Impressions Gettysburg and Vicksburg reenactors 1963

major bill

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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Aug 25, 2012
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I was at an antique store yesterday and picked up the July 1963 National Geographic magazine that articles on the Centennial of the battles. I was wondering if these would past muster today.
 
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Before they updated their documentary about the battle (in about 2010), the 1961 version of the NPS film about Shiloh featured Tennessee National Guardsmen in sort of military uniforms doing battle in 1862 with what appeared to be '03 Springfields.
 
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Soon enough we'll be reenacting the reenactors reenacting the war.
We'll have to go back to blue jeans, red dyed long sleeve undershirts, yellow elastic suspenders, cowboy boots and hats, and the great Zouave Rifle. Was about the standard kit when I was a kid just starting out.
 
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I was at an antique store yesterday and picked up the July 1963 National Geographic magazine that articles on the Centennial of the battles. I was wondering if these would past muster today.

Well I guess I can't rag on "Dismounted Cav." and other farby reenactors anymore, kinda hard to say their the worst reenactors in regards to authenticity after seeing that! lol.
 
We'll have to go back to blue jeans, red dyed long sleeve undershirts, yellow elastic suspenders, cowboy boots and hats, and the great Zouave Rifle. Was about the standard kit when I was a kid just starting out.

The "Zouave" -- never called that at the time, is merely an 1863 Remington 2-bander -- is not nearly worthy of all the hate and derision smugly thrown at it.

It was a CW weapon produced during the CW, merely an updated re-order of the 1855 Harpers Ferry, which it resembles greatly but for very minor detail. Nothing notable from any distance at all, so for mainstream reenacting it's well within appearances for any unit whose legacy unit was issued 1855s. Consider that mainstreamers sleep in A tents on cots and wear big eyglasses -- two things to fix well before denying "Zouaves" on the field.

The history of deriding "Zouaves" goes back to the dawn of reenacting in the 1960s and 70s. Original 1863 Remingtons were still available in good shape. They weren't issued during the war so inventory was available through resellers, and the guns were (and are) an excellent period design. Good shooters many of them. Then Italian makers chose that pattern to make reproductions of (mistakenly estimating that since so many were in use with reenactors already that would be one that would sell well as a reproduction).

Forward some years as the post-1860 pattern Springfield and Enfield reproductions became available. 'Enactors began playing the "authentico" card, berating the "Zouves" as a joke because they personally had their authentic pattern Springfields and Enfields. It became an established Reenactorism to disrespect and deny the "Zouaves,"piled on with the reason that if used with 3-bander rifles in ranks it was not a safe scenario. That's true but has nothing to do with the gun itself. Ranks of only "Zouaves" are not unsafe.
 
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I was at an antique store yesterday and picked up the July 1963 National Geographic magazine that articles on the Centennial of the battles. I was wondering if these would past muster today.

Just what in H is going on that the battery commander is issuing a fire command while standing directly in front of the muzzle on the end gun -- his back fully exposed to enemy fire. Ha!
 
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Well I guess I can't rag on "Dismounted Cav." and other farby reenactors anymore...

Why would you be ragging on Dismounted Cav? That's a totally legitimate and authentic impression, not exactly "farby" (to understand the meaning of that modern word that was never used in the actual CW).

Ok it's maybe used a bit too much, but at a typical reenactment the ratio of brass to enlisted is a way more "farby" thing if we're to rightly judge from worst to least.
 
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I don't think I'd be comfortable without my petticoats and stockings on...unlike those dear ladies! *blush

Though the bloomers...and chemise skirt...yes, I have skipped those before. And rubber soles make dancing easier...I don't have the luxury of heel plates and leather soles are SLICK.
 
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