Mission
Battery I was formed as an educational enterprise for the public and its members, focused specifically on the varied aspects of Civil War field artillery, and on the War era in general . We achieve this through living history: representing as faithfully as possible the Union soldiers who served in Battery I from 1861 to 1865 in some of the toughest battles and campaigns of the war. This is accomplished by attending local and national battle reenactments, and providing hands-on displays and firing demonstrations where requested.

National Scope
Battery I is unique in that it draws members from across the Nation. We are headquartered in Souther California, but most reenacting locations and opportunities are east of the Mississippi. More specifically, there are more of these events in the South than in the Northern and Central states. Most members cannot afford to travel long distances to participate in a weekend or longer event, and our cannon requires a minimum of eight members to correctly serve it. Our concept is to recruit members in several regions, with the hope of assembling at least one complete crew in each region able to attend training and reenacting events within that region and thus within a reasonable distance from home. We believe this scheme maximizes our chances of having a full eight-man gun crew at as many events as possible. Of course, all Battery members will be notified of all events and are always welcome to attend!

Organization
For reasons of historical realism and practicality, Battery I is organized along the military model. There is one first lieutenant who owns the gun, (such an officer would have commanded two gun crews in a "section" in the Civil War, but with post-war budget cuts...) acts as the training and safety officer in the field, sets the schedule, and handles administrative matters. Each region has one sergeant who keeps track of and organizes event attendance and transportation for members in that region, and serves as the crew chief in the field,  exercising overall control of the crew. The remaining six members faithfully attend events and have specific duties on the gun in the field. These are covered elsewhere:

Dues
We do not collect regular unit dues. We do request a donation from members attending an event to offset the cost of transporting the gun, ammunition, and food (hardtack, salt pork, coffee, water, and sugar will be provided by the Battery during field exercises in proportions equal to what a Civil War soldier would have been issued) somewhere in the $50 range. Additional donations are appreciated. Conversely, all members are welcome to attend even if money is too tight when an event rolls around. 

Union only?
While we are Lincoln's boys, the scarcity of reenacting Civil War artillery units might result in requests from event organizers after we arrive that we act as "galvanized" (on the surface only) Confederates if that side has far fewer artillery pieces or none at all. Therefore it is requested, not required, that members bring along any kind of Confederate hat and coat to help in these situations (some Confederates wore blue trousers, so we can use our own). 

One Requirement!!
While we do not collect dues, the Battery requires all members to also be members of the American Battlefield Trust. This unique non-profit organization purchases, or receives as donations, tracts of land in and adjacent to American battlefields and places them in perpetual trust to prevent these hollowed grounds from ever being desecrated and lost to development. There is no other organization with this mission, and it has been remarkably successful over the years. It deserves the support of everyone who cherishes the military history of our Nation, and meshes perfectly with our mission to remember and honor the real soldiers of Battery I, and all others who fought in the Civil War. Thus, we have made it a requirement that all hands pitch in,  join, and support its important efforts. You can join at any level you choose, and all donations are tax deductible, with those above $35 earning some cool benefits! The Trust is well known for its detailed, beautifully executed battlefield maps, and has published them in several books that can be found at many book suppliers. Please look over their website, where you can join and learn more about this fine organization:



What about family members?
Everyone is welcome! If women can make the Federal artillery shell jacket work, they can join the gun crew. In civilian clothes, they can also represent the many women who followed the armies as wives (yes, some soldiers brought their families with them), laundry ladies, seamstresses, sutlers (selling goods to the soldiers), or, uh, doing other things. The artillery used bugles extensively to pass orders or commands over the din of the battlefield; if you have a youngster who aspires to learn the bugle, we can make that happen! And tell the kids they can bring their devices as long as they run on steam.