How did you get started in authentic reenacting?

[yankee]

Re: How did you get started in authentic reenacting?

Hello all,
I've been reenacting for almost 10 years (off and on, the last couple). I've had the mindset to do the hobby and represent the boys of the Civil War authentically for most of those years, albeit many misconceptions here and there. I was given the chance with a friend of mine from an Ohio unit, and went to Piney Woods. Our first hardcore event. We joined up and made acquaintance with Mr. Comer and Will Eichler through this forum. We were nervous to say the least lol, but the fact was is that Will and the boys we joined up with made us feel at home. We ate, we talked, and experienced, I felt, to the "T" what the boys back in days went through. Picket duty, cold rain, everyone miserable but caring for each other, marching for an undisclosed amounts of time. Many friendships made through the thicket of despair.

I just couldn't be more appreciative to have Will Eichler, Frank Perkins, Jeremy Bevard, and so many others who led us through our first experience, and show us how to do it right and spread what we have learned to my own unit and others. Also, in this event I was also keyed with the nickname "Bullfrog" which I still carry with pride through this day.

So I will say to anyone on this forum who is new to the authentic or hardcore aspect, to talk to all these men and women. They are a wealth of knowledge and will inspire you to gather your own. Join in an event with these folk and you will have the experience of your life. No doubt about it! Oh and lets not forget about Bummers! the 93rd "Billy Goats". Just my two cents. Thanks a bunch gents. Please let me know of more events for the future. I've gotten a new job and wanting to do more this year and the next.

[buckandball]

Re: How did you get started in authentic reenacting?

Wow, reading this made me reflect...

Mid-1980s I came across some folks locally in Cincinnati who were, by modern standards, the epitome of local farb-fest examples. I was in junior high, and not knowing any better, the prospect of shooting blanks at each other at local county festivals was high on my list of interests. It was an outfit called the 6th OVI and our usual local adversaries were gents all portraying varying degrees of a Jeb Stuart impression complete with LeMats and every conceivable variation of Hawkin and shotgun.... This was right before when the 125th spooled up. Next thing I know we have a decent group of guys, many of us in high school together along with the actual adults, and we progressed along the mainstream ways. Words like "mudsill" and "authentic" were sneers to many then. But my cohorts and I were looking to be campaigners but didn't even know it at the time. Sure, the sword bayonets on our Zouave rifles were way cool... but just didn't stack well. Weird, huh... 125th of Perryville... we saw the Mudsills and realized they were the direction we sought. But we were then also the core momentum of the 6th OVI and were wary of a schism with the older family oriented side of the unit that existed before us. But at the same time, we were driving the train both in participation and motivation. So we incrementally did this and that to improve our impressions without alienating anyone. It was a good group of guys. Someone above mentioned John Crabb. He started the hobby with us around this timeframe. We all had a blast during the 125th events. But we always fell in with the "Unorganized Others" battalions, vs the larger cohesive "authentics" that knew large scale drill AND living. Being in my late teens, campaigning was more of interest than retiring to the modern camp... Some of us went to the filming of Glory and fell in with some ruffians from a unit, if I recall, the 41st Illinois. My God, they had original smoothbores! Unheard of! They might explode! Hand sewn buttonholes? You can do that yourself? They marched to an event with the gear on their backs and lived out of their haversacks. No way. Crazy talk. Even though folks had been doing this for years, when all you know is Jarnigan gear, learning the purveyors of wares from fellas like Covais, Bill Combs, Charlie Childs... all the makers of then (and I assume now) top shelf kit was the ideal we sought.

The looks we got when we took the polyurethane finish off our Enruoarms Enfields and stripped the bluing... But again, the 6th OVI kept it together in that generation until around 1989-1990... But my small contingent of friends had already separated ourselves unknowingly. Made many friends with fellas in the then Mudsills. Living in the trenches at the 125th of Atlanta... by the time we did Franklin in 1989, it was just a few of us doing our thing apart from the rest of the unit. I recall we made two winter quarters cabins, complete with Jack Daniels barrels for chimney and shelter halve roofs, for that weekend (it was COLD AS HELL... not Chosin cold, but had to be close). The unit divorce occurred, as they do, and the world kept spinning. We “young’uns” sought satisfaction by falling in with those who would have us. I was always glad to hear Crabby and that generation of fellas carried on. A few of us put an immense amount of time and effort in the 6th OVI in the mid-late 1980s. But summer of 1990 I attended an immersion event in South Carolina at a place called Parris Island, and that lead to an extended event that took all of my time until the late 1990s... Then went to college, got bored... reached out to my old friends and next thing I know I'm meeting a group called the Rowdy Pards doing the 140th of Chicamauga and I was sucked right back in. Met some fellas I had never heard of called the Southern Guard and the WIG, was welcomed to events and living histories when I could make them... And then I went and attended another "immersion" event in Quantico, Va, in 2001 that continues to this day as I marginally portray a modern military officer. And in this time I am lucky to make an event every two or three years. Weird how life gets in the way. But on a lark I just went to a small local "mainstream" event this weekend with some well-known campaigners because I needed a fix and sought the good company... and here I am, haunting the AC at work, out of that longing to go do something... Maybe... maybe this year I'll make some events.

Pulling out two chests full of my leathers, uniforms, and kit. I have mementoes that go back to my early days of the hobby. Was quite a time warp of thought…

Anyway, I’d say the transition occurs when you are doing one thing because you don’t know any better or that’s what you have always done, but see fellas doing something else that makes you ask “why?”

The funny thing is, when I was driving to do Gettysburg in the summer of 2013, after not making an event for the previous five years, I literally asked myself “are you really going to go do this on your free time”

Yep.

What was it called? A “peculiar institution”. It occurred to me, and don’t read into this, I am merely speaking lightly… this is a damn “peculiar hobby”. But it keeps calling…

One of the benefits of my day job and currently being stationed on the east coast is I routinely fly low altitude training flights, and I have this knack for doing the ones that transit the Shenandoah valley… nice to look down on the Valley Campaign while training young aviators for the next real one.

I digress. This was way more that needed.

[DocReynolds]

Re: How did you get started in authentic reenacting?

Began back in late '91...but there was always an emphasis developing 1st person, correct drill etc. The fun and the challenge became striving to be closer to the originals...of course the increasing number of sutlers that provide authentic garments & equipment has made a big difference. But the real motivation came from the first person accounts and the history of my regiment. The hobby was an opportunity to show respect for them, honor and preserve their history,

Being authentic also makes it easier to educate the public: How many times do we get asked do we get asked "did you really sleep here?" (and you use only period tentage and blankets) ...When you cook period rations and event roast your own coffee beans it sets a tone...it also as I said above, is fun.

I got started because a small nucleus around me promoted it....from there it took off with a life of its own.

[Pennvolunteer]

Re: How did you get started in authentic reenacting?

Well, I have to say, Farbs kept me out of reenacting for years. I went to events as a spectator, with an interest of getting involved, and basically concluded they were a bunch of clowns playing army. Unfortunately, I'm not the only one who had/has that opinion. Then I was lucky, when I lived in Carlisle, PA I stumbled on to the old 83rd PVI, who were authentic guys, and I realized that this was what I had been looking for as a history professional interested in living history. I was brought in, and attended camps of instruction at the Spiros Marinos farm with James Owens and the 53rd PVI and 1st MN guys. Then the Army brought me out to OK. I linked up with a mainstream unit here that was not really bad, and set about trying to "convert" them. After 3 years, I finally gave up, it was hopeless, they didn't want to change and were polite, but not interested in my attempts to talk to them about authenticity. At that point, several of us authentic minded guys led by Cal Kinzer out in the KS, OK, TX, MO, AR area just happened to get together for a little event, and realize that we were all unhappy with our units. Thus, the 24th MO was born of a group of like minded guys who just wanted to do it right. Had we stayed with the old units, I probably would have lost my son from reenacting, but moving to the authentic side revitalized both of us. Without actively recruiting, we now have assembled over 30 like minded guys that just want to do it right.

