General or Unit?

[manevin]

I have read many articles which suggest that campaigners should attempt to take on a non-descript look. I have also read articles that focus on the need to have recreated equipment period to the unit and year you reenact? My home company has been joined by men who obviously looked more progressive than us, but were wearing equipment that was not period to 1863 (that is the year my unit reenacts). I suppose one could go with both, but how does one attempt to be "non-descript" while mustering into a unit that was issued such and such blanket or canteen?

[manevin]

Re: General or Unit?

Forgot to sign my thread above. Let me remedy that:

Michael Nevin
Pvt. 69th NYVI

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: General or Unit?

Michael

I am familiar with your unit and club (NCWA). Please contact me off forum keepnhoakalive@yahoo.com and lets see if I can help you out.

[Jim of The SRR]

Re: General or Unit?

The problem is that you should never build an impression by focusing on ONE unit at ONE period of time in history. This really locks you and limits you to a very limited number of events you can properly do. Many mainstream events don't give a diddle what impression you wear to their event as they don't usually prescribe any detailed guidelines to match the scenario they are recreating. My suggestion is you first try to build an impression that first focuses on a theater of the war (Western Federal, Eastern Fed, AOT or ANV, etc). Then try to select gear that covers that impression for the widest window of time for that unit. Thus a Federal, 4-button, sack coat would cover you for more scenarios than an enlisted frock coat. Once you build a broad basic impression, you can buy more pieces one at a time to meet a new scenario. A basic Federal impression is usually easier to build a foundation from than a Confederate one.

Regards,
Jim Butler
The SRR

[Silas]

East verses West

The norm here on the West Coast is a Virginia theater, 1863 impression. The reenacting organizations out here determine the supposed time and location for the companies with the organizations. In theory, doing one theater of one year of the war should make impressions easier to do. In practice, anything goes. A unit may say it's VA '63, but it's members wear a hodge podge of uniform styles and gear. The events lack a '63 feeling when reenactors create the same style encampments year 'round.

The single year impression also locks people into thinking that Gettysburg was the only battle worth mentioning in the war. Cannot count the number of times I've heard, "Well, at Gettysburg...." Rarely if ever hear things about other theaters or other specific years of the war.

I prefer the East Coast model of portraying different units in different theaters at different times. It keeps your interest in the hobby going. My unit chooses to portray units based upon geography of the event site and time of year. For example, we'll be doing 29th PA at Lookout Mountain in the first event we do this year (timing's off, but the geography's amazingly similar) and the 2d Florida Batt'n Infantry at the Battle of Tampa later in the year. Neither impression is VA '63, but the 29th PA had just left that theater while the members of the 2d FL B'n would arrive in VA in '64 just in time for Cold Harbor. (The battalion would be reorganized into companies forming the new 10th and 11th Florida Regiments under Finnegan.)

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: General or Unit?

Along with what Mark was saying, one West Coast club has a rule in its bylaws were the units to be portrayed had to have been at Gettysburg. Even in general campfire discussion I am amazed when I hear mention of Chancellorsville or Spottsylvania let enough Stones River or Chickamauga.

Back on thread. Micheal I recomend keeping your impression as generic as possible. With a fatigue blouse, fatigue cap, and skyblue trousers you can portray anything from California volunteers to The Army of the Tennessee with out changing a thing. Avoid things like NY state jackets and other unit or state specific items. You can always add extra flair to your impression after you get a good solid generic impression. I also must add only get your uniform and equipent from an approved vendor on this site. Alot of the vendors that CA units recomend or consider passable is outright incorrect junk.