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Interest in an Indiana-Based Dual Impression Company?

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  • Interest in an Indiana-Based Dual Impression Company?

    To My Fellow Hoosiers:

    I would like to gauge the interest of reenactors in the state of Indiana in forming an authentic, campaign-oriented dual-impression (US & CS) company.

    The basic question might be: "Why?"
    Many reasons. Here's just a few...
    (1) I have been finding an increasing number of guys looking for "something better" all over the Midwest, including within Indiana. I see many of these same faces at "EFUBU" events each year. Why not pitch in together!

    (2) Lack of in-state living history opportunities with quality guys: With the 150th's approaching and the economy still sluggish, it would be nice to round-out the yearly calendar with events that are closer to home. These events also help with attendance... when guys don't need to take vacation, they're more likely to show up! Also, there is an opportunity to raise the awareness of the 150th's and Civil War history within our own state. Why not!

    (3) Developing Depth of Experience: Officers and NCO's frequently serve on an event-by-event basis. While many experienced enactors are among these ranks, many still lack the opportunity develop deep experience in their roll, whether as an officer or NCO. Frequently, this barrier keeps NCO's from wearing their designated rank. While "commanders for life" and groups based on a cult of personality are undesirable, I think much can be gained from a stable organization.

    (4) Develop Regional Relationships: As mentioned, there are a number of "unaffiliated" campaigners all across the Midwest and across the country. Our neighbors to the north in Michigan, for example, have a lot of campaigners, not to mention northern IL and southern Wisconsin. If we could coordinate with our neighbors, we might be able to develop a richer regional schedule.

    (5) Event Recruiting: For event organizers, we hope a relationship with this company would be seen as a benefit. If we say we're coming, we're coming, and we'll be there in company-strength. No need to recruit every company... at least not where we're concerned.

    Here are some of the basics under consideration:
    - Membership would be made up of Indiana reenactors, primarily.
    - Non-members could participate with the company at specific events.
    - Event attendance: Members would be expected to attend company events and attend with the company.
    Yes, there would be an expectation of loyalty to the company! The hobby only functions when everyone pitches in. While the company would not discourage anyone from attending outside events, it would be an expectation that this would not interfere with the company's calendar. To the greatest extent possible, company members would attend outside events as a group, rather than as individuals.
    - Event focus: We would focus on two types of events
    1. EFUBU Events: Some number of stated events would be from the calendar of authentic events put on around the country each year. These events typically include a mix of NPS LH-style events, as well as "campaign-style events" (e.g. Picket Posts, Tacticals, and Marches).
    2. Local Living Histories: As Hoosiers, we would seek to provide living history and interpretive opportunities for members within the state. These may include local living histories that we organize ourselves or reenactments. In those circumstances where the company opts to attend an in-state reenactment (e.g. Conner Prairie), our objective would be to serve as an example for other reenactors in attendance, as well as to provide unique learning opportunities for the spectators and/or company members. In short: When we attend a mainstream event, or "game faces" will be on to the same extent that they are for an EFUBU event!

    - Event Selection: Specifics regarding the event schedule would be voted and accepted by the company. Voting would be open to all full-members, but would constitute an "intent to attend" an event. Whether the company would vote for a "heavy" schedule of events to attend "as the company", or a light company schedule, with a number of other events to attend as a group, would be up to the membership each year.

    - "Reenactors of All-Ages" - People have been reenacting the Civil War practically since the war ended. The current "boom" in the hobby that we enjoy has its roots in the centennial of the Civil War and the "125th's" after that. As reenactors get older, or as health fails, or illness and injury keep them out of the field, their involvement in the hobby "dies". It seems to me a shame to lose the accumulated knowledge of those who've spent (in many cases) decades in the hobby. I would like to encourage for this company to enlist the help of non-active reenactors, whether for event research, scenario ideas, or any way in which their skills and experience can aid the company. There are many reenactors that are no longer active, but who's passion for the study of this era remains strong.

    With this in mind, have a look at the poll.
    39
    Yes, definitely!
    25.64%
    10
    Maybe, but I'd need more info.
    12.82%
    5
    I'm not from Indiana, but this sounds interesting.
    58.97%
    23
    No friggin' way, pal!
    2.56%
    1
    Last edited by LibertyHallVols; 03-08-2010, 12:29 PM.
    John Wickett
    Former Carpetbagger
    Administrator (We got rules here! Be Nice - Sign Your Name - No Farbisms)

  • #2
    Re: Interest in an Indiana-Based Dual Impression Company?

    I'm glad to see some replies to the poll! ...but, only THREE Hoosiers replied so far!?!? ;)

    If there are some questions etc., feel free to post on here.

