Why I Jumped from Mainstream to Campaign Reenacting (And Never Looked Back)

[kohnbread]

Re: Why I jumped from Mainstream to Campaign Reenacting (And Never Looked Back)

I am working on being a campaigner for every event I do. I have only been into the world of reenacting since june of 2017 after I got out of the army, but so far I have managed to get almost an entire campaigner quality CS impression down for early mid and late war ANV. Wauhatchie started me on wanting to get into better authenticity and avoid the "mainstream-isms" like coolers and sleeping bags. I may not have everything yet or the funding for everything I would like yet but I've managed to come a long way in only one year

Bryan Kohn
Pvt 26th nct

[Taji04]

Re: Why I Jumped from Mainstream to Campaign Reenacting (And Never Looked Back)

Would love to hear from others who have taken the plunge. What made you switch?

I did my younger days reenacting doing WW2 in the 1980s. But I was introduced to what is now called campaigning by ACW reeactors who also did WW2. They applied those principles to our WW2 unit. Now 30+ years later, I decided to do ACW. I on purpose looked for a campaigner unit to join based on what I was taught so many years ago. I love it! Now at 58, if my body will hold out for a while, I look for many years of doing LH on the field. Better late than never.

[Cpl Stevens]

Re: Why I Jumped from Mainstream to Campaign Reenacting (And Never Looked Back)

Good morning Tyler and all,
My Civil War journey began 50 years ago this fall when I began shooting original muskets with my Dad as a young boy. In fact, my first muzzleloader deer kill was with an 1861 E Whitney contract musket. About 10 years ago, I became interested in reenacting and joined a unit in my state. Went through the usual kitting out and learning curve but soon wanted to do more. What was it like to eat out of the haversack and sleep under the stars. There were 2 of us that wanted to continue to grow and get deeper into the life and times of the common soldier. Let me state that the unit we were in has a lot of great folks in it and I am not judgmental but as time went on, the goals and objectives of the unit was not a good fit for us.
We left our first unit and joined one that was more like minded, living out of the haversack and carrying everything in with a pack or bedroll. We began carrying salt pork, making hardtack and grinding coffee beans. We even start our fires with flint and steel as our persona is that of country / farm boys. In fact we have never used a stick match at an event. I enjoy hunting and fishing and began hunting with muskets years ago, taking many deer with them. Adding to this, fishing for trout with a linen hand line, small forged hook and a buckshot sinker. When we bring trout or venison to an event, it is only those taken by the above methods. We also got away from having a schedule of endless powder burners at places where nothing happened, now carefully choosing quality over quantity, our motto is less is more We don't measure an event's success by the number of rounds used but rather how the coffee tastes at sunrise. One other thing we use is period tools / accouterments and methods for cleaning our rifle muskets. Don't know if you would call us hardcore or campaigners but we simply try to be authentic soldiers. How can anyone speak with the public with any kind of experience about things they never do ?
Respectfully submitted,
Pvt Warren Stevens
CO A, 5TH New Hampshire

[Hairy Nation Boys]

Re: Why I Jumped from Mainstream to Campaign Reenacting (And Never Looked Back)

I joined the 12th Iowa in 1990. We were a group that was made up of mainly guys my age. We were all in high school with our leader being a teacher at a local school. We did have older members but we were as Arch Campbell put in "the boy brigade." First couple of events that I went to we had everything! Cots, sleeping bags, the hard cracker box that was a cooler, and pop as long as we didn't drink it from a can but in our tin cups. Even then I knew that we weren't doing it right. It was slow going trying to convince people to change our ways. First it was no extra bedding, then don't drink pop at events, then carry only what you need. I was fortunate that our sister group the Hairy Nation Boys WERE doing it right and we followed their lead. They left us in the dust and it was my goal to get to their level. I can't sew and honestly I am not patient enough to learn. So, I needed to find a skill that would suit me. I read every book I could get my hand on. Get the knowledge and the rest will come. Then I learned that my skill was research. I spent so much time at the State Historical Society in Iowa City that they not only learned my name but knew what I needed for my research. Our first "authentic" event was in 1994 where we used bedrolls it was the worse thunderstorm I have ever been in. Soaked to the bone, didn't get any sleep but loved every minute of it. Then again I was 18! We left early but I was committed to doing it right. Then to my great surprise and honor I was asked to join the Hairy Nation in 1997. I threw myself into research again. 1st Iowa, 11th Iowa you name it. My goal was to show my pards that I could bring something to the group. Also, I learned right away that our first person was better than any group in the country. When my wife and I started dating she had to learn that we all have two names. Our first person names (which we go by 100% of the time) and our real names. At times we have had to sit and think what our real names are!!

The last 29 years have flown by. Many of my pards that I started with are no longer in the hobby. Two that were very close to me in the 12th days are gone from this world. I am to old to be a soldier, to overweight (although I am constantly working on that!) to be the accurate size. I might have ticked people off, rubbed them the wrong way but I understand that every person and group in this hobby have worth. I have done everything except getting shot at (Raymond 2000 count?) so anymore nothing is new. But what keeps me coming back is my pards. Arch,Jefferson, Jake, Sam, Lem, James,Andrew, Hiram, Amasa, Eric, Wick, Boozie, Landrum, so many that I could have a very long list. Those guys are just as close to me as my family.

Big Pig Little Pig

[Strawfoot]

Re: Why I Jumped from Mainstream to Campaign Reenacting (And Never Looked Back)

Seems like a lifetime ago, but at the same time I remember as if it were yesterday. To make a long story short... I'd been in the mainstream side of the hobby a few months, swept into the Frontier Brigade out west here. I was figuring things out on my own, trying to pack light but wearing all the wrong stuff. I recall falling in with a mainstream company at Raymond in 2001, and we were skirmishing on that Friday along Fourteen Mile Creek (this was the day before the re-enactor got shot.) Retreating alone through the brush I came out in the open upon Dom Dal Bello and his AOP, strung out in column and marching to the sound of the fighting. I was blown away by how real they looked, even the red, white and blue of their colors seemed brighter than usual. I mean, those guys looked ready for business. My immediate thought was, 'that's where I need to be.'

By Sunday, I was. I approached Dom Saturday evening and begged to fall in with them for the Sunday Champion Hill fight. I asked a lot of questions in those few hours and all I could think about on the six hour drive home was how quickly I could sell my mainstream crap and get re-equipped. The only two original pieces of gear I have left are my Armisport Springfield and my John Keahy knapsack. It's been a long and fun ride. I came into the hobby about the same time as Eric Tipton, and like him immediately starting hitting as many events as I could.

Pictured below is my favorite one, the second Marmaduke's Raid event from 2012, where I fell in with Company D of the 3rd Missouri Cav (Dismounted). GREAT group.

[Dale Beasley]

Re: Why I Jumped from Mainstream to Campaign Reenacting (And Never Looked Back)

For the past 20 years I have enjoyed this side of the hobby. When I first started reenacting I was going to Mainstream events that reminded me of LSU Tailgate parties. Now, don’t get me wrong, LSU Tailgating is the best. I had been in the real army for 15 plus years at that time, I knew I wanted to experience more of what a Civil War Soldier did. When I started going to Authentic Events, I started listening to people who had done their homework. And I knew then that this hobby would never hit a dead in for me.