Question For Reenactors

O'Bruadair · Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 10:25 am Post subject:

Oh well, each to his own when it comes to vittals I reckon. Possum and sweet taiters is considered good eatin where I come from though.

In the immortal words of Nipsey Russell “If it don’t run wild in the woods and it ain’t fried in hog fat it ain’t fit to eat”

possum · Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 4:29 pm Post subject: Questions for reenactors

I'm presuming Nipsy isn't from Somalia either.

We've got the sweet 'taiters' too, commonly known as kumara here.
Sounds like you might be getting homesick Obsy, dreaming of possum pie and kumara.

O'Bruadair · Posted: Sat Sep 09, 2006 8:57 pm Post subject:

No Nipsey (God rest his rhymin soul) was from Atlanta (musta been one of the last Real Southerners that lived there too!) Some of his ancestors may very well have been from Somalia though.

And thanks for noticing the Somali flag! That was a kinda “tongue in cheek” thing of course. It’s the only one on the list that resembles a Southern flag. Though I think the “Bonnie Blue” flag (you know the one the song was written about) was a darker shade of blue.

possum · Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2006 5:06 am Post subject: questions for reenactors

Well, there you go.

So if we got rid of that somewhat obsolete Union Jack on the top of ours,we could be a "bonnie blue flag" ourselves...

Hey look we're veering vaguely back on topic.

O'Bruadair · Posted: Wed Sep 13, 2006 7:56 pm Post subject:

Well never thought about it but yeah!

Words to the song would fit too!

Instead of" Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears a single star" it would be "Hurrah for the Bonnie Blue Flag that bears the Southern Cross"!

possum · Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 7:39 pm Post subject: questions for reenactors

Its the Celtic thing. The word "bonnie" reaches out and grabs us, who cares about how many stars anyway? I'm Scottish/Irish descent with a smattering of Maori (makes for a wild mix on the battlefield and in the pub)I bet that wild confederate war cry had its origins in the highlands. We were meting out rough justice to the English in the 1840's too in NZ against incredible odds and in possession of devil cunning.That's why I have a soft spot for the Confederate army.Apparently they wore their kit in a particularly Celtic fashion too.

O'Bruadair · Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2006 9:56 pm Post subject:

"they wore their kit in a particularly Celtic fashion too"

Well never heard it put quite that way but reckon you are right.

"bet that wild confederate war cry had its origins in the highlands."

There is a book called "Attack and Die" by Grady McWhiney and Forrest McDonald that makes just that point. Ever heard of it?

And by the way I like most Southerners am Scot-Irish with a smattering of Creek and Cherokee so guess we are kin.

possum · Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2006 3:45 pm Post subject: question for reenactors

Hiya Bro,

My computer is crashing ...if u don't hear for a bit.
"Attack and Die". I've been recommended it but haven't been able to track it down yet.But I will now that I know McWhinney etc stole my theory which was rather clever of him considering I only came to that conclusion a few weeks ago.

Well to be sure, to be sure, I'll be down to visit you in a couple of years when I have on my agenda to visit the States and if you ever get to NZ we'll put down a hangi for you. Only hitch is, you have to come through Customs in full Confederate regalia minus the horse. They won't let hardtack in either.

O'Bruadair · Posted: Sun Sep 17, 2006 9:31 am Post subject:

McWhinney wrote another book that you might want to consider too if you are really interested in the “Celtic connection” to Southern people; “Cracker Culture, Celtic folk ways of the Old South”.

“Mainstream” politically correct “historians” do their best to denigrate McWhinny’s ideas (for their own political reasons) but I am here to tell you that any real Southerner or anyone that has anything but a passing familiarity with real Southerners will recognise the truth in what he is saying when they read “Cracker Culture”. I am certain that a similar book could be done about the New Zealand and Australian people (if it hasn’t been already)

Are you a Re-enactor? If so, or if you want to become one you should consider coming to Gettysburg in 2008. That will be the 145th anniversary and should be a big one

possum · Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 4:47 pm Post subject: questions for reenactors

I would feel something of an imposter not being American.There are no opportunities for reenactments here. If we did have them they would no doubt fail as there are so few of us.
I guess I could go and stand on a hill (can't remember the topography of Gettysburg) with some binoculars.

