Outside-US Interest in the ACW Hobby

[LibertyHallVols]

This issue was raised in another thread:

OT here, but what motivated you fellas from overseas to get into the American Civil War?? i wish I had known that when i went over to Italy back in college

bryant roberts/travellin' man

Given that it was started in the Vendor Announcements area, the discussion is really better suited to another page. So...

Here ya go! :)

[Benedict]

Re: Outside-US Interest in the ACW Hobby

As I told you before - it's hard to explain ;)

My interest in the Civil War started at a really early age (late 80ies) - one of the first books I picked out for myself and wanted badly was a German book about the Civil War (although I could not yet read). Maybe I had been brainwashed by North and South on German TV? Maybe the grey Confederate uniforms looked nice? Who knows.

My interest in the Civil War never really expired. In addition, I always was and am still really interested in History, and there especially military history. My interest in the Civil War (and, in the course, reenacting) was rekindled by reading (don't laugh!) Confederates in the Attic and taking a class on the War at university shortly thereafter.

Since I am a student of History, I am interested in life back in the day, especially that of the common people (to which I number the average soldier). To me, it is logical to go from studying books to portraying a simple soldier. I like the everyday stories which are a part of what is called "primary sources" in History, and I want to get a glimpse of how it was in those times. In addition, it is interesting that so many Germans or Americans of German descent fought in this war.

I also think that the Civil War is an interesting field because it is in one of those transitional eras, between the wars that were fought in the way Frederick the Great had influenced and "modern" wars, such as World War I. Plus, there are so many photographs which show the war; and since there was no censoring and many soldiers were able to write, there are a lot of letters and diaries giving inside to how they fared. Not to speak of the aftermath of the Civil War, from regimental histories to Ambrose Bierce's short stories and the whole "reunion"/"reconcilation" thing.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Outside-US Interest in the ACW Hobby

Benedict,

The conversations during the trip to/from the picket post were very informative for me. Thank you for that!! I think there are some good things happening in the hobby in Europe and I look forward to seeing you here in The States again ... or maybe "Over There"!

Folks,

This is an interesting topic for many reasons... more than I have time to go into in-detail right now. However, I look forward to seeing this thread develop.

As an aside, the ACW is a near-ideal event for a living historian. The interest in the period is (as we see here) nearly universal. There is a healthy mix of machine/industrially made -vs- handmade clothing and gear, allowing enactors to make their own gear, if they so choose ...which helps keep costs down ... which helps make the hobby more accessible. Firearms are of the type that worries about legal issues are not much of a problem (imagine the issues with the use of handguns and automatic weapons for WWI or WWII!).

[JimKindred]

Re: Outside-US Interest in the ACW Hobby

John,

Thanks for moving these posts, it is an interesting topic. This topic mirrors a conversation Jan Berger's father and I had during my visit to Germany last year.

[Mcouioui]

Re: Outside-US Interest in the ACW Hobby

Benedict,

The conversations during the trip to/from the picket post were very informative for me. Thank you for that!! I think there are some good things happening in the hobby in Europe and I look forward to seeing you here in The States again ... or maybe "Over There"!

Folks,

This is an interesting topic for many reasons... more than I have time to go into in-detail right now. However, I look forward to seeing this thread develop.

As an aside, the ACW is a near-ideal event for a living historian. The interest in the period is (as we see here) nearly universal. There is a healthy mix of machine/industrially made -vs- handmade clothing and gear, allowing enactors to make their own gear, if they so choose ...which helps keep costs down ... which helps make the hobby more accessible. Firearms are of the type that worries about legal issues are not much of a problem (imagine the issues with the use of handguns and automatic weapons for WWI or WWII!).

