RULES AND REGULATION OF
THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR ASSOCIATION
Includes Amendments through April 5 2008

Rev April 5, 2008
RULES AND REGULATION OF
THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR ASSOCIATION
Includes Amendments through April 5 2008
Table of Contents
1. Public Information Committee (Adopted 8-5-95)
2. ACWA Account Co-Signer (Adopted 9-16-95)
3. Donations (Adopted 1-13-96)
4. Accounting of Unit Funds (Adopted 1-13-96)
5. Safety (Adopted 11-13-94)
6. Participation Rights (Adopted 7-25-98)
7. Budget Adopted (1-11-03 for Sections 7 through 12)
8. Duties of the Safety Officer
9. Duties of the Artillery Coordinator
10. Duties of the Mounted Cavalry Coordinator
11. Duties of the Site Coordinator
12. Duties of the CCW
13 - Sutler Rules

1. PUBLIC INFORMATION COMMITTEE
(Adopted 8-5-95)
A committee shall be formed as follows:
1.1 The name of the committee shall be the Public Information Committee.
1.2 The committee have the following duties:
(a) To assemble data and prepare a database on all television, radio, newspaper media in the reenacting area of the ACWA.
(b) To assemble data and prepare a database on all historical and other associations whose activities are compatible with and would further the purpose of the ACWA.
(c) To disseminate information to those groups identified in #1 and #2 regarding the ACWA and its activities.
(d) To identify events which would be beneficial to the ACWA and to act as a liaison with those groups regarding those events.
(e) To prepare and disseminate news releases, posters, and publicity regarding the ACWA to those groups.
(f) To develop, in cooperation with the event coordinator, and disseminate pre event publicity.

2. ACWA ACCOUNT CO-SIGNER
(Adopted 9-16-95)
2.1 A co-signer for the ACWA Treasurer shall be established for the purpose of signing checks of the ACWA so that one man is not held personally responsible.
2.2 The co-signer shall be appointed by the treasurer subject to the approval of the Board of Directors.
2.3 This provision shall become effective on January 1, 1996.

3. REGULATIONS REGARDING DONATIONS
(Adopted 1-13-96)
All donations made to the American Civil War Association shall be made and distributed in accordance with the procedures set forth herein.

RECEIPTS
3.1 Any donation made to the ACWA or an affiliated unit thereof shall be registered on a three part receipt. (Attached as Exhibit A)
3.2 Each receipt shall be in writing and shall designate the donee, the kind and value of the donation and its intended destination.
3.3 The receipt shall be signed by the member of the ACWA accepting the donation.
3.4 The receipt shall show the name, address and telephone number of the donor.
3.5 The receipt shall be handled as follows:
(a) One part of the receipt shall be given to the donor;
(b) One part of the receipt shall be given to the ACWA Treasurer;
(c) One part of the receipt shall be kept by the member who solicited the donation.

DISTRIBUTION
3.6 All donations of money shall be immediately forwarded to the ACWA Treasurer for deposit in the ACWA general account.
(a) Donations of money designated for an affiliated unit of the ACWA shall be reimbursed to the designated unit except that 10% of such donations shall be retained by the ACWA and 15% shall be donated to battlefield preservation.
(b) Donations of money solicited by an individual unit within its camp at an ACWA event shall be reported to the ACWA Treasurer and retained in full by the soliciting unit.
3.7 Donations in kind shall be immediately reported to the Executive Committee and shall be retained by the member who solicited the donation until such time as the EC gives further instructions regarding the possession.
(a) Donations in kind designated for an affiliated unit of the ACWA shall be given to the unit for whom the item has been designated.
(b) Donations in kind designated for the ACWA shall be delivered in accordance with instructions from the EC.

REPORTING FORMS
3.8 The receipt referred to herein is attached hereto as Exhibit A. All units commanders shall retain a supply of blank receipts and shall deliver receipts to their members upon request.
3.9 Reports required by Paragraph 6b of this regulation shall be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit B and shall be delivered to the ACWA Treasurer prior to leaving the event at which the donation is solicited.
4. ACCOUNTING OF UNIT FUNDS

