Biggest reenacting units?

[archieclement]

Are there units that can field a full company by themselves? A full battery? Both would historically be around 100 men. Though assume reenacting batteries don't include much support personal besides gun crews. Correct?

Are there any larger units that exist? Was curious the largest our reenactors have seen as an individual reenactment unit.

 

[General Casey]

When I was a reenactor in the mid 90s to early 2000s, our unit numbered around 130-150 members. We consistently fielded two companies at most national events, and on occasion three companies.

 

[jepridgen]

Are there units that can field a full company by themselves? A full battery? Both would historically be around 100 men. Though assume reenacting batteries don't include much support personal besides gun crews. Correct?

Are there any larger units that exist? Was curious the largest our reenactors have seen as an individual reenactment unit.

I think if you consider reenacting groups that associate together (since most only depict a company out of a regiment) you'd find a few that would field battalion equivalents. Most of the individual groups in our overall organization (battalion) are more like platoons or even smaller, but there are several that form reasonably sized, if reduced strength, companies including ours.

I don't know of any groups in our region that have a full strength company that would meet the full complement authorized, but then again, most regiments didn't have a thousand men for very long. A 300 to 400 man regiment wouldn't have more than 50 or so per company.

 

[PrivateBrooke]

I think you're confusing operating strength with regulation strength. Once leaving, no companies would have 100 officers and men for very long. Between casualties, illnesses, furloughs, desertions, straggling, etc, most were realistically fielding way less. I read somewhere that 400 to 500 was the average operating size of a regiment during active campaigning(not sure exactly where, but I know it was on this site somewhere). That's 50 or less per company.

I've seen companies of 20-40, easy, which is probably a good representation of the average company while actively campaigning. 20 being obviously the extreme end of depletion which probably was less common until later in the war, when campaigns got more extreme and brutal.

 

[captaindrew]

Not that I'm aware of. I think if a group can get 15 to 20 on a given weekend they're doing pretty good. That's about what our group can get. We have about 40 members on paper and if we can get about half out we're doing good. We're actually split into 2 companies, one likes to camp mainstream and one likes to rough it. At the bigger events we fall in together on the field. At the small local events we'll operate independently.

 

[thomas aagaard]

A full battery? Both would historically be around 100 men. Though assume reenacting batteries don't include much support personal besides gun crews. Correct?

For the campaigner community it is the norm that they organize full regiments for their event.
(That is as the specific unit was at a specific point in time.)

262-strong 1st Minnesota Infantry at Gettysburg.

Unlike mainstream events that usually have a number of tiny "battalions" as independent units.

1st section fielded a full battery last September. with every horse, wagon and gun. And the men to man it all.
(but it was a battery as it was in September 1862. It only had 3 guns, and similar fewer other wagons and fewer men)

Later this year they are going for a full battery in camp getting reorganized and training up replacements.

 

[archieclement]

I wasn't ever sure if most units are simply local individual units, or if some were like chapters of a bigger unit organization that could protray a specific regt/brigade, if all the chapters came together like for a national.

 

[thomas aagaard]

As I understand it both liberty rifles and 1st section, and the other groups are individual organizations that have some members, but not sufficient for recreating entire regiments. (even if they are way way below full paper strength)

But when they organize events they are open to none members as well. So everyone show up to recreate a specific unit for that one event.

 

[jepridgen]

I wasn't ever sure if most units are simply local individual units, or if some were like chapters of a bigger unit organization that could protray a specific regt/brigade, if all the chapters came together like for a national.

I think it varies from region to region. Our organization has close to 20 "companies" but only three or four could truly field a reasonable company. We also have a similar organization in a neighboring state that we "brigade" with. It comes up to 2 battalions.

I know a lot of groups are under umbrella organizations (divisions, battalions, brigades, departments, etc.) across the country. Most of them probably end up with the aforementioned mini-battalions. I agree though that the campaign events with true to size regiments and batteries are the pinnacle of events. Maybe mainstream can improve back to that level one day.

 

[archieclement]

I think it varies from region to region. Our organization has close to 20 "companies" but only three or four could truly field a reasonable company. We also have a similar organization in a neighboring state that we "brigade" with. It comes up to 2 battalions.

