Historical Reality?

[Redcoat]

I recently returned from the 155th Gettysburg. Other than the organizers doing a terrible job ensuring the re-enactors cared for (i.e enough portable toilets that were accessible , enough toilet paper, hand sanitizer etc.) I had a really good time.

But, I found myself scratching my head and wondering whats up, when I saw a black woman leading white troops as a Union Captain. I never got the opportunity to introduce myself to her and ask why she was a Captain.

I am not a racist and by no means want this to be an issue of peoples rights, but as a relatively new re-enactor, I find myself struggling with this situation. I have no problem with women dressing as men, that was historically accurate. But to my knowledge there were no women officers in the infantry, and to my knowledge no black women served in the Union Army as soldiers.

People seem to carry on a lot about FARBY and being realistic as possible in our attempt to be living historians.
But how does on claim to be a historical re-enactor and participate in a role that is clearly not historical?

Is this an acceptable trend now to ignore historical facts and let re-enactors do whatever suits them?

I am confused, should I be?

 

[kbaxley45]

I'm afraid that too many of these big events are going into the realm of ridiculous, letting anyone show up in whatever they want to wear with zero adherence to historical accuracy and no enforcement at all of impression guidelines (if any exist). I think frustrated would be a better way of describing your situation. You're not alone, here.

 

[captaindrew]

Get thousands of people together there's bound to be a few head scratchers. I actually thought for the most part from the Confederate side everybody looked pretty good. Didn't get too close to many Yankees, didn't see the captain in question.

 

[grace]

This is something I deal with as an Asian girl...any other thoughts?

 

[WJC]

I appreciate all the time, effort, money and hard work serious reenactors put into their roles. Reenactments give us a flavor for what a historic event looked like and promote a better understanding of that event.
But let's face it: no matter what one does, he/she cannot portray the past with 100% accuracy. One can dress in clothing that is identical in every detail to what was worn, but reenactors, say in a 'battle', got a good night's sleep, have full stomachs, know how long it will be until their next meal and best of all, know that they are not going to be killed.
I recall watching BBC's The Hollow Crown. The actress who played the Medieval Margaret of Anjou, wife of England's King Henry VI, to perfection, Sophie Okonedo, is the daughter of a Nigerian father and a Russian/Polish mother. As a student of history, I know Queen Margaret was White: contemporary likenesses show her with strawberry blonde hair and pale complexion. But my experience was the same as if the actress were a French blonde. It was the performance that captured and held my attention, not the skin color of any of the actors or actresses.
Ours is a diverse society and becoming more diverse. In a diverse society, we ought to encourage all to participate in every endeavor and focus on performance, not skin color.

 

[WJC]

This is something I deal with as an Asian girl...any other thoughts?

Yes. Don't give it a second thought!

 

[7thWisconsin]

I hve to admit I was taken aback by the casting of the Hollow Crown also, but the performance won me over. Reenactors are hobbyists. The days of casting our parts by race and gender are over. There were no African American Federal troops at Gettysburg, but I don' think you'd stand a snowball's chance in perdition of excluding a participant based on that. The next question really is did she lead well: uniformed correctly, knowledgeable of commands, etc. ?

 

[Burning Billy]

I'm not a reenactor.

With that disclaimer out of the way I would not find a black female reenacting a Union captain any less realistic than 50 year old obese white men playing privates in either army.

Reenactments are already highly unrealistic and very few reenactors actually look like the people they're portraying. Most are older and considerably less fit.

Why draw the realism line at race or gender? Seems rather arbitrary, from my outsider's point of view.

 

[RobertP]

I appreciate all the time, effort, money and hard work serious reenactors put into their roles. Reenactments give us a flavor for what a historic event looked like and promote a better understanding of that event.
But let's face it: no matter what one does, he/she cannot portray the past with 100% accuracy. One can dress in clothing that is identical in every detail to what was worn, but reenactors, say in a 'battle', got a good night's sleep, have full stomachs, know how long it will be until their next meal and best of all, know that they are not going to be killed.
I recall watching BBC's The Hollow Crown. The actress who played the Medieval Margaret of Anjou, wife of England's King Henry VI, to perfection, Sophie Okonedo, is the daughter of a Nigerian father and a Russian/Polish mother. As a student of history, I know Queen Margaret was White: contemporary likenesses show her with strawberry blonde hair and pale complexion. But my experience was the same as if the actress were a French blonde. It was the performance that captured and held my attention, not the skin color of any of the actors or actresses.
Ours is a diverse society and becoming more diverse. In a diverse society, we ought to encourage all to participate in every endeavor and focus on performance, not skin color.

I agree, and when a black woman in butternut leads her boys on with a Rebel yell I am sure you will feel exactly the same.

 

[WJC]

I agree, and when a black woman in butternut leads her boys on with a Rebel yell I am sure you will feel exactly the same.

Thanks for your response.
Yes, I will: if as @7thWisconsin points out, she is "uniformed correctly, knowledgeable of commands, etc."

