Question For Reenactors

charge_of_glory · Captain Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 136

Obviously if you reenact the Civil War, you must really be into the war and its history. But have any of you ever started to question why it was fought or what was so great about it? Why men enlisted and died during those years? Have you ever thought about such things and gotten a really odd and unpleasant feeling? I'm not questioning why anyone does it. I want to be a reenactor myself, but sometimes when I think about those questions, I get this horrible, confused feeling in my gut. I would just like some help or advice or anything really. Thanks.

charge_of_glory · Captain Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 136

Guys, please. I really need your help. Any advice or response will be greatly appreciated!

bucktailre-enactor · First Sergeant Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 24

One of the reasons men and boys enlisted was because many of them have never travelled away from their homes and thought that it would be a great adventure and they would be able to see the rest of the country. One other reason they enlisted was because in 1861 the war fever broke out and they wanted to be heroes. Yes, many soldiers were killed in battle but they fought because their lands and states were being invaded by unwanted tyrants. Many southern soldiers did not even own a slave they fought because their homes were being thereatened.

charge_of_glory · Captain Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 136

Thanks!

GeoMcClellan · Sergeant Major Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 71

Most Union men fought for honourable intentions; they were saving the Constitution, Union, the whole United States as they knew it. Others fought for money. Some were drafted. Same as today.

possum · Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2006 2:46 am Post subject: question for reenactors

Perhaps more pertinently for our times, why the compulsion to re-enact?

charge_of_glory · Captain Joined: 01 Aug 2006 Posts: 136

That's a question I wonder about sometimes and I think out of the many reasons there are, the most important are to preserve the history of our nation and to honor those who fought.

possum · Posted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 2:45 am Post subject: questions for reenactors

And perhaps to try and make sense of something so monumental,that involved so much suffering, the effects of which still reverberate unresolved intergenerationally. I can only speculate from afar. Good luck with your search.

O'Bruadair · Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 5:07 pm Post subject: What was so great?

“have any of you ever started to question why it was fought or what was so great about it?”

Why was it fought? Why was any war fought? Ever? Despite what most historians both professional and amateur say the answer is really pretty simple. (See the quote below.)

Now, for what was so great about it. Are you asking what was so great about the WBTS or what is so great about re-enacting?

If it is the war it’s self the answer is NOTHING was great about it. The vast majority of soldiers on both sides experienced mainly degradation, filth, hard labour, misery, suffering and in many cases horrible mutilation and death! Most of them would have been perfectly willing to simply have gone home and lived out their lives (at least after the first “whiff of grape”). Nathan Bedford Forrest summed up the “glory of war” this way: “War means fightin and fightin means killin”.

Now what about re-enacting? Well dang it let’s be honest here. What could be more absurd than a bunch of grown men putting on wool uniforms and running around shooting blanks at each other! If you don’t have a finely tuned sense of the absurd you won’t make a good re-enactor cause it won’t be fun after a while! And that is one thing that is so great about it. By golly it’s fun! (and nobody gets killed or maimed) There is a historical preservation aspect to it, yes. There is also educational (especially for participants) and fraternal aspects too. Many of the best times and best friends of my life are associated with the hobby.

If you want to be a re-enactor my advice is get started as soon as you can afford to buy the “kit”. Find a good unit that you can live with (and this is just like any other endeavour in life there are good ones, bad ones and mediocre ones). Get their advice on what you need to buy first. Many units keep extra gear they can loan new troops too (we do).

O'Bruadair · Posted: Wed Sep 06, 2006 5:19 pm Post subject: "beep"

“Beep” it! The “beep” “beep” “beep” automatic bad language eraser on this board keeps "beeping" out the name at the end of my quote below! His name was

Charles DI CK ENS

NOT Charles “beep”

You know, the author of “A Christmas Carroll"?

(Why his name is considered a bad word by the stupid computer is beyond me)

possum · Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 1:58 am Post subject: question for reenactors

I wonder whether the reenactment compulsion could also be to do with making a retreat from domesticity - a bid to get in touch with the big alpha man within???

O'Bruadair · Posted: Thu Sep 07, 2006 8:50 am Post subject:

Well yeah, I think ye have got sumthin there Pos. Guess that’s a part of what I meant by the “fraternal aspect” of re-enacting. There are some that take “fraternity” just a mite too far in my opinion though.

BTW do y’all have possums in New Zealand?

possum · Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 2:46 am Post subject: questions for reenactors

By taking "fraternity a mite too far" might you mean weevilly biscuits and no goretex allowed?

Around the time you fellas were gearing up for ACC, our Acclimatisation Societies decided to officially introduce possum here to begin a fur trade.Duh!They're now an out of control official pest voraciously eating our native forests.In a cute kind of way.

O'Bruadair · Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 1:11 pm Post subject:

"They're now an out of control official pest voraciously eating our native forests"

Well I could recommend a recipe or two!

possum · Posted: Fri Sep 08, 2006 10:59 pm Post subject: questions for reenactors

I beg you reconsider my name O'Bsy - you're not suggesting I partake in the consumption of my little furry foraging brethren I trust?