First of all, my post is not in any way, shape or form meant to step on anyone's hobby/passion.
Secondly, I have never attended a reenactment.
Thirdly, I have had the opportunity to visit the majority of major and minor American Civil War Battlefields. With this stated, I have never found an interest to attend a reenactment in person.
Change my mind?
Bill
Just my reasons, but I have had an interest in the ACW since I was 6 y/o, when I was old enough to afford collecting, I was amazed at what was available. I did not have the the knowledge to know how the leather should wear, what a parts gun was or even what an original forage cap looked like compared to a repro.
I decided to join a re-enactment unit in order to learn how the leather reacted to continuous use, how brogans looked after hard use and who made the recreations.
There were and are so many repros being sold as original and I wanted to know the difference.
Along the way I learned incredible aspects that one would only learn through use of the accouterments, footgear and uniform pieces. My collection benefitted greatly, but I also gained many friends along the way.
Sitting around a campfire discussing the Civil War, drinking adult beverages and sharing unbelievable camaraderie, that many of us have not experienced since sports team or barracks “pards”. The additional benefit is to educate through two different aspects of re-enactment, living history and battle recreation.
The appreciation one garners for those who tread 160 years ago, is astounding. The wool, the brogans, the heavy pack, the single blanket, though they didn’t know better they were incredible marching machines.
The many vets in my particular group are in awe of what the ACW soldier had to go through. We have a Ranger who participated in the Mogadishu action, 4 Vietnam vets and 3 Iraq/Afghan sandbox vets, who to a man, marvel at the soldier of 1861.
The hobby is waning and as such numbers have become more important than authenticity, so attending a re-enactment may not be the way to view what it was like. The fields are too small and distances compressed, too many animal parts on uniforms, but better than nothing.
Just MHO, try it sometime.......