    Thanks!
    John Wickett
    Former Carpetbagger
    Administrator (We got rules here! Be Nice - Sign Your Name - No Farbisms)

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Interest in an Indiana-Based Dual Impression Company?

      only THREE Hoosiers replied so far!?!?
      Resisting...urge...to...make...Hoosier...joke...
      Eric Fair

      "A word in earnest is as good as a speech." Charles Dickens - [I]Bleak House[/I]

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Interest in an Indiana-Based Dual Impression Company?

        Originally posted by LibertyHallVols View Post
        - "Reenactors of All-Ages" - People have been reenacting the Civil War practically since the war ended. The current "boom" in the hobby that we enjoy has its roots in the centennial of the Civil War and the "125th's" after that. As reenactors get older, or as health fails, or illness and injury keep them out of the field, their involvement in the hobby "dies". It seems to me a shame to lose the accumulated knowledge of those who've spent (in many cases) decades in the hobby. I would like to encourage for this company to enlist the help of non-active reenactors, whether for event research, scenario ideas, or any way in which their skills and experience can aid the company. There are many reenactors that are no longer active, but who's passion for the study of this era remains strong.
        Wick you are indeed a good man and a leader who is not motivated by ego or alpha-campaigner status.

        Chris Rideout
        Tampa, Florida
        Last edited by OldKingCrow; 03-09-2010, 01:31 PM.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Interest in an Indiana-Based Dual Impression Company?

          Eric:
          I dare you! You’ll have thistleseed strewn about your yard inside of an hour, if I know my fellow Hoosiers at all!! ;-)

          Thanks, Chris!
          However, my motivation is based more on the fact that I have a lot of friends who are either no longer active or won't be active much longer. They WANT to participate, but life circumstances do or will make it impossible. These guys have published articles, have been leaders of roundtables, been vendors, etc.

          My local club (the source of my screen name) was founded the same year I was born (maybe earlier… I forget… I was awfully young back then!). That group of guys are personal friends and we frequently get together outside of the hobby. They've known me since I was a "kid". One of them is the only guy from my high school with whom I still maintain contact. It makes sense (to me, anyway!!) to figure out a way that they can still be active "in the hobby" even if they're not "attending events". I think guys like this can fill a crucial roll, whether counseling up-and-coming leaders on hobby pitfalls, or helping with event organization, research, or what Chawls called "kabuki" (those behind-the-scenes logistical folks).

          Re: Alpha Hardcores - This hobby has no purpose or meaning other than what we bring to it.
          We didn't live the events we "enact". As reenactors, we aren't doing anything noble or noteworthy. We are not putting ourselves in harm's way, or suffering in any way that we can't get out of within a minute or an hour (as bad as IPW got for some that last night, the serious cases were an hour from help... the rest of us were simply "uncomfortable").
          For me, the hobby becomes meaningful in some combination of the following three ways:
          (1) Learning something.
          (2) Teaching something.
          (3) Enjoying the fellowship/comradery/whatever-you-wanna-call-it of my friends.

          As folks know, authenticity, in all of its forms and facets, is important to me. Some minimum level of material items (yer clothes and “stuff”), knowledge, and proficiency must be maintained out of simple respect for the others in the group. Persistently maintaining substandard uniform, gear, knowledge, and skills erodes the efforts of those in the group to ARE making an effort. It is blatantly obvious in a drill session when a person doesn’t care. And, a group can never “get beyond the gear” when some member(s) can’t get up to a minimum standard.

          What I choose to do beyond that minimum level is for my own satisfaction. No, I don’t expect everyone to have all-hand-sewn uniforms, or maintain a closet stocked with a dozen coats, and a “golf-bag” of muskets for any conceivable scenario. Everyone brings to the hobby their own area(s) of interest and their own skills. A broad base of knowledge and skill is what makes a group capable of functioning at a higher level. For example:
          I have learned a TON from Jeff Clagg about period foods, agriculture, and food preparation. I don’t think he cares much about the minutiae of muskets and that doesn’t bother me one iota.

          As I have said before:
          This end of the hobby is made up of the guys who broke from the mainstream in one’s, two’s, and whole messes. Though most of us return to the mainstream each year for “a brief visit” (sometimes two), we have successfully broken from the mainstream and built a separate series of events and a different culture surrounding “our” hobby. We have a lot of skill at sub-dividing and narrowly-defining ourselves. I’d like to see “us” move the other direction and build ourselves up on a common set of principles, casting as wide a net as is allowed by those principles. I don’t want to be defined by the mainstream of the hobby (far from it!!), but I don’t see any reason to be antagonistic toward them either. If this (proposed, but not yet realized) company is going to operate within the state, it will get nowhere fast if it is perceived as snobbish or self-righteous and cannot work well with the personnel of sites or groups (some of whom are bound to be mainstream reenactors… reenactors are EVERYWHERE!).