What would the logistics be of arranging a big event like that? It would no doubt be a huge tourist-fest for starters probably complete with buses and film crews.Imagine being the quartermaster.

So that will be the plan though. I'll definitely try and make it for that event. I'm too old to be a sojer. At 54 in the 1860's, people were all used up with hard toil and grief.

I'm ordered those two books from the library. The more I read, the more intrigued I become.I easily become fascinated by aspects of history, but I've never been as fascinated by anything as this war. There are reasons for fascination and I reckon its important to go with it. Already just talking with you and realizing how our different histories interface in places is riveting. It makes me feel a mix of excitement and sadness.The Anglo-Saxons gave the poor old Celts such a *beep*.Still do over there in blighty.

O'Bruadair · Posted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 9:03 pm Post subject:

To old? Posh! John Burns was a 69 year old veteran of the War of 1812 when he took his old musket down from the wall and fought at Gettysburg (his home town)

He was on the wrong side of course but you can’t help but admire his spunk. Guess he was one of the few yankees that understood how Southerners felt when their States were invaded.

http://www.brotherswar.com/Gettysburg-8p.htm

“would feel something of an imposter not being American.”

Nonsense!

There were a *beep* of a lot of people who fought in the WBTS that were not American (especially on the Union side) something on the order of 300,000 Germans, 200,000 Irish and 50,000 Canadians. Don’t know of any New Zealanders but I do know that there were a few Australians who served as seamen on the CSS Shenandoah.

As far as re-enactors I’ve met Germans, Irish, Brazilians and Australians (all in CS uniform BTW)

possum · Posted: Wed Sep 20, 2006 5:52 am Post subject: questions for reenactors

Yeah but how many of them were female? The hill and the binoculars I'm afraid it must be? Much to my regret!
Very impressed by your enthusiasm I must say!

O'Bruadair · Posted: Thu Sep 21, 2006 2:56 pm Post subject:

Well don’t know about Gettysburg but I do know there were at least 400 documented cases of women disguising themselves as men and fighting in the ranks. And this is just the ones who were either discovered or who admitted it later (at least one of these later applied for and was finally granted a soldier’s pension by the US government).

I have known a few women re-enactors who can pull it off too! We have a female soldier that fights with us about twice a year (see the link below) To tell the truth as far as size she is a *beep* of a lot closer to the real thing (5’4” and 125 lbs) than most male re-enactors (your’s truly included). Unless you really give her a close looking over you can’t tell! (Her facial features are just too pretty for even a teenaged boy, but after she smears her face with a little dirt you really have to look close!)

But if marching and shootin ain't your cup of tea you can always get a folding fan a hoop skirt and ball gown!

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1197676/

possum · Posted: Fri Sep 22, 2006 6:14 am Post subject: questions for reenactors

Might just give the ball gown and the fan a miss if it's all the same to you.
Where can I read up on the 400 women? Good for them! They must have felt somewhat vulnerable at times....Like in the dead of night.
Well my great-grandmother was up a tree in the middle of a battle once, shooting at the English with a musket so that is no doubt where I get it from.
I guess I'd rather march and fight than any of the other options you've laid out.But I'd be anatomically challenged for all that.

I do think that a whole bunch of men doing stuff with other men like re-enacting well away from the domain of women, is actually a really healthy thing. It's related to what I said before about removing oneself, albeit for short periods of time,from domesticity and comfort. I haven't really thought it through very clearly myself but I believe it has an invigorating effect on men. Do men feel they are more able to be truly authentic in such situations, to be more truly themselves?

So given that I have these odd notions that you guys are better off contacting your more primal, perhaps even pagan roots, on the appropriately single sex field of battle, why would I deprive you of it by infiltrating the situation? That would not be very other-regarding of me!

Although having said that, I'm my great-grandmother's great grand-daughter and I'd would love to be amongst it all.

Civility_C · Posted: Sat Sep 30, 2006 12:04 pm Post subject: