There is so much confusion about a certain set of terms that I think it would be useful to attempt to set some definitions to these terms. It may confuse the matter more, it may cause still more infighting - but these are not my goals when writing this article. Rather, I purpose to create a forum for the discussion of these terms alone. I also believe eliminating some of the ambiguity in how we define ourselves may lead to a more healthy reenacting experience for all.

I'm firmly convinced that a lot of folks in the hobby of Civil War Reenacting have taken the issue of the expense to upgrade and blown it incredibly out of proportion in order to validate their lack of improvement. I saw an example of this recently while visiting the showroom of a well-known mainstream sutler. I had stopped in order to pick up a copy of Casey's Infantry Tactics and was waited on by a wonderfully cordial woman we shall call herein Tammy.

t had been a long weekend, plagued by rain early it seemed as if the 1995 reenactment at Nashville, TN might be wash out. But the sun had broke early on Saturday and the wind had wicked up most of the mud and sludge. It had been so thick it had literally pulled our boots from our feet. It was now Sunday and we were blessed with a warm October afternoon, the sky high in the sky and the men's spirits equally lofty.

After close examination I have concluded that there are no less than four separate categories of Civil War Reenactors as it relates to taking a hit during battle reenactments.

It seems obvious, but the better the quality of quill, the better you can write with it. The point must be hard - quills were hardened by plunging them in hot sand after cutting them. Quills don't last forever. In the Civil War, 12 quills were issued every quarter as part of the normal stationery issue. So, simple math shows us that a quill was expected to last about a week in normal administrative use.

n 1983, I went with a group of about 150 re-enactors to Paris to celebrate the bicentennial of the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. We stayed at a French military barracks. The first day we turned out to practice, we marched around the parade. We were so bad the French troops were laughing at us. We went away to practice, and practiced for 90 minutes. During those 90 minutes, the tips I am about to share with you were used, and used extensively.