Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I've attended a couple of performances by reenactor groups and both times my impression was that these were the history equivalents of Trekkies, people so deeply into one thing that they are in something of a bubble. Wandering through their camp before the staging of their battle, I encountered one fellow who started telling me about the authenticity of the buttons on his uniform...and telling me..and telling me until I had to invent an excuse to leave.
Though the shows that I saw were different groups, one thing which they had in common was the reluctance of casualty volunteers. X number of reenactors have to go down to establish the attrition of battle, but in the early going, the two sides were blazing away at one another with apparently no one being hit. I could understand, if you go to that much trouble for your play time, you want to have the fun of discharging your weapon and you don't want to miss the fun by having to lie around on the ground pretending to be wounded or dead.I imagined the ones who finally did start to fall as the losers of a lottery the night before.
After one of the shows was completed and the armies were marching away, leaving the pretend dead on the field, my then girlfriend turned to me and asked "Now what?" A guy standing next to us said "Now we go loot the bodies."
If those people had an adult sense of self awareness they'd be embarassed to play "Civil War".
Have you ever been to a re-enactment? They're really pretty neat to watch, though there is obviously some things missing like the aforementioned lack of "dead" soldiers and also shell bursts.... I mean they can't do that for obvious reasons, but a staged artillery barrage seems kinda castrated when nothing is exploding on the other end.... Oh, and the cavalry looks really cool and authentic until they actually "battle" each other.... Then it becomes sort of a comedy with everyone watching out for their horses and not wanting to hurt anyone with their sabres.... Last re-enactment I went to the cavalry engagement had to have a "time-out" because a horse had fallen with his rider... Both were okay, but talk about REALLY making it laughable...
Anyway, it sounds as though you won't be unhappy to hear that it appears as though re-enactors are a dying breed.... Seems close to 75% of them are over 50 and 50% over 60..... Expensive hobby from what I understand.....
Personally I'd like to try it once.... Maybe the 150th at Gettysburg in 2013?
Oh, and the cavalry looks really cool and authentic until they actually "battle" each other.... Then it becomes sort of a comedy with everyone watching out for their horses and not wanting to hurt anyone with their sabres...
The shows which I saw featured no cavalry, but I have an old videotape of a group restaging First Bull Run. The narrator gets to the point where he says "And then Wade Hampton's cavalry charged the guns.." and viewers see ten guys on horseback emerge from the woods, all of them looking terrified, like not falling off their horses occupied 100 % of their concentration. The "charge" takes place at a slow trot and the effect is to make it seem like ten equestrians blundered onto the field by mistake.
The shows which I saw featured no cavalry, but I have an old videotape of a group restaging First Bull Run. The narrator gets to the point where he says "And then Wade Hampton's cavalry charged the guns.." and viewers see ten guys on horseback emerge from the woods, all of them looking terrified, like not falling off their horses occupied 100 % of their concentration. The "charge" takes place at a slow trot and the effect is to make it seem like ten equestrians blundered onto the field by mistake.
Sounds about right... The "engagement" I saw was probably close to 25 per side and they maybe got up to a light canter during their approach and then slowed down, intermingled with the "enemy" and then their horses did a little circular waltz while they clanked their swords together like 5-year olds playing "pirate" or something..... Only they did it really lightly because I'm sure the swords cost money and they didn't wanna scratch them or anything....
The Waffen SS re-enactors near me get to have more fun. They have a halftrack, an MG42 and other good stuff.
To play "war" at a war that happened long ago is much easier to consider harmless play than one that happened within living memory. And then to play Waffen SS on top of it, Christ, sounds VERY anti-social to me.
To play "war" at a war that happened long ago is much easier to consider harmless play than one that happened within living memory. And then to play Waffen SS on top of it, Christ, sounds VERY anti-social to me.
As hostile as I am to Civil War revisionist, when it comes to Civil War re-enactors I am pretty ambivalent. But, I would be hard pressed to stifle my outrage over someone playing a jack booted Schutzstaffel!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Last re-enactment I went to the cavalry engagement had to have a "time-out" because a horse had fallen with his rider... Both were okay, but talk about REALLY making it laughable...