(Adopted 1-13-96)
4.1 Except as provided herein below, each brigade, regiment or other non military unit of the American Civil War Association (ACWA) shall establish and maintain a unit checking account.
(a) The accuracy of the account shall be the responsibility of the unit commander.
(b) All funds of the unit must be deposited in the unit account.
(c) No funds, except those of the unit may be deposited in the account.
(d) No funds shall be withdrawn from the account except as previously authorized by the unit and any amount withdrawn from the account must be used solely for the benefit of the unit.
(e) Each unit shall adopt rules or bylaws designating the signatory of the account. The account number, bank identification and name of the signatory shall be reported to the ACWA Treasurer.
(f) An accurate account ledger shall be maintained for each account. If, on examination of the ledger, the account is deemed by the ACWA Treasurer to be substandard, this shall be reported to the Executive Committee (EC) and a request shall be made upon the unit correct the deficiency. If upon reexamination the account remains deficient, the EC, upon a unanimous vote of the EC members not associated with the offending unit may require the unit to deliver the funds in the unit account to the ACWA general account to be administered as set forth in paragraph two.
4.2 In the alternative, a unit may request that its funds be maintained in the general account of the ACWA.
(a) When so requested, the ACWA Treasurer shall maintain a separate ledger for the unit’s deposits and withdrawals.
(b) When requested by the designated representative in writing, the ACWA Treasurer shall withdraw funds pursuant to said request provided that the funds are to be used for the benefit of the unit.
(c) No funds shall be withdrawn which shall cause the ledger balance to be below zero.
4.3 No individual shall either loan or borrow money from a unit. Personal funds deposited in the unit account shall be considered a donation to the unit and shall thereafter be the exclusive property of the unit.
4.4 Goods in kind may be loaned or borrowed from the unit under the following conditions:
(a) A unit is not permitted to pay for goods on loan to it.
(b) A unit may purchase goods from an individual member, provided, however, that:
(1) the goods become the exclusive property of the unit and,
(2) the members of the unit have approved the purchase of the specific item to be purchased by a majority vote of the members.
(c) A unit may charge a reasonable fee for goods borrowed by its members. All fees received shall be deposited in the unit account.
4.5 A member may purchase, loan, or borrow goods from other members so long it is clearly identified as a personal transaction and not a unit transaction.
(a) No fee charged for such a transaction may be deposited in the unit account. Any amount so deposited shall be considered a donation to the unit and shall thereafter be the exclusive property of the unit.
4.6 The records of the unit account may be examined by any member of that unit or by the EC on demand at any ACWA event or upon ten days written request to the unit commander.
4.7 Unit accounts shall be reconciled prior to all ACWA events. An end of calendar year reconciliation shall be reported to the ACWA Treasurer on forms designated by the Treasurer.

5. SAFETY
5.1 The ACWA has adopted and follow the Safety Rules of PACWR. See Pacific Area Civil War Reenactor Safety Rules.
5.2 The PACWR rules are the minimum Safety rules and the ACWA reserves the right to add to them as necessary by a vote of the EC.

6. PARTICIPATION RIGHTS
(Adopted 7-25-98 -- at Roaring Camp)
In support of the rights recognized under Bylaw Section 4.5, the Brigade Commanders, Civilian Coordinator, and leaders (hereinafter "Commanders" of any other recognized division of the ACWA (hereinafter "Brigade(s)") is charged with the following responsibilities:
6.1 The Commanders shall insure that their Brigades meet together on a regular basis to discuss its operation. This meeting should be structured to allow reasonable and open exchange of ideas and solutions.
6.2 Upon petition of no more than 10 members of the Brigade the Commanders shall call a special meeting at the next event to discuss the issues raised by that petition, or, if a regular meeting is scheduled, will include that petition as the first order of business. The Commander is required to conduct that meeting in such a way that reasonable debate will be entertained, but may limit the debate to the terms of the petition. Further, the Commander may propose a time limit for the debate as long as such is known to the petitioners before the meeting and is not unreasonable under the circumstances.
6.3 The petition for a special meeting shall contain the following information:
(a) The issue that is to be addressed in specific terms;
(b) The person that is to speak on behalf of the issue;
(c) A proposal for action on the issue (if any is to be considered) in specific terms;
(d) A time limit for discussion.
6.4 This rule and section 4.5 shall not be construed to establish any particular form of governance for the Brigades of this club. It does establish the right of a member to speak freely about matters of Brigade policy and practice.
6.5 Any Brigade bylaw, or practice in conflict with Section 4.5 or this rule shall be void.
6.6 To be considered a member in good standing of the ACWA you must meet the following requirements:
(a) Fill out on a yearly basis the membership application.
(b) Pay the appropriate membership fees.
(c) Have no felony convictions on record.
(d) Follow all Rules and Regulation of the ACWA.

Section 7 Budget
7.1 Continuing Allocations:
(a) Courier: All expenses for printing, typesetting, mailing, and photographic reproductions;
(b) Safety Officer: All expenses incurred in maintaining first aid and other safety equipment; and
(c) Powder: Reimbursement to artillery units for powder purchased.
7.2 Those requesting reimbursement for a continuing allocation must submit a voucher to the ACWA Treasurer for approval. It is suggested that a request be made prior to the expenditure to expedite the allocation.
7.3 The Treasurer is authorized to reimburse the continuing allocations without additional approval from the EC.
7.4 Special Allocations: All monetary allocations except continuing allocations shall be made only upon the vote of the EC.

Section 8 Duties of the Safety Officer (SO)
8.1 The Safety Officer’s duties shall include, but not be limited to the administration of the club?s rules with regard to safety on the battlefield, in camp and for spectators. He also oversees and assists the First Aid Trauma Team in all pertinent situations and maintains order, and performs related tasks. The SO shall have the following specific duties:
(a) The Safety Officer shall be in charge of the safety of the camps and on the battlefield;
(b) Establish and implement procedures for the safety and security of the members, guests of the ACWA and of their property.
(c) Monitor the event site to ensure the safety and security of the members, guests of the ACWA and of their property;
(d) Set security lines prior to battles or firing demonstrations at any event;
(e) Maintain first aid and safety equipment necessary to render emergency assistance at events;
(f) Establish and train an emergency response team for the purpose of rendering emergency assistance at events;
(g) Certify compliance with Section 5 of the "Rules and Regulations of the ACWA" and maintain records to verify compliance;
(h) The Safety Officer shall immediately report any hazardous condition observed to the appropriate unit commander for remedial action;
(i) in the absence of the unit commander, the Safety Officer shall report the deficiency to the senior officer / NCO in the camp and instruct the OIC / NCOIC to take remedial action;
(j) In the event that the unit commander disagrees with the action requested by the Safety Officer, it shall be reported to the Brigade Commander whose decision regarding corrective action shall be final;
(k) Submit an event report to the Courier after each event noting any safety or security incidents and the recommended remedial action;
(l) Prepare a report of any safety or security problem at any event and submit a copy of the report to the Board of Directors; and,
(m) No member or guest shall be allowed to participate on the battlefield without establishing and demonstrating to the satisfaction of the Safety Officer that he is proficient in the handling, safety and manual of arms appropriate to the weapon. The Safety Officer shall establish procedures to certify the proficiency of new recruits. If the Safety Officer finds the member or guest is not proficient, he shall be directed back to the Unit Commander for additional training in the deficient area.

Section 9 Duties of the Artillery Coordinator (AC)
(a) Establish and implement procedures to inspect all artillery pieces used at ACWA events to ensure that they are safe for use and are being used safely;
(b) Promptly report any hazardous pieces or operation to the appropriate Brigade Commander and the BD;
(c) Propose procedures for powder reimbursement to the Executive Committee. Implement approved procedures; (Revised 10-25-97 -- at Gibson Ranch)
(d) Act as liaison for guest artillerymen, greet guest artillerymen at events on behalf of the ACWA, assign the guns to the appropriate position, and render whatever assistance is required by the guest artillerymen;
(e) Act as chief firefighter. The AC shall establish and implement procedures to ensure that each Brigade has adequate fire equipment present on the battlefield during the battles or firing demonstrations and that all gunners are trained to locate, spot and fight any fire.

Section 10 Duties of the Mounted Cavalry Coordinator (MCC)
Section 11 Duties of the Site Coordinator (SC)
(a) The Vice President will annually provide each Site Coordinator with a copy of the “Site Coordinator’s Guidelines”.
(b) It is the Site Coordinator’s responsibility to see to it that all the items in the “Guideline”, which are applicable to their event, are addressed.
(c) The Site Coordinator will report, until his/her event is completed, to the CB at each Board Meeting, on the status of the event.
(d) If unable to attend the Board Meeting, the SC will furnish a report to the Vice President for the meeting.
(e) The Site Coordinator will work in cooperation and conjunction with the Brigade Commanding Officers (BCO’s) as to the camp site for each brigade, but it is the BCO’s responsibility to do the actual camp layout within the camp site.
(f) The Site Coordinator will work with the BCO’s as to the special events, activities, Orders of the Day for publication on event flyers. The BCO’s will provide in a timely manner, information to the SC that they would like published on the event flyer.

Section 12 Duties of the Committee on the Conduct of the War (CCW)
(rename Mediation Committee?)
12.1 The purpose of the CCW is to provide informal mediation to resolve disputes among members.
12.2 The CCW may hold such meetings and keep such records as it deems suitable but it is not required to hold regular meetings nor report its activities to the EC.
12.3 Any member may request the names of the members of the CCW by either an oral or written request.
12.4 The CCW shall record the results of any agreement. The records shall be maintained by the CCW and shall not be released unless the substance of the agreement becomes an issue in any later proceeding.

