Civil War Centennial footage From Gettysburg 1965

[Ken]

Came across this neat footage on youtube. Take a look at the hobby 45 years ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbDz9YIHj_U&feature=related

[texandrummer61]

Re: Civil War Centennial footage From Gettysburg 1965

Hahaha, when I saw this, I was immediately asking myself how we have...well, not exactly made strides, at least compared to the guys in this video. Half that stuff HAS to be original, this video is nuts. Thanks for posting.

[BarryDusel]

Re: Civil War Centennial footage From Gettysburg 1965

Thanks for posting the link. It's great to see the early days of our endeavour. I believe these guys may be Geo. Gormans NC unit. Not sure though. I heard they had made a short based on the life of Confederate soldiers. The statement about original euipment etc. I know more then a few guys from the Centennial years. I've heard the stories of original uniforms being worn, accouterments, etc. A friend of mine who just passed from this exsistence was a Lt. for the recreated 18th Miss. Inf. here in my area. He told me stories of wearing a original CS offdicers frock and carrying the guys sword to boot.
The seams on the frock gave way about Gettysburgh 1963 . He said he just threw the Frock in a trash barrel in the Camping area and wore a masonic frock from that point on. Just nuts!!

[Eric Burke]

Re: Civil War Centennial footage From Gettysburg 1965

The general level of evident health visible in each participant stuck out to me. Obesity wasn't nearly as big a problem in this country in 1965. Makes a big difference image-wise.

[PanzerJager]

Re: Civil War Centennial footage From Gettysburg 1965

This is great footage, thanks for sharing. On a note about wearing the original stuff, while we may cringe at the original reenactors wearing and destroying original items during the centennial and onward you must keep in mind this stuff was plentiful and not collected and prized the way it is today. I am fortunate enough to be good friends with some of the old timers, some who reenacted during the centennial, and they still wear original stuff to this day. I still see guys with original cartridge boxes, cap pouches and canteens. Buttons and buckles are another one you still see guys wearing, myself included. Heck, I even have a good friend who sometimes still walks around Gettysburg in an original Bummer cap some day, but then again when you have been acquiring and collecting a lifetime there is "user quality" and "collector quality", collector quality never leaves the house.

Regards,

[Brandon]

Re: Civil War Centennial footage From Gettysburg 1965

A friend of mine started reenacting during the centennial and he has told mer about how plentiful original gear was. He told me that the repros were more expensive then the originals and you could by the originals at just about any Army surplus store. It must have been great.

[H. L. Hanger]

Re: Civil War Centennial footage From Gettysburg 1965

I still have two original jackets I purchased from ZM Military Research. One is a cavalry uniform jacket and the other is an artillery uniform jacket. The former cost about $30.00 and the latter about $25.00! This was in 1958...and I still have the catalogs.

J

[MissMia]

Re: Civil War Centennial footage From Gettysburg 1965

The vid was a fun watch--thanks for posting.
To me, it seemed the 'no audio' added another element to it, I didn't mind at all.

[rmilstead]

Re: Civil War Centennial footage From Gettysburg 1965

Folks,
Interesting to hear these comments. I was one of the guys in this film. It was mostly made over a single weekend at a farm near Gettysburg. The participants were from Gorman's 2nd NC and the 1st MD "Blackhats" mostly with a few of us who were from other groups but sometimes took part in 2nd NC events. Gorman is one of the officers and Ross Kimmel is another (the one in the frock). My "big sceen" was playing the dead Yankee who has his pockets picked although I was in most of the group shots as well. I believe that Ross talks about the making of this flick in his article on re enacting in the '60's. Another participant was Bill Brown who in later years had such an impact through his work with the National Parks Service and wrote the well respected book on men's shirts. Unfortunately for all of us Bill passed away this June and will be greatly missed.
I do not believe that any of the uniforms being worn in the movie are original. We were extensively making repros of those items then as now. The main difference is the quality of materials and the historical accuracy of the patterns ond construction technology today. I am proud to say that much of that progress is as a result of the people in the group who did this film, like Bill and a number of our friends and associates at the time (Les Jensen comes to mind). The weapons were all original, however, since the first repros were only just becoming available. The rifle in the "sharpshooter scene" (in part 2 I believe) is an original Whitworth. I was using a type 1 Model 1855 Springfield that I still have (but no longer shoot). The leather accouterments were probably mostly repro but there may have been some originals. The "Blackhats" made and sold leathers which were quite good even by today's standards. Some original stuff was used simply because it was available and much cheaper that the repros. My bayonet scabbard at the time was an original late war Union piece which came out of Bannermans via Bernie Mitchell (a major vendor) and were available in quantity for $5 to $10 each. I also was using an original Union canteen as they were both more available and obviously better than the reproductions of the period. Gorman was a major CW artifact dealer at the time and made some of his money selling things to his unit (some of us believed that is why he formed the unit in the first place!) so some of their accouterments were original as well. It is largely incorrect, however, to believe that people didn't realize or care that they were using original stuff and I am highly doubtfull of stories like the CS Frock story in the posting above. Original "cloth" particularly Confederate items were rare then as today. Yes there were the Bannerman late war Artillery jackets, etc that were readily available in the late 50's and early 60's but the Centennial meant there was a lot of interest in that stuff and people were more collecting and less wearing the originals.
It's is still good to see that our early work has withstood the test of time.
Dick Milstead
Hardaway's Alabama Battery
The Company of Military Historians

[Army30th]

Re: Civil War Centennial footage From Gettysburg 1965

Talk to Spence Waldron sometime. He has told me on many occasions of drinking from original canteens and taking beat up canteens apart and using them for dinner ware.

[Brandon Ledvina]

Re: Civil War Centennial footage From Gettysburg 1965

We talk about the original CW items that were used and ask WHY! However this is still happening today. Although I do not do WWII reenacting I know many people that do and use many original items without thinking twice. As mentioned above sometimes the originals are cheaper than the repros. What will people think about this in 45 years.