International Members at the AC

[Eric Tipton]

I have noticed a lot of new members hail from countries other than the U.S. Seeing registrations from different parts of Europe, Canada and Australia. We have always had international members here and it's pretty cool that the American Civil War has some appeal around the world. So, I wanted to ask all of you following the forums from overseas. Where do you call home and why the interest in the American Civil War? I'm sure our American members would love to hear from you.

[Stewart-Gray]

Re: International Members at the AC

Good afternoon from Australia Eric. I've been off the forum for too long, marriage break up and property settlements always tend to disorganise ones life !

I remember my initial interest in the War between the States being kindled by a Faber-Cassel Library Book titled "The American Civil War" featuring lots of pictures and nowadays would be considered supremely "farby" by the way it was presented.
It was only late that my Grand Parents told me we had a family link through my Great Grandmother Anna Gray (known to us as "The Virginian Lady" who immigrated to Australia after the War and married my Great Grandfather (both from Scots heritage and distantly related). I'm very fortunate that my family always kept all their papers and recorded everything.

Australians tend to lean toward the ACW genre for more than a few reasons; the historic links included. A couple of Confederate Commerce raiders visited Australia and refitted here, more than a few crewmen jumped ship and settled here. We even have a graveyard with some Confederate seaman in the State of Queensland, that's honoured every year by re-enactors.
We also have a very real affinity for those people who have resisted government tyranny, so that appeals to Australian re-enactors.

[chris hookey]

Re: International Members at the AC

Hello Eric,

I blame a teacher who did not know what to do with an unruly class at the end of the year. In 8th Grade in Social Studies he told us to write an essay on a topic of our choosing ..... my first choice was hot-air ballooning, but someone else was already doing that and I did not want to double-up. I remembered having seen the cover of How and Why Wonder Book - American Civil War with two mustached cavalry troopers on it and thought it would be interesting to look into that. Well the research became all-absorbing for me and I joined the American Civil War Round Table of Australia in 1974.

Just last weekend the Round Table held our symposium comemorating the 150th annniversary of the visit of the CSS Shenandoah. We were fortunate to have two international speakers participate (Sam Craghead and Justin Vance) plus four local speakers.

The CSS Shenandoah arrived in Melbourne, Australia for repairs on 25 January 1865, and departed on 18 February 1865 with 42 locals as part of her crew.

My prime interest is in Hood's Texas Brigade, in particualr the 4th Texas Regiment. This stems from my time as a reenactor with Company B, 4th Texas here in Melbourne.

[Stewart-Gray]

Re: International Members at the AC

Good afternoon Chris, Kim Stewart-Gray here in SE Qld. You would know John Haskell amongst some others down your way.

[johnnyl79]

Re: International Members at the AC

Hi Eric,
My interest started when I was a kid, watching movies like The Blue and the Grey, North and South and red badge of courage. Also reading books. I was given a Gettysburg play set so I guess I was hooked from then. Now days I'm part of the Civil War Round Table of Queensland, we also have a progressive living history group that does camps on the weeksands every couple of months, we also do demonstrations for the public. Some of our members have been over for some events in the states.
Cheers
John Lawson

[J.H.Berger]

Re: International Members at the AC

Well Eric, I am an old hare as we say. I have been interested in the ACW since I was 12 and am in the ACW reenactrment hobby since 1989.
Playmobil and john Ford started my interest, believe it or not:D

[Johnny Lloyd]

Re: International Members at the AC

I remember my initial interest in the War between the States being kindled by a Faber-Cassel Library Book titled "The American Civil War" featuring lots of pictures and nowadays would be considered supremely "farby" by the way it was presented.
It was only late that my Grand Parents told me we had a family link through my Great Grandmother Anna Gray (known to us as "The Virginian Lady" who immigrated to Australia after the War and married my Great Grandfather (both from Scots heritage and distantly related). I'm very fortunate that my family always kept all their papers and recorded everything.

