of torque on the threads me on a 6' bar.
I pocket my trunions using a tappered radius these are set in 1/4" with a .150" trench around the trunion for a good weld fill, then polish and plating it's in there now will show you the bronze finish product as soon as it back home. http://s633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/garymichie/?action=view&current=018de3f2.pbw

[gary michie]

Hi:
Well getting the wood for this cannon was a fight but the outcome is pretty good here is the photos I posted last time with 2 of the finish Mountain Howitzer.
I am now drilling 33" barrels for the gatling.
http://s633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/garymichie/?action=view&current=018de3f2.pbw
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/garymichie/mountainhowitzer007.jpg
http://i633.photobucket.com/albums/uu56/garymichie/mountainhowitzer003.jpg

[moose53]

Gary Michie ,You did yourself proud , the bronzed Mountain Howitzer is gorgeous. Having it bronzed made all the difference in the word , I was involved in 2 full size builds of Mountain Howitzers with cannonmike and they didn't shine like that . Do you have a feel for how durable the bronze plate is ? Robin

[BoomLover]

Quite impressive! Thanks for posting!

[dan610324]

is it electro plated or hot spray plated ??

[navygunner]

The bronze sure makes the MH look impressive well done Battery E.

[gary michie]

Hi
Thank you for your kind words.
On the plating, I think its going to hold up. I asked for a heavy plateing and I had a mishap, and because of it I see I got somewhere between .005 to .010" of coverage. In the bore Im sure that it will wear from cleaning but a reenactment gun making just noise and very little heat being retained at the mussle I don't think it will peel.
Yes we do look very clean but that was at the first of the battle at the end we are pretty bloodied up and 1/3 of us are helped off the field. We are a bunch of HAMS.

[Cannoneer]

Gary,
Your photos show a top-notch build, for both barrel and carriage. I know that bronze plating of steel has been talked about here before, but I think you're the first to do it; it'll be interesting to hear how it weathers the burning of black powder.

[dynomike1x1]

Anyone know about what it cost to bronze a mountain howitizer?

[gary michie]

Hi:
It cost $500 to do the mountain  Howitzer so $750 maybe $850 for the big boy.The problem is the weight.