I know a lot of groups are under umbrella organizations (divisions, battalions, brigades, departments, etc.) across the country. Most of them probably end up with the aforementioned mini-battalions. I agree though that the campaign events with true to size regiments and batteries are the pinnacle of events. Maybe mainstream can improve back to that level one day.

I realize numbers are down, but for my question the largest one has encountered personally could either be in past or currently.

 

[jepridgen]

I realize numbers are down, but for my question the largest one has encountered personally could either be in past or currently.

Gotcha, I've personally only seen an established unit field about 40 (I started well after the heyday of recruitment) without pulling from another group. My group has about that many, but we usually get 25 on average for major events. We have several smaller groups that cover down with us that keep our numbers around 30-40 for those events.

I think it's worse for artillery and cavalry for obvious reasons. I've never seen those guys have more than a crew or a squad. I'm referring to true cavalry and artillery that actually have horses. I'm sure gun only units can field more teams.

 

[archieclement]

Gotcha, I've personally only seen an established unit field about 40 (I started well after the heyday of recruitment) without pulling from another group. My group has about that many, but we usually get 25 on average for major events. We have several smaller groups that cover down with us that keep our numbers around 30-40 for those events.

I think it's worse for artillery and cavalry for obvious reasons. I've never seen those guys have more than a crew or a squad. I'm referring to true cavalry and artillery that actually have horses. I'm sure gun only units can field more teams.

Yeah that's a huge problem to small ones I've attended.

Usually the actual participants were mounted, always presented unmounted with mabye 2-3 officer horses.........never have seen an artillery unit with actual teams at all. By unit, individual piece or section.

 

[jepridgen]

Yeah that's a huge problem to small ones I've attended.

Usually the actual participants were mounted, always presented unmounted with mabye 2-3 officer horses.........never have seen an artillery unit with actual teams at all. By unit, individual piece or section.

Yeah, when you get an event with horse drawn artillery, it definitely adds to the realism. Nothing like getting to the top of a hill and seeing a cannon following the advance.

The biggest sin against the dismounted cavalry that portray mounted troops who've left their horses is the insistence that they be so heavily armed it looks difficult to walk. The best depiction of dismounted cavalry on the Reb side is just infantry guys leaving off their bayonets.

 

[captaindrew]

I wasn't ever sure if most units are simply local individual units, or if some were like chapters of a bigger unit organization that could protray a specific regt/brigade, if all the chapters came together like for a national.

Most are part of a bigger organization, some are independent. Our unit belongs to the 1st Division ANV which covers Confederate groups from the Mid Atlantic and Northeast and also covers our insurance. Within that we're in a sub division covering New England, the 6th Battalion. Yes we do come together at the big events. There's also Longstreet's Brigade in the Mid Atlantic area.

 

[captaindrew]

Yeah that's a huge problem to small ones I've attended.

Usually the actual participants were mounted, always presented unmounted with mabye 2-3 officer horses.........never have seen an artillery unit with actual teams at all. By unit, individual piece or section.

Here's some artillery action for you

 

[archieclement]

I would love to see something like that, guns manhandled in position, or at least several companies of cav together.

Nothing like that around here. Haven't been to a WC or PR major, but they are 5 and 6 hr drives away respectfully, so not really what I consider around here.

 

[captaindrew]

Here's another video of the Liberty Rifles and 1st Section at Sharpsburg last year

 

[archieclement]

These are more like I thought or hoped a major national would be, even if spectators were more then a hundred yards away......but realistic bodies in size and appearance.

 

[Trooper "D"]

Here's some artillery action for you

Well that was impressive.

 

[Trooper "D"]

Are there units that can field a full company by themselves? A full battery? Both would historically be around 100 men. Though assume reenacting batteries don't include much support personal besides gun crews. Correct?

Are there any larger units that exist? Was curious the largest our reenactors have seen as an individual reenactment unit.

Back in the '90s in So Call there where some fairly large Infantry units at the larger events. Its been a long time since I have reenacted and I love in AZ where the events are like the ones we did on the early '80s. 15 against 8. Silly actually.