Kim- post the pic of the Leech and Rigdon revolver you have from that ancestor. ;)

[Sven Peters]

Re: International Members at the AC

Dear authentic campaigners!

My name is Sven Peters from Germany. I´m a member of the San Antonio Renegades e.V., some of you may know our member Gernot "Charlie" Duda, 1. NC Cav, Co.E, in there we are a small group of CSMC/CSN men.. I got in to contact with him in 2008 and after a short period as "not to farby" I began my reenacting career. Due to my military time in the German Marines and a youth as Rock a Billy I had same atraction to the CS and the Marines. After the beginning of my research to portray a CS Marine Corps Pvt. I fast recognized that there´s only a few information so I build up my own collection of all articles, magazines & books available (mostly over ebay.com US) to pic out what I need to do it right.
Yes I started up with mostly Pakistan stuff, but took all chances to upgrade to authentic, so actually my gear is on the level needed to call it authentic. I also upgrade my uniforms, part to part and got heavily involved in the CSN/USN this year, but starting there right on the authentic level (Thanks to Steven Hesson and Ross Lamauraux). With help, info and a lot of nice contact over some authentic fb pages (and some trys to get in, wich failed due to my email) also my CS Marine impression seems to be now on the right level.
If you are intrested I invite you to visit our homepage www.csmarines.de , in german, but the pictures will say enougth.

Why I´m here? Because there´s still so mutch to learn abut this time and some good "helping hands" are allways welcome. I´ve seen a lot of intresting threads here, wich I now can use. And upgrading never ends :wink_smil

Your´s
Sven Peters
Samuel "Sam" Jethro Peters, CSMC/CSN/USN

[thomas aagaard]

Re: International Members at the AC

I usually blame the "North and South" TVseries for my interest.

Iam a member of a mainstream unit (at least I hope you would call it that) and I don't think we will ever be more than that.

But that is no excuse not to try learn more and get ideas about to improve our drill and our events...

[Michael Comer]

Re: International Members at the AC

I'm Icelandic but I've lived here since I was about 3 months old. So, I guess I'm quasi-international.

[Basil John]

Re: International Members at the AC

Hi everyone!

I was born and raised in the Crimea. Studied in Germany and Russia (where I started my experience as a reenactor). My interest was mainly in the 19th century, Napoleonic wars, Crimean war (1853-1856).
Some time ago Don Troiani's book on ACW fell into my hands...Although I learned about reenactment in a broad sense being teenager. The most developed branch of reenactment in the post-Soviet countries was of course the era of the Napoleonic wars (from the very beginning. Then followed the Viking Age, Middle Age, WW1, WW2. Of course I also knew about ACW reenactment in USA and elsewhere). When I had the opportunity to join on of the reenactment unit (Napoleonic army infantry), I did it, as I had dreamed for a long time. By this time I had already collected books on this topic. After 2 years of participation, to be honest, I was burnt out, disappointed...not in the hobby itself, but in the level of impression, recreating, emulation. Certainly I had little knowledge and experience that time, but my interest then was more towards the direction of 'living history' (as I called it back then). I mean not only going several times a year to shoot from replica weapons wearing an uniform, but also re-creating the image of the common soldier of that era, camp and everyday life, walking marches, drills, tactical events etc...The quality of uniform reproduction also left much to be desired (buttons, seams, type of fabrics, the uniform could not fit correctly and more). I've been out of hobby for about 10 years, but I continue to stay informed about developments.
Now I also see positive shifts in the global/East European reenactment in recent years, how a lot is changing in the direction of raising quality vs quantity.
In one of the social networks I saw an ACW association of reenactors from Russia, who are developing their research and activity as 'hardcore', referring to your source (The Authentic Campaigner) and making several translations into Russian ('how to improve your impression', 'manifesto' and others). Seeing this, as well pictures and articles from their resources, I was very happy. In general, I can say that interest in ACW reenactment is growing in Ukraine, Russia, although reenactors seem to face same problems regardless of where they live (progressive/hardcore vs mainstream/farbs, transition etc.). Nevertheless it inspired me very much to return to the hobby, a new interest to ACW reenactment in the spirit of 'campaigners'. I will not forget to mention also YouTube channel of 11th OVC from which I am very impressed. Thank you guys!
Since I live now almost permanently in Sweden, I wonder if there are ACW campaigners people/units over here?

