"Brandy Station Review" by Don TroianiCeremonial Parade of Honor for Outgoing Commanders in the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV)Officers of the Confederate States of America (CSA) Armies & Fellow Club Members,
This is a special edition of
Dispatches & Messages to the Front! The Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) has undergone a reorganization recently and there's been some changes in leadership & commanders. Last fall
Army Commander (AC) of the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) General Stewart Stiles had mentioned due to real life reasons he was not able to continue as the ANV's Army Commander. A search was started to find a new AC & in the process it was decided that the ANV would be reorganized. General Nick Kunz, Major General Larry Mills and myself worked for several months to create a plan for the reorganization. Nick emailed each officer of the ANV to check their status and also get them reassigned if needed. Larry worked to gather the very active officers into II (Jackson's) Corps and selected new divisional leaders to engage with the officers. The III (Swamp Legion) Corps has been renamed the III (Swamp Legion) Reserve Corps and is for those who muster but may not be able to actively game. Also as part of the consolidation IV (Stuart's Cavalry) Corps was disbanded after having been used since 2014 after the CSA Field Armies consolidation took place under then CoA General Cameron McOmish. It had one division that had several longtime veteran officers in it.
Both General Stiles &
Chief of Staff (CoS) of the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) Lieutenant General Steve Kitchen have been assigned to brigade command after having led the ANV for over a decade! I'd like to thank Stewart & Steve for the service they provided to make a stable & effective leadership of the ANV for many years in the Club. We can't repay them for the service they gave, but we will certainly honor them for it! I'm pretty sure that they are the longest serving army level staff ever in the Club!
Changes also occurred in the famous
I (Longstreeet's) Corps as well.
Lieutenant General Alphonse de Meré, who has been the
Corps Commander (CC) since 2004 and
Corps Chief of Staff Major General Jaume Campderrós who has served with Alphonse since 2005. Both of them have provided years of significant leadership & service. One of the finest examples of a Corps Command Staff, they gave the same stability & valued leadership that Steve & Stewart gave, but for longer. Their excellent work on the
Corps website for so many years has made it a timeless part of the CSA & Club!
Also,
Major General Dwight Conlan, who has served as a
Division Commander (DC) in I (Longstreeet's) Corps since 2004. He has led several divisions over the years, most recently
1st (McLaws') Division. Dwight has done a great job over the years and we appreciate all he has given to the ANV & CSA!
With the
III (Swamp Legion) Corps becoming the
III (Swamp Legion) Reserve Corps, several of the active Division Commanders were reassigned to II (Jackson's) Corps to continue serving.
Lieutenant General Giorgio Beacco has served as the
III (Swamp Legion) Corps Commander since 2011. For many years Giorgio led the Swamp Legion with great skill, ability & attention to his officers. He was exceptionally good with new recruits that were entrusted to his care. He also built a great home for the Italian members of the Club, which for many years were the majority of 2nd (Heth's) Division (also known as the Palmetto Guards Division). Even in recent years, when real life had taken more of his time, Giorgio was able to keep up on welcoming new officers into the Corps. In the reorganization Giorgio did indicate his intention to return to brigade command. The ANV & CSA are truly thankful for the commitment Giorgio gave to his command for so many years.
With the new designation of III (Swamp Legion) Reserve Corps, the officers assigned to it are veterans of many years in the Club, so the decision was made to leave the Corps and Division Commands empty at the moment, since the ANV Command Staff can work directly with those veteran officers. In doing so
IV (Stuart's Cavalry) Corps was disbanded.
General Bob Weir had served as
Corps Commander since 2014 when it was created after the CSA Field Armies consolidation. Prior to this current reorganization the Corps had served as the place for longtime veteran officers. Bob continued to provide his outstanding assistance to the CSA in his role as Corps Commander by communicating any needs of the veteran officers to the ANV Command Staff and myself. Bob has given countless hours of commitment to the CSA & Club and to this day still serves as the Chief of the Ordnance Bureau & Proprietor of the CSA Metal Works, LLC fulfilling requests for all of the great awards & ribbons used in the CSA and various tournaments. The CSA is very grateful that the Metal Works is still producing it's quality products!
With all of this said, the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) has benefited immensely from the years of leadership provided by Stewart, Steve, Alphonse, Jaume, Dwight, Giorgio & Bob! I'll be posting in this topic Honors & Awards for each of them.
As Commanding Officer & Chief of the Armies (CoA) of the Confederate States of America (CSA), I hereby commence & call to formation the Army of Northern Virginia (ANV), the Army of Tennessee (AoT), the CSA CoA Staff and the Commandant, Dean of Cadets, Faculty & Corps of Cadets of the Vicksburg Military Institute (VMI) as well as our fellow Officers of the Union Army to partake in the Ceremonial Parade of Honor for General Stiles, Lieutenant General Kitchen, Lieutenant General de Meré, Major General Campderrós, Lieutenant General Beacco and General Weir!
Thank you Stewart, Steve, Alphonse, Jaume, Dwight, Giorgio & Bob for everything you've done for the ANV over the course of your commands!
Three Cheers & Salute! Huzzah! Huzzah! Huzzah! Also,
this topic formally announces all the different command changes in the ANV and serves as the Official Change of Command Pass in Review!