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Thanks to the early history of the 13th Confederate Infantry, as recorded by the founder John Gilmer, and the wealth of knowledge supplied by John "Jack" Carroll, this interesting and informative history of one of the older units in the North-South Skirmish Association has been made available. The idea of a Confederate North-South Skirmish Team, which would become the first gray unit to be formed in the Washington Metropolitan area, began at the 7th North-South shoot at Quantico, Virginia, May 1953. John Gilmer, then a member of the 1st Richmond Rifles, discussed the possibilities of a Confederate unit with Bill Walsh, a spectator at that shoot, and they decided to get together some time shortly thereafter. On Saturday, July 17, 1953, a small group of muzzle-loading enthusiasts met with John Gilmer and Bill Walsh at Gilmer's home in East Riverdale, Maryland. They decided to organize a North-South Skirmish Team that evening, but the subject of a name for the new organization posed a minor problem. The group was composed of men from Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia; therefore, no particular local or state name seemed fitting. With this thought in mind, it was agreed to adopt a name which would represent the Confederate Regular Army, without reactivating an original unit as was the custom of the time. There being only seven infantry regiments in the small Confederate States Regular Army, the number thirteen was adopted in honor of the number of stars in the CS battle flag. Additionally; the charter members felt the number 13 might prove lucky for them. Thus, the first regular army unit in the North-South Skirmish Association came into being, hereafter known as the 13th Confederate Infantry. The 13th made its debut October 18, 1953, at the 8th North-South Skirmish held at the Cavalier Rifle and Pistol Club range in Richmond, Virginia. One 8-man company was fielded which did fair, but all members felt quite satisfied with their first try in the "big time" competition. The unit looked very military with their new uniforms and they did a bit of fancy drill on the way to the firing line which drew some applause and many compliments. With John Gilmer as Skirmish Director, the 13th Confederate Infantry and the Washington Blue Rifles ran the 9th Skirmish at Aberdeen, Maryland. The 13th again fielded one company but placed out of the medals with a tie for the 4th place in a field of nine teams. An artillery piece had been recently added and was fired for the first time. Later, however, the artillery enthusiasts would split' off from the 13th to form their own teams. Two companies were mustered for the 10th Skirmish held at Quantico and the 13th's "A" Company placed third, a start toward the top. In the 11th Skirmish, at Fort Lee, Virginia, the 13th had three companies, a first for any skirmish organization, but slipped in the competitive aspect and ended up tying for 5th place. Because the 13th was still the only Confederate outfit in the Washington Metropolitan area and its members covered such a large geographical area, interested people with Southern ties were naturally attracted as the word of mouth spread. Team membership grew rapidly those first few years and as a result, distant members with neighboring teammates found it more advantageous to split off from the 13th and form their own units. In the spring of 1955, Joe Bown and three other charter members from the S.E. Washington area were the first group to leave. During this period, original Civil War units were being reactivated, and Joe wanted his own artillery team. His unit became the 1st Stuart Horse Artillery, and McGregor's 2nd Battery would splinter off from his outfit at a later date. Calvin Olive left the 13th shortly thereafter in the summer of 1955 to form the 1st Maryland Cavalry, a Baltimore based outfit. Later, the 1st Maryland Cavalry would father the 2nd Maryland Cavalry and the 2nd Maryland Infantry. The 12th Skirmish at Fort Meade, Maryland saw the 13th again with three companies and, unfortunately, again placing third. Then, as if to remind the charter members of their choice of regimental designation, the 13th Confederate Infantry took their first, first place at the 13th Skirmish held at Fort Dix, New Jersey. The 13th Confederate Infantry fielded four full companies for the 13th Skirmish, and proved the number 13 was far from unlucky. "Uncle" George Bryant and three other team members became the third group to leave when they formed the 1st Maryland Artillery during the summer of 1956. The group was from the Annapolis-South River area and constituted the remainder of the artillery enthusiasts on the 13th. The 14th Skirmish at Camp A. P. Hill, Virginia, was another Confederate victory with the 13th repeating its previous first place performance. The 15th Skirmish at Fort Dix saw the former champions, the Richmond Volunteer Militia, come back in fine style to win first, although the 13th took 2nd and 3rd places, the first time any unit had done that. The 13th came back with a first place again at the 16th Skirmish at Quantico, and added to its second place by the “B" Company. This was the first and only time in skirmish history that a unit's "A" and "B" Companies placed 1st and 2nd, respectively, in