[RW0369]

Re: How did you get started in authentic reenacting?

In 1997, or 1998 I forget which, a friend of mine in my first unit started packing in everything we were going to use for the weekend, from there it moved into realistic rations and more authentic uniforms. It basically snowballed from there, and as teenagers we had nothing but time to dedicate to improving. Most of the money from my part time job went to improving. Before the end of that season guys from the other companies in our unit started doing the same. We were fortunate in that some old Mudsills were around to help us out. Around that time I got fed up with unit politics, and as the other guys formed the Hard Head mess I moved over to primarily doing Confederate. On the CS side of the house I met several authentics who were willing to tell me everything I thought I knew about CS stuff was wrong, and how to fix it, where to look to do my own research and most importantly: "If you have any questions give me a call". After about a year of that I ended up on some yellow foot prints, and a few months after that airplanes started hitting buildings and had to take a bit of a hiatus. 7 deployments later my schedule has freed up and have been able to get back into reenacting/living history. I've noticed that the more authentic side has gotten more welcoming of new comers, and there seems to be a lot less ego. More campaigners it seems, also belong to mainstream units as well than in the past, attempting to set the example and bring some mainstreamers into the fold, or at least make some improvements in mainstream units.

[coastaltrash]

Re: How did you get started in authentic reenacting?

I started reenacting in 1989 at the age of 5 with my Dad. It wasn't until Raymond 2001 that I got my first jean wool uniform and was talked into going to Pickett's Mill later that month by two friends of mine. I knew when I saw the Raymond Independent Battalion come by that was how I wanted to continue in the hobby. Oddly, Pickett's Mill was a starting point for a lot of things for me, including meeting my wife and now Mother of my child (also a life long reenactor). Justin Morris and I formed the Independent Rifles in 2004 and we've hosted a few dozen events since that time. I've traveled all over the US supporting friends in the hobby, lead the group until this past January and am now preparing to shutter my involvement in the hobby to just doing Artillery Demos at Stones River National Park. I've made some of the best friends I've had in my life, really more like brothers, in this hobby but it's time for me to take a break. I feel like after 15 years, I've seen the growth, boom and in some case downfalls of this wing and hope that it can grow again or at least get back to basics. Hell I would be satisfied for guys if people would stop hawking Pakistan made garbage as authentic products. Anyway, enough of my soap box.

[Tyler Underwood]

Re: How did you get started in authentic reenacting?

Brother Pat, as a well respected leader in the AC community, you have gained a wealth of knowledge over the years and I feel that it is important for some of the old vets who are passing the torch to impart some sort of knowledge.
Besides continously researching, what sort of advice would you offer to the young folks just getting started with the authentic side of the hobby?

[coastaltrash]

Re: How did you get started in authentic reenacting?

Tyler,

I'll give a few examples and sage advice, such as it is:

Find a group and be committed to it. If you're in a leadership position, understand that this "job" doesn't stop when you shut the door at an event. In my time with the IR, I have helped guys through divorces, marriages, births and in turn my brothers were there for me at my lowest points in life. To me, that is the most important part of this hobby, and it was the most important aspect of the life of a soldier in 1861-65. Why were guys standing on the frozen hills outside of Nashville, damn well knowing the end was staring them in the face? Because of the guys next to them. While not as serious, why do we all drive a multitude of hours to events? Because our friends are there, our FAMILY is there. We had an old saying back in the early days of the WIG, we would rather have a sub par kit and a damn good attitude than a damn good kit and a sup par attitude. That needs to be repeated today.

Make smart choices in your purchases. This hobby is expensive enough without having to sell crap in order to buy better stuff. If you're handy, even better, research the stuff and produce it for yourself!