John,

I like your message and your idea to transfer this conversation which effectively opens new horizons, but already very present... ;)
As I said it, something in the blood or in the spirit, this small thing which makes that when you read, listen to, look, think, etc. "One" period of the history you are as to you, as if that had always been a part of you, as if it be your house... :)
But I understand although the Americans question there above, I can also have the same question ;)
And also think that, under the shape of the humour “the Americans are European transplanted or that the European is potential Americans”... :) :) :)
In France when a feeling is really intense, when it comes from the soul, "it is guts that speak" "Ce sont les tripes qui parlent" you understand my bad english? :confused_

[lambrew]

Re: Outside-US Interest in the ACW Hobby

This is good stuff. And just to show you it goes both ways, I have been digging into the history of the Franco/Prussian war. The Tolle side of my family had not yet emigrated to the United States, and one member of that branch of the family fought in that war. I have the family bible from around that time. Now I need to learn German so I can read it!:D

As mentioned by Benedict, the number of recent immigrants in the war could explain also the interest of U.S. born and raised folks interested in Greman, French, English impressions of WW1/WW2 soldiers, as well as other time periods. Being a typical American "mutt" myself, Scots Irish, English, German, Native American ancestery, I can't help but be interested in the histories of these groups of people. What a wonderful addiction I have!;)

Respectfully....
Sean Collicott

[FloridaConscript]

Re: Outside-US Interest in the ACW Hobby

Thanks for the replies. i guess it just hits in all of us like that. I went to an olustee event when I was 11, and I knew it was something I had to do.

[Mcouioui]

Re: Outside-US Interest in the ACW Hobby

A little bit similar, my father is a painter and when I was 5 years old had a friend sculptor, Caroline Lee... My passion was born there, middle daughter Nancy :) friend of my sister Virginie and the small figurines Airfix in 1/72... ;) The name certainly influenced, inspired me
I know that always makes smile, but that does not invent :(:D

[Tennessee Boy]

Re: Outside-US Interest in the ACW Hobby

For me, being interested in military history came from hearing my grandparents talking about WWII and their parents experiences in WWI. My interest in American history can from watching too many westerns as a kid, and I ended up with the Civil War from watching the mini-series, Blue and Grey which I thought was the best thing I'd ever seen at the time (I don't think that now!)

Got a few of Bruce Catton books out of the library and that was me hooked, re-enacting came a few years later.

Its been a long and interesting journey, starting as a farb and working my way up, but without the Civil War my life would not be as it is now.

[Mcouioui]

Re: Outside-US Interest in the ACW Hobby

Your Westerns story, remember me what my mother told me, she says that in two years while there was a Western on the TV, I hid behind an armchair, as if I had a pistol in the hand, by making sound effects, pang, pang ;)
I believe that our passion, we fall inside any young... :)

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Outside-US Interest in the ACW Hobby

Hallo!

I am sorry that the U.S. is so broad, Benedict, as I would have liked to have met you. (Maybe the next time I am driving to Bavaria/Austria border...)

Thanks for the memories... I do not know how many sets of the blue and gray Airfix 1/72 figures I had and lost as a kid! (Or "Monitor and Merrimac" models.)

Never did find the elusive Aurora "Confederate Raider" kit.

:)

Curt
There are no kangaroos in Austria Mess

[D.W. Scalf]

Re: Outside-US Interest in the ACW Hobby

Curt,

Are you sure there are no Roos in Austria?? Not even in zoos?? LOL. A few years ago on a trip home to Alabama(from Australia, where I currently reside). I met an old friend and his lovely, but somewhat blonde, wife. Upon hearing that I was living down under, she said, "Oh I just love Australia !! Arnold Swarzennegar(sp???), has the BEST Australian accent!!"

ACW or WBTS(which i prefer) "reenacting" is a growing hobby here. We have 2 History Phd.'s here in our East Coast group, and they already were students of the War before becoming living historians, as were many others. But I'd say that most of the participants here were probably taken in by the new breed of CW movies of the past 20 years(Glory, Gettysburg, etc). These were the sort of things that primed the interest, but study and research refined their understanding of the period. The knowledge of the average living historian here IMHO, rivals that of their average US couterpart. I fact, if you factor in ALL the farbs and streamers, I'd bet on the Aussies. From my experience, in the States you have a good many "reenactors" who attended an event, liked what they saw, and joined a mainstream unit. Then they got so caught up in the drinking, camping, Balls(dancing that is), burning powder, etc, that they didn't have much time to sharpen their impressions and knowledge by actually doing any research. With the lack of "Big Battles" and 3ring circuses here, LH's have more time for research and good authentic living history. We have a small but rapidly evolving group here.