National competition. The 17th Skirmish at Fort Lee and the 18th at Gettysburg saw the 13th Confederate Infantry remain in first place. Frank Purvis and Alvin Chandler, along with about sixteen other members, became the fourth group to leave when they formed the 17th Virginia Infantry, an Alexandria - Manassas based group, in the spring of 1959. The 49th Virginia Infantry would later splinter from this outfit. The 13th was down 2 companies by the 19th Skirmish, but still took first & 5th place despite the departure of roughly half of the "A" and "B" companies when the 17th Virginia separated. Sharp competition ensued between the 13th Confederate Infantry and the 17th Virginia for several years with the 17th Virginia dominating the 20th through 24th Nationals. In 1961, the 13th was one of the few units to be invited by Governor Tawes to participate in the Commemorations Ceremony of the beginning of the War Between the States, held at the State House in Annapolis, Maryland. The 13th was presented with an authentic replica of the 1st Confederate National Colors (1st Stars and Bars), and proudly flies this flag at all skirmishes and team functions. John Gilmer had moved to Richmond in 1956, but remained with the 13th until the spring of 1966 when he rejoined the 1st Richmond Rifles. The fifth and last group split away from the 13th in 1966 when Stanley Phillips and Phil Dean, plus four other members, formed Hart's Battery. After a long dry spell, the 13th emerged with another National victory in the fall of 1968 at the 38th Skirmish. Members of the Richmond Volunteer Militia expressed their concern that the 13th might be starting another run of National victories, but their fears were dismissed when the RVM captured 1st place at the 39th Skirmish. The 13th “A" Company placed 2nd and 4th in the 40th and 41st Nationals, but slipped out of the winners circle in the following years. Over the years, the 13th has taken seven 1st place National victories, second only to the Richmond Volunteer Militia. When the North-South Skirmish Association was formed on October 6, 1956, the 13th Confederate Infantry became a charter member and assigned seniority #8. Two of the four charter members in the Potomac Region were units fathered by the 13th Confederate Infantry; the four charter units being the Washington Blue Rifles, 13th Confederate Infantry, 1st Stuart Horse Artillery, and 1st Maryland Cavalry. Many of the members of the 13th have distinguished themselves at the National and Regional levels., John Gilmer, founder of the 13th, was instrumental in the drafting of the original constitution document and following the adoption of the constitution, John became the first elected National Commander in 1956. Gilmer has also held the positions of Skirmish Director for the 9th, 23rd, and 35th Nationals, Judge Advocate, Rules Committee Chairman, Co-solicitor and Archivist. The Mason-Dixon Invitational Skirmish was started jointly by the 13th Confederate Infantry and the 27th Virginia in 1964, with the 27th Virginia assuming complete responsibility for the skirmish the following year. In January 1974, Willie Lochstamphfor's brainstorm became reality when the 13th Confederate Infantry hosted the 1st Snowball Invitational Skirmish. One year later, the 2nd Snowball Invitational became the largest skirmish (not counting National Skirmishes), with 54 teams vying for top prizes The 13th still exhibits that combination of close comradeship and dedication to skirmishing which has enabled its members to enjoy a rich tradition of participation and achievement in the North-South Skirmish Association. In future years, the 13th Confederate Infantry will continue to strive towards that degree of excellence which will again put them at the top of the company matches list in National competition. Jack Carroll, Potomac Regional Commander from 1960 through 1962, has held the positions of Co-director of the 26th National, Judge Advocate, Chairman of the Insurance Committee, Chairman of the Legislative Committee, Chairman of the Property Management Committee, and is still the NRA Representative for the N-SSA. In addition, Jack commanded the Confederate Infantry at the First Manassas-Bull Run reenactment and was Field Commander of all Confederate Forces at the Sharpsburg-Antietam reenactment. John Gilmer and Jack Carroll received the highly coveted Award of Merit in 1961 and 1973, respectively, a true sign of their outstanding service and dedication to the North-South Skirmish Association. Other members that have made contributions are: Al Chandler, Potomac Region Adjutant; Jim Evans, National Adjutant; Jim Bush, Regional Inspector General; Barney Hartley, Skirmish Line Editor and member of the Property Management Committee; Jim Fisher, Chairman of the Rules Publication Committee.
13th Confederate Infantry, Fort Shenandoah, Winchester, Virginia 7 September 1975 Standing, Left to Right: R. Durant, J. Carroll. G. Rothlauf, D. Rusher, J. Murphy, W. Middleton, R. Renn, M. Foster, E. Cordiero, W. Durvin, J. Young, W. Lochstamphfor, D. Bush, J. Riddell, C. McGettigan Kneeling, Left to Right: M. Talbot (Commander), D. Haines, D. Williford, B. Evans, R. Hawley, Jos. Bush, James Bush, J. Evans, J. Meadows, K. Barker, J. Fieser photo by Jim Fisher
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