 

[Andersonh1]

I agree, and when a black woman in butternut leads her boys on with a Rebel yell I am sure you will feel exactly the same.

As an aside, I did see a young black man playing Confederate at the 155th Gettysburg. I thought that was great.

 

[Si Klegg]

When I was re-enacting, we had a term for the manner in which you treated the anachronisms you were bound to see at any big re-enactment:

'Suspension of disbelief'.

Just accept you're going to see it and focus on your orders and your comrades.

 

[The Ninth Ohio]

It's nice to be as authentic as your sensibilities and desires allow you to be.

But the tapestry of the American population, statistically, is becoming more and brown. Like people said above, just like the community has accepted older folks because they have the means and the time to add to the hobby, why turn someone away who is willing to put forth an effort? If the hobby is going to exclude people of color from participation, or otherwise limit how they can participate, it is only going to become more and more difficult to get the public interested.

Whatever your thoughts on reenactments or living histories, I think most agree that they play a vital role in educating and engaging the public interest.

 

[Si Klegg]

Big re-enactments, despite all their obvious faults, are valuable for the chance to get to do Brigade/Division Drill and to get some idea of what thousands of men look like on a field of battle. Your chance as an infantryman to 'be but an atom' in the organisation.

One of my favourite memories was my first USA biggie, 125th Sayler's Creek. At one point we were in the first line of a Brigade advance, colours flying, and I looked back over my shoulder as we descended a slope of open ground to see three more lines behind me stretching as far as you could see to each side, again with those beautiful colours flying in each line.

A phenomenal moment … and not for one second was that moment - or indeed has the memory - been blighted by any thought of anachronisms

 

[Irishtom29]

Whatever your thoughts on reenactments or living histories, I think most agree that they play a vital role in educating and engaging the public interest.

Vital? I wouldn't go that far.

My experience as a volunteer with the NPS at the Castillo in St. Augustine is that the living history dress up people are generally less knowledgeable about local and Spanish history than the "khakis"—the volunteers in normal dress with a khaki shirt. Indeed, though the dress up people are usually keen on the guns and cannon many are surprisingly ignorant of history.

 

[amweiner]

A lot of interesting points here. I guess one of the questions I've asked myself is who is served by a certain level of authenticity? Will the public know - or care - that I'm not wearing period correct underwear? Will my understanding of the historical events be changed by using a stainless steel canteen? I would never say that there is a single or "correct" answer to this; reenactors and spectators go with their own agendas and needs, and everyone will need something different in order to feel like participating in/watching an event is worthwhile.

For myself, I loved reenacting because I learned by doing, regardless of what the logical parts of my mind told me. I could suspend reality and disbelief long enough to feel like I was glimpsing, even if for a moment, what the soldiers of the War experienced. I was then able to share my own excitement with others, and hope I sparked some interest in others to learn more. Please note, this was my own connection to the hobby - I know that others have to have their own, which can include a strict faithfulness to authentic clothing/food/behavior.

As to the original question about letting reenactors do "whatever", I can only say that I hope there are still enough units with a range of authenticity levels, so that people can find a connection that works for them. If there are people who want strict stitch counting, I hope there are units that can provide a home. If there are people who eat 7 grain crackers and call it hardtack, I also hope they find a home. I'll still hope that, regardless of authenticity levels, people seeing reenactors will be inspired to crack a book and find out for themselves.

Sorry to rant!
Adam

 

[Pat Young]

Why would anyone join a group that excludes people based on race? Jeez, why would any public facility allow that group to use its space?

 

[The Ninth Ohio]

Vital? I wouldn't go that far.

My experience as a volunteer with the NPS at the Castillo in St. Augustine is that the living history dress up people are generally less knowledgeable about local and Spanish history than the "khakis"—the volunteers in normal dress with a khaki shirt. Indeed, though the dress up people are usually keen on the guns and cannon many are surprisingly ignorant of history.

That may be the case, but what about the vast majority of the US that doesn't live anywhere near an NPS site? The Midwest is dotted with dozens of smaller living histories and re-enactments, full of funnel cake and brisket sandwiches, yes, but providing visibility and access to history that much of the country doesn't get.

I would also imagine people like Ted Turner and Edward Zwick, to name a few, would say their projects (which undoubtedly raised awareness of the Civil War) couldn't have been done without reenactors.

I think when talking about the service the reenacting community provides with regard to visibility, "vital" is a very fitting word.

 

[Belle Montgomery]

I'm torn between historical accuracy and inclusiveness. Perhaps if more African-Americans and other minorities would partake in Civil War reenacting it may help with the recent protests/bomb threats and help people understand it's not about trying to be offensive... just retelling of a chapter of American history.
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school" - Albert Einstein.

 

[WJC]

I'm torn between historical accuracy and inclusiveness. Perhaps if more African-Americans and other minorities would partake in Civil War reenacting it may help with the recent protests/bomb threats and help people understand it's not about trying to be offensive... just retelling of a chapter of American history.
"Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school" - Albert Einstein.

In some ways, it boils down to whether the hobby grows or simply withers away.