Overlooked in the reenacting world

[BillO'Dea]

Re: Overlooked in the reenacting world

In regards to shaving with a straight razor, twice now i've been to Southern Guard events where someone in the ranks had the skills, expertise, proper technique to safely act as company barber and shave anyone who requested it.

Bill O'Dea
Salt boiler mess
122nd NY
Liberty Rifles
Southern Guard

[BillO'Dea]

Re: Overlooked in the reenacting world

As far as wagons and teams to pull them being expensive in upkeep and transportation, as my sister likes to say "Who didn't know that?" Wasn't there a regimental wagon at BGR recently? So it is possible. And I know someone was going to bring his to Fredericksburg until it got postponed, The question was asked what's overlooked in the hobby.

Bill O'Dea
Salt boiler mess
122nd NY
Liberty Rifles
Southern Guard

[cap tassel]

Re: Overlooked in the reenacting world

Hallo!

Not sure...
But I think you might be remembering my old admonishment to strive to look like the men in Period images, rather than reenactors.
;) :)

Curt

Lol could be.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Overlooked in the reenacting world

Hallo!

"On the same note, I think some of the best advice I've seen was Curt Schmidt's do what the pictures tell you to do. Or at least I think I remember he said it."

Not sure...
But I think you might be remembering my old admonishment to strive to look like the men in Period images, rather than reenactors.
;) :)

Curt

[cap tassel]

Re: Overlooked in the reenacting world

There's a lot of things reenactors can do to improve their events and portrayals. Sometimes it's as simple as having an open mind, an open history book, some creativity, and the courage to use and adapt something "cool" you saw being done at another event.

I agree. There is a whole lot to work on before other things.

On the same note, I think some of the best advice I've seen was Curt Schmidt's do what the pictures tell you to do. Or at least I think I remember he said it.

[Pvt Peck]

Re: Overlooked in the reenacting world

For mail delivery in my old Federal unit I once made up a batch of boxes from home. I filled them with treats from the home front, fruit, whiskey, sweets, cakes etc... I wrote letters to go in the boxes (listing the contents in some cases), I also put newspapers and other items in some of them too. Well here is what I did with them boxes: I left them alone for 3 months, then put some outside in the weather, smashed in the side of others, rooted around and "stole" items out of them and re-wrapped them, shook some violently to mix up their innards (read- break the bottled contents inside). Nobody knew I had got up to this project and all were pleasantly surprised when they got a nice box, until some of them opened them to find rotten fruit, stale or moldy cakes,whiskey soaked goods, if the whiskey was even in there as it should have been. Some fellows got great boxes with all goods intact. I had been reading a number of diaries at the time and some mentioned the boxes from home and how Adams Express would 'lose' stuff, or the boxes would be rifled through prior to delivery. It was a hit and we went on to do boxes from home every once and awhile after that, the look on the guys face who opened his box and dumped out a bunch of black, shriveld oranges was classic.

I would love to see more proper shaving at events, I have done an inspection of a full company where well over half have been clean shaven but not a man had a razor in his kit.

Mules, oh how I would love to see more army mules and hear the god awful caterwauling they must have kept up. But as Kevin stated we should probably stay focused on what we can achieve.

Oh and the smell, I think the smell is under represented, I can tell you after RR1 you could smell our company from a block away. I'm not kidding you really could, and it was a wierd smell too.

Edward Parrott

[mattifatti]

Re: Overlooked in the reenacting world

In regards to mail call, I do have a somewhat unorthodox solution which we have found very entertaining in our camp. As a teacher I must give my students writing prompts. I make a list of these (you can find them by doing a simple search on the internet) as well as the people attending the event from my company. At the start of the event, every person pulls a name and a writing prompt. They then must write a letter to that person and turn the letter into the Orderely who in turn holds a mail call later in the day or early the next morning. We sit around the fire and everyone reads their letter. Is the content period? No, but it is hilarious what some will write. If you want the content of the letters to be more period than make that a stipulation. Also, the prompts could come from letters written during the war as there are many questions in letters written by the soldiers.

[mattifatti]

Re: Overlooked in the reenacting world

Hey Kevin, just trying to keep things a little focused. It has been my experience in "organized" groups that when all these great ideas come up that they just go by the wayside. I have read many cool things on this site and not to mention in the CRRC that I plan to incorporate into my inpression AND I think it would be cool to read about how others incorporate some of the ideas mentioned in this thread into their reenacting weekend WHICH in turn might persuade others to incorporate similar ideas. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel, rather just trying to find the right size tire for my car and learn how to put it on.
Sincerely,
the humble mainstreamer
trying to progess his impression,

[2ndNHDOC]

Re: Overlooked in the reenacting world

Writing letters in cursive with a dip pen and inkwell. No ballpoints, roller balls, or Sharpies, if you please. Not even a fountain pen.

On that note more "Mail Cail" (Forgive me if that is not a period term) with letters and packages from home which are done in period style with period items.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Overlooked in the reenacting world

Pining for more horses and animals is great, and certainly it's a valid "complaint", but as I view it, this stuff is railing against the wind. It costs a lot of money to obtain, keep, and transport animals, wagons, and similar things. Who's going to ante up that type of thing?

Please don't get me wrong: I'd love to see a train of even a half-dozen covered wagons drawn by mules--just to SEE it. I doubt I will. Heck, in nearly 15 years of reenacting I've seen a "semi-mounted" battery of four guns just once.

There's a lot of things reenactors can do to improve their events and portrayals. Sometimes it's as simple as having an open mind, an open history book, some creativity, and the courage to use and adapt something "cool" you saw being done at another event.

Wishing for the stars is great, but I'd suggest that this discussion be focused on the stuff that reenactors today, most of whom have ordinary incomes, have the ability and resources to accomplish.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Overlooked in the reenacting world

There are obviously many suggestions of things to work on! With all of these suggestions, does anybody think that maybe a few things should be picked (like rules of emphasis in the NFL) to be discussed further and incorporated into an event and/or impression in the upcoming season. This would be a great idea and help for a good follow up conversation as this next season progresses!!

Matt,

Do you get out to "good events" very often? If not, try some, and no, I don't mean rewarmed mainstream events hawked by some as "campaigner" events.

Learn what's being done, before starting to reinvent the wheel.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Overlooked in the reenacting world

Nonsense Kevin - I was simply listing two items that are poorly done. We all know the difference between the ceremony and the duty.

Doug, I really disagree with ya on that one. I've met few in the reenactor world that understand the difference. Most reenactors don't even know what "guard mount" was, let alone how it was done, and fewer still have ever been part of one done even remotely correctly.

[mattifatti]

Re: Overlooked in the reenacting world

There are obviously many suggestions of things to work on! With all of these suggestions, does anybody think that maybe a few things should be picked (like rules of emphasis in the NFL) to be discussed further and incorporated into an event and/or impression in the upcoming season. This would be a great idea and help for a good follow up conversation as this next season progresses!!

[BillO'Dea]

Re: Overlooked in the reenacting world

Wagons pulled by teams

Larger companies, not ten files in ranks but twenty or thirty per company ( At the Wilderness LH at the Ellwood (Lacy) house this past season I was thrilled that we had one large company of about 62 enlisted rather than the usual norm of dividing that number into smaller ones.)

Bill O'Dea
Salt Boiler mess
122nd NY
Liberty Rifles
Southern Guard

[cap tassel]

Re: Overlooked in the reenacting world

Here's a few thoughts
2. Numerous boxes, crates, wagons and other supplies of war.

With mud and dirt to look like it's been on a proper journey.