Western Impression

[sthabig]

Re: Western Impression

I currently own an enfield rifle, I have taken everyone's advice and headed in a more generic direction. I want to thank everyone for their input and all has been taken into consideration.

Thanks,

Tyler Habig

[AZReenactor]

Re: Western Impression

Tyler,
And since multiple perspectives can be helpful, I'd like to offer some alternate ideas for you to consider. I understand the motives for going generic and PEC but at the same time it has been my experience that having a very concise direction can be extremely helpful to guide and direct your research and acquisitions as well. This doesn't necessarily means you can't still fit into the PEC mode, particularly if your specific impression is armed and equipped in what might be considered typical Federal uniforms. (US and CS State equipped troops are a whole different matter.)

I do a very specific impression here in Arizona as a member of the 1st California Infantry, and as you can guess there are not a whole lot of events back East that call for my particular impression. There are however a ton of local museums and venues here where I get the opportunity several times each month to do historical interpretation and explore local and regional history in depth. In those settings, a precise, rather than generic, impression is invaluable for presenting and understanding accurate history.

My particularly precise impression calls for specifics like pre-war Federal Accoutrement, SA or Contract fatigue blouse and trousers, untrimmed army hat, early type I forage cap, early double bag knapsack, etc. It is to my added benefit, that such a typical equipped impression is quite easy to adapt to a wide variety of other impressions while still maintaining that focus on the local history. I do have a few items that are specific to my impression (1855-Rifle Musket, Green River Side Knife, large kerchief, California Songster) but even these fit in well with Eastern events more often than one might think.

By focusing most of my efforts on a specific impression over time, it allows me to more deeply explore and develop a well rounded and comprehensive understanding of someone from the time period. Even when going back East, I've often found my back story and personal history are frequently adoptable and sometimes even transportable between various Eastern impressions without losing at least some tie to my primary focus. Staying near the same 1st person persona I've been exploring all along makes it a whole lot easier to get comfortable in that skin and forget that I'm playing a role.

To sum up my thoughts on this: If you aim at nothing specific, you'll quite likely hit nothing specific. However, if you start off aiming at a specific target, and learn to hit that specific target spot on, you'll develop skills and experience that will enable you to hit what you aim at even when the target changes.

Anyways. Bottom line, what ever you do in this hobby, own it, take responsibility for yourself, and there is no end to where it might take you.

[western reb]

Re: Western Impression

Anyways. Bottom line, what ever you do in this hobby, own it, take responsibility for yourself, and there is no end to where it might take you.

That's some solid advice Troy is giving, a good thing to remember regardless of how many years we might have been in the hobby.

[DocReynolds]

Re: Western Impression

If you're lucky and can find a copy of Col FrederickTodd's [U]American Military Equipage (vol II State Forces), it can give you information on how the unit was outfitted. The bad news, it is out of print. In skimming it, I notices state jackets, and in 1862 Austrian .54 Cal. muskets (Lorenz?) and springfields after that. It doesn't go into the leathers in detail.

Good luck with it!

Pete Bedrossian
150th NY/3rd N.C.T.

[AZReenactor]

Re: Western Impression

Dan, I'm glad you think so. Sometimes stating the seemingly obvious can be helpful.