Section 13 - Sutler Rules
13.1 A Sutler must be a paid family member of the ACWA
13.2 A Sutler will comply with all Federal, State and local laws and ordinances
13.3 A head Sutler will be designated, subject to board approval.
13.4 Sutlers will be allowed at all ACWA events, subject to size and site restrictions. Restrictions will be determined by the event coordinator and the head Sutler.
13.5 Sutlers will only sell items related to the American Civil War period. Sutlers will only sell items out of period style tents as approved by the head Sutler.
13.6 Tent frontage (pole to pole) of up to 25 feet will not be charged a fee. Frontage over 25 feet will be charged at a rate of $10 per foot over 25 feet. For any event where space is a factor a deposit fee may be requested for an amount of $50. The deposit will be refunded to Sutlers that attend the event.
13.7 Any Sutler may appeal to the board any decision they feel is unfair. An appeal must be submitted, in writing within one year of the decision being appealed.

Section 14 - Authenticity
Oct 14 06
Preamble: We, the American Civil War Association, are foremost a group of friends and families that comes together to share in our enjoyment of history in as many ways as we have members. Each of us brings a different set of values and viewpoints to the hobby of Civil War reenacting and no two approaches will be identical. Secondly, the ACWA professes to be an organization accurately portraying the Civil War for the public at large, educating them on the era to the best of our ability. In order to responsibly do so our membership must recognize that during the time the public is in our camps, viewing our battle reenactments or speaking to our members we must conduct ourselves in a manner befitting the era we portray. Modern equipment, clothing and behavior must be kept to an absolute minimum during these times or our efforts to educate loose much of their value. Our members should realize and accept that their personal comfort and convenience should not hinder our ability as a club to convey a reasonably accurate glimpse of history to those who come to see it at our events or events at which we are guests.

Regulations
Conduct During Public Hours
Clothing. During public hours all members of the ACWA must remain in clothing of the Civil War era when in an area of historical portrayal. This includes the military or civilian camps or any other area of an event site in which members are conducting themselves as representatives of the ACWA. Any member unable or unwilling to remain in period clothing should remove themselves from any area of historical portrayal until after public hours.
Equipment. During public hours all members of the ACWA, as much as possible, must keep hidden from public view all modern equipment in their camps. This includes cooking equipment, food or beverage containers, modern children’s toys etc.
Vigilance. It is the responsibility of each member of the ACWA to ‘police’ areas of historical portrayal for items or behavior of a non-period nature and ask any persons responsible to remove their items or cease their behavior. If refused, the matter should be reported to a member of the ACWA board of directors.
Emergencies. Naturally, emergencies will be exempt from afore mentioned sections.

Enforcement Authority.
The ACWA Board of Directors will have the authority to enforce Authenticity Regulations. Any member may report a violation of the regulations
Corrective action. If a violation of a regulation is noted and brought to the board’s attention they shall ask that the violation be corrected: i.e. non-period equipment removed from view. If the same individual or group commits another violation the board shall issue a warning to the individual or group in question.
Chronic violations. If the board has given ample warning to a repeatedly offending individual or group, the board must take action against the party via the CI process. Decision to take such action will be at the discretion of the President.

Exhibit B
(Adopted January 17, 1998)
THE FOLLOWING MUST BE SIGNED BEFORE ANY CANNON IS TO TAKE THE FIELD:
I, THE OWNER OF A CANNON, BELIEVE THAT EACH OWNER SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN CANNON. I TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE TRAINING OF MY OWN GUN CREW, I EMBRACE THE ACWA SAFETY RULES AND STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES AND ALSO THEIR TECHNIQUES AND STANDARDS, AS EACH CANNON IS DIFFERENT IN SIZE AND CLEARANCES.
120 I HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGE THE REIMBURSEMENT RATE IS BASED ON $7 PER POUND AND THE ALLOWANCE RATE IS THREE POUNDS FOR ALL FULL SIZED CANNON AND TWO POUNDS FOR ALL OTHER CANNON PER BATTLE REGARDLESS OF BORE DIAMETER. I FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGE THAT I AM TO TRY TO FIRE ALL POWDER ALLOTTED. ALL REIMBURSEMENTS WILL BE MADE AT THE END OF EACH ACWA BOARD APPROVED EVENT BY CHECK OR POWDER. I ACKNOWLEDGE THE RECOMMENDED LOAD FOR CANNON TO BE ONE OUNCE (BY WEIGHT) PER INCH OF BORE, AND THAT EACH CHARGE OF POWDER IS TO BE WRAPPED IN FOIL.
Signature of Gun Owner/Date:

For information and questions concerning the ACWA by laws,please contact  csmondo@juno.com

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