[thomas aagaard]

Re: International Members at the AC

There are events in Sweden.
The two I know about is at Bräkne Hoby (Halland) in early september and at High Chaparral in July.
But they are very fare from the quality events you find on this forum.

I been to Bräkne Hoby two times and never going back. It is farbfest with a lot of people who just use it as an excuse to fire off blackpoweder... and get drunk.



We also have events in Denmark... in the Copenhagen area (depending on where in Sweden you live that can be very fare or pretty close)
They are at best mainstream.

When we are talking uniforms and other gear I don't believe the Danish community will ever improve much.
But back in spring there was an 24 hour event planned, with no tents and a good deal of marching. So closer to the campaigner events... (but corona got in the way.)

On the drill side of things there is now an interest to do things right. We had a rather big number of the people who use to do most of the event planning work quit and a good number of older people also stopped.
And new people take over... with new "recruits joining"

The up side of this is the simple fact than when I do instructions in the manual of arms with our unit I can actually trust people to want to learn.
That was not the case 3-5 years ago, where the standard commend was "that is not how we use to do it.. We have always done it like this and that is how we did it when we where in the US in 2007"

So I do have high hopes for the hobby here... (even if it will never be a campaigner commuity)

[Basil John]

Re: International Members at the AC

There are events in Sweden.
The two I know about is at Bräkne Hoby (Halland) in early september and at High Chaparral in July. But they are very far from the quality events you find on this forum.

I been to Bräkne Hoby two times and never going back. It is farbfest with a lot of people who just use it as an excuse to fire off blackpoweder... and get drunk.

We also have events in Denmark... in the Copenhagen area (depending on where in Sweden you live that can be very fare or pretty close)
They are at best mainstream.

When we are talking uniforms and other gear I don't believe the Danish community will ever improve much.

But back in spring there was an 24 hour event planned, with no tents and a good deal of marching. So closer to the campaigner events... (but corona got in the way.)

On the drill side of things there is now an interest to do things right. We had a rather big number of the people who use to do most of the event planning work quit and a good number of older people also stopped.
And new people take over... with new "recruits joining"

The up side of this is the simple fact than when I do instructions in the manual of arms with our unit I can actually trust people to want to learn.
That was not the case 3-5 years ago, where the standard commend was "that is not how we use to do it.. We have always done it like this and that is how we did it when we where in the US in 2007"

So I do have high hopes for the hobby here... (even if it will never be a campaigner commuity)

Hi Thomas!

Thank you for your reply! Despite the fact that I am currently living in the north of Sweden, I decided to start putting together the right kit (under the guidance of the members of European campaigner battalion, the Russian branch: http://www.blueandgray.ru/) of the Confederation Army North Virginia 1862-1863. I will try to prepare for the spring-summer 2021 and start taking part in the events (as far as it is appropriate) and try to motivate others to do so. If it's ok, I can leave my contact details and share other information.

Best regards

[Redbeard]

Re: International Members at the AC

This thread is amazing. From Australians to Swedes to Tipton, who lives 5 minutes away from me, what a huge and yet small world.

[Michiel]

Hello, a new member from Holland, Europe. Since I was in school I have been interested in US history, and the Civil War mostly. Little bit embarrassed but North ans South was the start of it.
I started living history about 12 years ago, only that was WW2.
Before Covid I was trying to get in an Federal group but I did't feel comfortable due of age difference. And then Covid arrived so I don;t need to explain myself it became 2 years later.
My first event is in Holand, Horst with the 6th Alabama Volunteers and if they want me I will join them.
Now I am reading a lot of information on the AC forum, it;s a lot so it will take a while to read all of it.

Regards,
Michiel van Roode

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