          Thanks, Gents!
          John Wickett
          Former Carpetbagger
          Administrator (We got rules here! Be Nice - Sign Your Name - No Farbisms)

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Interest in an Indiana-Based Dual Impression Company?

            When's the first meeting?

            Mark Wallace
            Wabash & Erie

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Interest in an Indiana-Based Dual Impression Company?

              Wick-
              I am down here in Evansville and would love to drop up a weekend this spring to help out or check it out. With my employment future in the balance (at least in SW Indiana), I don't know how long term I can make my contribution. But am very willing to help out as long as I can!
              Mitchell L Critel
              Wide Awake Groupie
              Texas Ground Hornets

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Interest in an Indiana-Based Dual Impression Company?

                If there was a way to get a sailor involved, definitely! But that's a longshot. Just what my wife would need to hear: "Honey, I need to spend a couple grand on more CW equipment..." It's still too cold to be sleeping outside up here.
                [COLOR=Blue][SIZE=4][FONT=Verdana]Bob Dispenza[/FONT][/SIZE][/COLOR]
                [COLOR=Navy]US Naval Landing Party ([url]www.usnlp.org)[/url][/COLOR]
                [COLOR=SeaGreen]Navy and Marine Living History Association ([url]www.navyandmarine.org)[/url][/COLOR]

                "The publick give credit for feat of arms, but the courage which is required for them, cannot compare with that which is needed to bear patiently, not only the thousand annoyances but the total absence of everything that makes life pleasant and even worth living." - Lt. Percival Drayton, on naval blockade duty.

                "We have drawn the Spencer Repeating Rifle. It is a 7 shooter, & a beautiful little gun. They are charged to us at $30.00. 15 of which we have to pay."
                William Clark Allen, Company K, 72nd Indiana Volunteers, May 17, 1863

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Interest in an Indiana-Based Dual Impression Company?

                  Wick,

                  It sounds like a good idea to me. When is the first meeting because I will be there. I am getting up there in age, so I hope it's soon.

                  Steve "Nappy" Arnold
                  Last edited by LibertyHallVols; 03-22-2010, 01:22 PM.
                  Steve Arnold

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Interest in an Indiana-Based Dual Impression Company?

                    Steve,

                    I think it would be a good topic to discuss at the end of next month. Thad would be interested, as well, I would think.

                    I'm trying to beat the bushes right now to see if there are enough guys out there to make a run at this with a chance of success. Numerous folks from out of state, and a few from in-state are interested.

                    I'll update this thread with info, as it becomes available.
                    John Wickett
                    Former Carpetbagger
                    Administrator (We got rules here! Be Nice - Sign Your Name - No Farbisms)

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Interest in an Indiana-Based Dual Impression Company?

                      I'm with ya John. I need something to keep me motivated and interested in the hobby this year. If this year is anything like last year (I only attended one event last year and that was CP on Saturday) I'm done and I will sell everything off ('cept the 42 and 61 Springfields) lock, stock, and barrel and at discount prices.

                      And don't forget the motto at Crazy Bill's Discount Civil War Emporium...

                      "We screw the other guy and pass the savings onto you!"
                      Bill Young
                      WIG/GHTI and a Hoosier by the grace of God
                      Jubilee Lodge #746 F&AM Whiteland, IN

                      [URL=http://ghti.authentic-campaigner.com/]G.H. Thomas' Invincibles[/URL]

                      [URL=http://www.westernindependentgrays.org/]Western Independent Grays[/URL]

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Interest in an Indiana-Based Dual Impression Company?

                        John,

                        Count me in, though I can probably only make one event a year.
                        C.J. Roberts

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Interest in an Indiana-Based Dual Impression Company?

                          Yes, I'm in!

                          One event I really miss doing are the local living history events, setting up in Town Parks, the school events, etc. While Jackson's foot cavalry is my favorite subject, I have a desire to walk in the shoes of my ancestors who wore the blue in the west.

                          But most important to me ( and I know this means a lot to you also) is that if we broaden our scope, tell the whole story and focus on accuracy/authenticity, we open the doors to more people, not less.
                          Thaddaeus Dolzall
                          Liberty Hall Volunteers

                          We began to think that Ritchie Green did a very smart thing, when we left Richmond, to carry nothing in his knapsack but one paper collar and a plug of tobacco!

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Interest in an Indiana-Based Dual Impression Company?

                            Did anything become of this? I am living in Evansville now and am looking for a unit like this.

                            Joe Frost

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