Listen! At 32 years old, I'm "old and in the way", as Pat Craddock is so fond of saying about himself. But it was guys like Craddock, Woodburn, Brian Baird, Tom Rock, Scott Cross, Paul McKee, Chuck Warnick (Yes! I listen to my Father in Law!) Coley Adair, etc that I listened to, whether they were speaking directly at me or not. I was wrong in a lot of opinions early on and it took being guided (sometimes by force) by these guys and many more to be able to host the events I hosted and be able to research the way I have researched. When I was 18 I called Pat Craddock with a question about CS Officers coats, he could have spoon fed me the information, but he gave me the title of a book and told me to "Freakin read". Flip that to now and I was called a prick for not turning over a decade or more worth of research to someone on Columbus Depot jackets. Why? Well, I've changed computers since i did that research and the file isn't on my laptop. Not that I couldn't access it, but I just didn't feel like doing it because the information is out there that he was wanting in about half a dozen articles.

Don't take yourself too seriously. There have been thousands of people in this hobby before and hopefully after you get into the hobby. No one is any more important than anyone else. I've been accused of being standoffish and an asshole by people in my time in the hobby, but a lot of that is simple- I'm not very talkative. In fact, aside from event information this is the longest post I've done on this forum in years.

[Hairy Nation Boys]

Re: How did you get started in authentic reenacting?

I started in the fall of 90, went to the authentic side in 1994. Was asked to join the Hairy Nation in 1996 and officially joined the following year. I had some VERY influential people help me when I was younger. Andrew Goode, Archibald Campbell, Sam Cruikshank, Amasa Cruikshank to name a few. As I got older Terry Sorchy pushed me to not just be a private but to stick my neck out and portray an officer. Although after doing that a while I am very happy to be a private or NCO when needed.


I agree with everything Pat wrote.

As I near 40 I wonder how much longer I have to go in the hobby. As my comrade Jefferson Saylor once told me "if the tights still fit go out and play!"
Bottom line is that I go anymore to be with my friends.

[Tyler Underwood]

Re: How did you get started in authentic reenacting?

Great advice Pat!

[Stephen Lunsford]

Re: How did you get started in authentic reenacting?

I began spectating at reenactments in 1999 and when Gods and Generals came out, that peeked my interest in reading and studying Civil War history. I started reenacting in 2010 as part of a dismounted cavalry unit in Alabama. I had friends in the unit who talked me into joining the group and it was my first step into the hobby. About two years into it, I was beginning to grow tired of the yellow uniforms, half a dozen pistols, and Josey Wales impersonators, that I finally wanted to get something more out of the hobby. The first couple of years I had only attended small events with mostly cavalry units and had not come across a solid infantry unit. That changed when I went to a small event in Ohatchee, AL where I met the 48th Alabama Infantry Reenactors. They were a progressive unit and were really sharp on the field, so soon after I approached their commander and asked about falling in with them time to time. I eventually joined the unit in 2012, with great thanks to Terry Hancock and Caleb Benefield, who are still my mentors. The 48th was a mixture of progressives, campaigners, and mainstreamers. I found that the members shared one common goal, which was the love of history and I knew I had found the right bunch of guys. I also found that the campaigner members of the unit had a mess called "The Possum Skinners Mess" and that they would participate in a few "campaigner" events throughout the year. My first thought was, "What's that" and "What's the difference?" Caleb and Terry and many others helped point me in the right direction for buying the proper gear and uniforms and in no time I was decked out and ready to participate in their events. My first full campaigner event was the 150th Pickett's Mill in 2014. It was a hot and memorable experience and it continued to spark my interest in this side of the hobby. After that I attended several more events with the Possum Skinners and also the Tick Creek Trouble Makers Mess at events at 150th Franklin, 150th Bentonville, Pea Ridge, Andersonville, and more! My favorite aspect of the hobby is studying the individual regiments that we portray and enjoying the first hand accounts, keeping it all in mind when we take the field. So I am only nearly 3 years young in the Campaigner side of the hobby and the list of guys who have helped me in this time could go on and on! I look forward to many more fond memories and meeting new friends in the future. I have also found that it is indeed a "family" hobby. We are all in it together.