I was first exposed to a "living History" back in 1976. At a bicentennial celebration I saw a few guys with a little Confederate camp set up. I had spent my childhood(i was only 9 then)riding around the neighborhood on a Shetland pony with my Six Flags Musket strapped on my back, my dime store kepi, and an old leather fringe hippie purse of my mother's for a haversack. This looked like a good way for me to get away with playing "Civil War" for the rest of my life. Years later, one of those guys helped me get into the hobby. I had stumbled into a gig as an extra in "Andersonville". The chance to wear the uniform, form ranks, march, lay around in shebangs, etc, really got into my blood. Now 14 years later, here I am in Australia, combining what little I've learned with my Aussie mates to further "the cause" or hobby that many people(including some of our wives) feel have made us all eccentic old farts. And You guys here on the AC are a BIG help to us...ALL of us, all over the World.

Sorry for that little trip down memory lane. But maybe that will get you all up to speed on what's happening in Queensland Australia !! I remain,

Your Obedient Servant,
D.W. Scalf

19th Ala./44th Geo. (Australia)
"Columbus Guards"/ 1st Geo. Regulars (USA)

[Mcouioui]

Re: Outside-US Interest in the ACW Hobby

I like very much your message, he insists on two points which often return in the conversation...

1) The childhood.
2) The person who helps us to go into the hobby.

We deviate from the original subject which is " Outside-US Interest in the ACW hobby " to see, that in fact, we arrive all at the passion, by similar roads, whom we are, in Australia, Germany, the USA, England, France, etc. ;)

[BrisbaneReb]

Re: Outside-US Interest in the ACW Hobby

Yeah Arnold Schwarzenegger is Australia's face to the world, why shouldn't people love him?... (*Austrian accent* "I'll be outback.") Nah just stirring.

In all serious to the topic however I can't say why I joined the hobby, I'm sure a psychiatrist could pin it down on a dozen reasons. I always liked history, I liked comparing and drawing historical clothing, people, battles, etc, drawing soldiers from different eras, with thanks to my family's militaristic past. Always had a fascination with re-enactors but never thought much of them when I didn't see them. But then we learned about the war at high school and told a friend who told his dad (who was a re-enactor) who in turn gave me a kepi and haversack to do a presentation. That kick-started it pretty much and the civil war movies and books quickly followed and I just immersed myself into something far more interesting than I previously thought, it is also the only period of history I had critically examined up to that point.
Since then I haven't really looked back, I immensely enjoy the hobby down here, along with my Aussie mates and learning from the experience of my American pards here and overseas. The hobby may be small and claustrophobic at times but what you can't do in public (big battles and scenarios) you put into your impression and getting the small things right, like cooking rations, making/buying gear, recreating campsites, bayonet drill, reading/research, etc. I still get the impression that re-enacting (out of ceremonial purposes) is a strange sub-culture in Australia. With a progressive attitude, getting the word out there, making a professional impression and with help of sites like this, I hope that the hobby will grow down here to the point that it becomes common knowledge that cw/wbts groups exist in Australia. The Authentic Campaigner Internationale, The Progressive Living History Internationale folks?

Thanks for posting this thread, I like to compare how folks practice their hobby in similar positions in other countries!

[J.H.Berger]

Re: Outside-US Interest in the ACW Hobby

Well for me it started with john Fort Western movies and the like and of ourse Playmobil! I started to get interested in the Cw with about 10 years got my first book with about 12 started reenacting with 17 and now with 36 I am rebuilding most of the gear used back then. Quite a development. I am like Benedict very interested in history, have always been. Why the ACW? Don't know. just influenced by the movies perhaps.
I simply cannot explain the fascination of the war between 1861and 1865 it is just the way it is. But studying history is a very importnat aspect. If everybody did it to the detail and would draw his conclusions from it( I am thinking about that part of the population of a country that is in the position of starting the whole mess) many if not all conflicts would be solved in a different way. But that is not goo for making money and gaining influence